Hidden super valuable secret in a Silvertone Solid-State 150

[dukewellington]

You should keep it intact. That’s way cooler than putting into some fender amp.

I love playing through a 4x10. I’d love to try a 6x10.

This was my thinking, too. Can’t tell you how many guitars and amps I’ve owned over the years that were comprised of mismatched parts. The market is full of them. A factory original is a rare and special thing, containing the original equipment installed by the factory workers that created its heritage. Be nice to honor that by keeping the family together, and I’m sure the next owner (there is always a next owner), will appreciate, too, if you’re selective when the time comes. Restorations and refurbishments are different things. Replacing damaged or out of spec parts with modern equivalents, maybe changing some parts values to meet modern wall voltage, rewiring grounds for safety, updating a power cord… all sensible options in an old amp that won’t hurt its value or tarnish its mystique. But if the speakers are good, I’d keep those together as a set until it comes time to sell, and replace with new for the time being. And hey… congratulations on that sweet amp.

 

[BoomTexan]

Some Super Reverbs had them. Like 67 ? I played one that was said to be stock anyway, and looked to be.
Some BF Vibrolux also had them.

Yeah, the 2x10 Vibroluxe came stock with those. I've heard that about the Super Reverbs, but I've also heard that if a regular 10" blew, Fender would replace it with a Jensen so that the lifetime warranty on Jensens could come into effect and in case the amp blew a speaker again, they could blame Jensen.

what? No pics? I thought it was the law, you know?

Well, just for you I put some down below. It's gorgeous, and it has a little slot at the bottom of the cab where the head can fit during transport or just to save space.

Just saw this. I just scored a Silvertone 1485 100 watt tube piggyback setup with the same speakers in it's hardwire attached 6x10.

They really sound amazing.

Good luck with the dorm move-in!

Absolutely. The clean tones are incredible. As soon as I can I'm gonna run it through an attenuator and hear the grit it has on tap. The 1485 is my personal dream amp. 1484 just isn't loud enough? 1485 is the answer. Beautiful clean sound and beautiful overdrive.

Thanks, I just actually got a Torpedo Captor 8 ohm attenuator and I'm building a 12" cabinet. I think my roommates will be happier with that setup as compared to my normal 100-watt head running through a 300W Peavey Black Widow 15" in my massive Fender cab with 2 horns. I've played smaller halfstack setups than what I have going now.

 

[tintag27]

what? No pics? I thought it was the law, you know?

Post 11

 

[eyerish]

Just found a 1465 with 6x10 and footswitch for 400
Don't know speakers yet but what y'all think of the deal?

 

[Wally]

I think that IF there are Jensen C10Qs in good condition in that cab that one has 6 good sounding speakers that have weight in the market only for that sound. They cannot make a valuable vintage Fender amp whole, and therefore they do not have that market value that was mentioned in the first post in this thread. There orange/red slash mark on the label is a drawback…as well as the fact that the labels do NOT have the Fender Logo on them As OEM Jensen C0Qs do. I paid more than I should have for six such speakers about 25 years ago. I did not break even….rare event to lose money that way for me. I do not enjoy that. I live and learn. Sometimes I do not enjoy the lesson. Of course, some buyers do not realize what they are…or are not…buying. That is another discussion.
if the amp pleases one as it is sonically, I figure there is a $200 amp there. Ommv….

 

[BoomTexan]

Just found a 1465 with 6x10 and footswitch for 400
Don't know speakers yet but what y'all think of the deal? View attachment 1054764

I got mine for $300, got $500 for the speakers and kept the head around for my own personal use. If you can verify that the speakers are original and don't mind doing some maintenance, it's a great deal.

 

[Wally]

I got mine for $300, got $500 for the speakers and kept the head around for my own personal use. If you can verify that the speakers are original and don't mind doing some maintenance, it's a great deal.

imho, you found and overly eager buyer who did not appreciate what those speakers both were and were not. Or…the buyer knew exactly what the speakers both were and were not and wanted them for reasons other than making a vintage amp ‘complete and correct’.
Of course, the market is full of uninformed buyers as to what does or does not make an amp ‘complete and correct’.

 

[BoomTexan]

imho, you found and overly eager buyer who did not appreciate what those speakers both were and were not. Or…the buyer knew exactly what the speakers both were and were not and wanted them for reasons other than making a vintage amp ‘complete and correct’.
Of course, the market is full of uninformed buyers as to what does or does not make an amp ‘complete and correct’.

Actually, they sold individually, so several buyers were pretty uninformed lol. A couple sold immediately for $100 apiece and then I just kept dropping the price by $10 every week until they all sold. Honestly, regardless of whether they're original or not, I'd really enjoy one in a PRRI, which is where I suspect many of these go.

 

[eyerish]

I got mine for $300, got $500 for the speakers and kept the head around for my own personal use. If you can verify that the speakers are original and don't mind doing some maintenance, it's a great deal.

Oh well sold it before i could get to it

 

[JPWFaith58]

Just picked up a Sears 1465 Solid-State 150, with the original 6x10 cabinet, all for $300. It sounds amazing, and is super good for 60's SS "garbage." The reverb is super lo-fi and really powerful, and the tremolo is deep and swampy. I hate (another good word would be loathe) saying this because it sounds so cliched to say about Silvertones, but it totally has the Jack White sound. That, however, isn't the reason it's a phenomenal deal. The main reason is the speaker cabinet.

The 6x10 cabinet is awesome! I've always loved weird cabinet shapes, and this one is a doozy. The reason they needed 6 speakers on this amplifier was that each channel on the 1465 is 75 watts. So, what vintage speaker needs a 6 speaker configuration to handle 75 watts?

That's right, it has 6 matched Jensen P10Q speakers, all from batch 110, all from the 39th week of 1967, all in fantastic condition, and all without any tears on the inside. Every speaker outputs sound and that sound is beautiful. I'm thinking I'll put one in a project amp Princeton and sell the rest. If anyone on TDPRI is interested, contact me and we can work something out. I'm leaving this purchase with $600-900 worth of speakers on top of the already awesome amplifier.

If you ever come across a vintage Sears/Silvertone cab, or an amp with cabinet combo, check the cabinet for the speakers. You might just strike gold.

Wow! When I was in high school (c. 1968), a buddy had the tube version of that amp. We plugged the whole band into it- lead, rhythm, bass, vocal mic and my Vox Jaguar organ. We recorded a six-minute jam on “Gloria”. I still have the acetate…

 

[BoomTexan]

Wow! When I was in high school (c. 1968), a buddy had the tube version of that amp. We plugged the whole band into it- lead, rhythm, bass, vocal mic and my Vox Jaguar organ. We recorded a six-minute jam on “Gloria”. I still have the acetate…

I think the 1485 is the amp you're describing. Jack White still uses them, and it's kinda his signature sound. They're pretty popular because of him.