1955 Silvertone 1430.
Skip,
I have been benefitting from lurking and want to say thanks for sharing your expertise. It would take me decades to amass as much and even then would be hard pressed to be able to express things as clearly as you have and do.
I am in the market for my first practice amp. After reading here and viewing viedeos, I was looking for an excelsior or a fender champ xd. I came across a 1955 Silvertone. In terms of sound, tone etc., is this amp in the same league as the other two I was looking at getting, the fender champ xd and the excelsior?
Many thanks Skip
Hi Skip
I have a Silvertone 1482 with old tubes in it. I don't know much about amps it has a humming sound after it gets warmed up and I was wondering if this could be worked on to become a decent Harp amp? I bought it in a small music store years ago.
Thanks
Tom Pyburn
Hello Tom- Thanks for writing. Yes, the 1482 is a fine amp for harp and would certainly be worth fixing up. The cabinet and overall construction aren't up to standards of a Fender amp, but they are very cool all the same. Also it's one of the very few vintage amps commonly available for under $500.
Hello McDave- Thanks for writing. Well, you know I love old amps, but I would not suggest the 1430. Everybody loves a cool-looking old amp, especially a nice small one like that 1430, but amps that use tubes with numbers like 50C5 and 35L6 (like the 1430) employ a circuit that rarely sounds better than OK. Also, there is additional shock hazard with these amps.
If you decide on a vintage amp, look for something like a seventies Fender Champ or old Kalamazoo 1 or 2. These vintage amps are still affordable and don't use the goofy circuit of the 1430. Do a little homework; there is a Silvertone that looks just like a 1430, but uses the "classic" tube line-up of a 5Y3, a 6V6, and a 12AX7....... that would be a good one!