5E8-A Twin – Yorke Electric Sound

5E8 “Low Power” Twin

TOPOLOGY
Four independent, high sensitivity inputs. Three 12AY7 gain stages. A cathode follower drives the classic tweed era tone stack. Independent Treble and Bass controls with local negative feedback. One 12AX7 recovery stage. Global negative feedback with Presence control. Cathodyne phase inverter. Two 6L6 power tubes running fixed bias. Approximately 40 watts output through two 12″ alnico speakers.

DESCRIPTION
Fender offered two versions of the Twin during the late 1950’s: the 5E8 and the 5F8. And even though the model numbers might lead you to believe that they were simply minor variants of the same amp, the reality is that they were completely different designs and had very little in common other than the dual 12″ speakers. Leo basically went back to the drawing board in 1958 and came up with a completely new concept for the Twin amp. As a result, the 5E8-A version only existed for a couple years and was made in relatively small numbers… perhaps 500 or so units in total.

The 5E8-A Twin has come to be known by modern guitar players as the “low power” or “small box” Twin. Both names are misnomers, and only make sense in comparison to the 5F8 Twin which is slightly larger and much more powerful. But the 5E8-A was Leo’s top of the line amp in 1957, with all the features and clean power demanded by professional players. It puts out roughly 40 watts of quintessentially tweed tone. This is a loud clean amp, but it can be pushed into satisfying distortion. Highly prized by modern players and collectors alike. Absolutely one of the greatest amps of the tweed era.

BASE CONFIGURATION
Weber 12A125 speakers, Mercury Magnetics transformers, Jupiter Yellow capacitors, carbon composition resistors.

Base Price $1800