Silvertone 1484 Twin-Twelve

We just have the head. Our's was made in 1964. This tube amp is very interesting. It has 4 inputs; two channels. It does have reverb and tremolo, but the reverb in these is usually broken. We thought our's wasn't, but then something horribly wrong happened and the reverb tank, lets say "stopped working". We had to get new 6L6GC's for it because strangely, the reverb broke them. The tremolo is fantastic though. We probably have to replace the 12AX7 that fuels the tremolo, but it sounds good even with the original 1964 tube. We hope to replace all the tubes in it soon, for they are all original RCA (marked as Silvertone) Blackplates. We have a grounded 3 prong cord too, instead of the original. We don't have the original cab, but we built one based off the original. The speakers in it were two Jensen C12Q's, which Jensen still re-issues. The dimensions of the original cab were 9" deep, 20.5" high, and 29" wide.

We are using an Epiphone Strat-copy from the 80's (sounds alike a Fender Strat, and not a Squire) and a Gibson Les Paul Studio. It has a great tube sound and pumped with a vintage Electro Harmonix USA Big Muff, it sounds great. This is a simple amp. Volume, Bass, and Treble. Nothing else.

I WOULD use it on a gig, as long as I had a REALLY good way of packing it. If it broke, i'd probably just call Sears....NOT. They'd never be able to help. Probably don't even know what Silvertone is anymore. It uses standard tubes (4 12AX7's, 2 6L6GC's, and 2 6CG7/6FQ7's) which you can still buy brand new or NOS. It hasn't broke for us yet, just the reverb. It still is a very delacate amp.

"Hello Sears? Hi I have a Silvertone 14..... oh, you don't know what Silvertone is? Well you sold them in the 1960's..... oh.... you have no idea..... ok, thanks."

If you need help with this, go to a local (not chain) but local guitar shop that has old amps. They should be able to help you.

This is a great amp. I would definitly buy another if it was stolen or lost. I love the tone; the speakers really push the sound fine. I definitly got my money's worth. It is probably one of my favorite Sears Silvertone amps i've ever tried (other than 1483 and 1485)

A follow-up! I got my reverb fixed!

Heh.

I like crazy noises, and I was going to track down a delay pedal that would self-oscillate, but then I took my 1484 in to get recapped and the dude fixed the reverb while he was in there. Crank up the reverb and you get seriously some of the most deranged feedbacky sounds you've ever heard. Nigh useless as REVERB, but if you want surf guitar buy a ****ing Fender. This is so cool.

vintage tubey goodness. I really appreciate the simplicity of this amp.

a shorter, more superlative review: (I'm really having fun with this amp, and plan to keep it for a long time)

with the gold label C12Qs--really is a "warm" and "rich" sound, you could put it on a sandwich and eat it...until you crank it where it gets really trashy. not much headroom at all (amp only puts out about 20 watts). the first thing you notice as you increase volume to about 9 o'clock is the low E string, when played open and hard, starts to crap out. this is true when used with any speaker cab I have, high or low power handling. there's a sweet spot before it starts to break up where the sound is deliciously golden brown like a creme brule...just sounds RIGHT. even when I'm using JJ tubes throughout instead of the original silvertone and GE tubes. I just wish it were a little louder for gigs, but that could be solved by running two of these (! yowza). man oh man would I love to try a 1485 six ten! also, I mostly plug into my bright cap channel, the mids can be a little too much on channel B (stock). I wonder now if these channels sounded different before I messed with the first one, since reverb only works on the second channel.

a word about the reverb. you can get this really cool sound by turning the volume one the channel you're using all the way down, and the wet part of the reverb sound still sounds, which you can adjust the tone of with the bass and treble knobs. in fact, the reverb is set at a fixed volume that stays the same no matter where your volume knob is set, whether all the way off or cranked fully up. my favorite use of this is, as I said, turning the "dry" volume all the way off and just using the pure spring reverb sound. you can't change the volume, it's somewhat loud, but the sound is so cool. it's this juicy underwater type sound. maybe my amp is an oddball or modified (reverb doesn't work on the first channel on my amp, only the second) but hey, it's a pretty sweet trick so I'm happy.

TONE:
what i meant in my previous review about the tone of this amp is the speakers are less bright in the presence/treble range compared to many celestion speakers. in fact my Vintage 30 is piercing at high volumes, I'm going to sell it. I have also found that the twin twelve gets a nice, not too trashy (a bit raunchy compared to a tube screamer or whatever) medium crunch when I use my Jackson Outcaster guitar (with aftermarket pickups). a useable non-master tube amp crunch! yes sort of jack white-ish. (a couple other guitars I tried did not sound good at all, so it's picky) I used it at a show and it was great. also sounded good with my gretsch pro jet and an MXR micro amp for a bit more gain. the amp is a hair shy of the power you want when playing with a drummer, I was told to turn up (but it was already cranked), but it was servicable. really good tone. (I was using the stock channel, not my "bright cap" channel). I really do love this amp. clean sounds are great too. on clean settings, the bass knob changes the sound subtly; not a drastic tone shaper. the trick, for me, to getting this nice crunch sound was to roll the bass knob all the way off. still plenty of bass, but I guess it's a little easier on the speakers, so the crunch sounds a little cleaner and more controlled. (I had previously pretty much always run bass full on). the treble knob, however has a good range, and is key to setting your tone. just move it around till you find that sweet spot...it's in there.

has served me well for 3-4 years

update: I got a treble n bass. that amp has a lot more bass (and treble! haha) than the twin twelve and a bit more volume...and perhaps a hint of spongy feel from the tube rectifier. I like them both

I think i can describe the sound of this amp a little better now. the twin twelve is definitely an american amp, it has sort of a midrange emphasis. I'm using the original C12Qs now. I leave the bass always full on. I'm sure you could get a really thin, raunchy 60s lead sound with this amp very easily, just turn down the bass and crank the volume. now that I have it on top of my piano, I find that you don't really need to do the bright cap mod...treble response is sufficient at low volumes with the speakers pointing right at your head. with an overdrive pedal, this amp really gets that strokes sound, sort of creamy and midrangey. doesn't like my shredmaster much, sounds like poo, but the big muff sounds great through this amp. my modified channel stays cleaner with the volume maxed, more crunch from the unmodified channel. the breakup sound of this amp is very trashy and sort of brittle...maybe it would sound good for recording with the right microphone, but for live, un miked use, I don't think i'll be using that sound. (think velvet underground first album...they used this amp!) but the clean sound really is very good, as is the overdrive pedal sound. I like to mic this amp with an audio technica 3035 for pure clean sounds when recording...the resulting tracks are round, balanced, and pretty. for raunchier sounds an SM57 and the overdrive pedal sounds great.

jack white uses the 1485 (4x6L6 and 6x10 speakers), not this amp, wich may partially explain why his cranked amp sound is so different from mine

minimal features great tremelo--

use it with a Fender Tele Copy/with Seymore Duncan Broadcaster spec pickups. Per usual, the Reverb doesn't work. I have a hot rod deluxe, and several "vintage" amps (by accident--they just get old) Bassmans of various types, Sunn Beta lead, etc, but the Silvertone is the one that gets used for recording. I've been using a Sunn single 12", 16ohm, and it CRANKS--wish someone could tell us what ohms mean on a tube amp, opinions are all over the board.

still using 4o year old preamp tubes, and sovtek 6L6's--Groove Tube has bought the original RCA equipt, I tried a set in my Fender Bantam Bass, and WOW. So, if the 6L6s ever go out, I'll use groove tubes.
NO problems (except reverb)

Hmmm maybe we should start a class action lawsuit to get our reverbs fixed

Used to jam with Bo Diddley in the 60's--he had the 100 watt version.

A great tube amp for someone who doesn't need a hundred different knobs to play with-just volume, bass and treble. Sweet overdrive after about half volume. Reverb and tremolo on channel two for that wonderful acid trip sound. This amp currently for sale...Check out my webpage with pictures and info- http://trunorthdesign.tripod.com/

Blusey overdrive is this amp's claim to fame. Nice, warm & clean sound at lower volumes. Drive it with a Boss Metal Zone and it shreds with bloody claws. Some hum noise but not really a problem.

Hasn't broken, but it has lead an easy life. I wouldn't play it outside in a rainstorm or anything.....

Any knowledgeable tube amp repair shop could do whatever you needed with this amp, it is about as complicated as an anvil. Warranty and manufacturer support....um, no.

No idea when this was made - sometime in the 60's. I only have the head, not the cab.

You know the routine by now - two channels, two inputs each, volume bass treble, second channel has reverb and tremolo (depth & speed). The channels aren't switchable, but the tremolo can be turned on and off - on mine, I've discovered that a Carvin footswitch will work. It puts out about 35 watts from a pair of 6L6s.

On mine the reverb is broken and disconnected. I'm not concerned, the reverb tank is the size of a matchbox.

I had the power cord replaced with a grounded cord, and the strange speaker wire replaced with an output jack (4 ohms).

It doesn't have a lot of features, but it has enough.

Weighs very little, too.

I'm using this with a Carvin DC135 and a Danelectro DC3 - single coil guitars - and playing through a J Design 1x12 with a 30 watt Weber Ceramic Blue Dog.

This suits me very well - the overall tone is Fenderish, a beautiful clean sound. It has less high end sparkle than a Fender, but it's warmer and sweeter in the mids and tight on the low end, and punchy as hell. Takes a fuzz pedal gloriously. There's no harshness at all in the highs, even though they're very present - being that others have blamed this amp with single coils for harming dogs with the highs, I'd say that that's the Blue Dog at work.

35 watts is louder than you expect.

There's a tiny amount of hiss, but it's so light that I don't care.

The tremolo doesn't have the extreme settings of modern tremolos, but it's definitely the sweetest I've heard.

I'm playing mostly rhythm guitar - complex jazzy chords and big, ringing open chords, punky Pixies-ish rhythms, drones, interval riffs, big walls of fuzz, jangle, and so forth - and a little Joey Santiago/Johnny Greenwood type leads. I like a big, open sound with all the little harmonics crashing into each other, thus the single coils. This amp serves perfectly, and, paired with the Blue Dog, avoids the sort of icepick highs that I get with certain other amps.

A flat-out incredible sound.

Well, it's been around for 40 years and hasn't died yet. I wouldn't throw it around or anything, but I don't expect it to collapse on its own. I wouldn't gig without a backip, but that's less fear and more Boy Scoutish preparedness.

Hahahahahahahaha

I've been playing for five years... six years? Five or six years. If it was stolen, I'd have to rustle up a replacement. This is great great tone, boutique-level clean sound, for so little money.

I wonder why nobody is cloning these yet? A boutique version, with non-suck reverb... I'd go for that.

im a nooby at playin guitar but my dad has a 1965, 1484 sears silverton amp. and it is in perfect condition. but i dont totally know what its worth could someone let me know? it has all the original tubes big and small and parts. it has the serial # still on it and sounds perfect even with new parts like moded distortion peddles. it plays to channels so u can bridge it or play 2 guitars or a guitar and etc. on it.

im using a ibanze gax 70 with it and has 2 pick ups. it has great sound even probably better than some of the newer amps i have played in retail stores. no its not totally noisy when its set on ground. and it sits in my basement and works great no problem. it has a strength, speed, delay on it and has 1 master bass and 1 master treble and has 2 master volume settings. it does make a lil fuz when its at a hi volume but it sounds no different with distortion added. ive put some massive distortion on it like heavy metal. like distortion peddles like "the weapon"

Its never let me down never had any problems with it for 40 years so it should keep going and going. i probably wouldnt gig with it cause it is pretty fragile and could easily blow and i dont want to take the risk. it has never broke down in any way and never had any problems what so ever.

well its 40 years old you could call sears but they would just send it back.

my dad played it for 40 years ever since he first bought it. ive used everything i have on it including distortion peddles. tuners etc. and high overdrive distortion peddles. if it was stolen i would report it cause it has alot of history in it. it sounds perfect and has more reliablity than any other amp i have bought including brand new fender, washburn etc. amps. i wish it had an overdrive on it but oh well. if anyone could tell me a price or would like to make me an offer i would gladly sell it depending on what you offer. ive talked to some music fanatics and they say its worth more than most older amps because of the reliablity and original parts etc in it.

I got this amp from my brother's friend for $30! What a steal. I really like the minimalist console, though when i play my tele or strat through it, i have to cut the treble dramatically. The reverb works on one channel, but on channel 2, it makes a very bizarre echo-screetch noise, even at the lowest setting. It has dual Jensen Speakers, though I am not sure of the date of the amp, i am guessing mid-60's though. Oh yeah, and its a 100W amp. Since it is so old, the volume knob on channel 1 makes a lot of static when moved, so generally i use the second channel, but this is probobly due to a dirty pot, which i hope to get fixed in the near future. I play my bass and my guitars through this amp and am very satisfied with the tones for the respective instruments. also the right speaker has somewhat reduced output, so i hope to replace it with another jensen.

It can be kind of noisy. When i plug my bass in, there is a noticeable lack of bottom-end, but then again it is a guitar amp, so whatever. With single coils i have to cut the treble. At high volumes the amp will go into a nice warm over drive.

its so heavy one would think it is built like a tank, and mine seems to be. The particle board has held up quite nicely. I am somewhat worried about the tubes, i might replace them.

yes, sears, um, i have an amp, from the 60's...can you fix it? Please....

i like it. I got it for $30 (i saw one in worse shape go for 600 on EBAY). Good punchy bass tones, nice minimalist guitar tone.