I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

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GoodAugust
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I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by GoodAugust » Sun Nov 03, 2019 7:54 pm

I'm looking to build a Mojotone amplifier.

As this is an offset community, I think luck is on my side in finding several others who are into that whole surf rock thing but also the likes of the Beach Boys, Beatles, and like wise bands which truly had great clean sounding amplifiers... Err... For the most part...

I've narrowed down my options to these three:

- Low Power Tweed Twin or Deluxe (likely the twin)

- Brownface Deluxe

- Blackface Princeton

- Tweed Vibrolux

I'm leaning heaviest against the brown and black face'd amps simply because I've plugged into a blackface princeton and the brownface deluxe intrigues me.

Thoughts?

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by Singlebladepickup » Sun Nov 03, 2019 10:55 pm

I'd do the Princeton, but if you play live I'm sure the brown deluXe would rule

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Nov 04, 2019 6:36 am

I’m thinking brown Deluxe too.

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by GoodAugust » Mon Nov 04, 2019 7:13 am

I'm leaning more towards the brown deluxe as well, simply because I've got a super champ x2, blues junior, and a solid state Princeton 65 PR403 (nice tone with the 12" speaker and sounds great loud but starting to have long term solid state issues)

I also have a Bassman Amp with a 212, so I have really loud covered.

I think the deluxe brownface or tweed twin is the best way to go for me.

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by Hilarion Lefuneste » Mon Nov 04, 2019 8:01 am

Is this your first build? If it is, go for a simple circuit, no trem, no 'verb, minimal number of volume and tone pots.
Last edited by Hilarion Lefuneste on Mon Nov 04, 2019 8:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by nanamour » Mon Nov 04, 2019 8:03 am

As someone who’s been pining for/researching a mid sized tweed amp build for some time now, I’ll throw it out there that a 5E8A/Low Power Tweed Twin circuit is definitely going to fall into the “really loud” camp, very likely moreso than the other examples you cited.

I’d personally be looking at the tweed or maybe a brownface deluxe, of the options you mentioned. You can coax some really lovely cleans out of a tweed deluxe, and at louder volumes than you might be led to believe.

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by GoodAugust » Mon Nov 04, 2019 8:27 am

nanamour wrote:
Mon Nov 04, 2019 8:03 am
As someone who’s been pining for/researching a mid sized tweed amp build for some time now, I’ll throw it out there that a 5E8A/Low Power Tweed Twin circuit is definitely going to fall into the “really loud” camp, very likely moreso than the other examples you cited.

I’d personally be looking at the tweed or maybe a brownface deluxe, of the options you mentioned. You can coax some really lovely cleans out of a tweed deluxe, and at louder volumes than you might be led to believe.
I know what you mean. In the back of my mind, I know 40w is really loud but I like the idea of the tweed twin for the Keith Richards in me. I'm really leaning towards the brown deluxe instead of the tweed deluxe though, just for the sake of my favorite tones. The 5E3 is incredibly well documented and cloned though, so there's something comforting about starting there.

What were you thinking of building?

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by nanamour » Mon Nov 04, 2019 9:17 am

GoodAugust wrote:
Mon Nov 04, 2019 8:27 am
I know what you mean. In the back of my mind, I know 40w is really loud but I like the idea of the tweed twin for the Keith Richards in me. I'm really leaning towards the brown deluxe instead of the tweed deluxe though, just for the sake of my favorite tones. The 5E3 is incredibly well documented and cloned though, so there's something comforting about starting there.

What were you thinking of building?
Something from the 5F4 Super/5E5-A Pro/5E7 Bandmaster family, theoretically for the extra headroom when compared to a 5E3 Deluxe. I'm honest with myself and my needs, though, I'd probably be completely content with a 5E3, and that's the route I'll most likely be heading down in the future.

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by GoodAugust » Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:53 am

nanamour wrote:
Mon Nov 04, 2019 9:17 am

Something from the 5F4 Super/5E5-A Pro/5E7 Bandmaster family, theoretically for the extra headroom when compared to a 5E3 Deluxe. I'm honest with myself and my needs, though, I'd probably be completely content with a 5E3, and that's the route I'll most likely be heading down in the future.
Those are all really amazing amps, I was looking into the pro and super as well, but I think my thoughts have settled on the 6G3 Brownface Deluxe. Now I just need to get the money together... ::)

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by tdbajus » Mon Nov 04, 2019 12:54 pm

The brownface Princeton (not a Deluxe) and the Vibrolux are pretty close to the same amp. I have owned both, and I prefer the tweed vibrolux.
Last edited by tdbajus on Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by GoodAugust » Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:02 pm

tdbajus wrote:
Mon Nov 04, 2019 12:54 pm
The brownface Deluxe and the Vibrolux are pretty close to the same amp. I have owned both, and I prefer the tweed vibrolux.
Interesting, because I was also interested in the Vibrolux. Do you like the amp better in part because of the different speaker size?

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by tdbajus » Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:10 pm

GoodAugust wrote:
Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:02 pm
tdbajus wrote:
Mon Nov 04, 2019 12:54 pm
The brownface Deluxe and the Vibrolux are pretty close to the same amp. I have owned both, and I prefer the tweed vibrolux.
Interesting, because I was also interested in the Vibrolux. Do you like the amp better in part because of the different speaker size?
Well, I used to own a brown Princeton (not a Deluxe), which I bought on eBay in the 90s. I played it a bit, had some fun, sold it without thinking twice. Years later, a friend had a vibrolux, which I have coveted since hearing. Years after that (this year) I was visiting a friend in Chicago and played the CME vibrolux, and fell deeply in love. I was able to play it side by side with the fancy Chris Stapleton brown Princeton (not a Deluxe) reissue.

Playing those two side by side, I thought the Princeton (not a Deluxe) was boxy in a cool, Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers kind of way- kind of like a big walkie talkie about to explode. Very mids heavy.

The Vibrolux sounded a lot more lush, not so midrangy- in fact, it sort of sounded more like a blackface than the Deluxe did.

I don't know how much of that has to do with the speakers. I do love 10" speakers, but my main amp for 20 years has been a BF Deluxe (actually a Deluxe this time) with a 12" speaker. So, I love them too.

The trem on the Chicagolux was WAYYYY cooler than the Stapleton, IIRC. Super deep, but disappear when you dig in, slowly fading back in on the sustain. God, I love that amp.
Last edited by tdbajus on Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by GoodAugust » Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:19 pm

I was able to play it side by side with the fancy Chris Stapleton brown Deluxe reissue.
Isn't his reissue/signature amp a Princeton?

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by tdbajus » Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:23 pm

GoodAugust wrote:
Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:19 pm
Isn't his reissue/signature amp a Princeton?
It sure is.

Whoops. I have corrected most of my idiocy.

In any case, I would still recommend building the Vibrolux, because I have seen less than a half dozen of them my whole life and it may be your only chance to find out how incredibly wonderful they are.
Last edited by tdbajus on Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: I Want To Build A Mojotone: Which One?

Post by GoodAugust » Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:53 pm

I'm willing to bet that the Princeton sounds a little more boxy than the Deluxe.

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