Silvertone 1481

Weighte for 1965 and the price category it is average. The amp is in museum condition with all corners sharp, and no dents in the pressboard, but if I keep playing it it will not look that great for long, and the paperboard is a definate drawback. One of the wood blocks os loose, and needs re gluing to rid it of a rattle. The original Silvertone tubes are in this one from 1964, and they are all RCAs except for a 12AX7 Mullard with Silvertone printed across it. I did a double take on that one. They all test brand new on my tube tester(s)

The distortion without a pedal can be manipulated by using different tubes. I had some problems getting it to break up on single notes, and then fuzz out with chords, but swapping some tubes made it a lovely very responsive amp for bedroom or living room use. This one has the 6" and not the 5" Quam. With the ES 330 and other P 90 equipped stuff it is delightful. Early Fender stuff is nice through it. The 6" alnico is by no means tinny, and sounds quite nice, and is well balanced too.

There is so little to go wrong, but the pressed paper cabinet is a huge drawback. It has maybe 40 parts tops, and everything is pretty much off the shelf stuff. I have only had some rattling problems from glue coming loose.

Ouch Sears????? Remember them and K Mart are one and the same. I give a 1 for the snotty service reps in Bangladoohigh or where ever.

Playing since 1972. My Aunt and uncle owned a music store, but this came much later. Mom was a performing musician, and I was too, so we had larger amps. This cost too much, but it is pristine. I have a small collection of guitars and a bass, I also custom build amps. I like to pick an odd small amp now and then to see what worked for whom. I would not be as ticked off if it were stolen as I would if it were one of my Valco Supros. I have a Silvertone active speaker coming in soon with a hotter rectifier, or the potential for one that is.

Dead simple, but in the right way. Uncluttered circuits = killer tone. Obviously built to last--this thing is about 40 yrs old & sounds amazing. Does everything it was ever supposed to do & none of what it wasn't. Despite the sole complements of a single tone knob & a single vol. knob, it is pt-pt handwired & ya can't find that in amp of this wattage costing 3x what it does, so...it gets a 7!

Phenomenal!
Although it basically only has one fantastic tone, that one is extraordinary. W/ my p-90 gibson it nails the "Can't you hear me knocking" tone from Sticky Fingers, except even warmer & cooler(!!)
I'd guess that folks, including me & the stones, have spent a fortune trying to replicate that tone, but here it is for pennies on the pound--the coolest, creamiest warm articulate overdriven guitar sound.
As good as it sounds playing, mic'd it even sounds better. I run it stock most of the time, but occasionally swap out the original alnico for a nice weber ceramic for way more volume & headroom & brightness. (the orig. speaker sounds cool, but ain't efficient). Sounds amazing thru both.

I've had several champs (from different eras) & the Silvertone 1481 consistently murders the champs in every way. The last tweed champ that I sold paid for 3 of these better sounding amps, with lotsa change left over! BARGAIN!!

Only 'bout 5-6 watts, but mine is louder than the champ. I think the previous poster must have needed some maintenance on his amp. That happens. Though I gotta say two of mine have needed no tweeking--loud brash & killer!!
I never use a pedal & it is always hard to quit playing thru this amp. It just inspires with most the roughouse edgy harmonic saturated drive. I love 'em!
Regarding the prev. post--I've played thru the modern Epi's built by slave labor in China. Although I'd never purchase anything made in way that favors consumers over labor, the vintage Silvertone 1481 is superior in every way to the modern Epi's--volume, build quality, reliability & tone, provided that the 1481 has been reasonably maintained. Which is something that previous poster is ignorant of while he extols the virtue of a slave-built product destined for the landfill within a decade!
No reason to spend a minor fortune on pedals & amps, when these are easy enough to dial in. I've had boutique t pedals that way cost more than this amp that I chucked after picking these amps up!! Again, bargain city, tonewise

I have 3. Two have needed no maintenance, despite 40 yrs of playing. The other just needed the usual tuneup--replacement of caps & drifting resistors & it is ready to sing for another 20 yrs. If yr playing thru a modern amp ya got no idea if it'll still be rocking in 40 yrs, but these things have already proven they'll last...and last...
Only thing to watch out for is the pressboard cab.--don't leave it in the rain, or you'll end singing a stanza from MacArthur Park.

Plainly not applicable, though it'd be ironic to call the Sears offshore support line folks to ask about warranty coverage.

I probably would never have posted this review if I hadn't locked up THREE of the 1481. A phenomenal amp in every way. Word's out anyway-they're jetting up, pricewise. Snag one before they're outta range. Eschew the Chinese-US products (while it is possible), that's always best!

Its a 65 or 66 Silvertone model 1481 Class-A tube amp with two inputs, volume, tone, red jeweled light, 8" speaker, 5 watts or so, one switch (no standby), 6V6 power, 12AX7 preamp and 6X4 rectifier tubes. Missing the back cover. I don't know if the speaker it came with is original but the speaker code shows its a Fisher. I figured it would be a Jensen. Anyway, not only is this a cool little practice amp, I found it in someone's trash. FREE!!! Nice vintage looks, though it looks like someone has done the relic thang to it. I changed out the tubes and tightened down some of the exterior nuts and it fired up perfectly. It has a great clean tone but unless you have really powerful humbuckers, you can't get it to overdrive. Its not very loud but it will shake the bedroom windows sometimes. I wanted a little more volume out of it so I replaced the speaker in it with one of the new Jensen MOD's. Not much difference. Changed the tubes again. Not much difference. Great vintage tone and loud enough to jam yet keep the neighbors happy. I have recorded with it too. I put a Shure 57 and a Sennheiser 609 in front of it and panned L/R and it sounds killer. Great recording amp. Put a few pedals in front of it and it sounds even better. For a great blues tone, use an overdrive pedal. For thrash, use a Boss Metal Zone. Both are killer sounds through this amp. I do wish it was louder, though. More about that below.....

As I stated above, you can't get much overdrive out of it without a pedal or hot humbuckers. I usually play a Mex splatter Strat with aftermarket lipstick tube pickups in it. They're not very powerful so the sound is always clean. I have plugged a set neck Les Paul copy with a Duncan Invader in the bridge position and this will really drive that preamp tube. So even without a pedal, with two different guitars you can get everything from a good blues tone all the way up to the first Led Zep album tone. Pretty versatile. But don't expect it to do the Slayer/Metallica thing without a pedal. Lately with the Strat I have been running an olde Yamaha overdive pedal, a Metal Zone, a Rotovibe and Cry baby in front of it and I can get just about any sound I want.

Yesterday I purchased an Epiphone Valve Junior combo to compliment this Silvertone 1481 amp - to run a stereo rig. The Valve Jr. is much louder and it is easier to make the Jr. overdrive (even with weak pickups) than it is to make the 1481 overdrive. Together they sound great but the Valve Jr. is a little more HiFi - better dynamic range. I haven't tried the Jr. with the pedals yet but alone and together with the 1481, its great. I will be writing up a Valve Jr. review also. Honestly, the Valve Jr. is a cooler amp, even without a tone knob. The new piece blows the vintage piece out of the water!!! You heard it here vintage amp people - and I have vintage amps. See below.....

Hasn't died yet. Its about 40 years old and lived this long. It survived the dumpster to play again. Except for the cheapo cardboard box its in, I would gig with it. Not much to go wrong with it.

Non-existent Silvertone - Sears - Dano/Valco/etc. are all out business or out of the amp business so there is no way to get support on this. Learn to fix it or find a good tube amp tech!!

I've been playing over 25 years. If this were lost or stolen I'd replace it with an Epiphone Valve Junior combo. I love the tone but I wish it were a little louder and easier to overdrive. Its a great practice amp, though. I've played everything through it - Strats, Pauls, Firebirds, Tele's, Kay archtops - and they all sound great. For overdrive you need a pedal. As for amps, I own everything else -76 Marshall 100 W combo, 75 Marshall half-stack, 68 Twin (BF circuit), 77 Twin, Fender M-80, Silvertone 1484 with 6 X 10" cabinet. The 1481 certainly gets a Fendery mojo going when cranked up but it still has its own thang too. The 1481 is much more reliable than the Silvertone 1484. That thing blows up all the time. But the 1484 breaks up nicely and has a much more Chicago blues sound than the 1481. Until it blows up.....again!!

The 1481 Sears/Silvertone Tube Amp; approx. mid. 60's.
1-volume,1-tone knob,toggle off/on switch, no standby, 8"speaker,2
imputs,3 tubes, solid state rectifier,

The amp sounds full and rather rich for it's size etc; The tone is
what tube amps are all about. I'm very satisfied with this "bedroom amp". It seems to breath out the sound instead of shoot it out harshly
Haven't tried it with a single coil guitar yet. It's warm and bluesy; the way I like it.

The 1481 has irregular buzzes here and there but quietens down on it's own. Nothing major, nothing loud, according to what settings your using at the time. I would take a back up it I took it out; but the watts are not enough to gig with.

I've been playing 35+ years; as a lad we used Silvertone as a poormans Fender and were satisfied. They "grew on us" so today guys my age 50ish are partial to Silvertones,tubes,Jensen speakers,
I plan to keep this until the end. It defines tube tone!! wish it had about triple the power.

In '65 at age 14 I came into possession of a blonde Silvertone amp (5 watt) and Silvertone guitar(cheapo!). My stepdad took it on a $20 loan from a country picker from Oklahoma. I proceded to learn to squeeze all the rolling stones, kinks,everything that was dark, crunchy and dangerous at the time ( a white farm boy had yet to experience blues music firsthand). I took two 12" speakers from old TV's my repairman stepdad had around, built a pine cab, amp on top, and proceeded to make musical history in my mind. Today, lightyears later, I'm still playing; taught son, daughter, their friends, my friends and anyone I can force to endure my fanatic obsession with that awesome dirty tube tone driven to the max. Thank God for Sears! I recomend this piece of history to anyone who understands what music is really about. I'm playing thru a vintage Fender now but I am still transported to a mystical realm when the memory of that little amp returns. Amen.

This 1481 has the 12AX7,6V6gt,and a6X4 tubes in it.1 volume 1 tone and 2 inputs and fuse. I'm not into the vintage thing with this one.
If it had some reverb it would sound better.It's a living room amp so thats cool , for the power.

I have an upsidedown strat with original pickups. It plays the blues stuff very well.With the fat e-string on the other side of the headstock and the back pickup slanted the other way, you get these cool sounds especially w/the switch all the way forward.Distortion is
controlable.

I'll soon find out! With new tubes(tweeked),no balsa wood box(self built box from 1/2 maple-1/2 mesquite)and a new speaker(10" fender eminence) we'll see how it reacts. P.S.-- The box will be bigger for sure

No one except amp dudes knows what I'm talking about when I mention the sears silvertone 1481

Playing: off and on for 15 yrs.
Lost or stolen?:Search and destroy! I like this amp
Like: the TONE
Wish?: REVERB
The little output transformer to the speaker has been replaced with a R-shack close to conformity trans. and works good.

'67 model 1481 Sears Silvertone. I think it has a 6" speaker. Single channel, all tube, small little practice amp. Pretty cool little package.

Well it ain't going to give the tones of a modern day Fender, that's for sure. Tone is nice on this one, some are too dark. When you crank it full-up, the 5 watt rating gets a nice tube break-up. I use it with a Tele and it sounds nice for blues or a little jazz. As far as 5 watt amps go, I feel these are simple little gems.

Lasted 35-ish years so far, in my hands it'll last another 35.

I love these little Silvertones. They can't compete with modern clean tones, and were most likely manufactured as cheap alternatives to the more expensive Fenders of their day. They're made out of some kind of compressed cardboard or something. I wish they made models like this today. However, today you'd probably pay $400. for a peice of cheaper crap.

Silvertone model 1481, with original 6" Jensen alnico speaker, Volume, Tone, On/Off toggle switch, and two inputs. I believe mine was made the 2nd week of January, 1966. It has the original tubes labeled "Silvertone" on all three. It say's "J13" written in magic marker on the inside soundboard (2nd week of Jan.), next to a stamp that reads, "2066" (the 2nd week of 1966). In addition, the speaker has the same "2066" stamp, and one of the 3 tubes is dated "66-2'" (again, the 2nd week of Jan.,1966). The power tube, the only other one of the three that's dated, is stamped, "66-35", which indicates to me that it may have been replaced in September later the same year, possibly under warranty. I rate this for what it is: an old amp from 1966, 15 months after I was born, and in excellent condition in every aspect. The back says it's rated at 30 watts, but an old catalog article says these amp are 5 watts. It's way louder than a typical 5, and not loud enough to be 30.

Basically, I saw this amp at one of my local music stores where I've shopped loyally for several years now. I saw it, and it stood out slightly from the rest of the old amps along the store's back wall. I am not necessarily a "vintage buff", but I like great guitar tone. Anyway, I simply made note of the brand name, and then began to research it on the internet, and one source was right here. Next, I found out the model number, then read everyone's reviews here, and decided to try it out. I immediatelt fell in love with this little amp's character. It's warm and clean up to roughly mid-volume, and when I turn it full-up, it starts to spit out blues tones that simply sound incredible. When cranked it has a rough, biting, break-up kind of distortion, and one hell of alot of bass, especially with humbuckers (it makes my freaking windows rattle!). I tried this amp with a Strat and a Les Paul Classic so that I could cover alot of tones. For clean, it sounds best w/the Strat, for dirty, the L.P. It's been so long since I've played an amp you can turn all the way up, and control the distortion just by how hard you pick, let alone adjusting the guitar's volume control. The amp produces no noise even when cranked. Just sounds inspiring.

Ok, on the one hand these baby's are practically made of shoebox cardboard, but on the other hand, this one's made it's way through the last 35 yrs. in excellent condition. I'd say it's reliable.

Sears. 1966. ...you do the math, right?

I play alot of styles, and gig regularly. I own a Les Paul, a Strat, and an ES175 Jazz guitar. This amp gets clean, jazz, and blues sounds very well. For live gigs with my band I use Mesa Rectoverbs, and am a "tube purist". I've gone through many small combo amp's, most of which were solid state, in search of a really nice sounding amp that I can just tote around to friend's houses for quiet jamming. I traded a Peavey Blazer 158 (ughh!!) for this little Silvertone combo, and it's everything I wanted. Many thanks to the previous reviewers for their input, which ultimately led me to this amp. I love it and I'll never sell it. Very inspiring, especially in different rooms and with different guitars. The music store I mentioned also has the model 1482- the 15watt version of this amp with instrument and mic inputs, plus tremolo. Maybe I should grab that too! Feel free to email me with questions or comments about these amps. I'd appreciate either.

this amp doesn't have many any features really, but it wasn't designed for features. just for tone. all it's got is a volume knob, tone knob, switch and two inputs.

This amp was built for tone and only tone. It has a really nice clean tone and it starts to break up around level 4. I've got two different axes that I use this with. One is an Ibanez GAX70 with dimarzio hummers. The hot pickups in this one seem to make the sound a bit brighter that my other guitar. My other guitar is an Ibanez Talman with stock hummmers (for the moment anyway) and it gives a more warm vintage sound with this amp. I don't usually use many effects with this amp. When I do it's just a chorus pedal or an EQ. Wouldn't use it live but it would be cool for recording clean sounds in the studio.

My grandpa gave me this amp 6 years ago and it still had the original tubes in it. I think this amp is 30 or 40 years old so I'd say it's pretty damn reliable.

I've been playing for about six years and I've got a few other amps. My main rig is an old yamaha 2x12 combo that a run with a boss metal zone and EQ. I've also got a peavey transtube bandit 1x12 combo that I rarely ever use anymore except for practice sometimes. I picked up an old peavey 4x12 cab at a pawn shop for like $50 and I'm trying different heads for it now. This little silvertone has my favorite clean sound. Nice and warm with just a hint of distortion. I'll probably use it for the clean tones on my band's next CD. If it got stolen or lost, I'd find the bastard who stole it, kick his ass and get my amp back. This amp doesn't have much power but it's got killer vintage sound.

My amp has two inputs, one volume and one tone knob. And an on/off switch, thats it.

This amp has the best pure tube sound Ive ever used. Prefferably with a Strat, or other single coil style.

Once I replaced the tubes, It has worked everytime. That was about 4 years ago. It still had the original tubes when I bought it. And it is at least 30 years old.

Ive triest to get a manufacture date on this. The company people I talked to had no idea what the hell I was talking about.

I love the warmth of the sound, and that pretty much overrides alot of the drawbacks. The power is limited, but I have used a mic with it and for a small club it was plenty. The pure vintage tone is hard to beat for the price. I found this 4 years ago at an old pawn shop. It was dirty and when I took it apart at home. It had an old dirt dobber nest inside it. So it was probably in somebodys garage for a while. But after cleaning, it looked good and sounded better. New tubes gave it a bit more bite. But the original ones still work. I have them put up, in case I ever want to sell it as all original. But that is doubtful. Really good amp. (if anyone knows how to date this let me know)

It has volume, tone 2 inputs on and off. Particle board cabinet
covered with a grayish Tolex material. 3 tubes 12ax7,6v6gt,6x4
7" speaker? Made in the mid sixties. Your basic practice amp.

Using a strat copy with a humbucker in the bridge this amp sounds
good. Volume is a little low, very quiet idling even at full volume.
Sounds very good. very warm. Mine does not really get much if any
distortion to it at all even at full volume. I just leave it all the
way up.

This amp was purchased at a music store and they said it was dead
and had not been turned on in 2 years. I plugged it in and it was
perfect except the speaker was a little loose. $50 later it was mine.
It is particle board so that does not help the sound or durability,
mine has a nick in one corner. I cleaned it up and cleaned the pots
tightened up everything and it works great. kind of a poormans Champ
amp. Dont play out so no backup is required, I could fix it myself.

long out of warranty.

Fun amp to play with and I would like to have my tubes replaced
and try some different ones to see what sound suits me. It is
lightweight to carry, case construction is not as good as Fender.
a bigger speaker 8" or 10" would be great!

One volume, one tone,power switch,two inputs, and a knob next to an RCA jack on the back panel. I have no idea what this is for, but the amp wont play( the power stays on) unless this knob is turned on. The knob turns like a volume knob, etc. It sounds really fine, especially after some NOS tubes. I really wish it were louder, but a Rat pedal helps to boost the output.

I have a Les Paul w/ humbuckers, a '58 Silvertone w/ a lipstick tube single coil, and a Fender Bronco w/ a single coil. The amp sounds great with all of them, but the lack of volume really hurts the amp. But, I bought it as a bedroom amp so.......

Not loud enough to gig so reliability isnt really a factor for me. My example is in very good shape and I dont abuse my equipment. Once I put the new tubes in, wow!

I wish Icould contact the company!!! I want to know what that switch and knob are for!!!

My playing style is from the '60's Brit blues explosion W/ a liberal dose of the Allman Bros. and a little jazz. The amp suits those purposes well. I just wish it had enough volume to be heard over drums. I have a Fender Bandmaster head & cab and assorted rack equip., but it is a major pain to take the stuff anywhere.

This 1481 is a small, all tube combo amp from the late 1950's, pumping pure tone from an 8" speaker driven by 1-12AX7, 1-6V6, 1-6X4 in a lightweight and handsome vintage gray tolex cab with 2 inputs, and volume and tone controls. This amp is almost 50 years old and in mint condition. Accents include brushed stainless and chrome. Looks great, sounds better.

I've played Chicago/Texas blues with Fenders and Gibsons for over 30 years. This is the amp, the circuit and the tone that others pay big bucks for as a "new, low-wattage boutique amp." The response is pure, sweet and made specificially for vintage tube tone at lower volumes. It's the perfect "bedroom amp".....low wattage, low volume, fantastic tone and even low volume tube breakup. I tried new boutique amps at under $1,200 and nothing came close to this vintage original. Around 11 o'clock, it's clean as a mountain stream, but past 2 or 3 o'clock it breaks up very naturally into sweet blues overdrive. This is the tone that made bluesmen into blues legends in late night blues jams in 1950's Chicago. If you are searching for the very essence of fantastic pure tone at low volumes, this it it, period. If you want louder volume, mic it. Pure blues tone does not get any better than this....this is the real deal.

This amp has been pampered since Day One, so it still looks almost new. It was not built for rough handling....you can't just throw it into a truck, but you wouldn't throw a '54 Strat into the back of a truck either. The circuit is clean and basic, has never failed me. Not bad for almost 50 years old.

I've been searching for tone like this for over 30 years. My other amps are all-tube Fenders, but the Silvertone is special. As mentioned above, this is the amp that made legends out of bluesmen almost a half century ago. This is the amp that super-expensive "boutique" amps try to emulate. You can wrap this amp up in three words: real vintage tone. When it comes down to it, nothing beats the real thing, and this amp is the real deal. There are so few of these left, that they will soon be found only in blues museums. If you can find one now, buy it, especially if you are a collector or tone fanatic.

The 1481 is a 1x8 combo with volume and tone knobs (whee!). mine came with a fisher speaker that may or may not have been original (a lot of the bigger s-tones had jensens). 1-12AX7, 1-6V6, 1-6X4. lightweight little box (~10 pounds) in cute, cheesy, textured grey "tolex." two inputs. pretty standard 60's era stuff. mine was about a '64 or '65, i'd surmise.

people are way into the single-ended, low-wattage, single-speaker thing these days; i've "gone through that phase." i have to say this is a very cool little amp... it does *not* have a lot of low-end response (which may sound funny, but my similarly-configured gibson GA-5T is a miniature earthquake disguised in blond tolex); it is, however, quite sweet in the mids and present, even brash, in the highs. the tone knob in mine was quite effective so that allowed me to move easily between pleasure and pain. obviously pain was easier to achieve with my hamer tele copy than my special FM with duncan humbuckers. :)
the amp stays relatively clean at low-medium volumes, even with humbuckers. around 11 o'clock on the volume dial and it's pretty loud but breaks up nicely in a touch-sensitive way. crank it up past 2 o'clock and you've got sweet, full-on blues/country/indie overdrive. this amp was actually a bit loud to do this much in my apartment. my GA-5T is much darker and is just dying to break up as soon as you switch it on. i think the brightness of the amp lends itself well to humbuckers as opposed to single coils, but my tele had a very nice, punchy, clangorous sound through it as opposed to sheer walls of brittleness (at least when the tone knob was set sensibly). in the end, though, the amp was a bit too loud and didn't have as much low or low mids as i would like-- not a terribly cold sound but it definitely "sounds its size." i would have liked to rig it up to a 4x12 but never got the chance. silvertones are oft referred to as the poor man's fender-- this really hasn't got the same character as a champ (of any era), but it's definitely got its own personality, and one that's pretty easy to live with.

the amp had weathered 30+ years rather well. it appears, however, as if it's been garaged for much of that time. the circuit appears well-engineered but some of the parts seem a tad on the flimsy side; these weren't built as boutique pieces. the cabinet is pretty iffy, made of what appears to be 1/4" balsa wood or something, and a generally good piece of advice for silvertones is "don't gig with them if you want them to last." working on these things should not be a problem for any tech who's worth his/her salt.

this amp is pretty goshdarned cool. but in the end i fell prey to vintage profiteer syndrome (my hypocrisy astounds me at times) and ended up making a decent margin (compared to what i'm used to) going through ebay-- mine was in pretty good shape. "vintage" guitar dealers would have you believe this amp is worth $200-300. i think they're being typically "visionary" or "futuristically optimistic," this amp might be worth that in 20 years (especially after inflation factors in-- they might sell the amp in 20 years if they hold their price firm at $200+). but if you find one for $75 or under... check it out. i personally am on the lookout (although i have to admit, i'm not looking real hard) for a decent price on a 1484 head or 1482... i can always use a weird old amp with trem. :)

Pretty simple amp: one tone knob, one volumbe knob, and two inputs. It's all tube: a 12AX7, 6V6GT, and a 6X4.

This thing says it's 30 watts but it sounds more like 5 or 10. But it does have a good sound at lower volumes before it distorts. My Boss Turbo Distortion doesn't sound that great through it though.

I haven't really used it that much since I don't have a speaker for it anymore, but it hasn't ever broken yet.

I've never had to deal with the company, but I'm guessing that the warranty is gone considering that this thing is probably 25 or 30 years old.

This seems to be a pretty nice little amp. Maybe it would sound better if I replaced the tubes with some new ones.