08/28/2026
"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." โ Ecclesiastes 1:9
That sums up the new Hunter Amplifiers ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐
๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐๐ฏ+. None of the circuit concepts here are original to me. The foundation is straight off Leo Fenderโs classic 5E3 schematic, and practically all the rest comes directly from Rob Robinetteโs 5E3 modifications and analysis. What makes this build unique is having this specific suite of mods integrated into a single, cohesive build.
Here is the breakdown of the circuit and features:
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐น๐ & ๐ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
โข ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐น: Pure, unadulterated Leo Fender 5E3 from input to output. Organic, touch-sensitive, and rich in vintage tweed harmonics.
โข ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐น: Re-biased and re-voiced for higher gain. With tailored cathode and plate resistor values and trimmed coupling capacitance, this channel delivers a tight, articulate overdrive with focused midrange bite, eliminating the typical low-end mud when driven hard.
โข ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐๐น๐น-๐๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต: Built right into the Normal volume pot via a push/pull DPDT switch. No patch cable needed between the jacks. Engaging it links both channels internally in parallel so you can blend the fat, woody tweed low-end of the Normal side with the aggressive bite of the Lead side.
โข ๐ฏ-๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ก๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต:
๐ข๐๐ (Up): Stock 5E3 configurationโcathode bypass capacitor intact on V2a and zero negative feedback. Wild, raw, open, and harmonically explosive.
๐๐๐๐ (Middle): Local feedback mode. Disconnects the cathode bypass capacitor on V2a without global loop feedback, introducing local degenerative feedback that tames gain, tightens the bottom end, and adds clean headroom.
๐ข๐ก (Down): Standard global NFB loop injected from the output transformer secondary into the V2a cathode (unbypassed). Stiffens the power stage, increases clean headroom, flattens frequency response, and provides a tight, punchy attack reminiscent of Black Panel amps that takes pedals exceptionally well.
โข ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ / ๐๐ถ๐
๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต (Rear Panel): Toggle between the spongy, singing compression of traditional 5E3 cathode bias and the tighter, punchier attack and increased power output of fixed bias. Think "Mini-Bassman".
โข ๐ฆ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ-๐ฆ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ("๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฏ๐") ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต: A traditional high-voltage B+ standby switch is neither necessary nor beneficial on a tube-rectified amplifierโhot-switching raw B+ DC is a notorious cause of arc-over and blown rectifier tubes. Instead, this "Standby" switch borrows the clever phase-cancellation circuit straight from the Silvertone 1484. It completely silences the audio signal with zero thump and zero stress on the rectifier.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ & ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ป๐๐
โข ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐: Hand-crafted finger-jointed solid pine shell with a void-free Baltic birch baffle board, wrapped in genuine tweed. It is also the first Hunter Amplifiers build to break the two-foot height mark to properly accommodate the dual-speaker setup.
โข ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป & ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐: Heavy-duty Hammond power and output transformers, JJ tube lineup, Switchcraft jacks, and discrete point-to-point wiring on custom turret boards in a hand-punched aluminum chassis.
โข ๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ญ๐ฌ" ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ (๐ช๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฑ + ๐ญ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฌ-๐ง): The ultimate complementary pair. The AlNiCo 10A125 brings classic 1950s Jensen-style compression, sweet chime, and woody midrange bloom, while the ceramic 10F150-T adds tight low-end punch, fast transient attack, and the extra headroom needed to keep the amp articulate when pushed.
The Dirty DeLuxe 5E3+ lands at Cumberland Guitars tomorrow before heading off to its new home in a few days. It was built as a commission from a good customer, so I'm not trying to sell it. I just want to share it with my friends and folks that find this sort of thing interesting. If you want to check it out in person and hear how these circuit tweaks interact, pop in while it's there and plug in.
