Silvertone 10XL Combo

Already covered.

Awesome sound. Very sensitive to the 12ax7's you put into it. A goog Mullard causes this amp to hit another level with ease. Tried NOS 12ax7's including RCA, NOS GE, NOS Mullard, Nos Mullard 12at7, new EI Gold, Tung sol, EH, Sovtek, and a few others. Would kick into overdrive very early at 4-5. Wanted a more controlled and warmer sound and overdrive at 8-9 so settled on a NOS 12AU7 (noted with an el84 the overdrive was much later at 7-8 also with less volume and overdriven cahracter. The 7189's also seemed to put out a better tone over all. Don't know the voltage specs, but the schematic does call out for the 7189, so the plate voltage might be higher and explain it's inceased output with a good NOS 7189. Also tried Weber 4 ohm Sig Ceramic and Alnico 8". The Ceramic was littler louder but overdriven was nowhere near as good the Alnico, just creamy! Compared to the Kalamazoo Model 1 side by side, go to admit I feel this amp sounds better.

If you want a "rich" and full sounding single ended el84 amp, get one of these. Acttually has surprising bass for an 8". Very easy to tweak and get a great sound, and can still be found inexpensive on ebay.

I originally bought it as decent cheap tube project platform to "mod" it up, but after getting it back to 100% original specs, wouldn't change a thing. Guess I'll have to get another one for a "mod" project.

Sounds great straight, but it also LOVES pedals.

This one was abused, 3" hole in the speaker cloth, dings, dents, but was still kicking. A little TLC, which I do all amps of this age, it's just wonderful!

They are extinct.

A must have, if you collect older amps or want a good tube amp for a very reasonable price. Try to gat a P-P hand wired tube amp for the prices these are going for. Heck, if you don't know how to work on them, a good amp tech can bring it up to stuff and you'll still save a bundle.

The real feature here is pure simplicity, awesome tone, & very solid work all-round. This un's point-to-point wired (tho I've heard that some transitional models aren't). It's a '66 and was one of the very last tube amps made for sears (probably by the genuises at Nathan Daniel's Danelectro).
In my book, a good sounding point-point amp automatically gets a 7, but with the great tone & very decent tremelo this gets a 9! Plus this baby has a useful depth control for the trem, as well as speed. Not exactly pioneering, but seldom found on small vintage boxes.
One last feature--these things look like sorta like a crappy 60's mini-washing machine from an ancient RV. I get tons of comments about playing flanked thru em--initially for how goofy they look & after hearing em, for how great they sound!!

I'm really fond of ol' single-ended amps, as any tone-iac should be. Having had almost all of the usual suspects (Gibsons, Fenders, Harmony, Alamo, kalamazoos, Danos & other Silvertones), I can safely say that for me, this is absolutely one of the best. Part of the story is the single 6bq5 (EL84)tube powering the unit. But it's only part of the story, since the Kalamazoo Model Two and the Harmony 410 both use the same power tube & I've had both & the 10XL completely buries both tone-wise.

It's a surprisingly flexible tone monkey. Clean is nice, tho it don't have a ton of headroom, starts purring at about 8 & at 10 it dishes up a grainy Marsall sound at less than teeth rattling volumes. Surprisingly loud for what must be a 8 watt amp (at most). I run two thru a stereo chorus & it drives the other guitarist in our band batty that I can keep up with his blackface deluxe!
Very sensitive to picking attack, which is critical for my playing. with my Gretsch, the sweet spot is about 9 where I get a touch of drive with light picking & lots fizz with some heavy picking. Mic this sucker & the distortion actually is sorta "brutal" In my setup, I run one with the original Alnico & the other with a ceramic for more headroom, brightness & volume.
Tremelo is pretty damn good, but not great--I think early Ampegs & mid-60s traynors are the gold standard there, but it is good enough for live playing.
One tip on these: they're pretty sensitive to pre-amp tube types. For studio work low noise 7025 12ax7's are highly recommended. Live, of course, it doesn't matter.
I use a ton of different crap in the studio, but my 2 10xls in stereo are my consistent stage rig & I often go them for recording myself & others. It's just plain amazing!

Both are now officially 40 yo. I maintain all of my own tube amps, but neither one has ever offered up a squeak of problems ever. I've always got a backup (usually an ol' ampeg), but have not ever had a problem (knock on wood). I guarantee that you will not be able to say that 40 yrs from now about the amps currently built by chinese slave labor out of toxic materials destined for landfills.

Like most of the rest of Amerika and its wildlife & clean water, Sears, silvertone & danelectro are solely a matter of history. That said, any decent amp tech can repair these. I know, I'm indecent one & I can easily work on my 10xl!

I don't give 10s lightly. Besides having gigged for way too long, I often engineer & still record. When I do, as a matter of habit, I play thru every single amp in the place to get a sense of what it can & can't do. All that said, for my tastes, the 10xl is one of the best small, single ended amps. Certainly for what it costs & actually regardless of costs.
It ain't just my taste either--I often suggest to guitarists that I record that they give the butt-ugly 10xl a try. They're usually reluctant until they hear how they record (they sound HUGE), which is usually followed by their attempts to buy mine from me.
I like blackface champs & ol' silvertone's too, but even if the 10xl cost as much as a bf champ, I'd choose it over the champ. These are probably the last sleepers out there, probably because they are so ugly. I'd never have posted this if I hadn't had my two ugly-beauties locked up. You might want to grab one before more folks from my studio go on the hunt!

Made in approx. 1970. All tube, single channel, with tremolo. All original including tubes. I use it for lap steel and electric guitar. Very straightforward amp. Perfect for recording and practicing at home.

I use it with a variety of electric guitars and also lap steel. It really sounds cool with humbuckers and also I sometimes run vintage effects pedals such as Big Muff and Deluxe Memory Man and Ibanez Tube Screamer. It is very clean when you play lightly and you can dig in a little harder and get some great tube grind. It's probably not loud enough to play big shows with but is perfect for recording or low volume practice.

Never had a problem with reliability but would not chance a gig without a backup because of it's age.

Sears has not sold amps for a long time but I heard that you can still get schematics. A good amp tech could repair it pretty reasonably, I'm sure.

I have about 8 or 10 tube amps and around 6 or 8 electric guitars. I've been playing a long time. This amp has it's own unique sound and it's used quite often. I bought it because it was a good deal (same reason I have bought many other guitars and amps). I would for sure replace it if I had to. Mine actually has the Sears name on the front, but I think most or all amps sold by Sears were actually manufactured by Danelectro under either the Sears or Silvertone names. You will run across these every now and then at pawn shops, and they are good deals because new tube amps typically run over $200.00.

Garage Sale Special; One Channel; Early 70?s Model #1421 tubes are; (1) 6X4, (1) 7189, (2) 12AX7; 8" Oxford speaker; Two inputs, Volume, Tone, Tremolo Strength and Speed controls; Tremolo footswitch jack, cabinet is made of pressboard, grill cloth and covered with black tolex-like, on/off switch, pilot light and it comes with a handle! What you are buying is a Guitar Amp that can be modified without ruining it?s value, boogied, to amaze your friends.

10XL?s are over 30 years old, sitting in the closet just waiting for to be sent for repairs. The 6X4 tube rectifier with the slow warming up when you turn on the amp helps to preserve the circuits. This amp was built with fewer and smaller parts than the Fender VIBRO-champ but at 1/10 the price. It sounds okay, but it could be better. The caps are acting up, the output transformer small, and speaker never had it.

The tremolo footswitch is missing, so it is time to head over to your friendly used computer store and buy a funky old pc mouse to be converted in a foot pedal ($10). Replace the speaker with a Weber 8? you will need to solder ($35). After you have sniff the solder, open the case and drain the ?can? capacitors it stores energy and could give you a jolt. Replace all the orange tone caps and metal film resistors connected to the 7189 PENTODE power tube ($20). Time to put everything back together and listen. If broken take it to an amp tech.
The four POTS are dirty and need to be change. (Upgrades add a 47PF cap over the volume pot. Increase the value on Tremolo Speed it saves you an effect box). Do not forget the pilot light bulb ($10). Now for the big dollar stuff $ The DUAL ?CAN? Electrolytic Capacitor should be replaced with individual 20mfd 400v; 40mfd 400v & 20mfd 400v; wired with a 3 Henry 70ma transformer, and individual 220K/2watt wire wound resistors for the MFD($35). Also let?s add a ground plug with fuzz. Note this is an improvement over the vibro champ. A slow variac turn on is require heat up MFD. Improvement yes!

Replace the single-ended output transformer with a much larger one than the VIBRO champ because the 7189 tube can shoot 5.7 watts ($40). Now you can go out and buy tubes $60 set. Fire the amp up, stomp on your pc mouse foot pedal and go out and find a vibro champ to shoot out. You will be amazed.

There is so much support out in electronic space. All you need is a camera, a coffee house internet site. Set up your web to ask for help. You could hunt down parts you could bring cost down and learn how to avoid an electric shock. After you have done these changes, you can add an effect loop or prep your amp for recording sessions. The recording engineer will keep a close eye on your 10XL

Silver Tone 10 XL guitar amplifier is okay for learning about tube amp repairs, but I recommend Fender VIBRO Champ, VOX AC-4, or Gibson Skylark fewer parts to rebuild. Harmony Amps look close before buy. As for Electra tube 10 and Crate VC508, they have circuit boards and solid-state rectifiers hard on the circuits. The Baby Boogie 10XL is fun to take out for lessons, or small jam session. The folks at music school are amazed at the grounded plug, mid-weight, pc mouse tremolo box, and tone from such an old amp is incredible, I did not tell the students about these upgrades. Keep this a secret.

4 tubes: 1 preamp,1 poweramp, 1 rectifier, 1 for tremolo. Controls for Volume, Tone, Strength and Depth control for tremolo. 2 inputs, not sure what the difference is, and a footswitch jack for the tremolo. 1 8" speaker.

What a beautiful little amp! Not only is he good looking, but hes got some fat classic tones. I keep the volume and tone controls up all the way. I use this so far with my P90 les paul junior. Sounds fantastic. Incredible dynamics. At 10 if I pick without much attack its super clean, but if i dig down a little it dirtys, and when i go heavy on the picking it overdrives nicely. But I can hear every note I played. Its wonderful. such clarity. The tremolo kicks ass! Its so nice and subtle. And the footswitch I used for it did not make a single noise when i switch with it. No annoying pop. no delay in the sound. just off/on. The first two lines of the tremolo speed are the same though, so i'm not sure if somethings broken, but it sounds great. I can get really nice Blind Melon sounds, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, greatful dead type sounds. i'm not sure If I can use this amp for gigging, since its not always poissible for me to get it mic'd, but that would be something. For recording this amp must shine, because it just sounds so nice. One of my friends said it sounded like Cream. Its not very loud, but thats good so that I can dig deep into the poweramp and all that good tube stuff thats hard to do with my JCM900 100 watt head. But thats a different story. This amp is great for when I'm writing, recording, and perhaps playing live.

A superb tube amp. Reminds me of an old fender champ. The only thing I wish it had was a 12" speaker. I do not like 8" speakers, this one isn't too bad, but I bet that would make this amp sound even better! Buy one if you can. Silvertones generally go for low prices, so get one if you can!

1970 Model #1421. (1)6X4, (1)7189, (2)12AX7 Silvertone brand tubes; 8" Oxford speaker. Has 2 inputs, Volume, Tone, Tremolo Strength and Speed controls; Tremolo footswitch jack. About 6 - 10 watts output, seems loud for it's size compared to my '65 Vibro Champ, and almost hangs with my '64 Princeton. Not a versatile amp, but it does what it does VERY well!

This amp is extremely dynamic! Super pick-sensitive, hit the strings hard and it overdrives BEAUTIFULLY - a lighter touch and it cleans up nicely! Very rich, compressed overdrive tone without getting muddy. I'm primarily a blues player and don't really use effects anymore - I like to hear the amp. The 7189/6X4 combination is incredible, every guitar I play through it be it single coil, P-90, or humbucker (a PRS Deep Dish II - 13k OHMS!!!) retains definition and punch. I don't run it at max volume often for fear of blowing the speaker, but I feel this amp sounds best at about 6 or 7 (it doesn't get any louder past 7 anyway). The only amp I've ever heard that sounds comparable (on record, anyway) is an Ampeg V-4, you can definitely hear Mick Taylor playing through this amp! The tremolo equals - no, betters - my '65 Vibro Champs'...

31 year old amp and it still has the original tubes and speaker! Not loud enough to gig with. Cabinet is made of pressboard - it only leaves the house for friends' living room jams...

Haven't had occasion to call Sears about it, but I've heard that they still maintain schematics for all the old amps they used to sell/service.

A good friend of mine GAVE me this amp - he found it at a garage sale along with a '64 Champ. He felt guilty about his $100 score of the Fender (DEAD MINT, transitional black tolex with top-mount controls!) so he bought the 10XL for $25 from the lady and gave it to me...

I own many small '60s-era (20W and below) tube combos - Fenders, a Gibson, Ampeg, Supro, Magnatone, and another Silvertone - the 10XL sounds completely different from anything else I've heard. I would definitely replace this one if anything ever happend to it!