Silvertone 1340 Combo

This one I just got is from 1953 according to the date code on the Rola speaker. Very basic tube amp with 2 inputs, a volume control is all you can mess with.

This is all original, never serviced and still sounds great! Mine has plenty of highs, great midrange but little bass due to the 6 inch speaker. An 8 inch will fit in it with some reversable mods, that would sound better and louder with a good Jensen in it. BTW it wants a 4 ohm speaker. Mine has the schematic glued to the bottom inside.
Very clean sounding until you turn it nearly all the way up. Nice chimey Fendery sounds. Takes overdrive pedals very well. This works great with harp, I could not get it to feedback at all. Even with the 2 wire original cord it is not very noisy. A grounded 3 wire would make it silent when not playing.

Update 8/29/08

I did some checking and this amp has the same tubes and similar circuit as these amps: Fender Champion 800, Fender Champion 600
Fender Tweed Champ from 1953-55.

Lasted 55 years so far with no repairs!

Long out of warranty!

One volume knob. 6" speaker. 2 inputs. One 6v6 power tube, 6Sj7 preamp and a 5y3 rectifier. That's it.

Sounds unreal. Has a very strong personality, very narrow tonal range (all midrange) genuine vintage 40s 50s kind of tone. Hums a little (class A amps tend to do that). Stays very clean which is surprising, will break up a little if you turn it all the way up. Very nice 50s kind of tube crunch, not a heavy distortion sound.

According to the pot date codes and the speaker date code it's from 1949. Still works perfectly and hasn't been tampered with. That's a LOT more than I can say for my '96 Fender Bassman reissue (hey Fender use some QUALITY tube sockets and ditch the ribbon cable) and I would say that with minimal care and maintenance this amp will last another 55 years.

Yeah right. The sales staff at Sears are going to help you. Sure.

This is the greatest single 6v6 recording amp I have ever heard.

The amp was made in the early 50s. Volume only. Great for low volume blues. Came with a 6'' speaker but I put a 8'' Webber vintage 4ohm and the volume almost doubled and the low end was greatly emproved. The amp has a good over drive when turned up to max. Sweet rectofied tone with clear notes. Sweet!!!!

Good small amp that sounds big. Takes a over drive pedal to play with a quiet drummer. I play a old 60s strat and a 90s 335. The 335 screams rectofied Santana sustain and the strat has a good chunky sound but with less volume. It has a chime like bells on the old fender pickups.

50+ years and still going. That speaks for itself.

Any good amp tech can do the repairs. Very simple chassie. If you need the diogram email me and I will email back a close up clear pic for nothing.

Ive ben playing 30+ years and do small clubs in Mississippi. The tone of this amp fits the bill for Blues and mikes up well on a small stage. I try to put it at ear height and close.

The speaker code on the 6" Rola in this amp indicates a 1950 production date. This is NOT a versatile amp. There are two inputs and a volume control - that's it.
The 5watts this thing generates are plenty for amplified lead in an otherwise all-acoustic rockabilly band.
Low rating doesn't reflect a negative opinion, it's just a bare-bones amp and I like that aspect of it.

Shockingly clean for an amp of this era. Produces a very midrange-oriented sound with little lows or highs. Very authentic early 50's tone. Not noisy at all for a single-ended amp, and you really have to turn it all the way up to get some breakup. Lots of sustain, even at low volumes. Massive power transformer. Runs on a single 6V6 with a 5Y3 rectifier and a metal 6SJ7 preamp tube, almost identical to the late 40's Fender Champion 600.

It's over 50 years old and seems all original. No problems so far.

I don't think Sears would know what to do with this thing...

Love this amp. Bought it for practice & recording but it's loud enough for "acoustic" gigs with unamplified rhythm guitar and upright bass.
Instant Scotty Moore tone with a good tape delay and a hollowbody guitar.