Should I pull the trigger on an early 70s Super reverb?

[Derrick]

My primary hesitancy when dealing with vintage amps is the shape that the tubes and speakers might be in. The speakers can be replaced easy enough, but some of those tubes are getting hard to find.

What popular guitar amp has tubes that are hard to find? 60s & 70s Fenders have about the most common tubes available, as do most other popular tube amps.

 

[gridlock]

I own two black-line (‘67 & ‘68) Silverface Fender amps, a Super Reverb and a Vibrolux Reverb. I love them both but the Super wins in deeper-fuller tone over the Vibrolux.

 

[Spooky88]

Yeah, every type of repair listed here I’ve done. This thread makes me smile. I’ve come a long way. That being said, I love the super reverb but my active pickups on my partscaster doesn’t. The “sound” is just not there. I’d own a SR if I could get any decent tone out of one. My DRRI and Dual professional sound awesome on the same guitar however. Go figure.

 

[rschiller]

I've been casually keeping my eye open for a Super Reverb for a year now. I'm looking to find one at a good price, and I don't urgently need the amp, since I have two other Fender SF amps I love. One Super Reverb came up in my area for $1200, which includes a Calzone flight case (that the guy selling says it's worth $300) and a foot pedal.

All 4 speakers look original. Cosmetically, it's a little frayed and beat up, but I don't really care too much. It sounds nice, but do I really need it? I already have a 70s Twin Reverb and Princeton reverb. Can't make up my mind, looking for some insight.

How much AC hum does it have when you turn it on with nothing plugged in and everything at zero? If excessive often that can be remedied with new filter caps and B+ resistors. But occasionally its the nature of the beast as the boards themselves just seem to acquire a bit of hum.

 

[GearGeek01]

Does it come with a forklift? If not, I'd pass...

 

[teleplayr]

Does it come with a forklift? If not, I'd pass...

Or if you have a strong back.

 

[ETMusic777]

Been lifting weights, running, cycling and boxing since age 10. Lifting a guitar amp is no big deal if you are in shape (at any age). Just sayin'

 

[viking]

You can buy mine ....! Shipping might be a bit too much , LOL. I have a 74 Super , 45W , no master volume. Sounds absolutely great , but I never use it.
My Bandmaster sounds even better , and tend to be used rather often.....Nothing to do with age , or lifting .....or......hmmm , maybe it is , LOL
Anyway , it goes up for sale before too long , along with the rest of my gear that I dont use.

 

[padreraven]

My primary hesitancy when dealing with vintage amps is the shape that the tubes and speakers might be in. The speakers can be replaced easy enough, but some of those tubes are getting hard to find. I would check for availability of both before jumping into any deal. And if you have a technician that can do a point by point check of the circuitry, that would be something to think about.

I have an old amp and have had to replace tubes more than once. The ones I buy now don't look the same as the ones they replace but they work the same. Go to someone who works on amps and ask if they can get those tubes, they'll know better than anyone else.

 

[padreraven]

Been lifting weights, running, cycling and boxing since age 10. Lifting a guitar amp is no big deal if you are in shape (at any age). Just sayin'

I carted a 60-lb amp up and down 18 stairs for years in my 60s and 70s, and I'm no Ahnold. Do it often enough and it counts as a weightlifting workout. Just don't drop it off the back of your pickup like I did. Fortunately it was fixable. One of the best investments I ever made was to buy some wheeled casters to get it back and forth once I got down the stairs.

 

[blues bondsman]

Those CTS Alnicos could outlast you, just say'n.
However, I had one die and the fine folks at Weber Speakers in Kokomo Indiana resurrected it to perfection and at a reasonable price.
My 69 SF Super reverb is very high on my wish i had never sold it list !

 

[Matt G]

I've been casually keeping my eye open for a Super Reverb for a year now. . . . Can't make up my mind, looking for some insight.

Good luck, @itsGiusto . I'd love one of these things, and if you get it then I'll certainly be interested to hear what you find out. Anything I find here is sure to raise many of the same questions.

 

[Sax-son]

I am an old fart, and I can still lift my Silverface Twin Reverb. Heavy? Yeah, but take the appropriate lifting techniques and don't try to move it if you are tired. That's when the problems happen. Get a band mate to help you lift it then.

 

[ETMusic777]

I am an old fart, and I can still lift my Silverface Twin Reverb. Heavy? Yeah, but take the appropriate lifting techniques and don't try to move it if you are tired. That's when the problems happen. Get a band mate to help you lift it then.

I totally understand that some people have back problems and other disabilities that preclude them from being able to lift amps. I respect that totally. Its just that for normal, healthy men to complain about lifting 50 lbs for a matter of a few seconds here and there smacks me of "not being a real man". Men have really become soft in recent years and its become a problem in society.