Silvertone Amplifiers

(Silvertone 1484 "Twin Twelve" on its 2x12)

I have recently become enamored with a new amplifier in my usual “gear” viewing sessions on the internet. Actually, the line of amps is far from new but is one of the most underrated (until recently) line of amplifiers of all time. The amps I’m talking about are the infamous Sears Roebuck Silvertone amplifiers. Sears stocked these amps in the 1950’s and 60’s and they were considered a budget amplifier for the aspiring guitarist. Even back then, it was tough for the average consumer to afford the favored Fender amplifiers and there were not many other alternatives available.

Most guitar/gear enthusiasts immediately think of the legendary Fender amplifiers from the 50’s and 60’s but there are many other great amplifiers that have flown under the radar for decades. That’s not to say that the old tweed or black face Fenders aren’t deserving of their accolades since they are unbelievably good amplifiers, but their vintage market prices reflect this. The high prices of old Fender amps are unrealistic for many guitar players, especially now during a global economic recession, so the search for substitutes has started to really hit full force.

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon a well-used 1956 Gibson GA-20 so I did my research and found that there was a recent movement where players were starting to use old Gibson “tweeds” in place of Fenders. These amps always flew slightly under the radar and prices were typically low for Gibson amps of the 50’s and 60’s. Obviously, this recent movement drove prices up in the market and now there are a handful of old Gibson amplifiers that are just as coveted as a lot of old Fenders from the same era and the prices are more on the level of highly touted vintage equipment.

After researching the Gibson GA-20 a little bit, I thought this ‘56 sounded like the perfect, basic, little amplifier for me. I had a hard time finding any negative reviews on it and the tone was supposed to be incredibly similar to some old Fender tweeds. When I received the amp, it was in need of a little work. I had to repair a small hole at the edge of the cone in the original Jensen speaker, secure a few things within the chassis, replace a screw here and there, and fix up the baffle a little bit. After a few hours of some good care, the little 12 watt tube amp was up and running and sounding amazing! I played a couple of different Fenders and Gibsons through it and they all sounded fantastic. There was, however, one glaring issue and it was no surprise to me as it was expected. It’s a basic amp and very one-dimensional. It plays low volume clean tones very well and you can also get a little bit of gain out of it when cranked, but I wouldn’t consider gain one of its stronger points. The GA-20 does its job and serves its purpose very well but I found myself still wanting more, even out of my clean tones.

Fast forward a couple of months to mid April…

Now before I go any further, I feel I should insert my personal preference disclaimer here. The band to be mentioned is a band I like and nothing more. I am not making any claims as to how good they are, or trying to push them on anyone, etc… To each their own, right?


…and I find myself at the Death Cab for Cutie concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. One thing that completely jumped out at me was how good their clean tone was and just how good everything sounded in general. I have always known that I really liked their tone, but the live show seemed to reiterate this for me. Once I got home from the show, I started to do some research to figure out what gear they used and how they got their desired tone. The amps the two guitarists were using were a Fender Tremolux, Orange Tiny Terror (modified), and a customized Silvertone. The Silvertone jumped out at me because I felt like I had been hearing a lot recently about artists using Silvertone amps and guitars again in the modern era so maybe they were all onto something.

First, a little background and some basic information on Silvertone amps. As stated earlier, they were budget amps available at Sears stores in the 1950’s and 60’s. The top of the line amp, the “120 watt” 1485, sold for a whopping $240 (give or take). I have read a few sites and forums that have said Silvertone amplifiers frequently came in well below their published wattage and the commonly stated actual wattage of the 1485 seems to be around 90 to 100 watts. Also, to keep costs down, Silvertone amps and cabinets were made out of a material similar to particle board or pressboard, and tolex wasn’t used to cover the boxes, but rather a material similar to wallpaper. Though many sites seem to say this wallpaper material was used because it was cheap, I don’t know if I agree because there were quite a few amplifiers near the higher end during that era that used a similar material. I’m sure I could research that a little bit more, but for now I’m going to assume that this could have been an industry standard and merely a preference of a manufacturer based on certain internal and external factors.

Some of the more positive aspects of these amps are actually pretty impressive. First, bargain amps or not, they were manufactured in the USA with the high quality standards of 50’s and 60’s. The amps were wired point to point which can be considered better because the connections between components are kept as short as possible. Also, the amps and cabinets came with Jensen speakers. Jensen was, and still is, one of the top speakers of its time. Now, clearly, Sears Roebuck is not a guitar and/or amplifier manufacturer so they had to have someone make their line of gear for them. The company to do this for Sears was Danelectro. Danelectro has always been notorious for extremely unique designs and sounds so at the time this was a perfect marriage for Sears. Sears knew it would be getting a high enough quality product that could hold up with the major guitar/amp companies but was different enough that it may be able to develop a niche in the market.


The most popular modern artist, and the one that seems to be credited with the Silvertone revival, is Jack White of the White Stripes and Raconteurs. The older guitar enthusiasts have held the Silvertone name in high regard as time has passed due to many of their favorite legends using Silvertone amps but very few of the young players even knew about them until Jack White came on the scene with his amp and guitar. That said, a whole new wave of people was brought into the cult world of Silvertone.

(Jack White with Silvertone amps)

With the recent influx of new players looking for old Silvertone amps to play, the prices have been driven up much like the old Gibson amps. At one point a high end Silvertone head could be picked up for under $200. Now, good luck finding one for that much! I was watching a 1485 head (ironically, the same model Jack White uses) on Ebay and the auction ended at $452.50 and I saw another one with its matching 6x10 cabinet in excellent condition go for about $1500. If you have the matching cabinet in good working condition with any of the heads, add on a couple hundred dollars to the price. Still, the prices are a great deal for an amp comparable to a Fender amp of the same era. Good luck finding an old Tremolux or Bassman for that kind of money!

(Silvertone 1485 with 6x10 Cabinet)

I eventually figured out, my desired amp was the Silvertone 1484, commonly known as the Twin Twelve. This is supposedly the same amp that Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie plays and about half the power of the 1485 used by Jack White. The 1484 seems to be the preferred amp of many players because it doesn’t have so much power that it’s either heavy with gain or a really loud clean but enough to be a solid clean amp that can be cranked to a tasteful crunch. If you’re looking for a heavier crunch, you will need to use some sort of pedal.

Finding a 1484, aka the Twin Twelve, or a 1485 for a low price has become very tough although still possible with some good hunting. I spent a few days searching Ebay, Craigslist, and the far reaches of the internet that Google manages to work itself through and I eventually found a pretty good price for a 1484 head with all the tech work already done that would be needed on one of these amps. I found it at a pretty cool little store out of Pennsylvania that had it and ended up buying it from them. I like this store so much that once I receive the amp, I plan on doing a write up about the store. It’s a pretty unique store with a really cool concept.

I eagerly anticipate the arrival of this amp and have a lot of plans for it. Once I get some serious time with it, maybe I will write up a thorough review of it, but for now, the little insight into the Silvertone name will have to suffice.

Thanks for reading!