The Universe will provide (SF Pro Reverb content)

[woodman]

Some of you have been following my tale of woe with the ol' brown Pro and its intermittent power brownouts ... so at a big-stage gig last weekend, the brownie crapped out and I had to rely on the 5E3 to get me through. This guy in the crowd comes up to me on break and sez, "Man, I feel your pain. I've got a silverface Pro Reverb sitting around you can have on indefinite loan." So I just grinned and shook his hand and gave him my card.

Made it through last night's gig running the 5E3 through the 15" Pro speaker (tip o' the hat to Charlie Chitlin!), never giving much thought to that guy I thought was just blowin' smoke in a bar. So this morning I answered the phone and, lo and behold, it was that guy.

He sez, "Come on over and get this amp. It needs to be used."

I sez, "Uh — sure be there in a half-hour!"

So it turns out this guy played lounges for years and years ... as you can see, this amp's been rode hard and put up wet. But I went to his house and plugged his MIM Strat into the thing and was pretty heartened.

He sez, "Don't even ask me if I wanna sell it. But play it for as long as you need it."

I sez, "Man, what if you decide you need to get back into playing?"

He sez, "Nah, my chops are gone. I'd rather just remember how it was back when I could play. You're still playing, and that amp needs to be makin' music."

So I brought it back to the Woodshed and checked it out ... appears to be a '73 ... two things are evident: the boy is a DIY nut, and he has great faith in Groove Tubes. I retubed it with some of my NOS stash and cranked it up. WOW! Snarl, chime and coo, huge 3-dimensional sound. This is the first reverb amp I've had in a decade, and I gotta admit it's nice to have some superb-sounding boink.

It does have that typical brash silverface character ... wonder what I could do to get more blackface sounding? I'm tempted to try a cathode bias to mellow it out — my guys will be hollering, "Turn that damn thing down!" But at heart, it's a sweet, responsive amp and I can't wait to gig it.

Only trouble is, it's got to be 65 pounds if it's an ounce. The Celestion Vintage 30's wouldn't have been my choice of speaker, but I admit they sound pretty dang good. I'll play it a while before I do anything radical.

One question for you savvy amp folks: The transformer-looking doohickey in the row of preamp tubes, is that a choke?

It's pretty homely with the industrially stapled cheesy grillcloth and missing logo, but it seems like it'll be a good player that will save my bacon!

Sorry, didn't mean to write the Sermon on the Mount, but thought this'd be a good yarn worth sharing.

[tomfarnan]

That is a beautiful story, and it is amazing what people have lying around.

[milocj]

That's a cool story. My buddy has a Pro Reverb and it's a heavy beast.

I think the transformer looking doohickey near the preamp tubes is the reverb transformer. If I remember correctly the choke is a little bit larger and is located near the power transformer and output transformer.

[Glen W]

Cool story Woody! I'd bet some of that brash character could possibly be those speakers. If the transformer-looking doohickey is between the 3rd & 4th preamp tube, then that's the reverb transformer. Nice amp - enjoy!

[woodman]

Yeah, those speakers ... but I wouldn't feel comfortable swapping them out on a loaner, whereas a cathode bias tweak would be an easily reversible operation. Two things stood out after my first round with it:

* the phase inverter is a 12AT7 ... never had an amp with a 12AT7 PI before, it's not normally an audio tube. Might try a 12AX7, 5751, 12AY7 and see how they react.

* Although the rectifier is a 5U4, generally one of the saggiest rectos, it doesn't get much sag at all. (I pulled out the Chinese tube and put an NOS Tung-Sol in it, no help.)

So for the first time, I'm trying to figure out the silverface mojo. It's different from the blackfaces, browns and tweeds I've played over the years.

[muchxs]

Transformer looking doohicky is indeed the reverb driver. The other similar sized goody is the choke.

Check out a pair of Weber's fancy new neo 12"s. If you don't like the price of the Weber neos at around $150 a pop try a pair of Eminence Lil Texas 12"s. They'll make the amp a whole lot more fun to carry. Expensive speakers in a loaner amp? Take 'em out when you give it back.

[tele salivas]

that is a great story Woodman! I'm just glad there are still people like that in the world, a handshake and offer and the come through...I had a silverface twin from '73,,at first I scratched my head a bit, but then I got the sound...for me it was 'overing the channel volume to the master volume and some new inexpensive eminence speakers...now I look specifically for Silverfaces...I got the bug!

[markito787]

I have that exact same amp. It was even made the same year:) BEAUTIFULLL AMP!!! I just love it...

[otaypanky]

Try plugging in to the 2nd lower powered input and it probably won't sound as brash. You'll need to tweak your tone controls as compared to how you have them set for input 1, but there are lots of nice sounds in #2

[woodman]

This one doesn't have the master vol. I'm sort of glad it doesn't.

[tazzboy]

So woodman have consider getting a Fender Silver face Pro Reverb?

[gtrman100]

I've been jonesin' for a louder DR for awhile, and looking for a SFPR in decent shape for a decent price. I finally found a '74, non master volume that had been a in guys garage, was pretty dirty and a bit noisy, but basically good. It had been Blackfaced, and when I plugged my Tele into it, I could hear angels coughing! I knew with a bit of love, it would be great, the angels would sing.

I got it for $700, took it home, cleaned it up, retubed it with a pair of GT NOS 6L6's, biased it, changed a couple pots, and now it's just incredible. At 40 watts it's got plenty of headroom, but starts to growl when pushed.

It's pretty heavy, about 55lbs, but it's got casters which makes it liveable. It's really all the amp most players need, a Twin is really overkill on the stages I'm on.

[Wardpike]

If there's someone here who truly deserves this kind of treatman, it's Woodman!! KUDOs to you, brother.

[JohnnyCrash]

You lucky $%&*!

Congrats woodman!!!

I wouldn't mess with the PI tube or cathode bias (I've done both to 30-40w BF Fender builds)... you might not like hearing this, but maybe an OD pedal is in your future

[teleman55]

Enjoy that amp! I got a 1970, no master, no mid controls, more or less the same thing. Sounds great no matter what, but here's what got it at it's best for me:
Cheap JJ ECC83/12ax7 in V1, V2, and V4. They sound meh in my SFDR and some other amps but seem made for this one. Leave 12AT7s in V3 and V6. Good ones.
Sylvania tall STR or JJ 6L6GCs.
Eminence Legend 1228K speakers. The stock reconed Oxford 12L6s were good too but mine were about done.
I bet a pair of cannibus rex speakers would sound great in this amp but then it would be way to loud, way too much headroom.

+1 on an OD pedal. Don't need nothing fancy for this amp. TS9 or SD1 will work great.

[stax]

If I was to lend someone a piece of gear I’m not sure how happy I’d be if they started swapping tubes out let alone speakers!!
Having said that, my 70’s Pro has had a few pairs of speakers in it but I settled on some old Celestion Greenbacks.
Strange things happen at gigs, it was only this time last week when someone I’d never met walked up to me just before I was about to go onstage, donated a bass to be sold and the money to help out with our new cd.
The bass was valued at £900.

[tele salivas]

Tubes are easy to swap back in, as out....No master volume, heh? Never played a nonmaster Silverface, either...keep us updated on the progress Woodman!

[woodman]

Yeah, I boxed up all his Groove Tubes for when he wants it back ... it's a three-minute job.

[eddiewagner]

he woody. i have the same beast with mastervolume. it was way heavy too. i put weber signature alnico speakers with dope in it and everything is very cool now transportationwise. it is a bit mellower too. sounds beautiful.

[woodman]

Eddie, I'd love to put some Weber alnicos in it, but I'm broke as a convict right now. Those V30s are just too "in your face" for my taste. And, who knows, the guy could ask for it back in two weeks! A loaner is a two-edged sword ... it's a decent amp that will get me through, but I can't really tweak it out the way I'd like ... if it were mine, I'd probably Blackface it.

Johnny Crash said:

I wouldn't mess with the PI tube or cathode bias (I've done both to 30-40w BF Fender builds)...

Crash, what was your experience tonally with the cathode bias? You're a man of much greater experience in these matters, and I'd really like your take on it.