The Fender Tweed Deluxe guitar amplifier was produced by Fender during the 1950s from approximately 1955 to 1960. Model 5B3/5C3, one of the earliest versions of the Deluxe, was produced between 1948 and 1952. It is often referred to as having a TV Front appearance because the wide panels around the grill were like the television sets of the 1950s.[1] This was true also of the similar Fender Princeton student and studio amp introduced in 1946 and upgraded in 1948.[2]
The Tweed Deluxe was the most popular of the Tweed amplifiers made by Fender.[3]
It is a relatively small amplifier, having one twelve inch speaker. It has four inputs and two channels. Each channel has a volume control. Both channels share a tone control. The inputs and controls are mounted at the top of the amplifier. It is referred to as the tweed deluxe because of its covering - a brown tweed material.
At the time, Leo Fender produced amplifiers with the intention of having the amplifier stay clean even at high volumes. The Tweed Deluxe is not known for producing a clean tone at high volumes, and as such, was regarded as being a beginner's amplifier. Ironically, the saturated tone this amplifier produces at higher volumes is the reason why it is one of the more famous amplifiers Fender ever produced. It is part of the signature tone for many musicians, a few notable examples being Neil Young, Larry Carlton and Don Felder.
Unusually for a Fender amplifier the Deluxe (models 5D3 and 5E3) has both a feedback-less and cathode biased output stage (a distinctive combination it shares with the Vox AC30). Most push-pull Fenders use feedback tapped from the output transformer's speaker winding to enable more headroom before power stage distortion starts, and in the quest for more volume use the more efficient negative voltage biasing (which also runs the power valves at a cooler temperature). These aspects of the circuit make a key contribution to the complex, wild and ragged sound of an overdriven 5E3 Deluxe, especially in comparison to other Fender amplifiers. The earlier 5C3 model did use feedback although it too was cathode biased.
The amplifier has a 5Y3 rectifier, 2 6V6GT power tubes operating in push/pull mode, and a 12AY7 and a 12AX7 in the preamp. The output is rated at 15 watts.
The amplifier's simple circuitry has made it a favorite of home builders. Fender later reissued the amplifier as the '57 Deluxe.
john lennon owned a "narrow panel" tweed deluxe from 1960 to july 1962, when they acquired their vox amps. he painted it black and added metal corner protectors at some time. see: "beatles gear.com"