Silvertone 1484 Twin-Twelve

I originally had one in 1965, which my brother eventually sold and KEPT THE MONEY! My replacement was purchased separately this year, first the head, then the cabinet, which DO NOT have the original Jensens, but an unknown matched pair of 12" speakers which sound adequate. I would guess that the head from the mid-'60s, based on the serial no. The features are perfect for me, as I have no use for distortion, overdrive, and effects loops - my kind of music ("oldies") needs a "clean" tone. I'm not a "working" musician per se, but I've performed solo at small venues like my class reunions doing '50s-'60s "oldies." There is a "funky" quality with this type of equipment. Cosmetically, there are some worn spots on the corners of the cabinet, but the overall appearance is excellent. My only modification was to solder a new plug to the 6' speaker cable and resist the temptation of installing a jack in the cabinet.

I have a number of Fender guitars: re-issue Jazzmaster, standard Stratocaster, '72 Telecaster Thinline w/humbuckers and Bigsby tail, '63 Jaguar. I recently bought the Silvertone two pick-up cherry sunburst solid-body (made by Harmony) which I originally played with back in 1965. It seems to be an excellent match with this amp and sounds a lot better than I remember from the old days. Maybe it's because I'm a better player now. The reverb sounds "watery" and increasing the depth control beyond "4-5" doesn't seem to make any difference: nothing like the Fender. The reverb and tremolo can be operated without the footswitch. The tremolo circuit is more substantial than the reverb and performs admirably when such an effect is needed. Not much low-end on this amp, though I suspect that running it through the Jensens, either the 2-12" or the 15" from the 1483 bass amp would be adequate for those looking for that sound. There hasn't been any extraneous "noise" like pops, clicks, or hums.

My prior unit had no problems in the four years I had it. This one still has the original Silvertone power tubes. Replacement tubes are readily-available.

I always have back-ups for any amp.

Sears has been long out of selling and supporting the Silvertone line. Technicians with experience in repairing tube-chassis amps are to be cherished and nurtured.

As far as amps go, I have a full complement of black and silver-face Fender gear (Bassman, Bandmaster, Twin Reverb, Dual Showman Reverb, Quad Reverb), three tube-amps by Teisco (Japan), and solid-state amps (Fender Twin Reverb; Peavy Bandit 112; Silvertone 100 and 150).

I've found my 1484 suitable for functions in rooms up to 48,000 cubic feet (60'W x 100'L x 8'H or 50'W x 80'L x 12'H). Other acoustical factors may reduce the size of room it can handle, better speakers may increase it.

The Silvertone tube-amps have been better than their later solid-state amps. I consider the sound "better" than my Fender solid-state. I'd replace this with another of the same primarily for the "nostalgia" factor. I'd like to get the Silvertone 1483 bass amp (our band had one of these, too). I'm also looking to obtain the Jensen Special Design 12" speakers which are the original type for this model.

Although some consider the sound a bit "cheesey," I consider the 1484 to have been worth more than the original $179.95 price in 1965.

My 1484 Twin Twelve was made in about 1968. It's pretty bare bones by today's standards, as far as features, but who needs all that built-in chorus/distortion/etc anyways? It is a two channel amp. One normal, the other with reverb and tremolo. The tremolo ticks like all the old ones do, but I love it anyways. The reverb is pretty cheesy and sounds like you're playing in a bathtub, so I don't use it. I'm a straightforward blues, jazz, and classic rock player so this amp has just the right amount of features for me. Many people have differing opinions about the power output of this amp. I've seen everything from 25-50 watts. I think it is safe to say that it's somwhere between 30 and 35 watts (stock). But since it's all-tube, that just means good and loud!

I use a recent Gretsch chamberd-body Duo Jet with two humbuckers and this amp makes it sound really smooth. I also use a 7-band EQ to get more bass, which is really the only thing this amp lacks. I haven't really had the chance to make the amp really growl because I live in an apartment, but this thing just sounds so GOOD! If you want something for modern music, look elsewhere. But if blues and classic rocks are your thing, then this is the amp! I occasionally use an MXR Distortion
Plus through this and that sounds fine too. Just needs a little more low end!

This amp has never failed me. It's been scuffed and beaten, sure, but it keeps on going! The only thing that is hard to maintain is a stock of those crazy 6CG7 tubes (there are two of them in the preamp section). But if you can find them, then you're all set.

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I've been playing for about 13 years and I've had a few different tube amps, but I don't think I could ever get rid of this one. I like it been than even most Fender's I've had. If it ever got stolen, I would definitely buy another one. There are quite a few of them around. Probably the only amp that could rival the Fender Deluxe for best blues amp of all!

Two channels, one channel with tremelo and reverb and one channel without. Not many features but who cares! I play single channel amps anyway. This amp has 4 12AX7's, Two 6CG7's and 2 6l6'gs. I actually have two of these amps, one is a '63 and one a '67, I believe. I have heard that these were made by Valco.(Supro, Danelectro,Oahu,etc...)

I play a Strat with Texas Specials and a PRS CE-22 with HFS stock pickups. I have had many amps in the last ten years but I just won't part with these guys. They are just too cool. People see them and go "What is that piece of crap?" and then I plug up and hit a chord and their jaws drop. I also have noticed a few signed bands sporting 1484's in guitar mag's in their equipment lists. These are real bluesy but pop an overdrive pedal in front and they are BAD to the Bone. Classic rock all the way. With the Strat I get a great alternative sound. Another thing, the 1484's are LOUD AS @#@#! I have a 50 watt Soldano and this thing eats it with volume. It has the loudest 30-35 watts you have EVER heard. The volume control does this; Under 3 vol=nothing; 3-6=LOUD and CLEAN; 6-full=LOUD with some Grunt. The overdrive has a farty kind of bass response but with any overdrive pedal it turns into something really cool.

Dependability? Well how's this. My '67 still has the original tubes!!! The reason that the '63 doesn't is that when I got it THEY WERE BROKEN OFF IN THE SOCKETS! I gave a guy 40 bucks and tubed it up and there it goes. These NEVER break.

What company!!

I've been playing off and on for over ten years now. I've had a TON of amps. These have their own LOUD sound. This isn't the only amp to have by any means but it is fun to have.

Made about 1964. From what I've read, this was made for Sears by Supro. Not a lot of features -- two channels, one strictly clean and the other with reverb and tremolo. Channels aren't switchable. It has a standby switch and switchable ground. Each channel has volume and tone controls for bass and treble. Nothing else. But this amp is all about tone and I don't need different channels or features to get a tone that can cause my heart to melt. The cabinet has two Blue Bell Jensen 12s. The head for this was rebuilt for me by my amp tech and it's output with the bias set at about 2.4 is around 35 watts. That's plenty for the kinds of places I play. I mike it in larger venues. This is a great blues/rock & roll amp. Someone here called it a "poor man's Twin Reverb" and I think they were right. Strictly tube with 12AX7 for preamp and 2 6L6s for power. My rating for this category doesn't reflect my satisfaction with this amp. It's a 4 only because it doesn't have a lot of features -- but what a tone monster.

I use an Epiphone Sheraton II (stock pickups) and a Yamaha 921 with dimarzios. I also play harp through this amp. It suits my musical style quite well -- it even sound better than the lead guitarists Mesa Boogie. I use pedals (Boss GE7 EQ, Boss Blues Driver, Boss NS2Noise Gate, DOD Milk Box Compressor, and Ibanez TS5 modded for 808 straight in (there is no effects loop) and can get quite a variety from the pedal setup through the twin-twelve. As far as harp, it is fat and punchy. Suffice it to say, I love this amp. And being able to play both guitar and harp through one amp makes hauling equipment less stressful. BTW, I have a on-off switch on the harp mike (an EV-630) and use the Noise Gate as an on-off switch for the guitar. I haven't found any amp that rates a 10 -- that's why the 9.

So far I've been playing without a backup. Frankly, I trust my amp tech. He rebuilt this thing solidly. He took the best of two 1484 heads to build one for me. Now I have a non-working second head that gives me a wealth of parts for any future repairs. I had it previously for about a year and it blew and output transformer. Had it back from the amp tech for about 3 months now and it just keeps playing. However, I heard these things can be fragile to transport. If I ever went on the road I'd take a backup.

Place a vision in your mind of me rolling on the floor in laughter.

I've played for nearly 35 years and I wish I'd kept some of the vintage equipment I've shed in the past -- including some Silvertone equipment. If this amp were lost or stolen (can't see it) I'd find another. I actually got this primarily for harp but when I played guitar through it my knees went weak. I didn't compare it to anything else, since I knew it was a great harp amp when I first laid eyes on it in a local shop. I love the tone. At about 3 it starts to overdrive and at 5 we're talking the tone of masters. It's a bit heavy but with the head sliding into the back of the speaker cabinet, it's easys to schlep around. If you see one of these, grab it. You won't be sorry.