Geek » Fender Deluxe Amp Project
The Look
When I first got all the parts together, I didn't order the standard reissue tweed cabinet. I didn't see any use in copying an original. Plus I was cheap. I didn't want to fork up another $100 in shipping fees either.
I knew a few speaker cabinet guys in town, and if all else failed, I could also wield a pretty mean saw. More importantly I needed an amp with character, that could proudly take space on the stage at the Living Room, and inspire guitarists to plug in and achieve the tone.
One night, while bartending, I was telling members from the band Boogie Chillin' my amp building foray. The conversation drifted over to what it needed to look like. After a long silence Hank the harmonica player blurted out, "It's gotta be purple shag, man."
Once the amp head was built, I took it over to Mr. Chen, who makes PA cabinets for a living. We squatted around in the saw dust with the diagrams and dimensions I scoured off of the 5E3 forum, and struck up a deal. He'd make the cabinet according to spec, and I would have to supply the purple shag.
In Taipei I knew I could find purple shag. I'd seen funkier things on mini skirts, shoes, and pillows. I wandered around for about an hour, and no purple shag. Disappointed, I slumped down the steps, and to my amazement, ran right into the shag store. All possible incarnations of shag were present. I spoke to the shag lady, compared some samples, and walked away with two yards of purple shag-a-delic, baby.
Back to Chen's place, dropped off the shag, and...
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I've never figured out whether it's pronounced "Moe's (like owned by one of three stooges) or Moss (like that guy out of Bonanza), but the one down the hill from me is open until 2am most days, which means that if I get out of the club early enough, I can catch the best burger in town, the muo si la bao or the Spicy Mos Burger. They have lots of jalapenos and 
