Tweed Deluxe 5E3: kits vs clones

[OffYourFace]

I have a Celestion Blue in my ‘57, had a V30 before, but prefer the sound and volume with the Blue

It's been a long time since I sold the amp but I'm pretty sure I blew the Greenback I had in my 5E3 clone. I cranked it up all the time. I'd be nervous to do that with a Blue. Do you crank it up or just use pedals with it?

I might up the ante and if going with a stock 5E3 build and choosing ceramic, my pick would be the G12H30. I've ran that one before in tweed and blackface Deluxe's and it's a loud solid performer that can take a serious beating. That said and maybe better if you set it up for big bottles with say a multi-tap output transformer at 90W the Celestion Cream alnico. I have not had the pleasure but it's a serious contender for my next 5E3/5E5 build.

I'm def going to stick with 6V6s. I can't turn my Deluxe Reverb past 3 anywhere; home, stage, studio (if playing simultaneously with other musicians) so I'm really looking forward to this amp. I think i'll get it in 2 weeks.

I love the G12H30 but I vividly remember it had something in the top end and upper mids that I couldn't dial out with my old 5E3. That's why I went with the greenback. In fact, it was the only amp I ever truly liked with a 20-25w greenback. But I do have a G12H here to try.

here's what I have to try with the incoming new amp:

- Celestion G12H-30 (matchless version with dope removed)
- Celestion Gold (love it for cleans in my DR, makes all my dirt pedals sound fizzy but it's my only Alnico atm)
- Jupiter 12LC (50w ceramic, solid, more efficient Jensen C12N clone)
- Celestion Greenback 20w (heritage UK)
- Celestion G12H Creamback (in my Deluxe Reverb)
- MojoTone Anthem (included in the Mojo tweed cabinet I recently bought)
- vintage Jensen C12PS (in my Gibson Scout but I'm afraid I'll kill it in the 5E3 when cranked)