I just rewired an old Bogen 20 watt pa amp with a Tweed Deluxe 5e3 circuit. The power transformer is a little hot (about 430vac with no load) and has no 5vac winding so I'm using the original 6ax5 rectifier tube. The amp sounds pretty good,
a little better than my silver face Champ. My B+ is about 457vdc and the circuit is drawing about 100ma off the
rectifier tube at idle. I'm a little concerned about the high b+ and tube life. Do I need to change the 6v6 cathode bias
resistor value or try to drop the b+ voltage or should I get a new transformer with lower output and a 5vac winding for
a 5y3. I have new tube sockets a blank chassis and a 5e3 eyelet board and want to make a loose copy of the Tweed Deluxe.
If I can use the Bogen transformers I think I can get out between $100 and $150 including speaker and homemade cabinet.
Any suggestions, ideas or observations are appreciated.
David