# New Amp Day! 1972 Super Reverb



## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I just picked up this fine beauty. 1972 Super Reverb. CTS alnico speakers. It sounds amazing. It needs a cap job. Almost everything is original. Even original RCA tubes. I am planning to pull the grill cloth and cleaning it. The grill cloth support frame (MDF) is a little warped, I may cut a new one
out of plywood. I am ordering new caps this week to replace. The tremolo is weak. Tube swapping made no difference, so I will change the roach. Normal stuff for a 43 year old amp. That's a whole 'lotta amp for $650.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

One of the best all around live amps ever made! Congrats.


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## Fox Rox (Aug 9, 2009)

That is a great amp and an amazing price. Congrats!


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

nice amps for sure, heavy suckers


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I had never owned or recall every seeing up close, a vintage Super Reverb. I read so much about its weight on the internet, people commenting on its size and weight. I had come to expect a boat anchor that might just live at rehearsal space and never leave. I was pleasantly surprised, it was smaller and lighter than I had expected. At 43 and 6'1", I am saying it's not challenging for me to move around. Yes stairs would be a PITA but otherwise not bad. It is certainly bigger than my Princeton shown, but no boat anchor. It sounds glorious, and it's certainly worth its weight in tone. When you are used to lugging a PA with bass bins to a gig, this amp seems easy.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Congrats! Those super reverbs are a mainstay in the live blues music scene.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Nice score! No one is going to pick that baby up and run away with it.


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

I've been dealing with a strong desire for a few days to buy a Super Six Reverb, and this thread will not help.

Nice buy!


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Its good you mentioned the Super Six. Suddenly, this SR ain't so big after all.


Yep, that's a lot of tone for $650.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

At least they come with wheels..... nice score dude


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

No wheels on this one! I Ordered new main caps, board caps, tremolo roach, vintage style RCA cords for reverb and new dual foot switch. Lookimg forward to the tune up. Sounds smazing as is with original caps. Wondering if new caps will effect tone in any way? Maybe a little on the bottom end I hear others say.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Nice amp and a bonus score at that price.

Check the existing MDF baffle before you replace it, as it might use a combination of battens and glue into channelled grooves. If that's the case, it would likely require you to "hog" it out with a saw and Dremel tool, sander or some such. Doable, but not an easy job and it just might be more than you figured on in the end (you'd likely have to mod the mounting system for the new ply baffle also - a bit of work and something that might de-value an otherwise unmodded amp, FWIW). Just want you going in with eyes open on that one as I've seen that sort of baffle mounting system on bigger SilverFaces before...


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

keithb7 said:


> No wheels on this one!


 There's holes though right.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

Nope. No holes. Just gliders. Castors were an option in 1972. I guess when the dealers back in the day placed an order with Fender, they must have had to choose to add castors. For this amp they did not.


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## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

keithb7 said:


> I read so much about its weight on the internet, people commenting on its size and weight. I had come to expect a boat anchor that might just live at rehearsal space and never leave. I was pleasantly surprised, it was smaller and lighter than I had expected. When you are used to lugging a PA with bass bins to a gig, this amp seems easy.


The ultimate gigging amp, although IMO a Vibrolux Reverb might be at the top of that list for vintage Fenders. Once you change out the speakers in your Super Reverb it will probably add some weight, and I assume you'll do that for a huge tone improvement and to protect the value of the original speakers.
Replacing the speakers in my SR probably added at least 10 pounds and I can confidently say that it tops the scale at +70 lbs. A popular speaker set-up in a Super Reverb is 2 alnico and 2 ceramic magnet speakers, which I have in mine and it does indeed sound incredible. I originally had thought of putting 1 alnico and 1 ceramic on each of the top and bottom however the folks at Weber had recommended the 2 alnico on the top.
Here's a photo of mine however the Reverends have since been replaced by a pair of Webers.
And if you look closely at the second photo you can see my Super Reverb onstage behind this famous guitar player. Mine was there as backup however his Super Reverb head was plugged into my speakers. He had tried my Super during soundcheck however so that he could dial in the tone just in case his amp went down and he had to make a quick switch-over. When I got the amp back home I made note of the amp settings. Volume? On 10.








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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

Pretty sweet ampaholic. What year is yours? Who is the famous guitar player? I am not sure. The dark guy in the black hat?

I also learned something really cool that I did not know about dialing in a tone on the SR. By turning the tone, middle and bass knobs down you get zero volume, no matter
were the volume knob is set to. Then you can dial up from zero, the bass middle and treble settings to where you like it. It works great! It is surprising where you end up on 
the dials sometimes for a sweet tone!


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## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

keithb7 said:


> Pretty sweet ampaholic. What year is yours? Who is the famous guitar player? I am not sure. The dark guy in the black hat?


Mine is a drip edge '68. Early enough in the run that it has the AB763 circuit.

The guy in the hat is Junior Mack, an outstanding player in his own right, but the "famous" guy I'm referring to is the one with the long blond ponytail playing unbelievable slide guitar on an SG. (hint, hint!) He was sitting in with Jaimoes Jasssz Band. The guy on B3 is Bruce Katz.


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## darksider (Nov 4, 2007)

That's Derek Trucks, nice! (bearded guy just left of the bassist with the black hat). We saw Tedeschi Trucks band earlier this year and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

Congrats on the score! There is an almost identical one posted on kijiji near me that I'm thinking of checking out. Supposed to be all original. The guy is asking $1100, so we have a bit of haggling to do


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## Petey D (Sep 8, 2011)

Awesome amp, at good price! Good score, I'm jealous...


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I dont think $1100 is out to lunch for these SF amps really. Compare what new amps are out there today in the $1100 price range. The Super is a whole lotta excellent amp for sure. I got really lucky on the price. I was not even looking for one but I knew to jump at it. If a guy were looking specifically to own a SR I dont think using $650 as a realistic number is recommended. Again, its a whole lotta tone to the right buyer.


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## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

keithb7 said:


> If a guy were looking specifically to own a SR I dont think using $650 as a realistic number is recommended. Again, its a whole lotta tone to the right buyer.


Certainly $650 is a steal but I don't think the Super Reverb (and other large models) has bounced back from pre financial meltdown prices like smaller vintage Fender amps have.


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

ampaholic said:


> Certainly $650 is a steal but I don't think the Super Reverb (and other large models) has bounced back from pre financial meltdown prices like smaller vintage Fender amps have.


 They never will bounce back there is just very few venues requiring big power tube amps.


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