Hello! This is my first post!

I live in Sweden and tomorrow I'm probably buying a Super Reverb from '79 and getting rid of my Princetone '68 reissue since it's just too dark for surf.

Anyway, the one I found is used at the guitar center and they want 1 259 dollars (or 10995 kronor). I thought it really sounded good, but then went home and read that people don't like that year's Super Reverbs 'cause it's ultra-linear, has a solid state rectfier and a master volume with push-pull boost. Frankly the overdrive from cranking the volume with the master on 1-3 might not have been the warmest, but I think that if I leave the master on 10 and use low volume it's the same as if it didn't have a masster volume.

So what do you think? I mainly wanna play surf music and I actually thought it sounded pretty amazing before reading anything. I tried a used Twin '65 Reissue today and it had too much mids and didn't sound right. I also tried a new one and that one actually I might have liked more than the SR, yet I don't have 2000 dollars...

Maybe you know of speakers that could work good with the SR, even if the ones inside are decent. Blackfacing it seems to be expensive and complicated, due to what I'v read, but if you know of any good and possible mods, tell me, but not anything that adds mids, 'cause I'm a big fan of the scooped mid-Fender sound.

On the back it says it's 135 watts and I hope it won't be super expensive too play at home.

Gimme anything!

In the beginning was reverb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj--qQ5WXp7SWDWcJJOjoow?sub_confirmation=1

Last edited: Jul 10, 2018 14:04:10

Thank you for your answer.

Unfortunately I have no experience with building or modding amps. Heck, I've swapped some tubes, but I don't even know what could kill me. I hope I can find someone to teach me one day.

But yeah, the PT I'm getting rid of, so I'll have to work with the SR if I buy it tomorrow. Or rather let some tech maybe install a switch to go from 4 to 2 speakers and maybe that thing you mentioned about the plate voltage. I have no idea of how to do it by myself though.

In the beginning was reverb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj--qQ5WXp7SWDWcJJOjoow?sub_confirmation=1

Last edited: Jul 11, 2018 06:45:05

Tailrocker wrote:

Sorry, I was too cryptic.

PT = power transformer.

Ahh, Now I got it. But I still am too green to do it. But I will mention it to someone who can. Thnx

In the beginning was reverb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj--qQ5WXp7SWDWcJJOjoow?sub_confirmation=1

ludobag wrote:

in theory there is a big improvement but the weight will be horrible to compare the super reverb is a pretty heavy amp rather than the princeton you can bring with one hand
i have a bassman 100 w head who is a ultra linear one ,i love the way it not distord with the volume ,it stay pretty clean (there is some warm at 10 and little cruch but no big crunch ) i prefer to use a effect for this ,my sound at first is pretty clean and i put some od on for some song
depend on your tastes but the blackface become really warm and crunchy with volume up rather than silverface who stay pretty clean (it was the goal of silverface)
normally you can play it at home (in a house not appartement) my bassman sound already good at 3 on master and it is a 100 w the super reverb is a 40 w amp

Thanks fot the answer, ludo.

What is it you mean that would add to the weight? If I change the power transformer? I think the SR is already about 40 kg... But to me the tone is more important than the weight right now. I usually tend to like blackface more than silverface, at least in the reissues because the first one has more clarity.

I would not mind warming the sound up a little and som breakup is not that bad. Even some sag, but that musst have to do with the solid state rectifier. I have found a tech in my town, but for some reason he said he doesn't do custom jobs where he has to find the sound I want, he wants schematics from the internet and I don't know where to look nor do I know if I'd like the results better. Warmer sound good, as long as it doesn't add more mids or even bass. I like it bright and chimey.

Also I don't think this '79 SR is 40 w. It says 135 w or something on the back, but it might effectivly be 70 w.

In the beginning was reverb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj--qQ5WXp7SWDWcJJOjoow?sub_confirmation=1

Last edited: Jul 11, 2018 06:58:07

Here is some information that may be useful -

http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-silverface-super-reverb/

Check the owner comments at the bottom regarding the 70W/135W issue. If the amp has two power tubes it is 70W. If four, 135W. The "Super Six" version with six 10" speakers evidently came with the 135W chassis but it appears that some of the 70W versions were mislabeled as being 135W. Remember, this was the CBS era at Fender.....

The push-pull and the later Ultralinear silverface Fenders get a bad rap from the amp purists but they can sound just fine if they are EQ'd properly. Back in the day, they were the latest, greatest thing and many well-known guitarists used them. The 70W versions obviously can provide more clean headroom than the earlier 40W ones. Just leave master volume is on "10" if that is what you are looking for.

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If I read your post right, this amp sounds great to you. There's your answer. If it sounds great & the price is right, get it! I've always been a fan of the ultralinear amps. I've never understood why people give them such a bad rap. As mentioned above, it's all about EQ'ing them right. Same with any amp really.

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I agree with Bob Kennedy ....buy this amp . YES its big and a back breaker but how many of us haul amps all the time ( I used to haul that SFTR every week to a gig somewhere but I was much younger too )? I have some very heavy amps and they usually stay in my rehearsal room . But I love the high power and headroom . I also have a blackface bassman head and it really growls at the same volume where a silverface is barely breaking up . Its vastly easier to add dirt to a clean amp than vice versa .

Well, everybody... I bought it!
Apparently it's got 2 power tubes and it says 70 w. Although it says 200 freaking watts near the power switch! Hmm... Also I don't know what kind the upper left speaker is, nor how to tell that it is from '79.

Anyway, I thought I'd post some pictures, if anyone's interested. And feel free to keep giving advice for mods or whatever. I think I'll put in a switch so I can choose to use all four or just 2 speakers.

In the beginning was reverb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj--qQ5WXp7SWDWcJJOjoow?sub_confirmation=1

Last edited: Jul 13, 2018 05:25:57

Tailrocker wrote:

Looks pretty clean.

Yeah, if they draw a couple of amps, that's around 200W (at 120V), but they don't put out as much audio energy; some goes to heat.

I don't know if on and standby were replaced with that big red switch or that's the way those came.

Enjoy!!!

Yeah, thanks! I don't know about the big red button, but it feels old. Maybe even kitsch or cheap, but I kinda like it.
Think the amp weighs about 40 kg, I'll have to install some damn wheels or something.

In the beginning was reverb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj--qQ5WXp7SWDWcJJOjoow?sub_confirmation=1

Definitely install some damn wheels. I think you got a great amp there, and you owe it to yourself to spend some real serious time with it to suss out what it is capable of and how well it suits you. I think I got rid of some amps prematurely in the past because I didn't really venture too far into the spectrum of what they could do, especially in a band situation (or at least band level volumes).

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