Description

Inspired by the original narrow panel Tweed Deluxe of the late 1950’s (model 5E3), the “SA14″ is an all tube, point-to-point hand wired guitar amplifier. The 5E3 circuit design captures the classic tone that has been a studio favorite for decades. We stay with the original 12AY7 in the first tube position, it still has plenty of gain. Powered by two matched 6V6 power tubes in a cathode bias configuration, and a rectifier tube, the SA14 captures all the tone of the original 5E3 circuit. We also offer an NFB (negative feedback) switch. 3 switch positions, 1 is the stock 5E3 circuit, position 2 is just removing the V2 cathode bypass cap (-6dB 2nd Stage) , and position 3 adds negative feedback also (tames the amp if desired). This gives the amp more versatility and tonal options with the flip of a switch. We’ve selected the Weber Blue dog as the speaker of choice here to bring out some nice chime and midrange while retaining the tweed era tone. With 14 watts of all tube power, the SA14 is a great choice for the studio, rehearsal, small live venue, or mic’d up on the big stage. The combo cabinet is built with Solid Pine and 1/4” finger joints. Each amplifier is hand wired in our shop in Raleigh, CA, USA.

30 lbs.

Low Cut Feature:

The original 5E3 circuit can have too much low end at times (especially with humbuckers), and there is no bass control (see the freq. response plots). To compensate for this, we have added a switchable low-cut feature (on the back) that includes an attenuation shelf on the lower end frequencies. It is a 3-position switch, all the way to the left is the original 5E3 stock, C1 reduces this bump by about -3dB, and C2 by about -5dB and pulls out more low mids. Set this to your preference based on your needs. Rest assured, you can always have the stock 5E3 circuit if/when desired by placing the switch all the way to the left. The second plot shows a preferred setting where the bright input is used, Low Cut in C1 position, and tone control set to taste. This flattens out the low-end and the highs are adjusted to taste with the tone control.

As with the original 5E3, you can also jump the channels and mix the normal and bright inputs. The final plot shows the channels jumped, Bright Vol. at 5.5, Normal at 3, Tone at 9, and shows the three Low Cut settings in that scenario.