Hunter Amplifiers - 7x7 Custom Tube Amp Head - 18-watts - Green

For your consideration, another absolute homerun of a amp from the workshop/lab of Hunter Amplifiers.  One-of-a-kind, handmade by a single person from start to finish. The same guy who creates and draws the schematic also hand-wires the amp, saws the lumber, wraps the Tolex... you get it. This is not a mass-produced box of junk, this is an actual creation that was made with love. Speaking of love, we've really loved watching this amp progress from a wild idea through the various prototype stages and into a final product that absolutely slays. This amp is surprisingly versatile, but the high gain is super thick and wooly, with the perfect amount of sag. It's spongey, which is a blast to play through. If you have ever played through a spongey tube amp at high volume, you know what I am talking about!

Here is some info from the builder:

We live in a golden age of boutique amplifiers, but almost all of them are chasing the same ghosts: the same 12AX7 preamp tubes, the same EL34s, the same circuits from the 1960s. But there was an era of tone that time forgot.

I am proud to announce the completion of the **Hunter Amplifiers 7X7**, a completely one-of-a-kind, scratch-built amplifier that resurrects a lost lineage of vacuum tube technology: **The Loctal.**

**The History of the "Lock-In"**

In the late 1930s, as the world braced for war, Sylvania developed a new kind of tube designed to withstand battlefield conditions. They called them "Loctals" (Lock-in + Octal). Unlike the fragile glass tubes that rattled loose in early radios, Loctals were built like tanks. They featured a machined aluminum base with a solid locking pin that snapped into the socket with a reassuring *click*, ensuring they wouldn’t vibrate loose in a B-17 bomber or a Jeep bouncing over European terrain.

Electrically, they were superior to their predecessors. They used a glass-button base that shortened signal paths and reduced noise. But when the war ended, the industry pivoted to cheaper, smaller 9-pin miniature tubes (the 12AX7s you know today), and the Loctal was abandoned—left to gather dust in military surplus warehouses.

**The 7X7: Resurrecting the Tone**

The Hunter 7X7 is built entirely around this forgotten glass. Under the hood of that striking Eckto-Green cabinet beats a heart of pure 1940s ruggedness:

* **Ultralinear 7C5 Power Section:** These are the Loctal equivalent of the legendary 6V6GT, offering that classic American warmth and breakup but in a sturdier package. Smooth and powerful in ultralinear mode.

* **7C7 & 7H7 Pentodes:** High-gain preamp drivers that offer a harmonic richness and touch sensitivity you simply can’t get from modern triodes.

* **7F7 & 7F8W:** The unsung heroes of the preamp world.

Because these tubes were built to military specs, they are incredibly consistent, low-noise, virtually bombproof, and still easy to find. This amp doesn’t just sound vintage; it sounds like a history lesson played at 110dB.

**A Singular Creation**

This is not a kit. It is not a clone. The 7X7 was designed, engineered, and hand-wired point-to-point by Bob right here in Kentucky. From the custom circuit design to the hand-joined cabinetry, every inch of this amp was crafted to be the only one of its kind in existence.

It features a versatile 4-stage preamp/phase-inverter capable of everything from sparkling, bell-like cleans to a searing, high-gain overdrive that rivals the best modern lead amps—all powered by tubes that were designed to win a war.

You cannot order this from a catalog. There is only one.

But be warned: once you hear the "Loctal" difference, standard tubes might just sound a little boring.

This amp is available for a test drive in our Jamestown, Kentucky showroom, and we ship worldwide. Let us know if you have any questions! 

Weight: 18lbs 5oz