Guitar Amplifier Electronics: Fender Deluxe

Many would say the Fender Deluxe design reaches its peak with the narrow-panel 5E3, becoming the ultimate tone machine for public performance and recording. The 5E3 is also the most cloned guitar amp of all time. Fender Deluxe 5E3 It has an elegantly straightforward signal chain that maximizes tone and minimizes parts count, making it a favorite for kit makers and kit builders alike. In fact, there is perhaps only one other amp design that can compete with the 5E3 in terms of popularity, particularly among working musicians. Fender Deluxe Reverb Ironically, it also carries the name "Deluxe" - the blackface AB763 Deluxe Reverb. This book examines both electronic circuits in great depth. The wide panel 5D3 and the brownface 6G3 are also fully explored,

because they represent major milestones in the evolutionary development of these iconic amps. Fender Model 26 Deluxe From "woody" to blackface, the book explains how these amps work, the motivation behind their system designs, and the performance of their electronics in the context of a real musical performance.

Richard Kuehnel is a member of the Circuits and Systems Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Guitar Amplifier Electronics Fender Deluxe book excerpt


Mastering Basic Electronics	✓
Preamps and Tone Stacks	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Power Amps and Negative Feedback	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Power Supplies	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
DC-Coupled Cathode Followers	✓	✓			✓	✓
Effects Loops		✓				✓
Reverb and Tremolo				✓

Crafting a Complete Architecture		✓
Testing Overdrive Dynamics			✓
Measuring Distortion			✓	✓	✓	✓

Introduction

Warning: High Voltage!...1

Deluxe versus Deluxe...1

Evolutionary Development...2

Acknowledgements...4

Chapter 1: Heritage - The Woody and Early Tweeds

Model 26 Woody...5

System Design Concept...7

6V6 Power Amp...8

5Y3 Power Supply...9

6N7 Paraphase Phase Inverter...10

Volume Controls...13

6SC7 Preamp...18

Audio Signal Levels...20

Model 5A3 TV Front...21

System Design Concept...21

Power Amp and Power Supply Adjustments...24

A New Phase Inverter Tube...25

Integrating Volume and Tone Controls...26

Introducing Grid-Leak Bias...28

Audio Signal Levels...31

Model 5B3 Wide Panel...32

Model 5C3 Wide Panel...35

System Design Concept...37

Preamp Tweaks...38

Negative Feedback...38

Chapter 2: Legacy - The Wide Panel Deluxe 5D3

System Design Concept...40

Power Amp Performance...43

Power Supply Ripple...44

Introducing a Self-Balancing Paraphase Phase Inverter...45

Volume and Tone Control Insertion Loss...50

A New Preamp Design...50

System Profile...56

System Voicing...58

Evolutionary Development Continues...58

Chapter 3: Pinnacle - The Narrow Panel Deluxe 5E3

System Design Concept...60

Coaxing More Power from the Power Amp...63

Power Amp Performance...65

Power Supply Ripple...67

A New Voltage Amplifier and Split-Load Phase Inverter...68

Voltage Amplifier Performance...69

Phase Inverter Performance...70

Volume and Tone Control Interactivity...73

Preamp Adjustments...76

Substituting a 12AX7 for the 12AY7...77

A New, Iconic Front End...80

System Profile...81

System Voicing...83

Full Power Performance - Class A Operation?...84

Harmonic Distortion at Full Power...87

Intermodulation Distortion (IMD)...91

Overdrive Dynamics...93

No Feedback, Maximum Grunge...93

Phase Inverter Effects...94

Bias Excursion and Power Supply Sag...98

A Pinnacle and a Pivot...101

Chapter 4: Enhancement - The Brownface Deluxe 6G3

System Design Concept...102

Coaxing Even More Power from the Power Amp...105

Power Amp Performance...105

Power Supply Modifications...109

Adding a DC Bias Supply...111

Introducing the Long-Tailed-Pair Phase Inverter...112

Introducing Negative Feedback...118

How Negative Feedback Reduces Distortion...120

Feedback Calculations for the 6G3...121

An Additional Voltage Amplification Stage...124

More Aggressive Volume and Tone Controls...127

Increasing First-Stage Gain...128

Introducing Tremolo...134

System Profile...138

System Voicing...141

Full Power Performance...141

Bias Excursion and Power Supply Sag...144

Chapter 5: Perfection - The Blackface Deluxe Reverb

AA763 System Design Concept...146

Coaxing Even More Power from the Power Amp...148

Screen Voltage Swing at Full Power...152

Power Supply Modifications...154

Introducing Signal-Modulation Tremolo...155

Modifying the LTP Phase Inverter...159

Increasing Negative Feedback...162

Second-Stage Voltage Amplifiers...165

First Stage, Tone Stack, and Volume Control...167

System Profile...170

System Voicing...173

Full Power Performance...174

Bias Excursion and Power Supply Sag...176

Modifications Incorporated into the AB763...177

Tweaking the Tremolo, Power Amp, and Phase Inverter...178

Tweaking the Tone Stack...180

Reverb Design Concept...181

Reverb Recovery and Mixer Amplifiers...185

Reverb Tank...189

Reverb Output Transformer...191

Parallel 12AT7 Reverb Driver...192

Some Final Words on the AB763 Fender Deluxe Reverb...195

Appendix

Decibel-Volts (dBV)...197

AB763 Supply Voltage Calculations...197

Index...199