- Joined
- Jul 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,654
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I picked up a Silvertone amp on Ebay a couple of months back for a friend's birthday present.
I overpaid for it, mainly due to the grill cloth and cabinet condition. You can't tell, because of the flash, but the grillcloth is dark brown with sparkles - I love sparkles. :lol: From what I can tell, these came in point to point and pcb construction. This one was pcb. The tube lineup is: 6x4 rectifier, 2-12ax7's for trem and preamp and originally a 7189, which is similar to an EL84, but rated for 400 volts.
EL84's are happier below 300 and wear out quickly above that. This one was pushing 345 on the plate.
I put in an EL84M, which is a Russian military tube that can handle up to 400 volts. The knock against that tube is that it's "hi-fi" and stays clean longer than a 7189. So be it, the recipient is not a techie and I don't want him to worry about tube life or any of that.
If it was point to point, you might be able to sub in a 6v6 with a bit of work, but the pc board locks you in, pretty much. One of the differences in the power supply is how the filter caps are integrated into the circuit. Normally, the capacitors are connected to a series of resistors that gradually drop the voltage that feeds the plates of the powertubes. This beast, however, has all of the components on the pcb and the caps are connected with leads from the cap to the board itself.
It had problems, of course, that the seller forgot to mention, i.e. no sound. This turned out to be an unsoldered wire from the volume pot. The end result is a cleanish amp with great tremolo and a surprisingly small "floor noise" level. My buddy was using a Strat, which may be why the drive wasn't there - I have a feeling that it'll grow some hair with humbuckers. This example was one of the quietest amps humwise, that I've had in the house. It's not as loud as a Champ, but I think that may be a function of the cheezoid speaker. It's looking like a Weber is in it's future.
I overpaid for it, mainly due to the grill cloth and cabinet condition. You can't tell, because of the flash, but the grillcloth is dark brown with sparkles - I love sparkles. :lol: From what I can tell, these came in point to point and pcb construction. This one was pcb. The tube lineup is: 6x4 rectifier, 2-12ax7's for trem and preamp and originally a 7189, which is similar to an EL84, but rated for 400 volts.
EL84's are happier below 300 and wear out quickly above that. This one was pushing 345 on the plate.
I put in an EL84M, which is a Russian military tube that can handle up to 400 volts. The knock against that tube is that it's "hi-fi" and stays clean longer than a 7189. So be it, the recipient is not a techie and I don't want him to worry about tube life or any of that.
If it was point to point, you might be able to sub in a 6v6 with a bit of work, but the pc board locks you in, pretty much. One of the differences in the power supply is how the filter caps are integrated into the circuit. Normally, the capacitors are connected to a series of resistors that gradually drop the voltage that feeds the plates of the powertubes. This beast, however, has all of the components on the pcb and the caps are connected with leads from the cap to the board itself.
It had problems, of course, that the seller forgot to mention, i.e. no sound. This turned out to be an unsoldered wire from the volume pot. The end result is a cleanish amp with great tremolo and a surprisingly small "floor noise" level. My buddy was using a Strat, which may be why the drive wasn't there - I have a feeling that it'll grow some hair with humbuckers. This example was one of the quietest amps humwise, that I've had in the house. It's not as loud as a Champ, but I think that may be a function of the cheezoid speaker. It's looking like a Weber is in it's future.