# Sears Silvertone Frustration!



## GLthruZ (Oct 20, 2009)

To anyone who knows about vintage silvertone amps!

I have the 1481 model, with 1 12AX7 and 1 6V6GT, and 1 6X4.

I had the amp serviced and put about 150 bucks into it (it was only a 300 dollar amp to buy), and basically it still sounds like junk - I had JJ tubes put into it, and I think that preamp 12AX7 doesn't have sufficient gain - the sound is quiet, clean and sterile despite those being high quality tubes. Before that, even the 50 year old silvertone tubes that were in it sounded better!

Also, does anyone know what the 6X4 does, or have they ever heard of that tube? I'm new to the silvertone scene, but ever since the summer when I bought it, I haven't been able to get the sound it can apparently achieve.

Any help is much appreciated, ie which type of tube I should replace it with, etc.

thanks!


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

I'm no expert on anything, especially SilverTone amp circuits, but I believe that amp is an early 1960's vintage (my guess would be somewhere near '63 by the model #). From the little I know about SilverTones of that era, they were mostly intended for quite clean tones, especially by today's standards. That is not to say that you can't get quite a bit of grit out of a SilverTone (just ask a lot of indie and grunge artists that have used them over the years), but you often have to overdrive the front end of them to get the desired level of grease/dirt/crunch. 

Was the shop/tech that did the work competent and experienced? If so, it's possible they brought the amp up to spec and what you're getting is the intended tonal characteristics of that circuit. Disappointing perhaps, but not much you can do other than mod the circuit or use a boost/overdrive in front to drive the front end. If the work was sketchy, you might want to get a second opinion or have someone familiar with vintage circuits give the amp a listen (should sound warm and alive, not sterile, even if clean). 

Of course, you might want to try a few different tubes in there if you have the opportunity. Even tubes of the same brand and type can sound quite different, especially in combination with other tubes. My guess is that the 6X4 is a rectifier in the power supply side of the circuit, but I could be way off on that one, so take that with a big grain of salt. 

Good luck with the amp - hope it gets you closer to where you want to be!


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

i don't know...this doesn't sound too capable of cleans to me...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rovGu0R5Pco]rovGu0R5Pco[/youtube]


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

No idea, but here are your tubes. The data may feel complicated or archaic but it is easy to google. You really don't need to know all the information, but at the least this will give you a feel for what you have in there.

Full Wave Rectifier: http://www.nj7p.org/Tube4.php?tube=6X4

High-Mu Twin Triode: http://www.nj7p.org/Tube4.php?tube=12AX7

Beam Power Amplifier: http://www.nj7p.org/Tube4.php?tube=6V6Gt


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## Greenbacker (Mar 29, 2007)

jimihendrix said:


> i don't know...this doesn't sound too capable of cleans to me...
> 
> [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rovGu0R5Pco]rovGu0R5Pco[/youtube]


Hard to tell how much of that is the amp and how much of that is the mic clipping.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Again, I'm no expert, only going by what limited experience I've had with SilverTones. Remember my folks buying me one in the early 70's from Simpson-Sears and I couldn't coax any power tube distortion whatsoever, but it did have some nasty speaker breakup at higher volume settings which wasn't particularly musical. One vintage amp I never regretted getting rid of, btw...

Saw Death Cab for Cutie open for Neil Young last year and the lead singer/guit player had a pair of vintage SilverTones which I thought sounded pretty dreadful, no matter how many good pedals he had in front of them. Fortunately, the other guitarist in the band had a toneful rig.

jimi, just listened to your clip and I'd agree that amp does not feature nice clean tones (to say the least!). Definitely not sweet power tube saturation rich in harmonics there either. No offence, but distortion like that is harsh to my ears.


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

GLthruZ said:


> To anyone who knows about vintage silvertone amps!
> 
> I have the 1481 model, with 1 12AX7 and 1 6V6GT, and 1 6X4.
> 
> ...


The 6X4 is indeed the rectifier. Rectifiers don't affect tone, except for the usual "sag" of using a tube rectifier in the first place. They work in the power supply to convert the AC voltage from the wall into DC voltage that can power the amp circuit.

This amp is basically the SilverTone version of a Fender Champ. 5 watts or so of Class A vintage power.

There were LOTS of Silvertone amps! They were all different, just like there are many different Fenders or Marshalls of different power ratings and different tones.

Your amp is good for vintage, early 1950's tones. It's never gonna be a gain monster for slam dancing! Think Muddy Waters and not Dimebag Darrell. The circuit is very simple. Changing tubes doesn't do much, I'm afraid. The idea that tube brands make a great difference on tone is one of those "mojo" things. I've never heard of anybody actually passing a blindfold test about changing tube brands. You have to remember that tubes, caps and other amp parts are not sonic devices. They handle electrons, not sound waves. The tubes have no idea if the signal is audio, radio or whatever. It's just electricity. It doesn't get converted into sound until after the speaker.

If you really want to change an amp's tone you have to solder! You need to make changes in the electrical values of the circuit. This requires time and effort into learning electronics. Anybody can swap tubes around. You can put different brands of windshield wipers on your car but you won't get any more horsepower from the engine.

What would help would be to replace the speaker with a modern Eminence or Weber. The original speaker is very lame by modern standards. Either of the two brands I suggested would be much louder with great tone. 

It would be a good idea to keep the old speaker in case you ever want to sell the amp. Collectors like everything original, even if it doesn't sound as good. That's why they're collectors and not great players!:smile:

:food-smiley-004:


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## GLthruZ (Oct 20, 2009)

Thanks Bill, that helps a bit... although I do think that changing tubes affects the tone... I'm not an electrician, but I am a musician and trust me, it affects the sound.

Unfortunately I don't know how to 'thank' people on here cause I'm pretty new. 

Also, I'm not sure if Jensen makes 8 inch speakers, but if they do, wouldn't that be the brand to put in there?


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Hard to beat vintage Jensen alnicos (P8R) for these applications if you're looking for the real deal vintage tone. If you're buying an older vintage model, make sure that the paper cone isn't damaged and that the voice coil doesn't rub. These come up on E-Bay in this size from time to time, although the 10" and 12" sizes are far more common.

There is a vintage reissue Jensen P8R that's not really like the original, but does give you a bit of that vintage alnico flavour in a new production model. For about the same money or slightly more, you'd might want to check out Weber's 8A100 or 8A100T (differing breakup characteristics). Mojotone also makes a ceramic magnet 8" model that is worth checking out, should be a little cheaper than either the Jensen or the Webers if cost is a consideration with a new production speaker.

Oh yeah - check to make sure you get a speaker with the proper impedence (ohms rating) for your amp. If you're in doubt, check with your tech or find out from a reliable source (is there a SilverTone user group out there?).

Hope this helps...


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