1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3 | Vintage Amp Showcase

🎸 Unearthed: A Nearly All-Original 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3
One of the most important voices in electric guitar history

Today is a special one. I finally acquired a nearly all-original 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3—one of the most iconic, influential, and mythic amplifier circuits ever created. Over six decades old, this amp still wears its original tweed and is loaded with a vintage Jensen P12R, delivering the unmistakable woody attack, blooming mids, and elastic response that defined countless classic recordings.

Between this unit and my 1955 5e3, these amps are the most historically significant pieces of gear to ever appear on the channel.

To reveal what a truly great 5E3 sounds like, I’ve paired it with my Giordano Guitars Veloce, loaded with Sunbear Pickups ’62 Patent Numbers humbuckers—faithful recreations of early-’60s Gibson Patent Number pickups, voiced with open top end, complex midrange harmonics, and a slightly firmer low end than late-’50s PAFs. Combined with the Veloce’s resonant build and articulate response, this pairing lets the Tweed Deluxe breathe—delivering clarity, punch, and expressive dynamics as the amp transitions from clean bloom into rich, touch-sensitive overdrive.

For color and dimension, I introduce the R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe, an AC107 germanium preamp that pushes the front end like a vintage studio boost, along with the Si Distorter Deluxe for one of the best takes on a Silicon Fuzz Face using all NOS period-correct parts - R2R Electric is just magical. And of course, my trusty Effectrode Tube Vibe, adding movement and depth to the Tweed Deluxe’s raw, unapologetic American voice.

This is a deep, musical exploration of why the 5E3 remains one of the greatest amplifiers ever built.

🔥 What You’ll Hear in This Video
1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3 — original tweed, original transformers, vintage Jensen P12R
Gibson Custom Shop R8 — Ron Ellis LRP PAFs with true ’50s depth, clarity, and bloom
Emerson Custom x Edge of Breakup Wiring — treble bleeds and optimized taper for dynamic control
R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe — AC107 germanium character with vintage studio feel
Effectrode Tube Vibe — lush, dimensional modulation paired with real 5E3 sag and compression

🎧 Listen With Good Headphones
This demo is captured to highlight:
the natural compression of a cathode-biased 6V6 pair
the soft top-end decay and breakup of an original Jensen P12R
the harmonic swirl of high-quality PAF replicas into a vintage circuit
the unmatched touch sensitivity that only a real 5E3 delivers
If you want to hear vintage tone in its most honest form, this is as close as it gets without standing in the room.

❤️‍🔥 Why This Video Matters
Original 5E3s in this condition almost never surface—and when they do, they’re rarely documented with high-quality audio, boutique reference instruments, and a musical approach. This video exists to preserve a piece of history and explore why this amplifier helped shape modern guitar tone.

📌 Enjoying the video?
If you’re into vintage amps, PAF tone, or historically important gear, consider subscribing. My goal is to create honest, musical, studio-grade demos of the most inspiring equipment ever made—and this Tweed Deluxe is only the beginning.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:40 Demo Begins - Instrument Channel Input 1, Volume at 3 o'clock, Tone Cranked, Mic Volume off, Neck Pickup
04:06 Middle Pickup Position
04:44 Bridge Pickup
05:49 Tone to Noon and Lower
06:11 Tone to 3 o'clock, Instrument Volume to Noon
06:55 Instrument Volume to 9 o'clock
08:33 Volume Knob Cleanup
09:24 Inverse Relationship of the two channels, turning Mic Volume up with Instrument Channel at 3 o'clock
11:13 Tweed Cave-In Sound - Inst. Channel Cranked, Mic Channel at 0
11:49 Mic Channel Input 1, Volume Cranked, Instrument Channel to 0
12:53 Comparing Different Tone Settings with Mic Channel
13:28 Increasing Inst. Channel Volume to see effect on Mic Channel Gain
14:11 Beautiful phat and sparkling cleans by mixing Inst. and Mic Channels
14:50 Jumping Channels! Guitar into Inst. Channel Input 1, Jumping Mic Channel Input 1 to Inst. Channel Input 2 - Instrument channel to 3 o'clock, Mic channel off
16:27 Inst. 3 o'clock, Mic 9 o'clock, and various mixed settings
17:01 Guitar Volume Knob Cleanup
17:46 Mic Cranked, Inst. Low
18:08 Clean Tones with Channels Jumped!
18:31 R2R Electric Si Distorter Fuzz!
19:39 Guitar Volume Knob Cleanup
21:28 Effectrode Tube Vibe
22:13 R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe
23:18 Guitar Volume Knob Cleanup, and my son walks in 😂
23:39 Effectrode Tube Vibe with R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe, Volume Knob Cleanup
25:00 Univibe off, Guitar Volume to 10, Stacking Both R2R Fuzzes
25:33 Effectrode Tube Vibe with both R2R Fuzzes

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