Went Silvertone crazy....

[hunter]

Went crazy on Ebay last week. Bought an all original mint Silvertone 1485 and Silvertone 1483. Tubes, speakers, 2 prong power cord, and the heads are even still hard wired to the cabs. Sweet!!!
The 1485 is of course now known as the Jack White model which drove the price up for them. I was happy with the 1100 including shipping. the 6 Jensen 10 inch Jensen speakers should be killer. Already spoke with Mercury Magnetics about a power tranny. They don't make one but would be able to do one for me and they have the output tranny ready to go.
The 1483 was 395 and that covered shipping. I plan on getting the Mercury Magnetics upgrade for it as well. I had one of these when I was a kid and loved the sound it had. A nice dirty 15 inch Jensen always sounds good.
The cheap speaker baffle board has to go though and since I am changing that I new speaker grill may be an option. Was thinking of just getting both of them recovered. Any color suggestions?
I was originally going to buy an Axe FX Ultra but after some serious thought I decided that in about 5 years when the CPU is maxed out and outdated and a new generation of it is out I would be really bummed. The Silvertones will still be going strong. Both of them are 1965 models. 45 years later and still going.... wonder where the Axe FX will be in 4 decades?
Any other Silvertone lovers out there? Any advice or thoughts?
Pictures later this week when they arrive.

 

[QuicksilverSS]

Dad had one of these when i was a kid. I used to make noise on it jamming to the Chimpmonks Doing the Beatles Hits.

 

[BMS]

Nice score! I'd pay $1100 for a 1485 any day. I always wanted to get one. Very curious how the 6 ten inch sound in person. I've come close on getting the 1483 a couple of times. I have a couple of 1484's. One of them was my first amp when I was ten.

 

[BMS]

Oh, pics please!

 

[hunter]

That stack looks awesome!! Pics will be a must. I want a 1484 like you badly!!! My Les Paul is aching to be cranked these bad boys. I really want to try out the 1483 and 1485 in stereo.

 

[Bes628]

I just sold my 1482...hard times for a college kid, but now I can eat and pay my bills...so thats a plus.

 

[imsilly]

Already spoke with Mercury Magnetics about a power tranny. They don't make one but would be able to do one for me and they have the output tranny ready to go. I plan on getting the Mercury Magnetics upgrade for it as well.

A nice dirty 15 inch Jensen always sounds good. The cheap speaker baffle board has to go though and since I am changing that I new speaker grill may be an option.

Any advice or thoughts?

Don't swap out transformers it would be like removing the original PAFs from a vintage Les Paul.

Why bother buying the amps if you are going to gut them of one of the few components that gives them that vintage vibe like speakers and transformers?

If the baffle board isn't damaged don't touch it either, the same with the grill cloth and coverings because it would basically ruin the amps value as well.

No one wants amps someone has messed with at the end of the day and it's always smart to consider what a prospective buyer may want if you come to sell. You'll feel like a tit later down the line when the amps are worthless due to alterations that don't actually improve functionality. The only things you should change on a vintage amp are the ones that are unsafe or broken, everything else is just waste of time and money.

If you don't even have the amps yet you won't even know what needs done anyway, so there is no use planning.

Essentially if it ain't broke don't fix it.

P.S.

The my favourite Silvertone is the 1482, nice amp for home, jams or studio.

 

[Dolebludger]

I bought a new Silvertone 15" combo amp back in '61. It is long gone, but I can still remember that rich, round tone. This was (I think) a result of the rather soft-cone speakers these amps used. If I had changed speakers, that tone would have been gone. Of course, the downside to those speakers was that they blew out at higher volumes, and back then we didn't know about micing the amp and had nothing to mic it through.

But if you buy a vintage Silvertone and change speakers and other parts, you will no longer have that vintage Silvertone sound.

 

[jhdc]

i have a 1484 - i love it, and play my 1446 though it regularly (only guitar I know of other than gibsons that came stock with gibson pickups).

i also have a danelectro dm-25 - basically a silvertone, right? just a fanstastic saturated sound when it is pushed. i even like the tremelo and reverb on it - funky, but great.

anyone looking to get rid of a 1484 cabinet? need one...

 

[hunter]

Don't swap out transformers it would be like removing the original PAFs from a vintage Les Paul.

Why bother buying the amps if you are going to gut them of one of the few components that gives them that vintage vibe like speakers and transformers?

If the baffle board isn't damaged don't touch it either, the same with the grill cloth and coverings because it would basically ruin the amps value as well.

No one wants amps someone has messed with at the end of the day and it's always smart to consider what a prospective buyer may want if you come to sell. You'll feel like a tit later down the line when the amps are worthless due to alterations that don't actually improve functionality. The only things you should change on a vintage amp are the ones that are unsafe or broken, everything else is just waste of time and money.

If you don't even have the amps yet you won't even know what needs done anyway, so there is no use planning.

Essentially if it ain't broke don't fix it.

P.S.

The my favourite Silvertone is the 1482, nice amp for home, jams or studio.

Well the 1485 arrived safely today. Looks really sharp. Everything is one piece so the appearance won't be altered. That being said the trem and reverb are out and it makes some weird noises. So it will be serviced. Tubes, caps-whatever it needs. I get what your saying and I like keeping things vintage and original but only to a point. I would never alter a vintage Gibson Les Paul but if a vintage amp needed a part replaced? No problem. Mercury Magnetics is a pretty stellar company that can keep tired old workhorses up and running and give them new life. The 1483 may be a different story but the 1485 needs a rebuilt or new power tranny. Why not go with the experts? I see that as an upgrade that could be reversed easily for people that want an all original museum piece. I want something I can rely on. Kinda like having a classic muscle car and getting a performance carb for it. Just lets it keep on rocking. I was thinking out loud with the grill and vinyl. It looks killer the way it is.

 

[hunter]

She is a gorgeous beast. Came with original dolly too!! Missing a little bit of covering on one side but other than that this was an awesome find. Just needs to be serviced. Runs way to hot-within a minute the back was like a grill!! Yikes. I want to keep it hardwired-I hate seeing them modded with a speaker jack but that is just me. The 6 10inch Jensens are awesome!!! It is a nice clean sound at low volumes gets really nice and distorted as you turn her up.
Thursday the 1483 should arrive. I am thinking of running them in stereo with my Line 6 M13.

 

[QuicksilverSS]

Sweet! We would love to hear that beast!!

 

[Dolebludger]

Hunter:

Of course, if something is broken, get it fixed, but as close to original as possible. Like, I have this one owner, near mint '61 Gibson Les Paul SG standard guitar. The plastic tuner keys had literally rotted away, even though this guitar lived in its case in a climate controlled closet almost all of its life. I paid more for exact original tuners than I would have paid for better, modern tuners. But that's what we do when we own a classic, as you and I do.

 

[BMS]

Oh yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about. You even got the dolly! Cool.

 

[hunter]

The 1483 arrived. Looks really good. Through the Les Paul it sounds nice and beefy. I have a phase switch and the Duncan Triple shot rings and it sounds sweet when experimenting in just about every position!!!! I really love the bridge position with the slug side off. Wow. Dreamy with some heavy reverb. Time to dust off my Kink's tunes as this is perfect for it.
It is sitting on the 1485's dolly right now. That one is in the shop getting an overhaul. Tubes, caps, pots... whatever it needs.
The 15inch Jensen has a great growl to it. Plug and play!!! No need to tweak it for hours and hours. It is ready to go.

 

[decoy205]

cool silvertones guys! I jam through one on a regular basis. I gotta get pics up.

They record well too! good scores.

 

[BMS]

Sweeeet!

 

[decoy205]

here's the rig i usually jam through. '55 Junior and I think a 64 silvertone?

 

[Dan]

Dad had one of these when i was a kid. I used to make noise on it jamming to the Chimpmonks Doing the Beatles Hits.

My local guitar shop, Shem Creek Vintage Guitars, has a guitar and case combo exactly like that one. Very cool stuff.

 

[Cygnus X1]

My local guitar shop, Shem Creek Vintage Guitars, has a guitar and case combo exactly like that one. Very cool stuff.

Not on topic: I LOVE Shem Creek.
It has been too many years but the Best of Charleston dining without breaking the bank was right there, and you could not get fresher shrimp.
The Boils and beer are heaven!
Others would spend 75 dollars downtown for what we got at Shem for less than half the price.
...Just remember to stay on the right side of the creek, you know what I mean.
Wife and I and friends would go to Josies, or Aw Shucks...probably both long gone.

On topic...that particular guitar case/combo has been bumping all over South Carolina for several years.
I'm fairly sure that one was in the store I had last century, along with a zillion others.
Nothing wrong with it...but it really is just a novelty.