FRENZEL FM-5E3 SD User manual

Frenzel Tube Amplifiers
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FRENZEL TUBE AMPS
FRENZEL TUBE AMPSFRENZEL TUBE AMPS
FRENZEL TUBE AMPS
Owners Manual
FM-5E SD “Super Deluxe”
Guitar Tube Amplifier

Frenzel Tube Amplifiers
www.frenzeltubeamps.com
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copyrighted nd m y not be reproduced without the permission of Frenzel Tube Amplifiers. P ge 2
FRENZEL FM - 5E3 SD "Super Deluxe"
The FRENZEL FM-5E3 SD "Super Deluxe" is the upgraded version of our classic open chassis "Deluxe Plus III" which
has rave reviews from all over the world. At the request of a lot of our customers we have incorporated the most popular
options from the "Deluxe Plus III" which include the Effects Loop, and the Cathode/Fixed bias selector switch.....plus we
have also increased the power to 40 watts! (A lower 25 power version still available if you do not need the extra power)
Like the "Deluxe Plus III" the "Super Deluxe" was "INSPIRED" by the classic 50's Fender Deluxe 5E3...but it is a much
more than a clone. We added a Marshall JTM45 channel and replaced the 6V6's with 6L6's for more headroom and
power. The voice is controlled by a three band tone stack accentuated by a Bassman 5F6 style Presence control with an
added custom "Edge" switch to remove the negative feedback which gives you dynamic soaring rock tones and sustain.
We also added a Master control which allows you to control and shape the preamp and output stage overdrive tones. The
F and M channels have separate input jacks and gain controls which allows you to use an AB/Y switch to select one
channel for clean and one for boost...or blend them together for unique tones. When playing clean, this amp will faithfully
reproduce what you put into it ...and when you stomp on it, it will produce tones you have never heard before! It works
great with guitar, mandolin, bass, organ, piano, harp and strings. Think of it as a 5E3 on steroids! See features list below.
FEATURES:
Input Jacks isolated from chassis for low noise, eddy currents, and hum.
Laser Etched Faceplate
Classic Chicken Head Knobs, Toggle Switches and Jewel Pilot Light
Dimensions - 19"W x 12"D x 10"H
Weight: 20 lbs.
DC on filaments for low 60 hz hum.
Star ground system to reduce induced current chassis noise.
Normal (Type F) Bright (Type M) inputs with separate preamps and 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.

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Classic 60's JTM45 - Bassman 5F6 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 5F6A 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.
Classic 6L6's in the output in place of the original Deluxe 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, 5881, KT66, KT88, 6550, or
EL34 tubes in the output stage without adjusting anything.
Preamp and driver tubes are 12AX7’s known for low noise and linearity. You may also use 12AT7's or 12AU7's for
different tones and overdrive.
Classic 60's style insertion type Serial Effects Loop with Return Jack (Power Amp In), Send Jack (Preamp Out), and
Send Level Control.
Post output transformer LINE OUT with LINE OUT LEVEL control 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 to give you loaded output distortion.
NOTE: Also great for using headphones!
A classic heavy duty vintage output transformer for extended low frequency performance with 4 - 8 - 16 ohm outputs
selectable by a rotary switch.
EL34/6L6 BIAS SELECTOR SWITCH - Allows you to use either 6L6 or EL34 power output tubes.
Power Output: 40 watts RMS (30 and 100 Watt version also available)
Power Selector Switch - provides three power levels. 1/4 - 1/2 - FULL power.
5AR4 rectifier, you can sub 5Y3, 5AR4, or Solid State Plug in for different amounts of sag.
IEC power socket with three prong grounded power cord.
STANDBY switch to turn off the plate voltage during warm-up.
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: The amp comes with 3 - 12AX7, 2 - 6L6, 1 – 5AR4, but you can substitute 12AT7's or 12AU7's in the
preamp and driver for different tones and overdrive sounds. You can also substitute 5881's, KT66's, KT88's, 6550's, or
EL34's in the output stage for different sounds.
FRONT PANEL:
- NORMAL INPUT ( Type F INPUT)
- BRIGHT INPUT(Type M INPUT)
- NORMAL GAIN ( Type F GAIN)
- BRIGHT GAIN (Type M GAIN)
- BASS
- MIDDLE
- TREBLE
- MASTER
- PRESENCE with NNFB PULL SWITCH
-STANDBY SWITCH
- PILOT LIGHT
- POWER SWITCH
REAR PANEL:
- POWER CORD
- FUSE
- EL34/6L6 BIAS SWITCH
- EFFECTS LOOP SEND LEVEL CONTROL
- EFFECTS LOOP SEND JACK

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- EFFECTS LOOP RETURN JACK
- POWER LEVEL SWITCH
- LINE OUT LEVEL CONTROL
- LINE OUT
- SPEAKER OUT JACK
- IMPEDANCE SELECTOR
PRICE: $1095.00
UPGRADE OPTIONS:
1. 25 WATT VERSION - The amp is also available with 25 watts output. No charge for this option.
2. QUAD OF 6V6'S - Four 6V6's in place of the pair of 6L6's for the smooth warm 6V6 tones..Add $120.00
3. WORLDWIDE POWER TRANSFORMER - with 220V - 240V primaries. Add $55.00
4.EDGE FOOTSWITCH - adds jack to rear panel for footswitch control on the NNFB EDGE switch. Includes classic
heavy duty footswitch with LED. Add $60.00
5. LONG TANK TUBE REVERB - Pure tube driven vintage long tank reverb for those smooth warm jazz and blues tones.
Add $200.00
User’s Operation Guide:
FRONT PANEL CONTROLS:
NORMAL INPUT – input for NORMAL(Fender) preamp.
BRIGHT INPUT – input for BRIGHT(Marshal) preamp.
NORMAL GAIN – sets the volume and the point at which overdrive distortion is produced by the NORMAL
preamp. Set at ¼ for initial setting.
BRIGHT GAIN – sets the volume and the point at which overdrive distortion is produced by the BRIGHT preamp.
Set at ¼ for initial setting.
MASTER – sets the maximum volume of the amp and the point at which the output tubes saturate. The higher the
setting on the MASTER, the sooner the output tubes will saturate rate and produce output tube overdrive
distortion. Set at ½ for initial setting. Use the GAIN to adjust the volume level and preamp overdrive. As the GAIN
is increased the preamp will begin to produce preamp overdrive distortion. Turn the MASTER up for output tube
overdrive distortion. By adjusting the settings on the GAIN and MASTER you can set your desired amount
CLEAN and OVERDRIVE tones.
TONE STACK – is a three band Bass, Middle, and Treble tone filter. The controls are interactive in shaping the
tone. You will need to experiment to find the best setting for your playing requirements. Initial settings for all
three controls is the ½ position
BASS – attenuates the Bass frequencies from 10hz – 100hz as it is turned down.
MIDDLE – is a 500 hz notch filter that dampens the middle frequencies. As you turn the control down it deepens
the notch.
TREBLE – attenuates the high frequency tones from 1000hz - 15000hz. As it is turned down, the MIDDLE control
will have less effect.
PRESENCE – boosts the high frequency range and gives the amp more bright punch. Set at ½ for initial setting.
(Please note that a scratchy noise is normal as the Presence control is adjusted. This is caused by the DC
cathode current running through the contacts. It only occurs when the control is adjusted and does not affect the
operation of the amp.)
EDGE PULL SWITCH – when pulled out will turn off the negative feedback in the amp which produces a boost in
the volume and a more dynamic less compressed tone.
REVERB – adjusts the Reverb level. (Only on amps with the reverb option.)

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POWER SWITCH – turns power ON to filaments of tubes. Pilot lamp will light up when switch is turned to ON
(up) position.
STANDBY SWITCH – turns ON high voltage to tubes. Allow tubes to warm up 3- 5 minutes before turning to ON
(up) position. This protects tubes and lengthens tube life. Turn to OFF position(down) when amp temporarily not
in use.
REAR PANEL CONTROLS:
EFFECTS LOOP – is a passive insertion point between the preamp and the power amplifier. The SEND jack is the
output of the preamp. The RETURN jack is the input to the power amp. For normal operation these two jacks are
connected together by a push/pull switch on the SEND LEVEL. To use the EFFECTS LOOP, pull the switch out
on theSEND LEVEL control. This will open the loop and allows you to insert an effects unit into the jacks. The
SEND LEVEL controls the output level of the SEND jack and can be used to adjust the level to meet the
requirements of the input drive level your effect. Boost and distortion pedals can be used in the loop, but they
usually work better in the front of the amp before the preamp. This is what they were designed for. The loop
works best with studio digital effects that are designed to go after the preamp like Chorus, Delay, Reverb, Mixer,
Volume, etc.
The SEND jack can also be used without the EFFECTS LOOP function to drive a recorder, mixer, or another amp.
This function does not require the switch on the SEND LEVEL control to be pulled out.
EL34/6L6 BIAS SWITCH – Sets the bias for either using EL34 or 6L6 tubes in the output. WARNING: Failure to
set the switch in the proper position can cause damage to the tubes and amp.
POWER LEVEL SWITCH – Sets power output level to ¼ - ½- FULL power.
LINE OUT - is a post output transformer LINE OUT jack with LINE OUT LEVEL control for driving another amp,
mixer , recorder etc. It can be used without a speaker plugged into the amp. There is an internal load connected
by a switch on the speaker jack if a speaker is not plugged in. This internal load simulates the speaker and will
give you loaded clean and output distortion tones. Use a shielded cable to connect the LINE OUT to another
device. The LINE OUT also works with headphones.
LINE OUT LEVEL – controls the output level of the LINE OUT.
SPEAKER JACK – connects output of amp to speaker.
IMPEDANCE SELECTOR – selects the output impedance for the speaker to 4 – 8 -16 ohms. Set the switch to
match the impedance of the speaker.
FUSE - protects the power supply. Use a 3 amp SLO-BLO type fuse.
POWER CORD – connects amp to electrical outlet. The power cord is a three prong grounded cord. Always plug
into a grounded outlet to prevent electrical shock. The line voltage is shown over the power cord bushing. Be
sure that the voltage matches your line voltage.
TUBE LAYOUT CHART
6L6 V5
5AR4 V6
12AX7
V2
6L6 V4
12AX7
V3
12AX7
V1
FM-5E3 SD TUBE LAYOUT
V1 - F AND M PREAMPS
V2 - TONE STACK DRIVER
V3 - PHASE INVERTER
V4 - POWER OUTPUT
V5 - POWER OUPUT
V6 - RECTIFIER