Chaz
4 posts
Jul 13, 2016
4:22 PM
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So... I broke down and purchased my first vintage amp- a mid 50's Silvertone 1333. Everything original. Ridiculous tone... so cool. Thing is- I don't have much headroom. I get to 3 just before feedback- and she sounds truly great- already way louder than my VHT 6- and once again, that TONE. Perfect for studio and small gigs, I can mic her, etc.
But... is there a lower gain option for the pre-amp tubes? It has the old octal pre-amp tubes (6sc7 and 6sn7). I have no interest in any mods besides a tube swap and even that gives me pause because I don't want to lose any of what I already hear... but it would be nice to creep up the volume dial and push those tubes a bit. I'm torn- should I just leave her alone??? I'm far from an expert in this area so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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Barley Nectar
1240 posts
Jul 13, 2016
5:16 PM
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There is no lower gain option with that tube complement.
Reducing gain by tube swaps then turning up the volume does NOT drive the power tubes harder. It's all internet BullShit! What a lower gain tube in the preamp does do is it gives you a more manageable range on your VC. Easier to stay in the sweet spot. Best thing to do with that amp is take it to a good tech and have it tuned up including replacing all vintage electrolytic caps and any old paper and wax type. It probably need some new tubes also. If that amp is original, it will not last very long without a good servicing.
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Chaz
5 posts
Jul 13, 2016
5:26 PM
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@ Barley- Thank you so much for the info- like I said I'm pretty new to all of this stuff. I'm thrilled with the amp and she is great as is. BTW, she's tip top- I purchased her from Big Jon Atkinson. All serviced everything in great working order. He was awesome to work with.
Last Edited by Chaz on Jul 13, 2016 5:27 PM
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1847
3555 posts
Jul 13, 2016
5:31 PM
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Big Jon Atkinson.....
he played saturday, kicked ass and took names.
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Chaz
6 posts
Jul 13, 2016
7:18 PM
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Phenomenal music. His amp business is exceptional. He puts great care into these old amps and provides great service and fair prices.
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Bugfan
43 posts
Jul 13, 2016
8:58 PM
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Way cool amp .You definitely wouldn't want to mod a classic amp like that at all. Could change the speaker for an old and maybe less sensitive (to highs) alnico one would help a little - keep the old one safe to reinstall! Surprises me that you are getting feedback that early on. I reckon the best improvement will be changing mic - after all that's the other half of the feedback equation...well the other third ,as there is mic/cupping technique and "mic to amp" placement etc
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barbequebob
3249 posts
Jul 14, 2016
10:20 AM
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From experience with vintage amps, under NOR CIRCUMSTANCES you should ever bring them to an amp tech who does not specialize in vintage amps or you will risk them royally screwing them up. I know of so many musicians who didn't heed this warning and those amp techs who didn't specialize in vintage amps totally and sometimes permanently ruined them!!!
On many of those vintage amps, tube swaps are probably the single dumbest thing you can possibly do and if you think you need to do that, trust me, the real problem has nothing to do with the amp, mainly your playing technique.
Out of four amps I presently own, three of them are vintage amps, a real '59 Bassman (I've owned it since 1983), 1965 black faced Fender Champ, 1948 Sears Silvertone and the only non vintage amp is a 1995 Pro Junior.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Chaz
8 posts
Jul 14, 2016
3:17 PM
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Glad I brought this to the forum- thank you everyone for the info and feedback. Leaving her alone. She makes a great sound even with my modest 2 year old skills. Hopefully I will grow into her even more.
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shakeylee
547 posts
Jul 16, 2016
8:13 PM
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if the problem that worries you is feedback,have you tried other mics?
what mic are you using?
a kinder,squeal killer,harp break,noise gate,etc.transformer if it's lo z .things like that might be worth trying
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www.shakeylee.com
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528hemi
519 posts
Jul 17, 2016
5:05 PM
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Just get a Volume control for you Mic and dial it down some...Try that first....works wonders
528hemi
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jbone
2194 posts
Jul 17, 2016
8:04 PM
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For some time my dilemma was volume with natural warm tone from an amp. I tried several amps and a few mics as well. My root problem was I was demanding what a harp, a mic, and an amp, could not provide. I could not keep up with the high volume bands I was trying to play with, period.
I had a '59 Bassman replica built and it was pretty awesome, but eventually I sold it off due to its weight and my lack of need for it.
In the past 10 years my focus has been more on duo stuff, acoustic and amped both. I've had a Silvertone 1482 for about 12 years and it's a great amp. I have swapped one pre amp tube but otherwise it's stock. I use either a Shure 585 or a nicely modded EV m43u and a Lone Wolf Harp Delay pedal in between. We bought matching Fender Vibro Champs a few years ago and they are great but since we're minimizing as much as possible we're going to stick with the 1482's (wife and I have matching 1482's).
I do love amped playing but we do quite a bit of acoustic and I love that too. We like to be prepared for any room so when gigs pop up we're ready.
Small tube amps have the best tone depending on mic used. I have pretty much gotten ok with not having huge volume but great tone.
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Chaz
9 posts
Jul 25, 2016
12:13 PM
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I totally agree jbone. Update: I got a mojo pad from lone wolf. Headroom to spare, plenty of volume, easy as pie to dial in the sweet spot (especially helpful for jams and gigs), and the tone control is actually useful. The tone is still amazing- if any change at all maybe even a little fatter with a touch more low end. A simple, small, inexpensive box. I should be good for a long while now with this silvertone- it's perfect for me.
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jbone
2197 posts
Jul 26, 2016
9:51 PM
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Good move Chad!
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Thievin' Heathen
794 posts
Jul 26, 2016
10:16 PM
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"under NO CIRCUMSTANCES you should ever bring them to an amp tech who does not specialize in vintage amps"
Heed those words.
I made the mistake of letting someone's dad, "the amp tech/expert" do a cap job on my EA-35T. I will have to send it off to Skip Timmons if I ever want to get it back to what it's supposed to be, or do my best to re-wire it by the schematic with real (vintage if possible) audio amp components. The worst thing about it is he thought he knew what he was doing and thought he was doing me a favor.
Live and learn. Fortunately, I only paid $60 for the amp.
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