Frenzel 5E3 Deluxe Plus Head

Don't judge a book by it's cover! How true. This amp looks first as a shoe-box - but it's a real big one whith a one mor time bigger sound. This amp offers all you really need: Two channels (3 ECC83/12AX7 tubes), an 'F' and an 'M' department with a gain knob for each one an a master volume, a three knob tone stack, a presence push-pull knob switches 'edge' on your tone. It has a power of 25w (2x6L6 tubes, fixed bias possible via switch so you can use any tube whith the same socket as the 6L6). If You need more power: It as a jack for an extaernal tube amp also. I has no effect loop, no reverb! Important to European residents. You have to buy and install a European jack, than plug and play.

I've been looking for the Hendrix clean tone we all know frome some albums. Now I found it. This baby - I run it with an old Fender 4x12 box - does it far better the all the Marshalls I bought and sold and even better than the two Marschall 30 anniversary I still have. At a loudness that doesn't blow your ears. And you get best results with Strats, Teles, Les Pauls and semi-acoustics either. What I learned instantly: less gain better tone. Better use a stomp box if you want to have more drive. The fendrish department to me sounds like a Low Twin. I use a Hughes&Kettner Replex in front as well as a Tonebone Hot British - that's enough!

Can't say much, I have it only a few day. But one thing: the cage is visible more filigree than the wooden case of for exemple a Marshall amp, but for hat tours nice flightcases are sold all over. The technic inside is of the 50's - it is simple, can be repaired by every tube technician.

I keep a good contact to Jim Frenzel. If sometimes any problems appear, I have to contyct a German expert - faster and cheaper.

I am a fun player searching for the perfect tone. I think I got it. I own some Gibsons, some Fenders, some no name stuff, some old and new amps. This one is in the top 2 (the other is a top modded 70's Guyatone). I would surely buy the Deluxe again, if stolen.

2008 25w 2x6L6 Deluxe Plus. Two channels, an 'F' and an 'M' with master volume, a three knob tone stack, and a handy presence with 'edge on a push pull knob.

I opted for the switchable cathode/fixed bias and the metal cage. I opted not to get the effects loop because I hate them, but that's a rant for another day.

The real standout feature here is the ability to swap power tube types. The thought of being able to use this amp with so many types was too much to resist. Funny thing is that there are so many different amps in the studio currently that I haven't had the need yet (this is a good problem :) Including Bernie modified Marshall JTM45 and Super Reverb, GA5, GA15, Noble, Supro, Line 6 AXESYS

used with:
1979 usa hardtail strat
80's custom shop 50's strat with fralin pickups
80's usa tele
80's washburn mongrel with duncan HB's
I play mostly rock, country and roots with a little R&B for good measure.

This is a great amp, no doubt the most versatile tube amp I have ever owned. The amp is quiet and does anything from sparkly clean to dirty Keith without a stomp box in sight. With a vintage Tube Screamer in front of it...well it screams a la Cream. With my 70's EH Multiplexer/fuzz using the strat with the Fralins you have entered Jimi territory. The tone stack is responsive and hits a wide range. The presence does what you would expect, however the 'edge' control is MAGIC. Now, before I even engaged the 'edge' control I would have described this amp as one of the most 'responsive' (to your hands) amps I have ever played. After engaging the 'edge' control that feeling is intensified.

I have used this amp for about 6 months in the studio and at a few jams and so far so good. The components appear to be of high quality by today's poor standards. I will say that some of the detail on the metal work is not of high quality and same for the plastic face plates and logos, but these issues are cosmetic. I would never gig this or any amp without *some kind* of backup (used a DI and a stomp box for the third set at least once that I remember).

Here's the bad part. I waited about twice as long as they said I would, no big deal. Unfortunately they did not pack the amp in a large enough box or use enough packing filler. The box was only 1.5" bigger than the length of the head! Somewhere on the way to Canada the package was dropped lightly and the back corner of the amp was punched in a bit bending in the speaker output jack and the ohm selector switch. After talking to Frenzel and sending them photos they suggested I pay to send it back to them so they could file a shipping claim and then they would send it back to me at my expense ??? I even hinted that my partner wanted to order one of his other amps and maybe we could work something out...they did not bite at that prospect. Makes me wonder if these guys like money more than a reputation (not a good quality in an amp tech).

Anyways the amp luckily still works great so I wasn't ready to take a $150 hit to fix what (for now at least) is only cosmetic. If the unit ever needs repair I may have the damage repaired then locally.

Bottom line:
1) I hate paying full bore for damaged goods!!!
2) I would never order from Frenzel again without them meeting my packaging terms

It really feels like this amp is part of the instrument while you are playing it. This kind of excitement is hard to put into words. I think the fact that I gave this amp a 9 despite my bitter experience with the company speaks volumes about the sound quality and value. PAY EXTRA FOR A BIGGER BOX IF YOU CAN !!!

all reviews here state the same thing..all but metal as is..but add a metal pedal....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcGtTiMjH0w this link says it all

been beating for over a year with NO probs..bought another for stereo.. neither amp has faltered

great amp, ya gotta spend thousand to do better

2007 Custom. Extremely versatile amp with an uncluttered faceplate. Especially with my Startouch AB-Y to fully utilize the 2 channels (F... and M... style inputs) that are otherwise only available one or the other. Effects loops was an extra that I opted for, makes the few effects I ever use sound better. I also got the 40W power upgrade, cathode bias/fixed bias switch option, and steel cage. Currently running 6L6s in the power section and a 5U4 recto, though I'm looking forward to A/B-ing with some KT88s, and 5A4 recto substitution. That's the beauty of this beast: plenty of options to further customize yr sound without having to visit (read "bribe") your tech. Line out with level allows the use of headphones, though a stereo set of headphones will only be heard through one channel. Play hard progressive, fusion metal, and American rock, and this thing covers everything, including forays into jazz, 70s stoner rock, and even super clean steel style. Any features that I wish it had would surely have raised the price of this otherwise ridiculously low-budget, CUSTOM!!, PTP!!, tone-perv. That being said... it would be nice to be able to individually shape the two channels, since they are voiced so distinctly. Reverb, though it used to be part of my sound, is no longer missed. So far I've used it only for practices, though will be playing out with it soon. In our small practice space, this thing allows me to clearly be heard over our otherwise beastial skinner. I love that it's small enough to cart around with ease, and the cage makes this endeavor more confident. Also love getting the, "What the... is that? - I think they spelled the make wrong on that faceplate, man!"

Driving it with a highly modded '89 American Strat which I planed about 1/8" off the body, removed all paint and hand buffed 10 coats of tung oil, installed a SD hot rails in the bridge, vintage rails in middle and neck (all wired in parallel), on-off toggles instead of the 5-way, single volume and single no-load tone pot. Everyone who hears this thing comments on how beautiful it sounds. Extremely quiet operation, yet quite loud for a 40W head. Currently drive a 2X10" cab, though I've tried it with a 4X12" and it sounds so lush and gorgeous, that I'm probably going to have to bite the bullet and buy a larger cab. The tube rectifier is a huge portion of what gives the FM-5E3 its sound: this amp can go from clean and spanky f.. style tones to quite brutal m.. style drive. Originally, I was staying with the f.. input for cleans, opting the m.. for driven tones, though the darker, spongy f.. distortion is rapidly growing on me. Either way, once the master hits noon or so, the tube recto starts to really shine, squeezing things into the '73-75 Mahavishnu/Neil Young sputtery/saggy/blooming beauty that belies a tube rectifier. By utilizing the NFB, this amp stays pretty clean if you want it to, but pulling out that "edge" function really opens things up and gives a rough edge, while still retaining headroom. Brutal distortion is there, though extreme/grind users will probably want to opt for a boost or KT88s or something. I really love the sound of the NNFB edge in combination with the cathode bias, for a more raw sound. Plus, the master volume allows you to really shape the distortion you want, overdriving the pre-tubes at lower outputs, or setting them both about half mast for a slight edge to the power section as well.

So far so good.

Great.
A long wait, but well worth it.
Overall, as enjoyable experience as shelling out close to $800 can be!

Been playing for 15 years, on and off with more than a few bands (most recently play electric with Deep Fried Chakra and acoustic Americana/Celtic with 8 Leaves from Sober). Occasionally play through a twin reverb, but previously was playing through a Gerry-Mandered split signal routed to two small solid state combos (1X12 and 2X6, occasionally utilizing a 1X18 as well), and between 2 and 4 outboard 2X10" cabs, depending on gig size. Was looking at THD, Mesa, ENGL, etc., but could not afford to shell out 3Gs for a hand-wired PTP custom amp... until I found Jim!
Would surely buy another one if stolen. I don't lose gear.
I love the tone, the size, the open-ness of the build, allowing cooling of the tubes, the look (oh, the look...), the fact that I can support a self-employed artisan, the fact that it's made in the USA.
Only thing I don't like is the lack of tone shaping for both channels (though I'm sure this would increase the price), the lack of a footswitch for the edge function, and the fact that it only has one speaker cab out (necessary, since I did not opt for the larger chassis, and had already requested the cathode bias switch and the effects loop).

This amp is the tone tweaker's dream machine. The design gives you a circuit that allows the outright substitution of a variety of octal output tubes and a number of dual triode pre-amp/driver tubes. This was the promise that led me to Jim Frenzel. I am astonished at how well it works. I'm a professional musician, and a novice electric guitar player. But I also have long experience as an audio/video electronics tech. I've built my share of tube amps, some from scratch. From this point of view, I can tell you it is not that easy to come up with a circuit that makes such a range of tubes actually sound good. As for the charge that the amp lacks gain, I suggest that this has more to do with how you set it up. No, it's not a quad power tube monster: but you can get outputs on either side of the power output stage and send these out to a monster. (Or, significantly, a mixing desk.) I think of this as incredible versatility.

The amp is a major chameleon, but I have not found a good way to make it sound anything but musical. It IS a tube amp: it has a very slight hum, noticeable faintly with a very efficient speaker, and certainly with phones on. The noise floor is at a minimum, and certainly useable even for recording. This is quiescent noise we're talking about. Noisy tubes will add their own noise. I have tired this out with other input sources, including a cd player and sub-mixed keyboard instrument: this amp is much closer to high fidelity than most guitar amps. Of course, it has more tonal control than the average high fidelity amp. Sounds just great.

The workmanship is wonderful in every way. It is a tube amp, though, with no fuse on the high voltage. Since it invites a hands on approach, I would suggest that problems with its reliability will point to acts of God (as in tube failure) and user error (as in the temptation to try it out with questionable tubes).

As has been noted, Jim Frenzel is a gentleman from top to bottom. He runs his business in a straightforward manner, as befits a man who is going to let you unleash the power of lethal voltages. You will enjoy dealing with him.

This is quite a bargain, even tricked out with options.

My upgrades on the Frenzel 5E3 Deluxe Plus Head -;Hammond transformer-
effects loop, bias selector and power transformer for 240v (U.K)enough
features for me and I don't use reverb.
Bare chassis built like a rock.Unscrew the base and check for yourself....a work of art.
I play with drums,bass and occasionally a brass section ..large venues I'll have to mike up...no problem .

Between the F and M inputs you will nail everything but metal.
Jazz,Rock,Blues and Country and all the in-betweens can be had with this amp.Volume on guitar down a bit,roll off the neck a little and
I've got acoustic Beatles on my Gretsch...turn up and dig in and I get a
great Setzer sound...and thats on the M channel!! You could link the two but I haven't tried yet.
Bass,mid,treble and prescence are all very interactive.I use no
effects other than an old Watkins Copicat echo.

I turn on the amp and when I'm finished (which is normally hours on
end) I turn it off.It works.Don't throw it about and it will last forever.Tubes can be replaced easily enough but circuit boards are a
nightmare.
Always have some sort of back-up though.

I ordered the amp and from the word go the Frenzel team has kept in contact with me by E-Mail 100% They even let me know when work was about to start and when it would be shipped almost to the hour (bearing in mind I'm in the U.K.
No warranty in U.K but if this amp developed a fault I'm sure
any reputable guy could have it up and going straight away.

Over the forty-five years I've been playing I can honestly say I have
never played such a versatile amp. And in that sort of time period I'm not going into detail of all the equipment I've played.
This may seem like a glowing report but I've spoken my mind...
so there you have it.

First off, this amp is a real bargain, a steal if you will, at $495; you can't touch anything in its league for that kind of cash, and this amp competes with all the boutique amps out there for 5 times the money. Jim should raise his prices for sure, especially now, since I have one.

This amp was ordered July 22nd of 07 and delivered the first week of September, about 6 weeks. The amp is a 5E3 Deluxe Plus Head putting out 25 watts with a Marshall and Fender front input. It has a gain for each preamp section and a master volume. The amp shares bass, mid, treble and presents controls. The amp has many options to chose from, selectable ohms, insert, type of bias, chassis size, and cabinet. I am using an A/B box to do suto channel switching. The amp is all tube and point to point hand wired. I didn't order the effects loop, or the larger chassis but I did get a full steel cabinet for an extra $85.

The amp also lets you swap out tubes, i.e. power, rectifier and preamp, and with each swap, you get a whole new world of sounds, the hard part is figuring out which ones you like the best.

Because I use this amp head on stage, and there are alway clumsy people around the stage, I would of preferred a detachable power cord instead of the 10' attach power cord that came with the unit. I'm hoping no one trips on my power cord and the head doesn't hit the ground. A detachable power cord is not an option, but it should be.

We play power classic rock and I have no problems going out with this head; it replaced a VOX AD120. There is more than enough power to give me the required stage volume and head room.

It has everything that I was looking for with the exception of reverb, and he offers a head with that configuration. I knew up front what I was buying. It's also amazing what 25 watts of tube power brings to the table when compared to solid state.

The amp is NOT a high gain amp, and unless you run it all wide open with single coil pickups, the amp is extremely quiet for a tube amp, any amp for that matter. It has a chimy clean side with plenty of head room. You can get enough distortion for rhythm guitar work, but not enough for lead work, at least at listening levels. So, the first thing I tried out a distortion pedal and it was OK for lead work, but too much racket for chunky cords. I added a THD Hot Plate and the amp would pretty much give me any kind of gain I was looking for, but then again, we don't do metal. With the Hot Plate, you can get in and also start overdriving the power section of the amp. If you want to play metal, you would need a pedal for that for sure.

When the amp is overdriven, the sound sustains with no wobble or fluctuation, in my opinion, this is very very nice. There is a very distinct difference between the Fender and Marshall channels working your way from clean to dirty. The Marshall side is suppose to sound like a Plexi, but since I've never had one or played out of one, it's hard for me to judge. As gains are increased, the Fender side becomes darker and darker, the high end starts to fade and it gets somewhat muddy. The Marshall side stays bright and clear. Because of these differences, I am using the Fender side for clean and the Marshall side for distortion; this is working pretty good for me.

Last but not least, I added a compression pedal and WOW, the amp really came alive. I can play at any volume and still get the sustain I'm looking for, both clean and dirty.

The addition of the Hot Plate and the compressor really made a major difference in the versatility and sound of this amp. I'm a Parker guy, and use a Fly Deluxe and Classic along with a Nitefly and Nitefly Southern.

I am carrying an extra amp to be safe, but I don't think I'll ever have to use it, at least I hope not. There isn't much to go wrong. The amp is point to point hand wired with no circuit boards to crack or break. As everyone knows, tubes will be tubes, so I do carry an extra set of tubes with me when we play.

I put full trust into this amp, it's built like a tank.

Jim Frenzel always responded to my questions within a day and usually the same day. I know if something needed fixing, he would get it done right away. I have lived with this amp for 5 weeks now and it's still perfect.

All these amps are custom built to order and take about 6 weeks to receive. If you are impatient, find a used one if you can. The wait is worth it though.

I've been playing since 1964; I guess that means I've been playing a while. I've always been a fender man, playing Band Masters, Bassmans, Super Reverbs, and Twins. I tried a Fender Cyber Deluxe but the menu structure was too difficult to get through. I went to a VOX AD120 which is very nice and I still use it once in a while, but now I'm in love with my Frenzel. This amp brought things to the table that I had forgotten about, how tube amps cut through and don't get lost in the mix, a smooth distortion that doesn't hurt the ears, and the lack of a need for effects. Effects are OK to use, but now they can be used a lot more sparingly because this amp carries itself on it's own merit.

It something happened to this amp, I would look for another one immediately.

I looked at Jim's amps on his website for almost a year before I brokedown and bought one. I really was interesting in getting a handbuilt PTP wired vintage amp. I still cannot believe he does it for the price he does. The amp is a 2007. You can paly just about anything with it. It has two inputs, Fender and Marshall and separate preamps circuits. The only thing I miss is reverb, wish it had that. THe bias selector switch is a cool feature, changes the amp from Fixed Bias(Compressed), to Cathode Bias (open blues sound). Even though it is 25 watts it is LOUD!!!! Keeps up with a full band no problem, besides it sounds better when you crankt he master volume up closer to 10. Great features, great amp, like having a Fender deluxe, and a 25 watt plexi in one amp. Awesome.

Can play anything with this amp. Fender input, sounds like deluxe, with a little more gain then the fender, but that is probably cause my power section is EL34's as opposed to the standard 6L6's. The marshall setting is sweet, sounds just like the plexi a always wanted, yet it is 25 watts and has a master volume...sweet. Distortion is not that brutal, but it will do most rock without a problem, if you are a lead guy and you like gain, I would add a pedal to get you that extra push. I use a number a guitars with, favorite though is 1997 SG standard, sounds just like Angus Young. I have a Fender Strat copy, with a Seymour Duncan JB jr. in the bridge, that sounds decent as well. Telecaster sounds awesome in the fender channel. It is extremely quite, even when you crank it.

Seems solid as a rock, and since it is PTP wired I don't worry about cracking boards. Not very heavy, yet still puts out some good volume.

Jim is great, always got back to me and was up front about the amp taking 4-6 weeks to build. IT was worth the wait. I am sure he stand behind his product.

Been playing for over ten years, great amp. Own four amps, three cabinets, five guitars. I would but it again in a second. It is the perfect volume amp, for playing most gigs. Built like a tank and sounds amazing. One thing a forgot to mention, it is self biasing, so you can swap any tubes you want into it like plug play.

This is a very versatile amp and I can shape my tone easily with minor adjustments. The "F" & "M" inputs are pure genius and an AB/Y switch gives the amp that much more flexibility. I ordered mine with the Hammond OT and an effects loop - I recommend at least the OT upgrade then you can use any cab you want.

I've had mine about a month and have tried numerous tube combinations. Stock, NOS, vintage, etc. It came with 6L6's, but I ended up with EL34's. I'm running NOS Tesla EL34's, GE 12ay7 in V1, Mullard 12ax7 in V2, RCA black plate 12at7 in V3 and a NOS CBS black plate 5U4GB rectifier. This amp really sings now I doubt I could be happier with the tone. The only hum comes from the pedal chain running into the effect loop. Otherwise this is a very quiet amp. This amp sounds great with everything I've plugged into it. Humbuckers, single coils, Strat & Tele and it absolutely loves P-90's.

I forsee no reliability issues with Jim's amps. His craftmanship is top shelf and the unit is very robust. All components are first class and it's designed so well I'm really impressed and that isn't easy.

So far no need, but email is prompt, thoughtfull and Jim seems like a genuinly nice guy.

If I lost this one I'd order another in a heartbeat hands down. I have friends with "boutique" amps costing much, much more and they are so impressed with this amp they keep looking for something wrong with it. I think some of them feel "had" by the "hype" they bought into.

Fender Bassman and Marshall Plexi in one, or morph them both with a y-cable. Lightweight, simple, hand point to point wiring and tone to die for! Forget spendind 4x with a more known "boutique" amp cuz you will be throwing your $ away.

Clean jazz, dirty blues, classic 70's rock. I get that sound that so many like me in the past would buy amp after amp after amp to try and get. The search ended here with Frenzel.

Too new to tell, but I did look inside and the wiring and soldering was top notch with shortest paths possible.

Jim answers every email same day and is the nicest person. Stop supporting Chinese made junk and support true amp experts like Frenzel.

I've been playing 20 years and have gone through most "classic" and most modeling equiptment. The classic amps are so expensive now and have mostly been abused and altered. The modeling equiptment in my opinion do not have the "warmth" of classic equiptment. Frenzel amps solve this dilemma. Sound that rivals the classic equiptment that are in perfect shape at a great price.

All Frenzel amps are made to order. Each one is custom made to your specifications. This is a basic single channel amp with two discreet single channels. Fender voiced and Marshall voiced (F and M inputs). You can order the amp with an effects loop or 4-8-16 ohm external speaker jack (or just the standard 8 ohm). Presence tone switch for nice mid boost. Separate Bass, Middle, Treble EQ controls and separate gain for either the F or M inputs, master volume and On-Off-Standby switch. This is all you are ever going to need. Nothing fancy - no tone sucking junk. This is an all hand wired, point to point amp that is whisper quiet even at higher set volumes of gain or master volume. This is what an amp should be like. If you want bells and whistles go elsewhere - this amp has more than enough settings to dial in great tones. You can also use various power tubes and preamp tubes and it also has fixed bias and cathode bias switch. Also has handy Line Out and Line level. What more do you want ? This amp is perfect and has just the right amount of features - and all of them work nicely with the amp. This is not your grandfather's Fender - this is much more than a simple clone - it's everything that it should be - Jim has made what might be the perfect 25 watt amp. No PCB boards, no transistors, no soild state anything (even the rectifier is a tube rectifier). Perfect!
You will also notice that this amp is NOT over priced. Many boutique makers out there would easily charge over $1000 for this amp head. This has to be one of the best deals out there. It really doesn't get any better. Do yourself a favor and get one of these. You'll play it and love it and wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

For rock I like to pull the presence - nice big mid boost there.
And use the Marshall voiced input.

For country or clean picking/strumming - I like to disengage (push in)
and turn it all the way down the presence and use the Fender input.

I have an AB-Y footswitch that I am using to go into the F and M inputs.

I'm playing the amp using a Fender 'Lone Star' Strat (fat strat)
and a Fender Telecaster. The 'M' input (even with the 6L6 tubes)
and the pull out presence/edge) really gets the humbucker in the
Lone Star grinding out some classic rock tones really well.
Big airy sound with a little crunch. Love it.

The amp is hooked into a 2x10 cab. (Eminence speakers)

The telecaster (and the strat using the neck & middle single coils)
really shine through the 'F' input and backed off presence.
Gets that bright chimey Strat sound and of course the twangy telecaster
chime
without that mid honk you get from the Marshall input with presence boost.

So far this amp is incredible and it is going to take a long
time for me to see what else is there to dial in. It seems
nearly impossible to get a bad sound from this amp. But I really
like the differences offered by the F and M inputs and that presence
setting.

This amp will probably be part of my main rig now - I can't
even imagine anything better. 25 watts is all I need and
the tones this amp are giving me are beyond anything else
I have ever heard. Even the Reverend Hellhound with the "schizo"
setting that let you go from Fender to Marshall doesn't even come
close to the way you have done your amp. You have done it much better
than the Reverend amp.

The other thing I notice is how crystal clean this amp can be.
Big airy sound. My Fender guitars love it. Very sweet and never harsh.
This amp also responds well to pick attack and it has that tube
compression that allows long sustain. It is like a compression/sustainer
without the artifacts that pedals give you (whoosh noise and squishing
notes).
I really like the sustain this amp gives - not just to notes but
to full chords too. Amazing.

I really can't say enough things about it.
You've done a super job Jim - I'm privelages to be playing
this amp of yours. I'll enjoy it forever. From the moment
I plug in until I take a break - I'm loving it all the way.

Many thanks again - your lifetime of experience comes through
with this amp. It's 'in there'. I can hear it and hopefully others
will appreciate what a great amp this is.

That's the beauty of this amp. It is elegantly simple, no circuit boards, point to point wiring. Easy to access tubes, open mounting - no overheating problems - nice perforated metal cage cover (Protects the tubes and allows ventilation - tubes are NOT mounted upside down in some air deprived combo cabinet).
I had one small problem with the amp - but Jim got back to me and it was fixed without a problem (one of the preamp tubes was bad -- probably happened in shipping). You get to communicate directly with the actual person that built your amp. Try that on some 'off the shelf' amp.

As stated previously - Jim Frenzel stands behind what he builds and coomunication with him is always professional and caring. If you ever have a problem or just a question - he's there for you.

This is one of the best amps I have ever played. It really doesn't get any better than this if you want pure tube goodness and tone. It easily rivals the Fender Twin or any other amp for that matter. Sure you can spend $1000++ on some other boutique 'name' but I can assure you it won't be any better, in fact I would put this Frenzel 5E3 Deluxe against any other amp for tone and it's perfect form that follows function. Everything you need and nothing you don't need. If you ever doubted that a single channel amp could not possibly compete against some multi-channel fizz box - think again. The amp also responds very well with effect pedals so the sky is the limit on where you want to go with your tone. This amp is a solid part of it and will probably last several life times. Hook it up to any cab you like -- a 2x10 or 2x12 or whatever - and it has enough volume and punch for any studio, home practice or small to medium sized gig. Anything larger - simply mic it up. It makes for a very portable rig - grab and go. You won't leave home without it. This amp gets my highest recommendation. I have played so many amps over the years - and this one has no peer. You do not need that 100 watt ear numbing amp -- put it down and play with this 25 watt tone monster. You'll thank yourself over and over again. This amp sounds good at any volume. Period.

2006 model. Mine has the upgraded output tranny 4-8-16 ohm.

I am really, really pleased with this amp. Loud enough to gig with. Drives all my cabs nicely. You can tailor your stage volume or recording by driving cabs at different ohmage - example 8 ohm input into a 16 ohm cab, or 16 into 16 (louder). It is quiet, as others have reported. Simple, high quality components and classic design make this amp what it is - a killer low-wattage musical instrument.

Can't say - had it 4 months. You would need to commision or build yourself a cabinet for it if you are touring or gig frequently. Absolutely ideal for recording studio use.

All communications with Mr. Frenzel were friendly, professional, prompt and informative.

If you are reading these reviews to help decide if you want to buy one of these, I say BUY IT. You won't regret it!

Two inputs, one "F" one "M"...I think you can figure that out. I would say it's pretty versatile, yes. Like having two completely different circuits which cover most vintage tube amp lovers requirements. Essentially a single channel amp. No reverb, no tremelo, no problem. There's a line out jack which seems pretty handy for recording without a mic, or late night practicing. I played out this weekend with it, was really pleased with the sound at bar-room volume. Presence switch makes a huge difference. Might not have all the bells and whistles for some, but I'm happy.
I use an Avatar 2x12, with a Wizard & a Tonespotter, this amp gets plenty loud if you want it.

Not really suited for metal, but with an ancient HM-2 in front of it, it's easily the first couple of Maiden albums heavy. Which is plenty for me. But where it shines is on the F side, the most shimmering cleans I've EVER heard...especially for a class AB amp. Haven't fully explored the M side, but so far I've been impressed with it as well. Absolutely NO NOISE. I don't know if that's down to the minimalist wiring or what, but all the way up to 10 this thing is sooooo quiet.

Looks super dependable. Although it's early days yet. The simplicity of the wiring would make it easy for any decent tech to fix if anything shoud happen. And let's face it...the possibility is there as with all electronics.

Jim Frenzel is an absolute gentleman. Answered my emails within a day, always friendly. I think if I had any problems, I could email him and get it resolved with no problem at all. I checked this review page while I was waiting for my amp to be built, and was totally amazed at the response from the Admiral or whatever he is below...side note to potential future pricks, don't waste Jim's time...there are plenty of more deserving people who, like me, are proud to own a hand built, made in America, dream of an amplifier.

I've been playing for 20 years, became a bit of a gear whore amp-wise over the last couple of years...I guess that's done. If this were stolen...well it doesn't bear thinking about. I would get right back in line and order another one. I may buy another circuit Frenzel amp one day, hell, maybe in April if the taxman says so....a quality product from a real gent. If you're even considering getting an assembly line particle board amp from Guitar Center...you might rethink it and take the plunge with Frenzel. I hope he gets more sound samples up, although I doubt they would do the amp justice.

i got the super 5e3 deluxe amp wtih a hammond tranny upgrade so i could select different ohm outputs....and i got it made with el34 power tubes..he uses eh tubes...they sound ok to me..one fender channel and one marshall channel...i like the marshall channel best because i already have a fender amp...my amp came as a naked chassis with the tubes....i built a custom wood cabinet for it for about 5 dollars...including the handle....its very light and easy to tote around...it has a good master volume and a presence control with a boost...also, you can use an a/b kinda switch and go into both channels at once...and get louder sound....and you can blend which channel you want more of..he can provide you with a cabinet for it but it costs a lot..it has all the featues a good amp needs...

this amp is pretty loud....i drive a 2 12 cab with it....in some rooms it will be too way loud for some peoples tastes..in some others it would not be too loud.....i used it in big crowded room and it was fine but i had a tube screamer boosting the amp some of the time..the sound was , i thought, fantastic...it has a good clean headroom and ..it gets a great overdriven tube sound..depending on how you set it...i just use the marshall channel mainly, as i tend to get one good sound and stick with it all night.....it has a nice chime to it too...it runs very quiet....i never owned a marshall but i like this sound...and i love that the amp is so easy to carry..its a high quality no bullshit amp..and its cheap..425 dollars, what can you get for that price except pcb board amps from china...i call them headaches waiting to happen.

i aint had it long enough to tell you how reliable it is...but it seems rock solid and it doesnt seem to be overly complex , so anyone could service it if needed...he seems to be very conscious of quality when he builds them...

i had to wait quite a while for mine..about 45 days...but what the hell, i have it now...some guys just have no patience i guess...he seems like a nice bloke..

for the price, i dont see nothing else that can touch it...you can buy a name brand amp if you want, but a name doesnt necessarly make an amp sound better, and often time big name amps either cost a fortune or they use production shortcuts.......i dont plan on selling this amp so i dont care about resale value, i just wanted an amp with great sound, el34s and a master volume...i got that..i plan on keeping it ..it is better than a tweed deluxe as it way more versatile with a better tone stack and the ability to overdrive at lower volumes..not to mention you get one channel of hump ass straight fender sound and one channel of hump ass marshall sound...all hand wired..no pcb..what the hell more would you want for 425 dollars..?.some people are so lame that they have to have an amp just like their hero has....thats what drives the amp business mostly, hero worship...

You can get the full spec from the Frenzel web site. I ordered the amp with several of the optional extras: effects loop, Hammond output transformer with selectable 4/8/18 ohm output, Universal mains power transformer (i'm in the UK), fixed/cathode bias switch. Added to the standard featues of dual 'F' and 'M' inputs (no prizes for guessing what these represent!), real tube rectifier, almost total flexibility as regards output tube type for different tones, etc etc, this amp has all the features you could possible want from a tube amp, save possibly a spring reverb unit, but then this is a head unit/chassis. In terms of aesthetics, i ordered it with a black chassis and chrome handles.

My main axe is an American Tele with Bareknuckle 'Yardbird' pickups. The amp is being used with a custom made 2x12 containing a Jensen C12N and a Emminence Cannabis Rex connected in parallel. I lost myself in playing the amp continuously for days on end before I even considered what it might sound like with some pedals between it and the guitar! Sounds so good going in direct. I finally relented and shoved a home-brew Distortion+ in front of it just for fun. Woah! I've since built a spring reverb unit for it and run this via the amp's effects loop. I also sometimes use the amp with my Weber Mini Mass (a power soak), which enables me to get sweet ouput distortion at levels that don't cause my elderly neighbours to duck and cover and start stockpiling fuel and tinned food. This amp is loud!

I have only owned the Frenzel for a few weeks and I'm barely scratching the surface of the variety of tones it can produce. Twiddling for ever more tonal variations is quite addictive (stop twiddling!), but i found that searching for specific tones I had in mind was pretty straightforward. The cleans are sublime, which was essential for me, while the quantity of different variations of crunch and on into preamp distortion, output tube distortion or both is fantastic. Then double that when you take into account the two inputs with different flavours. The F(ender) input is as sweet and warm, yet clear as a bell as any vintage Fender amp I've played, while the M(arshall) input is grittier/crisper/brighter giving the more British tone one would expect. Top marks for both. I've also used a splitter cable to go in via the 2 inputs simultaneously, which adds yet another layer of tonal options as you mix the relative contributions of each side. As I said, it will take me quite a while to explore it fully, but so far...me like and me like a lot! I did find that the fixed vs. cathode bias switch option is quite a subtle difference. However, this might become more apparent as I try out different tube combinations etc. The stock EH 6L6 tubes are pretty nice on the cleans, but a bit ragged when driven hard (without a power soak you'd be deaf anyway!). I have ordered higher quality replacements. Same goes for the stock preamp tubes. These are also EH brand 12AX7s, which are fine, but I've been trying some nicer types. Don't get me wrong though, the amp sounds superb using the stock tubes, I'm just a tone freak! I'm currently running the amp with a set of Svetlana EL34 'winged-c' output tubes, which are much nicer, but still not exactly what I was looking for. At least I have the option to use such a variety of tubes thanks to the design of the amp.

This amp is not a metaller's amp, as should be obvious from the name and description on the Frenzel site. If you want ear-bleading shred sounds (and hence don't know/care what good guitar tone is) then look in the section of your guitar shop that has guitars shaped like thunderblots and amps specifically designed to go up to 11 ("yeah, but it's 1 louder...")

I was impressed by how quiet this thing is. Only when I push it into higher gain settings does it make much in the way of hiss, and then not much. At usual settings it is virtually silent when idle, which makes it perfect for recording at lower levels.

I couldn't be happier with tone this amp is capable of.

Too early to say, but looks very solid. Entirely hand built. I had the bottom off of the chassis and it all looks very well put together. Point-to-point wiring of course. In terms of build quality, you must take into account that these are made to order by hand and not mass produced on a production line. This is likely to mean better reliability (it's made by someone with a passion for tube amps and obviously a wealth of experience) but this can affect the finish quality in terms of aesthetics. The basic no-frills finish is exactly why the amp is so cheap, so no problems there. That said, the black paint job I opted for was not first class and had already started to chip off when I received it new. I have since removed the chrome handles and built the chassis into a head unit to match my speaker cab, so this is not a problem for me. I would recommend doing the same.

Not had to use it other than my initial questions before purchase, which were always dealt with swiftly. Jim seems like a good man to do business with. He answered my questions well, but I did get the impression he was very busy. Now I have the amp I can see why.

Exactly the amp I was looking for. If you want a no frills, hand-made p-to-p tube amp that sounds fantastic and wont empty your bank account, this is it.

Given that Jim describes his product with such accuracy and detail, I'll not rehash the specs here. Check his webite for that. I'll simply state that I orderd the upgrade to the Hammond transformer (not only for the fatter sound but also so as to be able to change between 4-8-16 ohm output) and the switch that allows the amp to operate in both a fixed and cathode biased mode. Those options, along with the standard twin inputs and presence switch, make for very wide variety of tonal possibilities.

This is one the best sounding amps I have ever heard, especially its clean tone. Whoa! Way back when, I cut my teeth on a silverface Deluxe. I can thus assure you that this Frenzel is way better than that vintage. Well, OK, it doesn't have reverb like the old Fender; otherwise there is no contest.

Though this amp will serve very well for most style of music, it strikes me that it is best suited for the very things the classic Fenders were used, i.e., jazz, blues, rock, country, and so forth. That said, if you are looking super distorted rock and blues tones, you will need to use a pedal or at least run it fully dimed. But that is not what I was after. I was after brilliance, clarity, and articulation. This Frenzel absolutely shines in that department. I will add that it gets great Marshall-type tones, though I would switch over to EL34 tubes if that is what I were principally seeking.

I was concerned enough about the exposed tubes that I paid extra for the optional cage. It is substantial and protects the unit, plus it looks cool, with that old school tube glow.

I have no doubt that Jim built this right. Check out the guys credentials. Plus, he does not ruch these through some mass production. I am confident that this unit will more than stand up to the babying I dish out for things I love.

I am shocked to read the trashing Jim suffers at the hand of the previous reveiwer. I say this because this is the second amp I have oreder from Jim--the first was for my sister--and he has been totally above board with me. He told me exactly how long it would take to build the model requested, and then delivered. He always answers e-mails within a day.

I have played on and off for about 30 years and am now at in a life situation that I can afford what I want. You can spend more money, but will look far and wide to find a better sounding rig than a Frenzel's. Would I buy another if this were lost? I think I am about to buy another amp in a different circuit. It would be the third one Jim makes for me.

This amp has no features since the manufacturer would not deliver it after taking my money. After 45 days I got my money back instead of getting my amp back. Avoid doing business with Frenzel unless you have the patience of Job.

This amp doesn't make any sounds that I have heard personally. The vendor doesn't sell what he makes, he takes payment in full and makes the buyer wait to over 45 (the PayPal dispute period) to produce his product. The amp was ordered 10/12/2006 and he got full payment via PayPal. He sent me notice that he had ordered shipment the day before Thanksgiving and told me that it would be shipped out on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but his email to me told me it would be shipped on Friday. Then he refunded my money because he states he doesn't like doing business with people who don't trust him. On what should I have based my trust? Delays, apologies, excuses, a change in technical specs that I had to catch in mid stream?

I can't depend on something which doesn't exist. I also can't depend on someone who makes excuses instead of keeping his word.

The company appears to be friendly but they take advantage customers. I did get my money back after opening a PayPal dispute resolution, instead of having an amp shipped after 45 days. If you have a problem how long can you wait?

I'm 51. Have been playing for many years. Collect guitars. Have 2 Parker Flys, a '63 Fender Jazz Master, a Gretsch BST, a Mexi Strat with Owen Duffy PUPs, two Americah made G&L electrics: a NAMM Show ASAT and a Strat with early Lindy Fralin vintage hot wound PUPs.

The 5E3 Deluxe is based on the Fender Deluxe with several added features. There is a second preamp channel set up for Marshall tones. There is also a three knob EQ and a presence knob. There are separate preamp volumes for each channel and a master level overall. The amp puts out about 25 watts that is more than loud enough! The tube compliment includes two 6L6 power tubes, three 12AX7 tubes and a 5U4 rectifier tube. I have the upgraded transformer that allows switchable 4,8 and 16 ohm loads. There is also a line out on the back panel. Jim installs a fixed bias feature that allows using 6L6, EL34, KT66 and a couple of other power tubes without any bias adjustment! This amp has more than enough features; however no reverb.

This amp is very versatile. The Fender channel is Deluxe all the way, and the Marshall side drives well in the upper-mids. The clean tones are very good and allow effect pedals in front with no problems. The preamp driven tones are the best I have ever heard. You can push each channel into a smooth overdrive, but with a certain bite that sounds brilliant! My favorite guitars I use are a 335-type Samick with Duncan Phat Cat pickups and a Strat with Lindy Fralin Blues pickups. They both sound sweet in either channel. I also use a WOBO ABY type pedal to change channels or run both channels together. The number of tones possible is impressive. The amp is also dead quiet.

I have not owned this amp long enough to know its reliability. It seems well-built, point to point wired and ready for heavy use. I would always carry a backup regardless of reliability.

Jim Frenzel is a great amp builder/designer and addresses any issues promptly. He personally replied to calls and e-mails quickly and was terrific to work with. He warranties the amps for a year. I have complete trust in his word at this point.

I have been playing off and on for 35 years and just for fun at this time. I own several guitars and amps and know good tone when I hear it. Frenzel amps sound terrific and are quality-built at a great price. Quality/value for the money could not be better. I just happened upon his website through EBAY and am glad I did! The only feature I might want to add is a reverb, but I have not necessarily needed one. I will buy from Jim again. Quality and tone at this price can not be beat!

Frenzel 5E3 Deluxe Plus Head. This amp has a Fender Deluxe input and a Marshall Plexi input. No bull, I've played them both. The beauty is that it's 25 tube watts so you will always get to that power tube bliss. Use either preamp or blend the two with a Y cable. No solid state, digital or modeling. I got the Hammond transformer installed because sometimes I use different ohm speakers and an effects loop because occasionally I'll plug a high gain TUBE preamp into the effects return to get my metal fix. You can choose different power tubes for different sounds, plug and play, automatically biased. Pull out the presence knob and my 4X12 sounds like an open back cab. Very versatile amp.

Absolute professional tone quality. The real Fender and Marshall circuits are in there, NOT THE MODELS! It's not a high gainer by it's self however AC/DC and Zeppelin are in there easy with the right power tubes. I'm a Marshall guy and I always compare tone to a good Marshall. I sold a 1987X because it was a WAY to loud non master volume amp. The 5E3 Deluxe Plus, M input is basically the same as a SLP Plexi at 25 watts so when you dial the gain and level up around 8 to 10, you have the best rock guitar tone there is. Rich harmonic overdrive that sings back to you when you hold a note or a chord. Then back your guitar volume down between 2 and 6 it cleans up to the real beauty of the circuits. I play a Gibson Les Paul Standared with 57's, a Bill Lawrence Strat and Ibanez RG570 with JB and 59. I can get ANY tone that you have heard on the radio in the classic rock, country, jazz, Indi.........no Mesa Rectifire but then it's not designed for that. A Boss DS-1 up front and your in rock heaven!

I have always totally respected Fender amps for having the best clean tones but I could never get one to sound right with hard rock. Hence I never really got to spend as much time with Fender sounds as I did with a Marshall. The F input of this amp reminded me of a bassman I played at a party a looooooong time ago. It was a great experience and a familiar tone from the pop music I use to listen to. This little Frenzel has re-opened a door for me, giving me a second chance to explore some of the finer guitar tones I was missing. Very very sweet, gentle, softer tone than the M input. It is deep and rich and I couldn't make it sound harsh even if I scraped it across a chalk board. Treble all the way up, still very gentle on the ears. Not dull, just really good tone and you can get an excellent singing lead tone when cranked. A Tubescreamer up front brings tears of joy my friend. With 6L6's or EL34's I can dial in great jazz tones. I'm even learning some jazz off the weather channel and I may become a Fender convert because of this amp.

Choice of power tubes makes a MAJOR difference in tone. Mine came with 6L6's which is a good compromise for a Fender/Marshall combination. They sound great on the Fender side especially. Me...I'm a Marshall type that just had to throw in a pair of EL34's to lean toward the british flavor. The Fender side still sounded like a Fender with EL34's, like the bassman, and a beautiful tone. Marshall side just came alive for me. I almost cried I was so freakin' happy with the sound. It's Plexi all the way. I bought a pair of KT77's and poped them in, plugged my Les Paul into the M input, cranked up the amp gain and level to 9, slowly rolled my guitar volume up from perfectly clean, and beautiful I might add, to Zep's "Dancing Days Are Here Again"! NO PEDALS!! The KT77's added considerably more crunchy gain. Brighter too. Yea that was fun but I think EL34's cover the most ground for me.

I run this into a stereo 4X12 using only the two Greenbacks on the left side dry, 8ohm's. I run a cable from the line out to a chorus/delay/reverb processor through a seperate power amp and back into a Vintage30/G12H30 combination on the right side, full wet. So my excellent dry tone is never compromised. Of course I experiment all the time switching Fender Preamp to the V30/G12h side and getting that Jimmi Hendrix "Red House" lead, just add a little fuzz. I only use the effects loop when I want to plug a high gain preamp into the 25 watt power section of the Frenzel. Crank it up! Save your ears!! it's a win/win situation. What else can I say.... I've listened to everything pop/classic rock since the Beatles "I wanna hold your hand" and played electric guitar since IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA. I've been through a lot of gear over many years, buy one/sell one. I nailed the Scorpions sound with this Frenzel and destiny was set, KT77's and DS-1. I'll never get rid of this amp.

Point to point wiring, quality construction built by a pros hands?? What do you think? I have used every feature available and cranked to the max and everything works as designed. No problems so far.

Good communications, easy to talk to, willing to do extras if you want. Regular good people doing an excellent job for us. Ordering was actually fun and exciting, Took a few weeks to build but that was agreed on. I don't know any Frenzels personally but I trust them, I can just tell.

I will probably never buy another amp from GC or any other retail mass produced manufacturer again as long as I can find people like Frenzel Tube Amps who give you an excellent quality produce at a FAIR price! This Frenzel 5E3 Deluxe Plus Head is perfect for my needs. I actually can't wait to buy Trevors high gain model. It's like I can suddenly afford a Cadillac.

Kapow! I just got the amp a few days ago and have not yet scratched the surface regarding the features. The two different inputs (M) an (F) are very different tonally and depending on the guitar I'm using I use them both equally. With the line out I used it as a pre-amp into my Music Man 130 watt. Blam! made an ok amp sound supa-bad. I have a 15 watt Spitfire that in some venues is not quite lous enough. 28 watts is a perfect output for most situations.

Kablam! Butta.... smooth and creamy. Plenty of headroom if you want to be squeeky clean. When you crank the gain and output the butta begins to boil with Humbuckers or single coils. I use a Fender Strat and a Gibson Firebird playing Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Soul and whatever comes my way. I can find a killer tone Lickety-Split. The amp is very quiet when running idle which is sweet for recording. The gain when I jack her way up is just what you would want from a souped up Deluxe. Amazingly Blazin! Again I just got this amp and can't wait to experiment further. I'm thinking about a Tone Tubby cab for this bad boy as you just got to treat a fine lady right! Thanx Jim for your tonal artistry

From the looks of it as sturdy as any amp made. I always bring something as a backup as you never know what could happen. I've blow output transformers before by not plugging a speaker into the amp and turning it on...duh... I know....I wrote Jim concerning this issue and he reponded:
The output transformer in the FM- 5E3 Deluxe Plus is protected from failure by the internal load resistor that is automatically connected across the output when the speakers are not plugged in. Zowie! Idiot proof. Thanx Jim!

Jim is very helpful with any questions at all including what kind of cabs to use with his amps. Always a same day response time with emails. Definately good people.

I've been playing guitar for 39 years. I've been blessed to have the opportunity to play all over Europe and Asia. I usually play Blues and Jazz festivals where you have choices of many amps provided for you. Next spring I'm bringing the Frenzel to knock all their sox off! Believe me I know everyone will want to know what I'm playing through. Forget if it were stolen or lost. I'm gonna buy some of them anyway because he makes so many different amps for different situations. Ya think I like this amp? All your freinds'l love your Frenzel!!!!!!!!

3 band tone stack to extend flexability in tone. Master level control to crank gain and overdrive preamp without overdriving output tubes.Classic style twin presence control,no negative feedback style amp for more open, less compressed tone. Flexed biased to accept any tube configureation,6v6,6l6,el34. Dual 5u4 rectifiers for optimum pick attack and sag. Rock solid point to point wiring with best parts, clean vintage to classic overdrive tones with 3 types of distortion, depending whether you overdrive the preamp, output or both. Presence with NNFB push pull switch. Gain with push pull switch controls circut switch between deluxe and twin circut, preamp and output drive.Star ground system to reduce current chassis noise. 15 to 100W depending on tube selection.

Hand wired point to point Twin or Deluxe signal paths

The versatility is mind boggling

If this amp had a good reverb and an effects loop it would get a 12. Jim Frenzel is going to install an effects loop and a standby switch for me soon.

This amp can achieve any freakin tone, saturation, drive, clean you want. (except for extreme hard rock..thank God). Tone like this is wasted on thrash metal..or whatever you want to call it. This is a TRUE 110% TONE MONSTER like I have never had the pleasure to play through before. I've owned practically every imaginable classic Fender amp there's been. A 64 Pro was close on the saggy clean blues but couldnt touch the crunch this amp can spit out. I'm playing a 77 Les Paul Custom, a modified MIJ Strat, a Godin with Lindy Fralin P90s and a 59 Melody Maker. They all sound great through it, the MIJ Strat with Custom Shop 69's sounds absolutely awesome. It's hooked up to a 2X12 cab with 1 Eminence Red Coat Wizard and 1 Celestion GT-75. Also a 4X12 Celestion cab. Very very little noise (more with the Melody Maker). This is so good that I will probably sell my Keeley modded tube screamers, no need for them.

Using JJ 6V6 power tubes (35W) with NOS Sylvania rectifiers and NOS RCA 12AX7 preamps

I dropped this amp from 3 feet right onto the ceramic tile floor, scared the crap out of myself. Let it sit for a minute while I stared at it in horror (wasnt even in a cabinet at the time!). Picked it up plugged it in and she never batted an eye..good enough for a 10 for me

Never gig without a backup.

Jim Frenzel is the man. Answered my emails same day even though I bought it used. Remembered custom building it and told me all about it. Offered to make the upgrades I wanted at an amazing price..10+

I bought my first guitar in 1962..yeah..44 years ago..holy shi*.

If something happened to this amp I'd get ahold of Jim Frenzel and have him build me another..same thing.

I love the tone, it's incredible, Sustain that will go on forever without bad feedback. Like I said before has the clean of the 64 Pro with the sweet drive of..well..I don't really know what to compare it to here. I think it's in a league of it's own

1 more thing..they're not going to break your bank account. Google Frenzel amps and you'll find his and his son Trevor's websites. Do yourself a favor and check them out..these amps are the REAL deal!

I need to commend the reviewers before me and 2nd their praise of these AMPS. The two input jacks gives this amp all the versatility it needs. Get a Lehle or WOBO ABY and you can achieve classic to modern sounds. I guess I need an attenuator though, it's SO loud!

It is quieter(as in no hum or hiss) than any amp I've owned. THD, Songworks, 2 different Crates, Peavey, Carvin. I liked the THD best of them all until this one. It's lighter, quieter, etc.etc. I liked it straight out of the box but when I plugged in my FuzzFace I was like, "RROOOoooaaaAAARRR!"

The construction is tight. It's lightweight. So I suppose it could dent easily if you are not careful. I will look for a tote case. Solid quality components throughout!

Quick to respond to all emails. Very accomodating.

I'm not a great guitarist. I never learned Stairway2Heaven even though I think it's a good song. I own a bunch of fuzzes and Phasers. These are my favorite effects. If I could sound like anyone I would like to sound like a mix between 70's era Dan Fogelberg and Hunters and Collectors. I don't wish it had reverb or an effects loop because for great power tube saturation you need to add most/many effects afterward.

The features have been covered well below. The three band tone stack is very flexible and the non-negative feedback loop is a great feature.

My god! This is it! I have owned a number of high end and boutique (and much more expensive) amps...Dr. Z, Mesa Boogie, Demeter, Reverend and, of course, Fender. This little brute kicks them all! I love the condescending looks I get when I unpack this little critter, that is until I turn it on and the rich, thick tone pours out.

I often leave my pedal board at home and play with just one cord straight in! Everyone wants to know what it is and where they can get one. Deserves an 11.5!

Rock solid, but I never gig without a backup, regardless.

Jim is the best. I had a bad switch on the amp when I received. (Probably from shipping) Jim wanted to pay shipping both ways to fix it. Instead, I asked him to ship a replacement part which went out the same day.

Jim definitely stands behind his products! I can think of no better value in the music industry!

Been playing seriously for 4-5 years. I have way too many guitars, many vintage and some custom built. If it were stolen, I would find the perp and have him extradited to a foreign country where stealing is punishable by death. You MUST have one!

This amp is really versatile. It has its own separate inputs a normal and a high/bright input so you can dial in your tone. I use an A/B switch to go back and forth from channel to channel. The tones you get out of this amp are awesome, from blues to rock you've got it all. It's 25 watts of which is all you will ever need. And this baby is 100% tube, most Fender amps have solid state rectifiers, but this is a tube rectifier with a 5U4 tube. And the list goes on and on!!!

The tones are amazing, and you can dial in just about any sounds you are looking for. Wheather you want to crank the gain and keep the output low or get that nice warm tone with low gain and crank the master volume. Pluse there is a presence knob which comes in handy when really searching for that signature tone. This amp covers alot of ground, I play a Gibson Les Paul Custom through this amp and I play mostly rock, with the 6L6's you get a great rock sounds with a lot of head room. If you are going for metal this amp probably isn't for you, but any other style you will be in heaven. The amp is also very quiet and doesn't hiss at all.

I've had the amp for about two weeks and so far so good. Jim puts in a lot of time on each one of his amps. He hand wires all his amps with the best quality parts. I see this amp going for a long time.

Jim is a great guy to deal with. He will answer any questions with in a day and he is very flexible. For example, when I bought this amp I like the stanby and power switches to be separate and have there own switch for each. This model doesn't come stock with these switches separate. But, Jim simple built the amp in a bigger chasis and added the switches. He's is a very cool guy and a pleasure to work with.

Overall for the money and the quality you can't go wrong. The sound is amazing and the price is even better. It is hard to find a true 100% tube amp at a great price. If this amp got lost or stolen I would be on the computer right away to order another one. If you are a tube amp lover, do yourself a favor and BUY ONE!!!!!!!!!!

I have 2 of these: one with 6v6's, the other with 6l6's.

The 5E3 w/ 6l6's I bought off ebay. It has a "fender" input and a "marshall" input, preamp volume knob for each input, 3 band tone stack, master volume, prescence control, line output and speaker output.

The 5E3 w/ 6v6's has a tremolo circuit. It has one input, preamp volume knob, three band tone stack, master volume, tremolo speed knob, tremolo depth knob, line output, speaker output and tremolo footswitch output. The amp also came with the tremolo footswitch.

I have a custom made aluminum made by Chris Fouke at Industrial Guitars with a Wolfetone pickup in the bridge and a Kevin Burkett Travis Bean TB1000 clone pickup in the neck. Both amps output into Earcandy speakers.

The 5E3 w/ 6l6's is very crisp and warm. The fender input is bassier and the marshall input is crispier.

The 5E3 w/ 6v6's is a little quieter, a little more glassy, not quite as crispy. The tremolo is very touch sensitive and is much better than a TR-2 or the tremolo on a couple of the other amps I've used.

I love my Frenzel amps!

The three band tone stack is great, especially when dealing with the bass. Both amps have a very tight, esquisitely beautiful sounding bass. In other amps I have had before, I usually dialed out the bass, because of the mud they had, but not with the Frenzels. In fact, the entire frequency range is really quite smooth, nothing needing to be dialed out because of spikes, I can sculpt sound better with these amps than in others I've had.

The amps have lots of headroom, but I play with 6 amps so I don't have turn any of them up a whole lot. These amps are perfect for me, because they sound great and have a lot of headroom so they can be cleaner but still add plenty of character to pedals.

No problems thus far after 5 or 6 months, but I haven't taken them out of my studio yet, thus the rating of no opinion. In a couple years, if everything is still going smooth, I'll upgrade to 10.

I would recommend adding the grey cage.

Jim is a super nice guy and always responds swiftly to emails and answers all questions.

Another amp I have of his (I have 6) arrived and the amp wasn't working properly. I emailed him and he determined one of the knobs must have been damaged in shipping and he asked I ship it back. Five days later the amp was back in my possession. Boom boom boom, no hassles, no worries, no delays.

Been playing for 20 years, but only been going gear crazy for about 3 or 4. Sometimes I think I've gone overboard with the gear crazy thing. If you saw the rig I've put together, well, I'm sure some of you would agree, but I love the sound when I play.

Yes, absolutely would replace if I lost the amps, although I might would replace one 5E3 with one of his other circuits. He's got so many.

The value of these amps, price for sound quality, can't be beat. Highly recommended.

No need to cover the spec?s, the other guys did a great job of the details. I did have Jim add the effects loop on mine, and glad I did. Extremely versatile amplifier. I have been reducing the power output of my amplifiers over the last 10 years, owned some great amps, but just to loud to get that natural tube grind in 99% of the places I play. Can?t for the life of me figure why anyone would ever want more than 25 watts, plenty of power.

Original owner of a 1973 Gibson SG Deluxe now equipped with WCR?s, American Fender Big Apple Strat, Rowan Journeyman S/N #8, Hamer Special P-90?s. Aggressive Blues, & Classic, and Southern Rock. I spend a lot of time dialing in the tone of each guitar, the pedals and the amplifier. Typically only use the cleaner side of the amplifier, but I do drive them until they produce that natural tube grind with aggressive string attack, and adjust my pedals and guitar volume to achieve a signature tone as a complete system. I agree with Jim when he says the amp is modeled after a Fender and Marshall. I think most amp manufacturers have to give us an association, but in my opinion, this amp is 100% FRENZEL, and that is nothing to be ashamed of at all. If I would have wanted a Fender or a Marshall, I would have just bought one, or both. I wanted an amp produced by an individual who gives a dam, with its own unique tone spectrum, and that is exactly what I got. The amp sits on top of a Tone Tools 1x12 cabinet. Pedals: Boss SD-1, Boss Blues Driver, Ibanez Re-Issued Tube Screamer all modified by Robert Keeley, and a Maxon AD-900 Analog Delay.

Major Mojo, I have now had the amp for a couple of months, and I must admit, after 3 decades of every amplifier on the planet, this one is here to stay. Quit amp, great highs, defined low?s and, awesome mids. I don?t buy an amplifier for the its distortion capabilities, I consider the amp 1/3 part of a tonal system, and am much more interested in its ability to complement the rest of the system, and this FRENZEL does that perfectly. I respect and attempt to understand what each component does, and where the trade should be between each component. The Frenzel delivers exactly how I hoped it would.

?Would I use this amp at a gig without a backup?? Now that?s about the dumbest thing I have heard. If I am going to have spare strings, cables, guitars, why would I not have a back up amp? Ever heard of Murphy?s Law? Spare amps at the house and one broken on stage, now that?s not real smart. Its acted like it is suppose to every time so far, but one day it won?t. That just the LAW.

Jim is a straight up individual. He's to passionate about his product, he'll stand behind it. Pleanty of communication with the builder, good man.

Over all this amp is ?Mac Daddy?. I am no longer a power freak, I am however a Tonal Freak, and go to great lengths and expense to put my package together. This Frenzel is the perfect amp for me, it does what it is suppose to do in a superior manner. It won?t get lost, and the only way it would get stolen would be after someone heard it, because I don?t think they would know what they were looking at otherwise. But Hell Yea, I would have Jim building me another one tomorrow if it got stolen, this thing is now part of the system.

Lots of features. From the website (http://www.frenzeltubeamps.com/):
"Input Jacks isolated from chassis for low noise, eddy currents, and hum.
Star ground system to reduce induced current chassis noise.
Type F (Fender) and Type M (Marshall) inputs with separate Gain controls for the unique smooth Fender 5F6 warm tones or the Marshall Plexi SLP great high mid tones....or you can use an AB-Y switch and create your own distinct tones.
Classic 60's JTM - 45 style 3-BAND TONE STACK for extended flexibility in shaping your tone.
MASTER level control so you can crank the GAIN's up and overdrive the preamp without overdriving the output tubes.
Classic Type 5F6 Style Presence control .
Unique NNFB "Edge" switch on the PRESENCE control that transforms the power amp section into a No-Negative-FeedBack style amp for more open, less compressed tones.
Post output transformer LINE OUT for driving a higher power amp, or for using this amp as a tube preamp/overdrive. Auto switching internal load if speaker is not connected.
Effects Loop with SEND and RETURN jacks. SEND jack has SEND Level control to better match amp with your Effects.
Class AB fixed biased 6L6's in the output in place of the original Deluxe cathode biased 6V6's to give you more power and headroom. The bias is optimized using FRENZEL Multi-Valve design which allows you to use octal based 6L6 or EL34 tubes in the output stage without adjusting anything.
Power Output @ 8 ohm 25 watts
5U4 rectifier in place of 5Y3 for less sag.
Extra long (10') three prong grounded power cord.
Classic knobs and open style chassis.
STANDBY switch to turn off the plate voltage during warm-up.
Compact 12" x 8" lightweight aluminum chassis with bottom cover plate with rubber feet.
Rock solid point-to-point hand wiring using only the best of parts...low noise tubular polypropylenes caps, metal film resistors, ceramic sockets, switchcraft jacks...etc.
Sweet vintage clean to classic overdrive tones with three different types of distortion depending on whether you are overdriving the preamp, output... or both!
Tube complement: 3 - 12AX7, 2 - 6L6, 1 - 5U4
FRONT PANEL:
- Type F INPUT
- Type M INPUT
- Type F GAIN
- Type M GAIN
- BASS
- MIDDLE
- TREBLE
- MASTER
- PRESENCE with NNFB PULL SWITCH
- PILOT LIGHT
- OFF STANDBY POWER SWITCH
REAR PANEL:
- POWER CORD
- FUSE
- LINE OUT
- SPEAKER OUT (8 OHMS) "

I also went for the effects loop option.
I use for practice and anticipate gigs with it.
I wish it had a tad bit more gain. Plenty of power though. I suspect once I can try it out at higher volume levels and get some real output stage stuff happening, the gain won't be as much as an issue.

Strat with VanZandt blues neck and middle JB jr bridge.
G&L ASAT S3 - MFD singles
G&L Comanche - Z-coils
LP Custom - humbuckers
Epi Dot - humbuckers
I like blues, classic rock, hard rock, acid jazz. Amp does well in all catagories, but the gain limit precludes really hard rock. Forget about doing metal with this amp.
Pretty quiet amp. There is a slight bit of background hiss, but very minimal.
The cleans are fabulous. Really sweet with single coils. HBs sound great too, big difference in sound is evident. Wide range of volume, gain, and tonal response. Lots of bottom. 25 watts? Seems like alot more. I use it through an Avatar, the standard model 2x12 with Celestions, and through a Mesa 1x12 Thiele with an EVM.
Wide range of tones between the inputs too. F channel very warm. M channel, more bite. I haven't even tried blending the two, that's another thing you can do. If switching between inputs, you would have to balance your tone controls between them, there is only one tone stack.
Not a heavy gain amp though. When I tried using a screamer with high gain, there was a papery edge I didn't like. May have been tonal settings. I'll post an update sometime in the future. Have to spend more time, there are alot of variations to try.
This section I would rate a 10, if there was just a bit more gain available. But I'm being picky.

I think it is very stable . Haven't had it too long, but it doesn't get too hot, and sounds fine, no issues.

Jim Frenzel is a nice guy. Very patient, answers all questions within a day. I feel confident he would help me out if anything happened. Highly recommended!

A very nice sounding amp. Very well built. My other amps, Mesa, THD, some other SS ones. The Frenzel holds it's own. Very warm sounding amp. Lots of latitude on tonal settings. TOns of punch and bottom end.
Not a high gainer. Won't do the marshall crunch without a pedal. But a great classic sounding amp.
Comes stock as a chassis only. Very lightweight. I am making a head cabinet for it.

Hand-built, all PTP-wired, open chassis Amp based on the Fender Deluxe. It's called a 5e3, but I think that it's more like a 5e5. It takes all of things that I like about the old Fender Deluxes, but adds very useful features that make it very vestile. (Read the features below and see what I mean.) For the price (or even a lot more), the set of features is outstanding. The only things that could be improved are related to cosmetics (for example a nicer face plate or a beautiful wooden cabinet). However, for the price, this would be impossible. You're basically getting the electronics and sound of a four-figure head without the cosmetic thrills for $400.

Spec's from Frenzel:

-Input Jacks isolated from chassis for low noise, eddy currents, and hum.

-Star ground system to reduce induced current chassis noise.

-Type F and Type M inputs with separate Gain controls for the unique smooth 5F6 warm tones or the SLP great high mid tones....or you can use an AB-Y switch and create your own distinct tones.

-Classic 60's JTM - 45 style 3-BAND TONE STACK for extended flexibility in shaping your tone.

-MASTER level control so you can crank the GAIN's up and overdrive the preamp without overdriving the output tubes.

-Classic Type 5F6 Style Presence control .

-Unique NNFB "Edge" switch on the PRESENCE control that transforms the power amp section into a No-Negative-FeedBack style amp for more open, less compressed tones.

-Post output transformer LINE OUT for driving a higher power amp, or for using this amp as a tube preamp/overdrive. (Can be used with headphones. Had "send" volume control.)

-Class AB fixed biased 6L6's in the output in place of the original Deluxe cathode biased 6V6's to give you more power and headroom. The bias is optimized using FRENZEL Multi-Valve design which allows you to use octal based 6L6 or EL34 tubes in the output stage without adjusting anything.

Power Output @ 8 ohm 25 watts

5U4 rectifier in place of 5Y3 for less sag.

Rock solid point-to-point hand wiring using only the best of parts...low noise tubular
polypropylenes caps, metal film resistors, ceramic sockets, switchcraft jacks...etc.

Sweet vintage clean to classic overdrive tones with three different types of distortion depending on whether you are overdriving the preamp, output... or both!

Tube compliment: 3 - 12AX7, 2 - 6L6, 1 - 5U4

I use Fender Tele's and Strat's. All of the magic of the single-coils comes through in abundance. Great articulation and dynamics. Notes are clear, balanced, solid and multi-dimensional. Tone is wonderful.

With all of the pot's on 5, it gets a perfect sound. (This is always my first critical test.) Tweaking gets lots more diverse great tones tones. The no-negative-feedback produces a louder, brighter open tone.

I don't have any humbucker guitar to test.

Not enought time to evaluate.

Jim Frenzel has always responded to my emails within 24 hours. It's rare these days to have the owener/builder personally respond to emails so well. He answers were detailed, complete and friendly.

I've been playing on and off over 28 years and have been through lot's of equipment. After all, I've come to the conclusion that I'm basically a Fender-amp-guy. I just love the sound of single-coils and fender amps.

I bought this amp totally on impluse. Frenzel had some of their amps listed on ebay and I saw it right before the auction was over. I had never heard of Frenzel, but I liked the feature set and the fact that it was PTP. I'm glad that I took the chance. It's a wonderful amp that's incredible inexpensive for what you're getting. I can only assume that Frenzel have their prices low to get some attention. Once the word gets out, I suspect that they'll raise their prices to a more fair (read highter) level.