Silvertone 1484 Twin-Twelve

I don't think anyone's mentioned that the channels are interactive on this amp. While you're plugged into the reverb/tremolo channel, adjusting the volume and treble controls on the normal channel will affect the sound. Try turning both volume and treble on the normal channel all the way up, then back off the volume until the extra hum dies down a bit. This will open up the high end a bit.

You can also bridge the channels by running a patch cord from the second input of the tremolo channel to the first input of the normal channel. This will cut some high end but add to the overall gain. If you put a delay or other modulation pedal between the channels, you can run a wet/dry setup without using two amps.

This is the amp that everyone laughed at you for owning...
until they used it themselves!

Mine's a 1966 that I bought new and used regularly until it died in the early '90s. I think it's just in need of some replacement capacitors that have probably died with age.

This was a typical amp for the period: Two channels, no waiting; reverb and tremolo on the main channel (Ch.2), 35 watts RMS and a couple of 12" Jensens that are still going strong after almost 45 years!

I read that some reviewers said that the Twin-Twelve is a pile of crap compared to contemporary Marshalls, Fenders, etc. of the era. In a sense they're right. When I bought mine, my brother had already replaced his Twin-Twelve with a Fender Bandmaster which was a much better amp.

However, the Sears amp was very good value for the price and had a clean sound. I've used this amp with a variety of axxes since I bought it and it's always worked reasonably well, playing everything from Rock, Jazz and Country to Heavy Metal and Surf Beat.

Keyboardists should plug a Fender Rhodes into and and be prepared to be amazed and what comes out.

Over the years I have been amazed at how darned reliable it's been. The only time it let me down was 40 years ago when I used to bi-amp the unit with a Standel Imperial XIV head and blew the chokes out of it, sending out a shower of sparks that people thought was some kind of primative stage FX (LOL!).

I took the amp to the Sears Service Center in L.A. who replaced the chokes and checked everything else over and gave it back to me within a week.

I've probably replaced a couple of the tubes in the years I used it - remember this got regular use and abuse for more than three decades.

See above...

I sold some other equipment from my studio back in '92 to a couple of young guys who offered to go through the amp for me, but it's still got a capacitor problem somewhere. I used to have the schematic for the amp but I guess I could find one on the internet and sort it out.

I've had this amp since I switched from playing winds to guitar, bass and drums in 1966 (got braces on my teeth, like a lot of Baby Boomers).

It's always been kind of limited in power, but made a great studio amp and small gig amp in later years. I have a NZ-made Holden 40 tube amp that I use with the Twin-Twelve cabinet, so if I had to replace it, I'd probably get something up-to-date.

My Twin-Twelve is like an old reliable dog, that just keeps on keeping on. At some stage, I do plan to get the head sorted out, but as I haven't gigged for a number of years, it's not been a priority.

Mine is a 1964 modelI did know what I had at first,I thought Sears cheap Boy was I wrong I just turn it up to 10 and add a little delay I use this amp for recording I haver had guys play all this high end gear and on playback I blow them away You have to have the NOS RCA power tubes they make it sound right Also try it with a 4/12 marshall cab

The output transformer is weak so you cand turn it on 10 and get that cool sound,I just use the guitar volume to change tone

It has Never not played great,I did blow one of the Jensen Concert speakers but got it fixed For a shoddy amp its great I got a shematic for it now with all the part #'s Solid amp Itg aldepends on who owned it before you for if you do not have the NOS RCA 6L6GC output tubes

I got a shematic so it can be fixed If you need a copy let me know

I have been playing since 1967,I own alot of cool stuff I would never sell this amp you sound like Cream with it.just use a delay pedal and a wha and a 4/12 closed back cabnit Now that Jack White useing one the price will go up Also about 10 years ago in Guitar player it was in the Top 10 Best Blues amps ever made

I got mine in 1965. Excellent tube amp for all genres. It has two channels. Excellent reverb and tremelo effects. I have always used it around home and small establishments. Plenty of power.

I use a 1969 ES335 and Gibson studio. Silvertone has a unique sound. Once you have heard it, you can understand its implication to sound through the years.

Definite reliability. It is a work horse. Two 12 inch Jensons are sweet.

My local Sears company worked on it and there were no issues on the repairs. They thanked me for bringing it in. They appreciated the classic style of the amp.

I have been playing since 1964.The 1484 stands alone in it style, and sound quality.

Two channels, Reverb, Vibrato (speed and intensity). This amp can do about anything. Heavy metal would require a pedal (which it usually does), despite what other reviewers say it has a good clean sound, but if you're playing in a club and need it cranked it does not. I play mine with an early 70's Bandmaster 2X12 cab. I'm giving this an 8 on features because it doesn't have loads of on board effects or wattage switching, not that many amps do (and I hate the ones that do), but in the interest of keeping the rating inflation madness that occurs on this site under control.

I'm giving this amp a 9 because I don't really believe in 10's. The only amp I've had that I thought was comparable was a '61 Bandmaster with a JBL. The tightest amp I've ever played. I buy and sell on ebay by the same name and have had about everything you can name under $5000 at one time or another. However this amp prompted me to write my first review ever on Harmony Central today. It really is an amazing amp. I don't understand why people think it's not versatile. Is a Marshall? A Deluxe Reverb? All amps do about 3 things unless you use effects which this takes great. I'm only 30 but I wonder what kids in the 60's thought when they got this home from Sears. Did they realize what they were hearing?! I currently play a VOS '61 SG Reissue through it, previously used a '57 Strat Reissue and a Les Paul Standard. I LOVE it with humbuckers.

It's a tube amp. I've had no problems, but in time I will.

I doubt customer support exists with this unit.

I've been playing about 10 years. I buy, sell and collect all things guitar. Occasionally play an open mic but am by no means a professional. However I know guitars well, they are my life. This amp is the best one I've ever had except the '61 Bandmaster. I have no idea why this amp is not more expensive. If it were stolen I'd destroy the perpetrator to retrieve it, if he dropped it while I was destroying him I'd buy a new one quickly. No amp gets a 10 and I will only give a rating this high to a Matchless, an original Princeton, an original Deluxe Reverb, my blond Bandmaster and this. I've not played many botique amps, or Marshalls but no other amp I've actually played would get a 9.

Not sure what year mine is but i know it's an early to mid sixties. Definitely not versatile; it does one thing but it does it completely well. I'm really happy with it; convenient and sturdy with the head-in-cab feature for transport, I replaced the power cord with a grounded 3 prong modern style that is now found on most amps. I also installed a speaker jack as opposed to the hardwired cable that was original. I know tsk tsk but save it...I've done more to de-originalize it. Replaced the speakers with greenbacks and it's loud as hell now and I love it. Also had Russian Svetlana 6L6's in it until an amp tech dropped it and cracked one; it now has the Chinese Svetlana's in it which don't sound as full or strong in my opinion. I messed around with some of the preamp tubes also until I found a combination I liked. Replaced the 12AX7's with 12AT7's which stiffened it up a bit so it now breaks up later in the volume sweep. Left the 6cq7 Silvertone tubes in place; not sure what they do but I'm guessing they're either reverb or tremolo related. Good tremolo but I have no footswitch so I don't use it while gigging. Reverb does some cool stuff which I've messed around with recording. Not a typical reverb but very fun and different.

I play a '74 Les Paul custom with pearly gates in it and it's fat, big, huge, and ratty...just an all-around great guitar that sounds just like a custom should. Overall dark thick dry tone that is brightened on the front by the pearly gates. I also play a mid-90's frankenstrat: it's a mid-80's japanese neck on a 95 mexican body. I love it, very typically stratty. Also have a frankentele that has the strat neck on it, very light alder body, pickups are from some guy in the northeast who drills out strat pickups and replaces them with p-bass pole pieces...pretty true tele sound. I like it. All my guitars sound great thru the amp; as true as they should. It's a transparent amp, but it definitely gets ratty when it starts breaking up. Not tight.

As I said before it's not versatile but the amp's one sound is unbelievable; the passive tone controls prevent much versatility but who cares. I like that it doesn't break-up as early as it used to after the changes I've made and I get a good range of clean to warm saturation to downright compressed crunch overdrive with it. I also like that it doesn't get much louder past the midway point on the volume; it just starts breaking up and compressing more and more. It used to be significantly noisy especially around florescents; however after swapping out the power cord & replacing a power tube socket (when the old one burned out) it quieted down a good bit. Not a whole lot...I would say halfway.

Overall I love it; it's a very dirty, nasty, singular sounding amp but it suits me. I'm not a really clean technical player so the lack of tightness doesn't bug me. It's great for anything from garage to blues to punk to Americana. Wouldn't recommend it for a scooped mids MTV kind of thing but it's an honest to goodness ballsy real rock amp.

Just had it serviced when one of the powertube sockets burned out. Prior to that I used it for 3-4 years 2-5 days a week without issue. I think the reason that socket went bad was because someone loaded it in to a truck upside down and the tube worked it's way about halfway out before we started...arced and burned it. However, I now always make sure they're secure in their sockets before I fire it up.

I doubt Sears would even have info on it.

I love it. It's my only amp and it's a perfect fit for me. If I get another amp or if I could compare it to something it would be a blackface bassman...maybe moreso a bandmaster. I traded for a 4x10 Deville and a Line-6 FM4...definitely worth it. Overall it cost me about $200 out of pocket even with the speaker & tube upgrades. I may rig up a footswitch but I'm not that concerned with it. I'd definitely replace it if it were stolen and I'm always looking for more.

it was made in 1964

i only play through channel two and it s awesome!!! no reverb though just a strange echoing effect

one time but i bought it at a flea market and it just needed the power tibes replaced (i was sure and get a duet!!! all the other tubes are original

no warranty to me they dont warranty stuff at the flea market ha!!

yep i ve had a lot of offers for it lately and i just laugh at them when they offer me a grand i ll consider it!!!i ve had it for 5 years now,, i ve got an art mvp preamp i use with it to get to it distort at one ha!!

heres a really neat trick: jumper the channels i.e. use an instrument type cable and connect input one/channel one and connect the other end input one /channel two. now plug into input two channel two and using a tubescreamer w/ settings at gain full , tone 9 oclock ,volume to same or little louder than when off and set all twin twelves knobs @ 3oclock. your welcome

i use les paul and strat ts-9 original with 808 mod and a little DIY extra courtesy of Brian Wampler @ indyguitarist.ive got alnico pro II's in american paul and japanese in strat. definetely a nice tight crunch with balls to spare. i bought a pair of alnico golds in a 4ohm 2x12 from avatar, good company and products.bought from him twice always excellent service.

it used to belong to a punk rocker b4 me that used toi knock it o0ver as part of the act.the thing has got to be pretty solid if it still works right?

it has its place , does cause a little listeners fatigue about 2hours in continuous.

I have a 1964 Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve. It is phenomenal. Two Channels, one w/ Tremolo. Reverb is so terrible that it's great. A cool little add on. I play Reggae, Ska, and Funk. Along with a little Chicken Pickin'. Great for it. Gig with it and its great. Original Jensen Speakers, non-original tubes. Fairly limited in tones, but could be good for jazz at low volumes or full throttle rock when everything is cranked, which is when it produces that truly tube-driven soaked sound. It looks like it's covered in denim, and it seems like it's made from fiberboard, but it's 43 now, so it can't be that bad.

Mostly play with a Dan Electro 56-U2, Fender Telecaster, and Old Hollowbodies. Great for single coils. Once again, Amp is tonally limited, but don't let that stop you. Amp is a great sound, If you're a garage rock kind of sound. But low volumes keep it clean, its at about 3/4 of the way where it starts to get dirty. Had a little trouble running a CS-3 from BOSS, but that may have been the pedal. Took it down to a boost, Double Muff, and Clone Theory and it handles it great.

Amp is VERY dependable, no problems with it. I do have a guy that works on these types of amps (i.e. Airline, Valco, Supro, Silvertone). I don't gig with a back up, because this thing is a work-horse.

Hmmmm. Wanna hook me up Sears?

Been playing for only about 5 years, but have become very knowledgeable on most gear out there. I have an old Peavey that i played through before this, but now it's Silvertone all the way. If it were stolen i would hunt them down, (aren't too many of these guys in Southern California) but I'm currently trying to find another one right now, as a backup, along with a 1485 for some sweet Jack White tone. The only thing i wish it had was a little more output, some people mod them with twin reverb parts, but i think I'll just pickup a second one and blast them both.

Had all the stuff you would think made it nice at the time. They were just not very good amps It didn't come close to a fender, Gibson or Ampeg in quality. It was a big cheap amp.

Muddy, awful reverb, no punch, no clean sound ... loud enough, but so is a jackhammer ... just not pleasant to listen to. I was studying to be a EE at the time. Compared the schematic of a friends Super Reverb to the Silvertone. Had trouble understanding that they both were 40 watts with 2 6L6s ... yet one sounded like crap (the Silvertone). Answers: Iron in the transformers, Silvertone's were anemic. Power supply ... more grunt means more output past just a spike. Real speakers. Hooked up my speakers to the Super Reverb ... ugh. Hooked up the Silvertone amp to the Super's ... better but no cigar.

It ran fine. On the whole it never gave me trouble however.

Didn't even need them

This amp was a gift from my parents, so I loved it. They struggled to get it for me, so ... I was very thankful. We never really had much money. Realistically, the AMP is a POS. I am blown away by the following it has today. And the folks that say it was/is good. It was never even past fair ... I was lead vocalist and played rhythm so it really didn't matter much. It was loud enough. I had a few lead parts but they never sounded really good or had sparkle. I was happy to part with it ... long after my gigging days I donated it to a church. I had bought a Gibson and used it later on for gigging. My bass player kept it and brought it to jobs. Never had the guts to tell my folks that I had it. When I left home I brought both with me.

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.

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