February 2024: Custom Build!

Speed Shop 5F6A Bassman mounted in a custom Low Power Twin 2x12 relic cabinet. 2x A12Qs, RPA caps, and NOS tubes (5881s) round out the spec. Really fun to play - lots of mids, great punch, and a nice round, articulate frequency response. Sounds great and the speakers haven't even broken in yet!

January 2024: Happy New Year!

It's a good time for me to say 'thanks' to everyone for all the orders and support - past and present. At the moment I'm very busy and backed up quite a bit, so lead times are currently about 20 weeks for combo builds. But as usual, I am working alone and building everything personally, using the best components I can source, have manufactured, and/or make myself. I really like what I do and feel very fortunate to look forward to another great year of building amplifiers; as well as continued research and experimenting - and playing guitar! Thanks again, everyone, I really appreciate your patronage.

P2P Head Switcher!

I often find it necessary/important to compare two similar amps.

But, plugging into one amp then into the other, back-and-forth, is always problematic; as it takes a few seconds to do and it's sometimes hard to play the same exact way in each instance. Switching in and out of standby on each amp is also a hassle. Plus, it's really hard to discern critical differences in sound-and-feel when there is even a small lapse between sample performances.

Beyond that, the speakers in either amp may sound (or be) different from one another, plus your orientation to the two cabinets and the room itself can often falsely color the results, flattering one amp at the expense of the other.

So, to facilitate instant switching while using the same speaker and cab, I put together this simple passive switcher. It a/b's two amp outs into either a single speaker / or dummy load. On the other side, it will switch a guitar into either of the two amp inputs while shorting the other. Hitting both footswitches in one stomp is surprisingly easy.

To keep things quiet, I set it up to float all the grounds except that the enclosure gets grounded/shielded by way of the GTR input jack which acquires its ground from whatever amp input it's switched into. As such, the noise floor is no different then when plugging straight into an amp directly - as there is zero ground-loop hum.

All passive mechanical circuit keeps the signal paths completely straight-through with no added resistances and/or capacitances (that might otherwise confuse tonal response) and completely hand-wired (using actual wire!) point-to-point - no PC boards or traces here.

Using it for the first time, I quickly realized what a luxury it is to have this switcher; as there is no better test method (to really evaluate the differences between two amps) than to play real-time while instantly switching between them.

Special Build: Speed Shop "NOS" Deluxe

This is about as close as you can get to a 'new' 1958 5E3 Deluxe. Built by Rondo around an original-cone vintage Jensen P12R, with a '58 spec output transformer wound by Rondo, RecPro vintage 'Astron' capacitors, new Speed Shop '57 style chassis, Mercury PT... and of course, NOS tubes and other period bits - all housed in a twenty-year-old cab built by late guru Larry Rogers. Sounds like '58! 

October 2023 - New Speaker: B12Q!

After months of research and testing, reverse-engineering and prototype-building, Rondo is happy to announce the B12Q speaker. The B12Q is a new AlNiCo P12Q variant designed by Rondo and built by Weber Speakers for RecPro Audio and the Speed Shop. The B12Q will be available October 1, 2023. Read more about it here: B12Q 12" AlNiCo

September 2023 - Clean 5E3 Demo by Rondo!

New track from Rondo "Cruiser". Larry Carlton Nightfly tones are featured. Two guitars, one lead and one rhythm. Setup: '68 Gibson ES-335 straight into a Speed Shop 5E3. B12Q prototype speaker. Recording chain: Shure Unidyne III into a RecPro Audio VAC tube preamp. No EQ, compression or effects. (Some reverb added to the guitar bus.)

Story goes, that for Donald Fagen's Nightfly album, Larry Carlton showed up for the sessions without his Tweed Deluxe (which he previously used on Steely Dan's Royal Scam). What amp he did initially bring is unknown, but Fagen insisted Larry get his Deluxe. He did; and that is what Larry used for all his beautiful 335 playing on Donald's amazing album.

When used for clean Blues/Jazz work, the Deluxe has a big sonic footprint and sits in the mix without any tweaking. The tone is clear, delicate, and very expressive; yet very dynamic. Very authoritative as well - with harder pick attack.

Another great example why the 5E3 is such a legendary amp!

Download the track here: cruiser.mp3

Want to play along? The amp settings are at the end of the video and you can download just the the rhythm track here: cruiser - rhythm track.mp3

Latest Build: Speed Shop "NOS" Champ

Essentially, a brand-new, 63 year-old 5F1-Champ. Built by Rondo, using NOS and vintage parts. Relic cab. 

May 2023 - P2P Studio Track Demo - "Domino" by Rondo

Rondo explores the phrygian dominant mode in this studio demo of a 5E3-P2P head through a new protoype speaker. Recording chain: Shure Unidyne III into a RecPro Audio VAC tube preamp.

April 2023: RecPro Audio L-Pad

From just taking the edge off to complete bedroom levels of attenuation, the RecPro L-Pad is a great sounding and versatile tool. Built by Rondo.

March 2023 - New P2P Studio Track Demo

Rondo demos a new 5E3-P2P Heavy Relic Build in the Studio with a vintage 335