1966 Silvertone 1483

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 12:42 am

I was looking for an amp to get sort of the White Stripes overdrive/distortion sound. I know Jack has used a 1485 a lot and that a 1484 is pretty much the same amp with lower power and a 212 cab vs the 610 cab the 1485 has. The 1483 was made for bass guitar, but has some of the same sounds with guitar. It is two channel with no tremolo and no reverb. (Which is ok since I have pedals for both of those effects anyways and the Silvertone amps don't have the best reverb anyways.

I spotted this on ebay and was drawn to it for numerous reasons. The particle board box these amps are housed in was replaced with plywood. The power cable was already updated to three prong. It also had a bunch of updates and such. (Plus I LOVE paisley and the cover on it is awesome. As you can see with pictures, I have it hooked up to a massive speaker cabinet.

Here are the mods and such from the listing:

I would much rather restore one of these old Silvertones that has been through the ringer than a museum piece because it allows me to make the improvements that are talked about, but most wouldn't do to their prized collectable. This amp has been restored for the stage and is much more versatile and better able to handle the abuse of the road, while keeping it's Danelectro sound and character. First let me say that it has received a complete tune up as far as cleaning all pots, jacks, switches, sockets and grounds. The failing and suspect caps and resistors have been replaced with original factory values and should give many years of reliable use. The tubes are all vintage American and have been hand picked for tone (to my ears) and test strong to new old stock on my Precise 111 tester.
The improvements;
1- The original cabinet had been damaged beyond repair, they were built from particle board and didn't hold up well to many years of road rash. The new cabinet is made from quality 1/2 inch plywood and has been glued and screwed and will hold up short of dropping it off a cliff. It has been covered with a paisley pattern brown suede tough fabric that looks great and will handle being bumped around during travel. It has new rubber feet and the original handle that was still solid. The cabinet has been completely lined with aluminum foil tape to shield the chassis from outside noises. The cabinet has also been made about an inch deeper to protect the tubes from being hit while traveling around.
2- This amp has been modded to accept either 6V6's or 6L6's. A switch in the back switches between the original 270 ohm cathode resistor for 6L6's, and a 350 ohm cathode resistor for 6V6's keeping them from running too hot and having a short life. This is an awesome mod and both guitarists and harp players will appreciate the versatility for different types of music and venue sizes. The amp will come with a set of well matched vintage RCA 6V6's.
3- The output transformer was shot but the replacement is far better suited for these amps and allowed for the mod mentioned above. This is a vintage Hammond output tranny that keeps the distinct Danelectro sound, but is built with better quality and less prone to failure. It needs an 8 ohm speaker load when using 6V6's and a 4 ohm load when using 6L6's. There are people that don't stick to these rules but it will put stress on the winding's and can blow the tranny.
4- The standby switch has been rewired to be a true standby.
5- A heavy grounded power cord has been installed for safety.
6- I made some retainer clips for the tubes to keep them tight and in place while traveling.
7- A copper shield has been installed behind the power tubes to eliminate the loud buzz from the second channel that seems to always be a problem with these amps.

20160920_164430 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

20160920_164440 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

20160920_164450 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

20160920_164455 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

20160920_164523 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

20160920_172348 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

20160920_172624 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 2:34 pm

Looks like it was a labour of love.

Brandon W · Post by **Brandon W** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 3:22 pm

i have a tube pignose that nails that sound also.. pretty neat amp.. i like the one pictured too

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 3:46 pm

That Silvertone is cooler than original because of that cab.

Those Pignose tube amps are cool too, basically a 1950s Bassman with master volume and a speaker.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 5:47 pm

It is cool that the other versions of the 1485 that aren't Jack White connected can be had for not too much money. They sound really nice. I was really fortunate to find one that already had the updating and safety work done. The look was a bonus for me. I really like the covering and that the cabinet for it is so sturdy.

Freethenoise · Post by **Freethenoise** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:41 pm

I want one of those Silvertone lunchbox-sized heads.
Real bad.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Tue Sep 27, 2016 3:01 am

Enjoy! I fucking love mine, my bass player homie was using mine as a bass amp and I used my 1482 the last few months, got it back because I wanted more volume and fell in love with it all over again. At 22w it makes me wonder why it was ever considered a bass amp. I like it more than the 1484/1485 personally. With a 15 it's pretty chimey compared to a muddy ass 1482.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 7:50 pm

Very cool find. Yer lucky with those upgrades.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 4:31 am

Working on a bigger cab for this head. I have an empty vox cabinet coming and a Jensen C12Q coming in to go inside. I went with that speaker because it should give me a similar sound to the old Silvertone cabs, but with more sturdy construction hopefully.