Laswell Amplification Tweed Deluxe with 'Tweedle Dee' Mods

Custom Built 5E3 Tweed Deluxe — Dumble "Tweedle Dee" Modified

This is a hand-wired, point-to-point custom guitar amplifier built on the classic Fender 5E3 Tweed Deluxe circuit — one of the most beloved amp topologies in the history of electric guitar. What sets this build apart is the incorporation of Rob Robinette's Dumble "Tweedle Dee" modifications, designed to coax everything that makes the 5E3 great and push it further into refined, touch-sensitive territory and oh my, SHE IS LOUD!

The Foundation — The 5E3 Circuit

The 5E3 is a simple, cathode-biased two-stage pre-amp feeding a pair of 6V6 output tubes in Class AB, running approximately 18 watts into an 8-ohm speaker load. Its interactive volume controls, lack of a traditional tone stack, and natural compression make it one of the most expressive and dynamically alive circuits ever designed. From clean sparkle to creamy, harmonically rich breakup — all controlled by your picking hand.

The Dumble Tweedle Dee Modifications

The Tweedle Dee mods refine the 5E3's inherent character without fundamentally altering its soul. Key changes include:

• Modified coupling cap values for improved bass tightness and reduced flub at higher gain settings
• Adjusted cathode bypass caps for a smoother, more refined breakup character with improved note articulation
• Refined bias and operating points on the 6V6 output stage for increased headroom and improved touch response
• Optimized grid resistor values to reduce noise and improve stability while preserving the amp's organic feel

Additional Modifications

To make this a true players amp for the stage and the bedroom we added the following:

- Master Volume Control for smooth break-up at a low volume

- Negative Feedback Switch to add headroom and tame the beast when you need to.

The result is an amp that retains the raw, breathing quality of the original 5E3 — but with more focus, a more controlled low end, and a breakup character that is smoother and more singing, reminiscent of the boutique tones Dumble himself was chasing.

Construction & Components

• Hand-wired point-to-point on a turret board — no PCBs, no shortcuts
• High-quality capacitors including Sprague, SoZo, Mallory 150s
• Mullard 6v6 Power Tubes, Tung-Sol Pre-amp and Phase Inverter Tubes
• Hand-built one piece cabinet for increased resonance and responsiveness
• Loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30 Speaker

Who Is This Amp For?

This amp is built for the player who wants the real thing — the organic compression, the vocal midrange, the way the amp breathes with your playing — but wants a slightly more refined and polished version of that experience. Blues players, Americana and country pickers, rock players who want edge-of-breakup tones that clean up with the guitar's volume knob. Anyone who has ever loved a vintage tweed but wanted just a little more focus and control.

At stage volume, this amp is alive in a way that modern amps simply cannot replicate. It is not a hi-fi amplifier. It is a musical instrument.

Specs

• Circuit: Modified Fender 5E3 Tweed Deluxe with Dumble Tweedle Dee mods
• Output: ~18 watts
• Output Tubes: 6V6 (cathode biased)
• Preamp Tubes: 12AX7
• Rectifier: GZ34
• Speaker: Celestion Vintage 30
• Controls: Bright Volume (Ch. 1), Normal Volume (Ch. 2), Tone, Master Volume, NFB Switch

All builds are tested extensively before sale. Happy to answer any questions about the circuit, components, or tonal character. Local pickup welcome. Shipping carefully packed and fully insured.