Anybody have a Pro Sr from Tonedog?

[birv2]

I've asked about a good blues amp for under $500 in another thread. One of the options I'm investigating is the Pro Senior from Tonedog. Basically, it's a new pine, tweed-looking, larger cab with a 12" speaker. Same chassis as the Pro Jr.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks,
Bob

ps: here's the link:
Tonedog (http://www.tonedog.com/)

[sumitomo]

I'd talk to Tung or DVM about amp upgrades that's their forte.Sumi:D

[tunghaichuan]

Bob,

What kind of power are you looking for in an amp? The Pro Jr. is about 12-15 watts, correct?

The Tone dog cab looks cool. It might add a little "mojo." Pine cabinets sound different than MDF/plywood cabinets. A single 12" speaker will sound bigger than a single 10" speaker. However, I would like to try one of these (http://warehousespeakers.com/products.php?cat=8&PHPSESSID=856e42cfd91d8bc931c347d57807812f).

What tubes do you have in the Pro? You might consider putting in a fresh set of JJ EL84 tubes. Bob at Eurotubes (http://www.eurotubes.com/) is my go to guy for JJ tubes. You can email him with your needs and he can advise you on a set of rated tubes for your amp.

If you like the tweed look another option is a Tweed Deluxe. Lots of guys build kits and then sell them. Or you can build a kit yourself. The best kit on the market is the Mission Amps (http://www.missionamps.com/5E3kit.shtml) kit from Bruce Collins. He is local to me and I've been to his shop many times, but I don't get anything for recommending his kits. It's a little bit more than you want to spend, but it is the best kit out there now. Bruce has serviced many original 5E3s and knows them inside out. He has the transformers custom wound.

The 5E3 is a different type of sound but is an excellent blues amp. At low volumes it's nice and warm with a hint of dirt. Cranked it gets really nasty.

Another option is to look for a "double" Deluxe amp. These have twice the power as they have a 4x6V6 output rather than the 2x6V6. A tweed Deluxe puts out about 12-15W clean, maybe 20 cranked all the way up. The "double" Deluxe will put out roughly double: 24-30W clean, 40W cranked. Again, there are kits out there, some guys build them and then end up selling to finance the next kit.

HTH,

tung

[birv2]

Tung, thanks very much for your ideas.

I just last week put a set of new JJ's in my PJ, which I got from Eurotubes. I went with the standard version.

The PJ is 15 watts.

While people say "you can make an amp" with a kit, what they mean is "I can make an amp". I'm all thumbs. I've seen the Mission amp kits, and they look great for someone who knows what they're doing. I wouldn't put myself in that category!

And yes, the 5E3 looks like something that would work for me.

Thanks again!
Bob

[tunghaichuan]

Tung, thanks very much for your ideas.


Glad to help out. :AOK:



While people say "you can make an amp" with a kit, what they mean is "I can make an amp". I'm all thumbs. I've seen the Mission amp kits, and they look great for someone who knows what they're doing. I wouldn't put myself in that category!

And yes, the 5E3 looks like something that would work for me.



OK, gotcha. Amp building isn't for everybody. It's not that hard really, but it is dangerous and a safety hazard.

I would still encourage you to look for a built 5E3 kit. I've seen them go for less than the original cost of the kit. They are fairly simple amps, but I would have a tech check it over thoroughly before you buy it to make sure it is working up to scratch.

tung

[oldguy]

Here ya' go buddy........grab it quick or it'll be gone........


http://cgi.ebay.com/Ceriatone-5E3-amp-with-flight-case_W0QQitemZ250320767183QQihZ015QQcategoryZ10171 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Ch0jin]

It's not that hard really, but it is dangerous and a safety hazard.

tung

Building is easy, troubleshooting when it doesn't work as expected. Thats the hard part.

Love that 'gator skin 5E3 though and I've heard those ceriatone amps are wicked good.

[sumitomo]

Man that is a sweet amph,great if your a gigger,wait that doesnt sound right,I mean if you transport your amph often.but that is one sweet setup there.Sumi:D

[tunghaichuan]

Building is easy, troubleshooting when it doesn't work as expected. Thats the hard part.

Love that 'gator skin 5E3 though and I've heard those ceriatone amps are wicked good.

Good point. That was the steepest learning curve for me, learning how to debug a build. You're right, *building* is the easy part.

By all accounts, Ceriatone offers tremendous bang for the buck.

tung

[birv2]

I'll be keeping my JV strat for the time being. And that means no Pro Senior.

Thanks for all the advice, and it's filed away until I can do this without selling my JV.

Bob