Silvertone 1484 Twin-Twelve

What a cool amp. I bought this amp about 12 years ago. St that time, I wanted a twin reverb kinda sound. The old guy that sold it to me, owned a cool little guitar store in Evansville Indiana called Dallas Music. He said they used to call it the "Working Mans Twin". I dunno, doesn't sound like a twin to me....Sounds much, much better. It doesn't have the great clean that the Fender has....the reverb is all but useless, but it rocks!!!! I play my Les Paul thru it mainly, all you do, is plug it in, and crank it....It's incredible!!! It's so...I dunno....ugly I guess that its cool. Covered in some grey wallpaper kinda stuff, about the color of an elephant or something. The knobs are all huge, and lined up in a row, and looks very cool. But, that's one of the things that makes it so cool, ya just can't keep from lookin' at it. People always ask, what is that??? I wouldn't trade it for anything!!!!

As I said before...I wouldn't trade it for nothin.... What a great overdrive it has... Plug in a Les Paul and dime the volume, and it sounds huge... Think AC/DC!!! Mine has all the original speakers and tubes in it. It has 2 channels, both sound identical, with the exception that channel 2 has the reverb and tremlo on it. The reverb, as I said earlier is very strange, and the tremlo, on mine anyway, is way too fast even on the slowest setting. I get a pretty good clean sound with it if I use a different reverb, and a chorus. But that isn't really what this amp is all about. I highly recommend picking one of these up if you can find one, they are awesome!!! But you better hurry, the price keeps going up on these. You will never get mine tho, I will be keeping mine!!!

I haven't had any problems with it. Always turns on, and sounds great. It has all the original tubes and speakers, and mine is a 1964, so that's gotta mean something. It's not really made very rugged, so you gotta be gentle with it.

Hello, sears??? Yea, you are on your own with this one.... Any good amp shop could fix it if you ever had a problem. But sears isn't gonna help ya. But then again, what has a 44 year warrantee on it anyway. Marshall isn't gonna fix your original JTM 45 either, are they???

I just with the reverb and tremlo were better, but other than that It's a perfect, ugly duckling. If you get the chance to pick one up, do it, you wont regret it. They are a blast to play!!!

I think mine was made in 1964? I am using it strictly to play the blues and clasic rock, and it does it very well. It has 2 channels, with no channel switching capabilities unless you had an A/B switch. It also has reverb and tremelo, which I don't really use. It is 35 watts, which is plenty and the cabinet has 2x12 Jensens. I mainly use this amp at local jams and to practice at home and it CAN hold up t any loud drummer very well. Mine still has the stock RCA/Silvertone tubes in it, which I am scared to change because they sound so great. There is one extremely cool feature this amp has, and that is the fact that you can take the head and stick it inside the cabinet to carry it around as one unit. Also, it is very light and transportable. For a vintage amp, hey, it has some nice features!

This is where it absolutely shines! I can't believe that something that sais Sears on it would sound so good! No wonder these amps are becoming a hot commodity. You can crank the bass and treble on either channel and still get a very sweet warm sound with just the right amount of highs. If you push the volume past about 5 and a half it starts to break up nicely, but not too much. Cran the volume and it has excellent, but not harsh, tube breakup! It is very useable for classic rock and nice warm blus solos. When playing this loud, if you want the nice clean sound this amp has to offer, all you have to do is turn down your guitars volume knob. Or tone down on your pick dynamics. I play a Strat through this amp, and when I first tried the amp out I played a Epiphone Dot through it. With both of them I was absolutely amazed, no matter what you do it just sounds so warm. I am very happy with my purchase.

Hey, it is from 1964, it has the original tubes, and it still works like a charm. Is'nt it obvious?

Too old, don't know.

Hey, I will admit. I was skeptical about buying this amp when I did. I thought to myself, "Silvertone, this can't be good." But, I was wrong, I am overjoyed with the beautful clean and overdriven tones that I can acheive with this amp, excellent for SRV and Jimi even thought it is not a Fender or a Marshall from the same era. And you know what, I have played some vintage Fender and Marshalls, and even owned a few, and this amp is no less of an amp. I mean the Fenders and Marshalls I have played from that era are awesome, but this amp is no slouch either. It has its own tonal quality that is a fine cross between a Fender and a Marshall, so I find I get the best of both worlds. If you get the chance, try one out. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. I love it, and if anything ever happens to it, I will fix it or get another one. I can't get enough.

60's model sears amplifier. I repaired this amp for a friend. It is a 2 channel 35w rms head. each channel boasts vol, bass, treble. It has a master reverb and tremelo section. The amp was doa when I got it. One of octal sockets had arced and was shorting out. My friend was told the head could not be fixed. The features are typical of this era amplifier

After 4 hours of sorting out shoddy lead dress inside this amp I got the 2 new ceramic octal sockets installed. I can say the wiring appears to have been done by elementary school labor. No color coding. Hap-hazard routing. Nothing like an old fender or traynor. I spent a good amount of time moving wires to logical routes and getting the heaters away from the plate and grid wires. The chassy is hand bent aluminium and the pre amp board is vertical above the sockets. Once done I let the amp warm up and then plugged in my copy strat to give it a go, playing through a Traynor 6x10 cab 5 ohms. This amp really suprised me how good it sounds. Noise was very low. The reverb and tremelo are weak. The tone of this amp is suited for blues,country,southern rock. Amazing sound from this cheapo amplifier.

I cannot speak for reliability. I don't know when or why one of the sockets arced. This amp doesn't have screen grid resistors(like fender). I assume it was old phenolic material that cracked and failed. The ceramic sockets should keep this from happening again. I don't know how quiet it was before I re-routed the wiring,but it is very quiet now. I would not use it without a backup.

Took a while to find a schematic but they are avaliable online for free. Don't bother calling sears it ain't no craftsman so the aren't going to replace it.

I have been playing for 30+ years. This is the first silvertone amp I have played through. It is a very good sounding amplifier. The construction is very messy and repairing this thing takes a while. If you own one I would check the output sockets and look for cracks or carbon deposits. A set of ceramic sockets will be cheap insurance. Getting one of the local overpriced tube amp whizbang repair guys to do it will be difficult or very expensive. It will not sound like a high gain zippy amp. It will sound like a good-ole american tube amp. Warm tones and just the right bit of distortion when cranking it up.

This Amp was made in 1965, A guy down my Alley was moveing in 1980,and just gave it to me free the speaker are 1964,It has the Great Silvertone RCA 6L6GC power tubes.If your tubes ever burn out Only use NOS RCA 6l6gc.The tubes and the little einemic output Transformer,is what makes this thing Rock.I have run mine into a 4/12 cabnit,and it really opens up.I disconencted the cheesy reverb.

This amp I have when turned to 10 I sound like Eric Clapton in Cream Turn the volume down alittle and you have Any Garage Band from the 1960's.I like mine with just a little D-delay Like I said the Tubes really make this thing go.Some guys put Bassman OT in theres which change the sound.Most guys never tryed the 4/12,if you want more volume..I put a new power plg on and got rid of the built in cord to the speaker jack

This thing has never broken down,I changed a volume pot.At first I was stupid and I abused the thing I painted the cabnit Black.I just bought a scematic firit So now I can take it to a pro and have it all brought up to New.I love this amp.

NOT!!!!Get a Schematic for $5-$10

I started in 1967,I have owned alot of great Vintage gear,This amp sits proud,right next to my Plexi 100Watt Marshall and 60's Fenders.If it was stolen I would hunt you down and......

My first band amp. in 1967. I was 13. Bought it (my mom bought it for me) for $25. at a swap meet. It was an early model with grey-tweed covering, worked like new, great reverb and good tremelo for then, played alot of surf and west-coast rock thru it, used it a couple years, then kept it for a few more after I upgraded to a Kustom 400. Played a JazzMaster thru it, nice tones especially with my Mosrite distortion. Used it on stage a few times, good sound but little punch without distortion. I think the reason the reverbs gave out on these (mine never did) is because of the great thunder effect you could get when you tilt the head back and bring it down on the cabinet. I don't remember anyone who could resist doing that with that amp! It served it's purpose in my life, and never let me down.

I used it way back in '67-'68, alot of clean trebly leads with reverb. Used an old JazzMaster thru it, with a Mosrite distortion it sang and sustained very well. The amp was not too old then, and had little hiss. I would like to find one today just to use for recording, it had a special sound.

Never had a problem

Call Sears, the'll come repair or replace it for free. (Tell 'em it's a Craftsman) Then have a good laugh!

Too long and too much to remember. Check out my site @ http://www.jamwave.com/crashcazz

ah, at long last I understand this amp. it's from recording, and reading about it, and comparing the two that I have come to this. the sound of this amp is focused, like some sort of missile, right down the middle of your ear. sort of flat, even, level, compressed in a way, not terribly "dynamic". this has been attributed to the smallness of the output transformer, but I also think this is a function of the smallness of the magnets in the C12Q speakers (a mere 15 ounces... compare this to a G12H 30 watt celestion which has a 50 oz magnet!). however, the sound surely does have an agressive bite/edge to it, this is not a tame, washed-over sound. with good tubes in it, this amp is a pleasure to hear. I find that my "bright cap" volume pot mod on the first channel is indespensible for the brighter tones that I like to hear. I have found an even better way to run this amp. the speakers are somewhat scooped in the midrange...by jumpering the channels, I have found a way to use the stock (second) channel as a mid-blend knob. I run the guitar into the second channel, and a jumper cable between the second and first channel inputs, run the first (bright) channel at full bass setting and treble to taste (noon) and volume to taste (9 to 11 oclock), and the second channel with bass full OFF and treble around noon. turning the volume knob on the second channel up adds body and fatness to the sound compared to just running into the first channel...adjust balance of volume knobs to taste. the "focused" dynamics of this amp do suit it for certain recorded tones...I have gotten some nice crunched up rhythm tones out of it, but the most spectacular is probably the feedback lead sound I got with my hollowbody guild guitar and a proco rat. this amp just sings in a vocal sort of midrange, sweet, nasty but soft way. of course, you'd really have to hear it for yourself

two channels with two inputs each. Channel A is clean. Channel 2 is Reverb and tremelo. The Tremelo and Reverb work on mine but I guess a lot of amps have the reverb broken.

This amp has a real nice sound that brings out the guitar nicely. My tele really sounds like a tele, all nice an twangy, and my silvertone is really crunchy and fuzzy. Crank it for some nice crunch but if you want thicker or harder distortion, reach for a pedal. I'll prolly get my big muff fixed to round out the distortion options. Really great for Blues and old school rock.

The tubes are all original Silvertone and since it's survived since the sixties with pretty minimal wear I'd say this is a damn reliable amp. I'd use it without back up though more because I can't afford more than because I want to.

none. visit your friendly local amp tech.

This is a really solid amp and a great sounding vintage amp for less than vintage prices. I don't know why Sears ever stopped selling these. I really love the minimalism of this amp, just volume, hi, lo, and reverb and trem. I guess that's the same reason i love tele's.

more comments: I recorded this amp with my old band, using my drummer's telecaster custom reissue, and the sound was SO ZEP I, it was amazing. this amp was made to be cranked. it gets that bass-lite midrangey mist/cloud dirty-clean rip. at a not-deafening volume too (in a big enough room). you'll want to give this amp a hug

got hit by a car and still ticking

the cheap, flimsy construction of the cabinet, and the light weight of the speakers, (and transformers in the head) make this amp really easy to carry to gigs/practices/sessions. you'll be sad when the tolex starts getting torn, though. I protected my corners with black duct tape to hopefully slow down this process

As with most old Silvertones the reverb on this unit is garbage and doesn't work all of the time. I love the tremelo it is very minimal but I love the sound of it. I bought the amp with the footswitch so I can use both of the effects fairly easily.
The guy I bought the head from didn't have the cabinet so I only have the head although I wish I could have gotten the cab as well and I am still looking for one.
I'm not sure what year this amp was made. The guy I bought it from got it from someone else who probably got it from someone else and so on and so on.
There are two channels and they each have two inputs. They both sound exactly the same.
This amp seems pretty powerful enough for me, though I wish I had the cabinet to see what it was really meant to sound like.

The tone of this amp is glorious. You can't really get a clean tone out of this amp, but this may be due to it's old age. When you turn it up though you get that beautiful crunch that these amps are known for. I have an epiphone les paul and one of those new eastwood airline reissues that has alcino pickups. Both of these guitars sound outstanding through this amp. I tried a single coil guitar through it but it didn't hold up as well.
This amp is great if you are looking for its specific kind of crunch and you want a straight up distorted guitar sound.

I do not know the history of this amp so I do not know if there have been many problems in the past. This amp isn't very reliable. Of course the reverb tank craps out and it causes problems with the amp. Also if the amp shakes at all when it is in use it will just start to squeal horribly and you'll have to tap on the reverb tank to get it to stop. I would be able to trust this amp for a show because I feel like I know it well enough now to correct any problems that might come up, but someone who had never used it before would definately have a lot of problems.

Sears wouldn't know anything about these amps anymore since its been about forty years since they've been made. Most guitar shops would be able to service it and fix any problems though.

I personally love this amp. I could see a lot of people hating it though because it is a piece of junk but that is whats great about it. There is nothing like that silvertone crunch. I hope that I can eventually hunt down a silvertone 1485 that I can afford or at least the cabinet for the 1485. Overall think this amp is amazing.

My amp has all (except one 12ax) original silvertone tubes. The tubes are dated 1965 and the speakers are dated 1964. I traded half interest in a honda 160 (back in 1971) for this amp. My brother has had it for about the last 25 years and I just got it back.

It has major tone, but is not as loud as I remember. I'm thinking of trying new power tubes.

I like to play the blues, and this rig punches the ticket. I have used it for harmonica also with a hohner bullet mic. Turned up over 8 on the volume dial and it breaks up pretty good. Running my '62 telecaster custom through it is sweet also.

The reverb quit reverbing, but other than that its a warhorse.

It has not seen much use/abuse since 1975. From its looks, it must of had a very hard childhood, but its still rocking.

Warranty on a 40 year old amp?

Its about 8 inches shorter than my *****.

Back in '71 I thought this thing was hideously ugly, now its ugly i a kind of cool way. I wich it was louder, I remember it being louder in 71 but I remember other things being louder, bigger ,better, brighter etc.