Silvertone 5W combo

I'm not sure if this amp has a model number (it definitely has no NAME), but it's probably the smallest amp Silvertone offered when it was new. It's roughly equivalent to a Fender Champ: 1 6V6 power tube, 1 preamp tube, tube rectifier, 8" Jensen speaker, two inputs, volume and tone knobs. They don't get much simpler than this! The controls are on the rear of the amp (not the top, the rear!) and the grille wraps around the sides. I'd estimate the vintage at very early sixties (looks older than the common Twin Twelve amps), really funky styling.

This amp sounds great, but it basically has ONE sound, that't it. Not as beefy as a Champ, it's nice and clean at lower volumes and as you crank it up, if your pickups have the juice, it starts barking like a dog. My Silvertone guitar with a lipstick pickup can barely get the amp to break up when the volume is at 10; my Schecter Strat with a bridge humbucker can get the amp overdriven easily. Good tone for blues, etc. definitely not a modern high gain rock amp. Noise is typical for a tube amp. The little 8" Jensen speaker doesn't do the amp full justice; I have tried disconnecting the 8" and hooking the amp up to larger cabs and while the volume isn't massive (5 watts only goes so far) the tone was much fatter.

I'd say it's super reliable. I bought it in 1981, when it was probably about 20 years old and the original tubes were still in it. Over the years the only maintenance I've done is replacing the 6V6 with a Sovtek about two years ago. The amp has never broken down even when using it as a bass amp (God forgive me...it was for practicing only, not a gig, OK?). The cabinet itself is not as rugged as a Fender so it needs a little more care if you plan to move it around a lot. As a home amp for practice or recording, it will probably run forever.

This amp was made for Sears by Danelectro. They are out of business and the schematic for this amp is not to be found in the Pittman book. Of course, the circuit is so simple, anyone with reasonable tube amp experience could fix it easily.

Yes, I would buy it again. It came in a $20 package deal with a Danelectro-made Silvertone guitar. You can't beat that price! I've gotten fifteen years of use out of it as a practice amp for both guitar and bass. I can't complain about its drawbacks considering the price I paid for it. I'd be hesitant to recommend paying much more than $50 for one, as it it's not a "magical" vintage amp, but at a low enough price, it's a cool little dude.