Fender Super Reverb Amp

HBkahuna

Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 1778
Star, Idaho. Formerly lived in Surf City USA.
United States

Posted on Feb 21 2007 06:54 PM

Anyone have any thoughts or experience with the Femder Super Reverb Amp? I have seen several 1 to 2 year old reissues in new condition for sale recently in the $800 range & was considering a purchase.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/msg/279076452.html

Top

Boulder_Bob

Joined: Mar 29, 2006
Posts: 132
1 News Pin

Posted on Feb 21 2007 07:35 PM

A stock Super breaks up a bit too early for me - but I think you can change a 12AX7 to a 12AT7 in one of the slots to help - there's an interesting comparison of a vintage vs. a reissue in the new Guitar Player mag

I think Dave Wronski used a pair of Super Reverbs at one time (see the photo on Warning:), but he probably did some mods

the other thing you can do is put in a solid state rectifier which helps reduce "sag" - tightens up the amp response a bit and maybe more surf suitable

I think it depends on your gig situation - could be a good "indoor" amp but probably not enough for outdoor venues

for $800 can you get a Silverface Twin Reverb nowadays?

Top

Fripperton

Joined: Aug 14, 2006
Posts: 270
3 POTD Pins

Posted on Feb 21 2007 07:36 PM

It depends on what sound you're after. The Super Reverb is often thought of as one of the ultimate blues club amps because they sound so good when they're cranked for that kind of music. I have an early 70's model and it works pretty good for rhythm when the volume is set around 4 to 5. After that it starts to get into that bluesy "edge" range of sound that is very sweet for many things but not what has come to be accepted as a proper Surf tone. Plus they're loud. A lot of guys have retired theirs because of that and the weight issue that comes with a 40 watt amp with 4 10" speakers in one package. They've found they can crank a Deluxe Reverb and mic it and save their backs hauling equipment into the garage at 3:17 AM.

—

There is Surf east of Sepulveda.

Top

Fripperton

Joined: Aug 14, 2006
Posts: 270
3 POTD Pins

Posted on Feb 21 2007 07:51 PM

BTW This is probably just down the street from you.

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/msg/282524248.html

image

—

There is Surf east of Sepulveda.

Top

HBkahuna

Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 1778
Star, Idaho. Formerly lived in Surf City USA.
United States

Posted on Feb 21 2007 07:56 PM

Vince, all those mods are greek to me. Would that rig be suitable for surf??

Top

Fripperton

Joined: Aug 14, 2006
Posts: 270
3 POTD Pins

Posted on Feb 21 2007 08:04 PM

What it looks like is they took a Master volume model and returned it more to a 60's style without the master Volume. Changing the Filter Caps is part of regular maintenance and should be done on an amp that old if the original caps were still present. The cloth wire and Hoffman board are to make it more like the originals. I'm guessing it would work for surf with the caveats that I posted above. If it's close you could go have a listen.

—

There is Surf east of Sepulveda.

Top

Anonymous

Joined: Nov 10, 2000
Posts: -180

Posted on Feb 21 2007 08:16 PM

great blues amp. can be modded for surf but won't sound like a showman. more of a personal taste thing, i don't care for 10's in anything, the bass is too tight for me. i like the 15"s or even 12's for surf, more loose sounding. omop. peace

Top

RobbieReverb

Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 2392
San Jose, Ca.
3 News Pins

Posted on Feb 21 2007 11:41 PM

There's a great comparison in the current guitar player magazine
(March 2007) of a current Fender Super Reverb Reissue vs. a
vintage 1964 blackface Super Reverb. Art Thompson did the article,
and over the years I've found his reviews to be extremely trustworthy.
I agree that a Super is a great blues amp, and will not give you the
sound of a Showman, but I've seen several surf guys use them to
good effect. Jono Jones from Pollo Del Mar sounds like a million bucks
through his Super Reverb.

Bob

—

Bob

Top

BillAqua

Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 1054
Chicago IL.
3 POTD Pins

Posted on Feb 22 2007 12:12 AM

I've got a '65, a real one, not a reissue and it's a beautiful sounding amp. Not very good for surf though.

image

—

"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there"

https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/
https://www.facebook.com/TheDragstripVipers/

Top

PhatTele

Joined: Jun 05, 2006
Posts: 445

Posted on Feb 22 2007 12:49 PM

Danny Morris (up in the DC area) used to use a BF Super Reverb and a reverb tank along with a Strat. I always liked his sound for the rockabilly/surf/blues he was doing.

I guess when you compare a Super or Concert to a Twin/Showman/etc. it will sound blusier. However, in a small-to-medium sized club, getting a Super above 4 or 5 is going to knock the audience back off their feet. So, in those venues, I would think you'd have plenty of headroom. I guess you'd need to figure out if you liked the sound of the 10s for your tone. A comparable amp would be a Pro Reverb or Bandmaster Reverb with a 4 ohm Bassman output transformer running 2x12s.

Top

Stormtiger

Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 2688
Ventura, CA
United States

Posted on Feb 22 2007 01:33 PM

I do not play, listen to or have the blues yet I bought a Reissue Super Reverb a couple of years ago. It sounds great but it is HEAVY. You'll still need an outboard tank if you want drip. For me it was getting the amp I always wanted but now I know the Deluxe Reverb would have better suited my needs. I listened to all of the new Fender Tube amps and this one was noticeably better sounding to me although I still spent over $200 on NOS tubes. Some folks think there is a certified surf sound, which I think means Dick Dale's sound, and that's great but there is room for variety.

Top

surfneptune

Joined: Mar 16, 2006
Posts: 923
3 News Pins

Posted on Feb 22 2007 02:19 PM

SUPERS are Super! Great amps. Talk about nice bass. I saw the guitar player article, and they made them sound un-reliable... not true, once set up they are tanks. I think the blues thing started with guys looking for that early bassman sound.

—

THe NEpTuNeS

Top

casey

Joined: May 18, 2006
Posts: 521
2 Security Pins

Posted on Mar 02 2007 10:58 PM

I have an original 1966 Super Reverb and use it for playing small to medium clubs, also occasionally for outside gigs. Seldom play above "5" on the volume - don't need too. Its a matter of taste, but personally I like the slight bit of "edge" the tone gets at these levels; its still pretty clean but has a little bit of bite to it. This amp also sounds great when paired with a stratocaster played in the 2 or 4 position - these positions seem to cancel a little bit of the highs and the bright switch on the SR puts them back. (you can hear it on our 2006 submission, "Hatteras Glass") Hauling it around gives me some incentive to stay in shape!

Top

HBkahuna Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 1778 Star, Idaho. Formerly lived in Surf City USA.	Posted on Feb 21 2007 06:54 PM Anyone have any thoughts or experience with the Femder Super Reverb Amp? I have seen several 1 to 2 year old reissues in new condition for sale recently in the $800 range & was considering a purchase. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/msg/279076452.html Top
Boulder_Bob Joined: Mar 29, 2006 Posts: 132	Posted on Feb 21 2007 07:35 PM A stock Super breaks up a bit too early for me - but I think you can change a 12AX7 to a 12AT7 in one of the slots to help - there's an interesting comparison of a vintage vs. a reissue in the new Guitar Player mag I think Dave Wronski used a pair of Super Reverbs at one time (see the photo on Warning:), but he probably did some mods the other thing you can do is put in a solid state rectifier which helps reduce "sag" - tightens up the amp response a bit and maybe more surf suitable I think it depends on your gig situation - could be a good "indoor" amp but probably not enough for outdoor venues for $800 can you get a Silverface Twin Reverb nowadays? Top
Fripperton Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 270	Posted on Feb 21 2007 07:36 PM It depends on what sound you're after. The Super Reverb is often thought of as one of the ultimate blues club amps because they sound so good when they're cranked for that kind of music. I have an early 70's model and it works pretty good for rhythm when the volume is set around 4 to 5. After that it starts to get into that bluesy "edge" range of sound that is very sweet for many things but not what has come to be accepted as a proper Surf tone. Plus they're loud. A lot of guys have retired theirs because of that and the weight issue that comes with a 40 watt amp with 4 10" speakers in one package. They've found they can crank a Deluxe Reverb and mic it and save their backs hauling equipment into the garage at 3:17 AM. — There is Surf east of Sepulveda. Top
Fripperton Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 270	Posted on Feb 21 2007 07:51 PM BTW This is probably just down the street from you. http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/msg/282524248.html image — There is Surf east of Sepulveda. Top
HBkahuna Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 1778 Star, Idaho. Formerly lived in Surf City USA.	Posted on Feb 21 2007 07:56 PM Vince, all those mods are greek to me. Would that rig be suitable for surf?? Top
Fripperton Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 270	Posted on Feb 21 2007 08:04 PM What it looks like is they took a Master volume model and returned it more to a 60's style without the master Volume. Changing the Filter Caps is part of regular maintenance and should be done on an amp that old if the original caps were still present. The cloth wire and Hoffman board are to make it more like the originals. I'm guessing it would work for surf with the caveats that I posted above. If it's close you could go have a listen. — There is Surf east of Sepulveda. Top
Anonymous Joined: Nov 10, 2000 Posts: -180	Posted on Feb 21 2007 08:16 PM great blues amp. can be modded for surf but won't sound like a showman. more of a personal taste thing, i don't care for 10's in anything, the bass is too tight for me. i like the 15"s or even 12's for surf, more loose sounding. omop. peace Top
RobbieReverb Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 2392 San Jose, Ca.	Posted on Feb 21 2007 11:41 PM There's a great comparison in the current guitar player magazine (March 2007) of a current Fender Super Reverb Reissue vs. a vintage 1964 blackface Super Reverb. Art Thompson did the article, and over the years I've found his reviews to be extremely trustworthy. I agree that a Super is a great blues amp, and will not give you the sound of a Showman, but I've seen several surf guys use them to good effect. Jono Jones from Pollo Del Mar sounds like a million bucks through his Super Reverb. Bob — Bob Top
BillAqua Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL.	Posted on Feb 22 2007 12:12 AM I've got a '65, a real one, not a reissue and it's a beautiful sounding amp. Not very good for surf though. image — "as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ https://www.facebook.com/TheDragstripVipers/ Top
PhatTele Joined: Jun 05, 2006 Posts: 445	Posted on Feb 22 2007 12:49 PM Danny Morris (up in the DC area) used to use a BF Super Reverb and a reverb tank along with a Strat. I always liked his sound for the rockabilly/surf/blues he was doing. I guess when you compare a Super or Concert to a Twin/Showman/etc. it will sound blusier. However, in a small-to-medium sized club, getting a Super above 4 or 5 is going to knock the audience back off their feet. So, in those venues, I would think you'd have plenty of headroom. I guess you'd need to figure out if you liked the sound of the 10s for your tone. A comparable amp would be a Pro Reverb or Bandmaster Reverb with a 4 ohm Bassman output transformer running 2x12s. Top
Stormtiger Joined: Dec 12, 2006 Posts: 2688 Ventura, CA	Posted on Feb 22 2007 01:33 PM I do not play, listen to or have the blues yet I bought a Reissue Super Reverb a couple of years ago. It sounds great but it is HEAVY. You'll still need an outboard tank if you want drip. For me it was getting the amp I always wanted but now I know the Deluxe Reverb would have better suited my needs. I listened to all of the new Fender Tube amps and this one was noticeably better sounding to me although I still spent over $200 on NOS tubes. Some folks think there is a certified surf sound, which I think means Dick Dale's sound, and that's great but there is room for variety. Top
surfneptune Joined: Mar 16, 2006 Posts: 923	Posted on Feb 22 2007 02:19 PM SUPERS are Super! Great amps. Talk about nice bass. I saw the guitar player article, and they made them sound un-reliable... not true, once set up they are tanks. I think the blues thing started with guys looking for that early bassman sound. — THe NEpTuNeS Top
casey Joined: May 18, 2006 Posts: 521	Posted on Mar 02 2007 10:58 PM I have an original 1966 Super Reverb and use it for playing small to medium clubs, also occasionally for outside gigs. Seldom play above "5" on the volume - don't need too. Its a matter of taste, but personally I like the slight bit of "edge" the tone gets at these levels; its still pretty clean but has a little bit of bite to it. This amp also sounds great when paired with a stratocaster played in the 2 or 4 position - these positions seem to cancel a little bit of the highs and the bright switch on the SR puts them back. (you can hear it on our 2006 submission, "Hatteras Glass") Hauling it around gives me some incentive to stay in shape! Top

SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Fender Super Reverb Amp