Silvertone 1483 Should I upgrade parts

[steve617]

I have a 1965 or 1966 Silvertone 1483. My uncle bought it used around 1970 and had to replace the speaker with a Utah spekaer. I got the amp around 1980 and have kept it since then. About 5 years ago I decided to get in running. I replace a couple tubes and took it to a local repirman and he replaced the 2 prong plug and replace a couple resistors or diodes. Anyway I have been playing guitar thru it and sound pretty good cranked up. I was wondering if I should replace some of the old original tubes or even the old 15" Utah speaker". Here is a list of what tubes are in it.

It has 2 6L6GC's that I replaced they are a rusian made tube with no name listed on tube. Has 1 5y3GT Sovtek I replaced also, Has 1 Silvertone 6GE7 and 2 Silvertone 12AX7. The silvertones of course are originals. Just did not know if I went to a groove tube or something else wouild beneficial. Thanks for any advice.

Pics
1965 or 1966 Silvertone 1483

[Tom Phillips]

…I have been playing guitar thru it and sound pretty good cranked up. I was wondering if I should replace some of the old original tubes or even the old 15" Utah speaker”…It has 2 6L6GC's that I replaced they are a rusian made tube with no name listed on tube. Has 1 5y3GT Sovtek I replaced also, Has 1 Silvertone 6GE7 and 2 Silvertone 12AX7. The silvertones of course are originals. Just did not know if I went to a groove tube or something else wouild beneficial. …

Cool Amp.
Some thoughts.
Swapping tubes can be fun and is a very popular pastime. However, those “Silvertone” tubes were not made by Silvertone. They were most likely made by one of the poplular USA tube companies and marked for Silvertone. This is a good thing. New Goove tubes (or any other currently available brand) will not necessarily make the amp sound any better. If you like the way the amp sounds you could just keep it maintained. Or… if you’d like, try some other tubes but save the Silvertones

Changing the speaker is one way to change the tone and character of an amp. Another popular pastime but that can get expensive and there is no guarantee that you will like another speaker better. It’s very difficult to get a speaker recommendation that is right on to satisfy your tastes. Note that there are fewer 15” speakers to choose from that are suitable for Guitar that there are 12” and 10”.

There is probably a specific Silvertone discussion group out there that someone can recommend if you want to learn more about your amp.

Regards,
Tom

[steve617]

Thanks Tom

As you can tell I'm not that educated on vintage amps. I was thinking that replacing the 45 year old original tubes could bring more life to the amp. I also really wondered if I could replace the 15" for a 12". Just don't know if it would fit. I'll defiently do some research.

Steve

[steve617]

Would this be a bad idea. To take the head of my silvertone and install a jack to power an external cab. Was thinking about a 1x12 perhaps a VOX cab that is used with the nighttrain. Would that be hard to do.

Thanks

[Tom Phillips]

That would work. (But keep reading) The output impedance of your amp is 8 Ohms if it is still stock. A nice speaker cab may be a single 8 Ohm 12" or two 16 Ohm 12" speakers.

A good way to go about this is to try it out with a buddy's speaker cabinet. Then you get to try different speaker set ups without buying up front.

There is one unconventional aspect to the Silvertone 1483 design. There is an inductor in parallel with the speaker voice coil. It looks like a small transformer and is shown in the first picture that you posted. My guess is that its function is to limit the low frequency response of the overall amp. Maybe it sounded too boomy without the inductor. Kind of a band aid approach and, as I mentioned, unconventional. I would first try any new cabinet without using the inductor, evaluate the sound and go from there.

[Sweetfinger]

Would this be a bad idea. To take the head of my silvertone and install a jack to power an external cab. Was thinking about a 1x12 perhaps a VOX cab that is used with the nighttrain. Would that be hard to do.

Thanks

I've used my 1483 with 4, 8, and 16 Ohm cabs. It's all good. FWIW those amps are VERY easy on the tubes and the originals are probably just as strong as anything new today and probably sound better.

[Gollum]

My Silvertone 1484 has all original tubes, and the 6L6's probably need to be replaced but they're still working fairly well.

One of my tubes got microphonic so I switched it to the tremolo channel.

I've got a box of preamp tubes, mostly used, and I couldn't find any that I liked better in the V1 tube position than the original silvertone tube. I really want to know who they were made by (my guess is GE).

You can perform the pencil test to see how microphonic the tubes have gotten, just simple tap them softly with a pencil and see if they produce a loud thud in the amp, and see how long the thud resonates. Extremely loud thuds in the preamp, or thuds that seem to resonate like a note, are signs of an old tired tube usually.

Regarding the speaker, I'd definitely suggest experimenting. I don't have any 15" recommendations, but for 12" my winner is still hands down the V30. I just love those speakers.

Oh, and I've also used my amp on 4,8, and 16 ohm loads with no issues, and I think my amp's supposed to run on 4 ohms. Putting it under 16 ohms isn't a bright idea though, I admit, for transformer design to run 4.

[steve617]

Thanks everyone. Keep sending the good info. I just wonder if I can get a V30 12" to mount were the 15". I dont know exactly how this could be done but would love to try it. I also need or would like to change my speakering so I can run a different cab. Right now its still original. I have changed the 2 prong to a 3.


Steve

[Tom Phillips]

... I just wonder if I can get a V30 12" to mount were the 15". I dont know exactly how this could be done but would love to try it. Steve

I would think there is space to allow you to mount an adapter ring make of say 3/8" plywood that would allow you to mount a 12" speaker on the existing baffle board.

[jhs60061]

There is sufficient room to mount a 12" speaker in place of the 15". My 1483 has an original Jensen Special Design 15" that sounds wonderful, especially considering it's over 40 years old. If you notice, the speaker baffle has a 12" hole in spite of it being a 15" speaker. You'd have to drill new mounting holes to mount the 12" and with very little room between the baffle board and the grill cloth, you'd have to be real careful not to damage the cloth. My grill cloth has been replaced with Fender oxblood grill cloth from Mojotone. Remember, the speaker baffle is particle board, so after 40 years, it's probably pretty brittle and might crack. It is easy to remove from the cabinet since it is only held in with about 12 screws around it's perimeter. You might consider replacing it entirely with a piece of plywood cut to size. This would provide a sturdier baffle on which to mount the speaker. If you decide to replace the baffle, don't forget to cut new stringers for around the edge of the baffle so you have some clearance between the baffle and the grill cloth. The original grill cloth is impossible to find and I've not found a source for anything close. Mojotone has a good selection of various colors of grill cloth and it takes less than 1 yard to replace the grill cloth in this amp.
It is easy to modify the speaker output to a 1/4" jack. Simply drill the proper size hole in the chassis and solder in a jack. The same can be done for the cabinet, requiring an approximate 1" hole drilled through the back, then mounting the 1/4" jack on a plate and attach it to the back.

[steve617]

Thanks for the info. You are right it is a 12" baffle hole. Had no idea. This maybe a good little project.

[neelyjohns]

To replace or not replace? Your mystery Russian tube is probably also a SovTech, Presently I believe they are the only facility in Russia that make tubes, I could be wrong. As far as tone, I'm sure you have been given many tips regarding that. If you are trying to preserve it's value, keep the original tubes as much as possible. The original tubes should hold up for quite a while, the plate voltage is not dialed up very hot on these amps. They are rated for 23 Watts, and a pair of 6L6's are more than capable of delivering 50 watts with the right power supply.