Vintage guitars, tube amps, analog effects & gear! Plus all things early Rock 'n' Roll.
Here’s a great article that explains how to mod your tube amp.
WARNING! Before you dive in, be aware that tube amps contain lethal (deadly!) voltages of electricity stored in the capacitors, even when unplugged. Do not touch unless you know what you are doing!
Editor’s Note: This is Part Two of a two part series on modifying the Silvertone 1421 guitar amp. If you’d like to go back and read Part One, then click here: Modified Silvertone Model 1421 Amp – Part One, The Tear Down
Below is a photo of my Silvertone 1421 after it first arrived, before we started the tear down and transformation.
At the end of Part One, we had removed that original speaker and baffle board, getting ready to install new ones.
Old baffle and speaker
Brand new 1/8″ baltic birch plywood baffle and Weber speaker custom-made for this project.
With new grill cloth ordered from Lopoline.com
| NAME: | VOX Berkeley Super Reverb Twin (SRT) electric guitar amplifier |
| MODEL: | V8 |
| MFR: | VOX USA (Thomas Organ) |
| ORIGIN: | Sepulveda, California |
| DATE: | 1965 |
| POWER: | 17 Watts RMS, according to the Mfr. |
| REVERB: | Tube-driven 2-spring Gibbs (Hammond) Tank |
| TREMOLO: | VOX tremolo circuit |
| VALVES: | 12AX7 preamps; 12AU7 reverb; 12AX7 tremolo, two (2) EL84’s output |
| RECTIFIER: | EZ81 Valve |
| SPEAKERS: | Pair of Weber (USA) 10-inch Blue Alnicos replaced the worn out Bulldogs |
This 1965 model Berkeley is the original all-valve (tube) powered version that Thomas Organ produced in Sepulveda, California n small numbers from late 1965 through mid 1966. This one was partially restored by its owner “65mosrite,” giving it some fresh outer cosmetics (obtained from North Coast Music, of course), and some re-wiring and replacement of resistors and capacitors where needed.
I was fortunate enough to buy this amp from Richard H. (aka: 65mosrite), and couldn’t be happier.
North Coast Music, who runs The Vox Showroom, has some excellent data and stories related to the famous amplifier. I have provide some links to those pages below.
The Beatles on Stage – Image Courtesy of The Beatles Bible – www.beatlesbible.com
Here is a video by 65mosrite, who worked to restore this awesome amp!
Excellent page from The Vox Showroom: The Vox Berkeley Amp
And another: The Vox Berkeley Super Reverb Tube Amp Head – Model V-8
September 23, 2015 at 10:49 amI notice that the V8 head pictured has the original flat handle, but the cabinet has the later Vox logo styled handle. Did Thomas Organ sell them paired that way when they ran out of flat handled cabs but still had the older style heads? Or is this a (fairly insignificant) mix’n match.
I have the same head with flat handle, but my cab has no handle and no holes that I can find?!? Mysterious.
Thanks
Randy
This page (which is a work in progress) is dedicated to the Music Man 110 RD Fifty guitar amplifier, which I recently had an opportunity to play.
Last weekend I was fortunate to make some new friends, hang out, and play some guitar. I had never met these guys before, but we hit it off right away, and it was a great time had by all. Thank-yous go out to our hosts David B, and his wife Elizabeth, who graciously allowed us to invade their home and make noise until the early hours of the next day. And thanks to the other guys for letting me be part of the group. I had no idea I would be in such good company!
During our Saturday night “jam session” (and I use the term loosely), I had the opportunity to play my ’70 Silvertone Mosrite Copy through David’s vintage Music Man amp. And boy, what a great amp that was! It was a Music Man 110 RD Fifty. Similar to the one pictured above, minus the grill fabric, it was the perfect match for my old solid body Surf Guitar with Teisco single coil pups. I simply plugged my guitar into this amp and it immediately started playing beautiful big clean tones with just enough added bite and grit. I loved the sound of that amp so much that I decided to dedicate this page to Music Man, and specifically to the 110 RD Fifty.
Thank you, David!
BTW: If you don’t know what a Mosrite is, then Google it right now!
Back in the mid 70’s a new music company from Anaheim California, called Music Man, hit the scene. This new company was founded by some former Fender employees: Forrest White, Tom Walker, and most notably Leo Fender. Leo himself designed a new line of amplifiers and a new bass guitar for the company. (BTW: The bass guitar, called The Music Man Stingray, is still around today and sold by the Ernie Ball Company.) Some of you reading this will know more than I about Leo Fender, his second guitar and amp company, his Stingray bass, and the Ernie Ball connection, as I am still learning the facts.
The Music Man amps were designed to be clean and LOUD with lots of headroom! They sounded very “Fenderish” (I wonder why?). According to literature, Music Man amplifiers were a unique hybrid design, employing solid-state electronics for the preamp stage, and tubes for the output. Apparently, the 12AX7 tube in the preamp stage is just for the distortion only, but I’m not exactly sure about that? The amps were big on power and built like tanks, to handle the difficult task of traveling professional musicians. Music Man produced amps in several sizes (65-watt, 135-watt, 150-watt) and configurations (combos, heads, cabs).
The Fifty SeriesThe Fifty series was introduced in the early 1980’s. The Fifty series included heads and cabs, as well as small combos that had either 10-inch or 12-inch speakers. These amps were packaged different ways. Some had a built-in distortion effect; others had a phaser; but all had real spring reverbs.
The 110 Combo with Reverb and Distortion (RD)The 110 RD is a compact (but heavy!) 50-watt single-channel combo, with a 10-inch Ceramic speaker, reverb and distortion effects. I read that the designers of the amp were aiming for a clean tone similar to a Fender Blackface Deluxe Reverb, and apparently they hit the target!
| Mfr: | Music Man, Anaheim California |
| Series: | Fifty |
| Model #: | 110-RD-50 |
| Chassis: | 1650RD |
| Power: | 50-watts RMS |
| Speaker: | 1×10-inch, Ceramic Magnet |
| Tubes: | Preamp: 12AX7; Output: 2x6L6GC’s |
| Effects: | 3-spring Reverb; Distortion |
| Accessories: | 2-Button Foot Switch |
| Years: | 1981-1983 |
Version A
Version B
A Bit More CharacterNow the one I played had a woven wire mesh front grill, so it looked more like this one. But that just added to its character.
As I work to gather more info about the company and their products, here are some links:
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
September 1, 2014 at 4:23 pmHi, Alex
I have a Peavey Musicman model No. 112-RD-50, similar to or exactly the same as the one featured in your article. I remember purchasing mine from American Music, located in Seattle, WA, sometime during the mid to late 70s. So although it’s the spitting image of the one in the article, I did purchase it some years before 1980.
I’m considering selling it and was wondering if you had any idea what it might go for on today’s market?
Thanks
Bob
September 11, 2014 at 6:19 pmHey Alex, yup yup yup about your exp with the Music Man 110 RD-50! I know what u spk of, I own two in excellent orig cond & they’re stayin’ with me lol! These 110’s are superb & fly way under the radar of guitar plyrs but I don’t understand why. In big cities like NYC where musicians subway to gigs these little giants are revered. I’m going to try a Celestion G10 vintage in one of them, just for fun.
Keep playin’, Eddie, Toronto, Canada.
October 4, 2014 at 9:24 amEddie, thanks for checkin in, and telling us about your Music Man. Let us know how the Celestion G10 sounds!
~alex
February 3, 2016 at 7:14 pmWell, I finally got around to installing the Celestion G10 Vintage speaker (8ohm, 60w) in one of my MM 110 RD 50 amps (have two), only took +1 year lol. Fantastic improvement on ALL sonic levels! Highly recommend this upgrade, do this. Don’t know what took me so long, just stuff i guess.
Super ez too, the speaker & grill removed forward as 1 unit and Celestion screw-holes lined up perfectly. I’ll hang on to stock spkr to keep amp’s originality.
Curious, anybody tried out other spkrs??
Rock on MM brothers! (are we able to upload photos here?)
October 5, 2015 at 10:50 amI’m not sure when they started making the 50 watt version but mine is a 1981. I have owned at least 75 amps. This one is a definite keeper.
November 29, 2015 at 10:30 amthe date built is on a white sticker under the top back panel on the right
year/month like 83/3
i fell so deep in love with the amp i put an ad in VG mag and acquired 10
some heads/10’s/and 112’s
the last editions show a more wedge shaped cabinet ..wider at the bottom ,
harder to tip over …. first ones….no wedge shape at all
revision e models have a mid shift rocker instead of the clean/distortion rocker in the
center of the panel i have a 112 and a head both with this set up and they both have black grills the head was originally a half stack with a closed back 1 15 bottom
i also had a white rev e half stack
it also came with a closed back 1 15 bottom
in both cases i sold the bottoms and used all sorts of other cabs with these heads
these amps are fixes bias no need to worry just change the power tubes as needed
sovtex 12ax7 lps is a secret weapon for the amp enhancing smooth creamy sustain
the 2 110 models i acquired were equipped with JBL and EV speakers
a cool pair of amps for sure
the EV magnet was cut along the top to fit under the chassis no way a home made fit .. it must have been built for the amp at ev
leo took a 110 to g&l with him and it was in his office there to test guitars
GOD bless leo and the rd 50
Update: Just added some new shots of the chassis, tubes, board, Orange Drop caps, Fisher speaker, etc.
This page is dedicated to photos of our ’69 Silvertone 1422, also known as the Sears 40XL. We recently acquired this amp and found it to be one of the nicest 40XL’s we’ve seen in many a year. This Made-in-USA amp is totally original, right down to it’s late 60’s dark olive vinyl, green sparkle grille cloth, and a 12-inch Alnico magnet made by Fisher. The only cosmetic damage we could find is a bump (dimple) on the cabinet edge, right side of the control panel, and a chip off one control knob.
The 1422, or 40XL, was marketed by Sears as a 40-watt, 12-inch, combo tube amp for guitar. It features two separate input channels, and built-in reverb and tremolo. The reverb and trem are controlled by a dedicated foot switch. Sears advertised these as 40-watt combo amps. But in reality, the two 7189 power tubes put out around 20-watts or less. In fact, the features and chassis layout suggest that it could be an American copy of a the mid-60’s Marshall Model 1974, which was an 18-watt combo using two 6BQ5’s (EL84’s).
This amp was built, sold, and first played in the Summer of ’69. The code on the CTS potentiometers read “137-6919.” Decoded, that means “137” = Mfr’d. by CTS; “69” = Year Mfr’d. (1969). “19” = Week Mfr’d. (2nd Week of May).
Well, it’s a loud 18 to 22 watts, that’s for sure. HUGE in the mid range, solid in the bass range, but not too sparkly or chimey at the high end. Poor speaker sounds like it’s wearing a heavy wool sweater. And there is a noticeable 60-Hz hum. But we will dig into it and find out what’s wrong.
UPDATE:
Major improvements! We took the chassis out of the cabinet, cleaned and tightened all the loose connections, and relocated one unshielded cable sitting too close to the transformer (will completely remove that later). Now, the amp is almost silent when idling, the 60-Hz hum is completely gone, and frequency response at the high and low ends have improved!
These photos are little rough, and I hope to upload some better ones in the near future.
{ 37 comments… }
September 23, 2013 at 12:59 pmHi,
I have a 1422 from late 60’s early 70’s? It too is in very nice condition. All original tubes, but missing a knob. The volume on channel one is quite low but channel two roars. True, it does sound like its wearing a heavy wool sweater! I was wondering if I could change out tubes for a better high gain sound? Shoot me an email and I’ll send some pics, and any advice would be much appreciated!!
September 23, 2013 at 8:32 pmHi Ed,
Would love to see photos of your amp. This one has a lot of gain already. Not certain which tubes to try for even higher gain. I think the speaker might be the weakest part. Planning to try some different speakers to hear what happens…?
~Alex
March 31, 2014 at 12:02 pmI just picked up a solid state 40XL at the goodwill for $9. Sounds great with mu delta king semi-solid body and they look great together.
A bit of wear, but love the tremolo feature I also played a round with it and found with the 2 chanenels that I could actually use it as an amp and mini PA if I balance things right in a pinch. The tremolo works on your voice too, kind of like a 70’s ( I think that’s how old it is without the tubes) W.i.l.l.i.a.m effect.
Any chance of finding a manual on this baby on line anywhere? Is it repairable if it craps out, being it’s so old??? Any review info or thoughts would be appreciated.
Let me know
March 14, 2015 at 11:11 am@mike — It is most certainly fixable. I took mine into the local shop (Columbia, MO USA), and they fixed the reverb, changed the tubes, and installed a 12″ blue dog speaker that I brought in. I also had a proper 3 prong cord installed. The amp is now my mainstay, I use it always!
September 27, 2013 at 6:41 pmHi Alex,
I just got one of these and was wondering if you have a schematic. Mine is not in the great condition of yours, but seems to work fine. No pedal though. Please post your findings about the different speakers you try!
Thanks!
Tim
September 29, 2013 at 10:09 pmHi Tim. No schematic yet. Hopefully I can make one (with some help!).
I’m pretty sure that the original speaker can’t handle the power of this amp. I disconnected the original and patched this amp into another cab that I have. That made a big difference! I’m planning on ordering a G12-H-30 (Greenback) from Ted Weber.
September 30, 2013 at 7:32 amThanks Alex! I took the head apart this weekend and just wanted to let you know that there is an 8 ohm speaker tap on the board. It has a red wire going to it and it’s right next to the 4 ohm, where the speaker is connected. Also, I tried jumping the channels, and with both channels turned up there seemed to be more presence and touch sensitivity, seems like the clouds lifted some. I’m also going to try a Celestion, I have an old G12H25, but it’s 15 ohms. I’m going to try it on the 8 ohm tap and keep my fingers crossed!
October 2, 2013 at 7:03 pmI wasn’t able to use my old speaker, but I did put in a g12h30 anniversary and it was more clear and gave it more Marshall growl. My try a Jensen next.
November 18, 2013 at 11:02 amHas anyone discovered a schematic for the 1422 ? I have one and am trying to figure out if it’s 4 or 8 ohms ? I have a 4 ohm Fender speaker I would like to put in it.
November 18, 2013 at 9:33 pmJohn,
I’m *pretty sure* the the original wiring is for a 4 ohm speaker. But please see Tim’s comment above about both 4 ohm and 8 ohm taps from the output transformer. It’s nice to have options 
January 20, 2014 at 10:00 amStill searching for a scematic for the 1422. Having distortion problems in the tremelo circuit. My tech guy can’t find one either. The tremelo does not seem to kick in unless the Strength knob is at 12 noon or higher. When the speed knob is turned past noon, ugly distortion is present. Any ideas ?
January 20, 2014 at 9:41 pmSorry, John. Haven’t been able to track one a schematic for the tube version of the 1422. I recently ordered the repair sheet and schematic from Sams Photofact, but what they sent me is for the solid-state model.
Did you try replacing the 12AX7 tube that drives the tremolo circuit? If it’s not the tube, then the problem might be a capacitor in the circuit. I fixed the non-funtioning tremolo on my 1421 amp by replacing one of the caps. I think it was one of the caps that was soldered to either the Speed or Depth knob. Now it works great.
January 16, 2015 at 9:52 amI know this is an old post, but I’m wondering if by chance if you still have it, could post the SS schematic you were sent in error?
I just (mistakenly) bought the SS version, because I was over zealous in my blind compulsive buying mode and failed to examine the photos throughly enough; had I done so, I wouldn’t have overpaid for this tube-wannabe.
March 5, 2016 at 10:00 pmAny chance I could get the schematic for the solid state?
March 5, 2016 at 10:02 pmI’d love a schematic for the solid state if possible
January 20, 2014 at 10:49 amAlso, would the tremelo circuit be the same in the 1421, or 1423 ?
February 4, 2014 at 11:18 amYes. Looks like a cap, so I told him to replace all of them.
February 6, 2014 at 8:55 amCaps replaced, tremelo circuit still distorting. Any other ideas ?
March 4, 2014 at 9:05 pmNice specimen!
I just received a 1422 off ebay today and noticed that instead of original tubes (which the seller stated they were) it has 2-EL84s replacing the 7189s and ECC 83S in place of the 12AX7s, all JJs. I read somewhere that the EL84s and the 7189s are used for different voltages in the circuit and shouldn’t even work when added. The seller is playing dumb and I can’t find out if something was modded, or everything is fine, or something seriously bad is going to happen if I don’t make sure the voltage was adjusted.
Any thoughts?
June 20, 2014 at 2:10 pmI just purchased a solid state 40XL. I haven’t received it yet. Are they compatible with modern 2-button footswitches? I have a 10XL with the original tremolo footswitch but I want to control reverb too.
June 21, 2014 at 7:16 amJosh, congrats on the new 40XL! The 40XL uses a two-button switch to control reverb and tremolo, and has a single 1/4-inch two-conductor plug. Like a 1/4″ stereo headphone plug. See it here: http://www.tonegems.com/silvertone-1422-footswitch/
~alex
December 6, 2014 at 8:16 pmHello,
I just rebuilt a Sears Silvertone XL40… cabinet mostly and professionally done on a CNC. Will post pictures. I, too, am getting a screeching trem and the reverb is’t working, although the verb does boing when moved… so some further scrutiny is necessary. The finish of the cabinet is wood, stained and toned. I made it a little larger than the original and also plan to make another the same size as the orignal with tolex covering. I also remade the control panel graphics. Looks real nice and a lot of tube power. Just have to get the trem and reverb right. I recall, trem and verb were working before I tok it apart. All for now.
December 12, 2014 at 6:20 pmCabinet is almost done… working out some bugs in the circuitry… probably needs newer tubes… all else seems to be clean and intact. Assemling this weekend and then will take pictures. Note that I enlarged the cabinet some; however, I have recently redigitized it to spec. I will make a second cabinet with a tolex wrap and make the electronics (or head) a separate entity. Thanks.
December 24, 2014 at 10:37 amEmails with pictures sent to your addy and a question. Let me know if you received them, Alex. Have a very Merry Christmas. BTW, I was with the owner of the Danolectric tradename last evening. What a great fella!
December 27, 2014 at 1:12 pmNote, photos coming from another addy and just sent 4:06 EST 12/27/14. Also, could you elborate on the wire near the transformer that was causing the 60 cycle hum and all you did to resolve that. I, too, have the hum. I do not plan to make my unit 3 wire because I like the flexibility of reversing the plug polarity with a 2 prong…. unless I add a switch for that, or go to 3 wire and use an adapter. You ground to chassis, right? Someone told me the problem with my trem could be caps and not the tubes. Any opinion on that? Still waiting to test the tubes. I have a vintage tube tester now, but I may have to change some resistors to get it working. properly… as it’s been sitting for a good many years.
December 31, 2014 at 4:59 amI have decided to take inventory on the PCB components and, also, draw up a new PCB and etch a new one for the beast I’m working on. When I’m further along, I will post or link the data and PCB drawing. For now, there are two blue-ish colored capacitors and on the south end appears to be some sort of (tan) washer that I thought might be the cap bleeding. There are no pictures above of the component side, but if anyone knows anything about these two caps, let me know if what I am seeing is a bad cap (I have not tested it). Alex, I sent you pictures of the solder and component sides. Caps I am referring to are labeled C2 and C17 respectively. Thanks.
January 16, 2015 at 9:39 amJust got a smack in the face; bought a 40xl from a charity auction, was all giddy because I (thought) got a great deal on a coll retro (I thought) tube amp.
Well, in my blinders-on compulsive buying madness, I failed to note the language on the warning lable (which was pictured in the listing) stating:
“…..does not contain any tubes or user serviceable parts…”
Yep; instead of a great deal on a great little tube amp, I overpaid for a Solid State door stop.
I guess that may be a bit harsh, as I’ve just umboxed it at work, and haven’t actually plugged in yet.
I did pop the back and examine the innards (through the nest of cobwebs) and it looks like a nice wiring job, and if nothing else, probably some good vintage parts to harvest for one of my upcoming pedal builds.
Anyone own the SS version? And if so, what are you’re thoughts on it?
I plan on giving it a good clean up, and see how it sounds.
If it’s as underwhelming as I’m pessimistically assuming, it might actually be the perfect opportunity to take the next step in my DIY education and take a shot at gutting it and building the original tube version.
Now to poke around here, and everywhere, to try finding the schematic for it.
I’m guessing it can’t be too complex; but I’ve been wrong before… recently in fact
November 9, 2015 at 2:16 pmI realize this might bit too late, but Jim… don’t trash that SS 40XL. Sure it doesn’t have the same warmth as the tube version. But with the right guitar, and couple of well chosen pedals, you can get some very pleasing tones from it.
I’m playing an Eastwood P-90 Special through my SS 40XL. And with just a touch of distortion, from my Boss DS-1, it sound pretty damn good.
Editor’s Note: This is Part One of a two part series on modifying the Silvertone 1421 guitar amp. This article is a work in progress, so please check back for additional info and updates.
The 1960’s Silvertone 1421 Combo Tube Amp (also originally sold as the Sears 10XL) is a great little vintage tube amp. It’s compact size makes it easy to carry to practice or a to small venue. It’s low 10-watt tube output (actually, closer to 5-watt) is perfect for the recording studio. It has two instrument inputs going into one channel, volume and tone controls, and a fantastic 12AX7 tube tremolo circuit, playing out to an 8-inch speaker. The sound here is definitely in the garage band category, but you can coax some great sounds out of this little guy.
The all-tube version of this amp was made from 1968 to 1972, and was later replaced with a all-transistor (solid-state) version in 1973. I picked this one up off eBay a few years ago. It’s a 1970 model and is all original, except for the brown speaker grille fabric (which is ugly!).
Below is a photo of my Silvertone 1421 after it first arrived. The vinyl covering, the controls, the faceplate were all in excellent condition for its age; no tears or scratches. The original vinyl handle was flexible and intact. The only problem this amp had was a stuck (frozen) power switch. I replaced the bad switch with a new heavy-duty toggle, and replaced the old two-prong power cord with a new grounded cord. When I powered it up for the first time it was amazingly quiet for an old tube amp.
The knobs and faceplate were in great condition. The handle was still flexible and firmly secured to the cabinet. But the original toggle switch stuck (frozen).
Front view showing the replaced grille cloth over the original baffle board and speaker.
Rear view of cabinet. You can see the new grounded power cord that I added.
The Sears product label on the rear panel showing the model number and vacuum tube layout.
A view of the chassis through the back panel vent.
Photo of the cabinet interior, showing the chassis and the original 8-inch speaker made by CTS.
A closer view of the chassis.
The 8-inch speaker with ceramic magnet made by CTS (code 137).
Another view of the chassis, showing the power transformer, the filter capacitor can, the output transformer, and the tubes. The on-baord tube complement is one 6X4 Rectifier tube, two 12AX7 tubes for preamp and tremolo circuits, and 7189 power tube.
Here is the baffle board removed from the cabinet. The board was nothing more than 1/8″ thick Masonite.
Here is the cabinet with the baffle board removed.
The wiring is hand-wired and soldered.
This great little combo tube amp was built by (who?) and sold through Sears and Roebuck in the late 1960′s and early 70′s. It was originally sold as the Silvertone Model #1421, and in later years as the SR 10XL, and lastly as the Sears 10XL. Oh, the photo of this amp looks innocent enough, but, this is one serious sounding tube screamer. And you won’t usually find them as nice as this one!
Summary: A 10-watt tube combo with tremolo and 8-inch speaker. Hand-wired. Lots of midrange growl that transitions into a creamy overdrive. Great for classic and indie rock, jazz, blues, country and rockabilly. Use as a practice amp or at small venues. Perfect for recording.
Pluses (+): Vintage British, Vox-like, valve sound in an affordable practice amp. Compact and lightweight.
Minuses ( – ): Cheaply constructed lightweight cabinet and thin vinyl covering. The original grille cloth was fragile, and most are completely deteriorated by now. Loud enough for a small venue (i.e. coffee shop) but not for anything larger.
Surprises: 1) The 7189 output tube! This is the higher plate voltage version of the EL84 tube made famous in British amps of the 60′s; and 2) The 8-inch Oxford Alnico speaker sounds great!
Value ($): Depends on the condition and market demand. I have seen them run from $100 to as high as $500.
Similar Amps: The original 1960′s Vox AC4 practice amp. Nothing else in the Silvertone line is similar.
(Stay tuned… this section under construction)
This amp is in fantastic condition for it’s age. It even came with the factory original vinyl dust cover. It is all original, except that I replaced a broken power switch, and then replaced the old 2-prong power cord with a safer grounded cord. The tubes, chassis, speaker, cabinet and finish are all in perfect condition — sans for the cigarette-sized hole burned into the original grille cloth (not by me, it came that way!).
| SILVERTONE 1421 (SEARS 10XL) | ||
| Model Number | 257.14211000 | |
| Serial Number | None | |
| Manufacture Date | April 1971 | |
| Type | 8″ Combo | |
| Output (Peak or RMS) | 10 Watts, Peak | |
| Pre-Amp Tube(s) | 1 x 12AX7 | |
| Tremolo Tube(s) | 1 x 12AX7 | |
| Power Amp Tube(s | 1 x 7189 | |
| Tube Rectifier | 6X4 | |
| Speaker | Oxford 8″ Alnico | |
| Speaker Code | 465-7118 | |
| Speaker Configuration | 1 x 8″ | |
| Baffle Board | 1/8″ Masonite | |
| Impedance | 4 Ohm | |
| On-Board Effects | Tremolo | |
| Footswitch | Yes | |
| Controls | Volume & Tone | |
| Inputs | 2 | |
| Channels | 1 | |
| Cabinet Construction | 3/8″ Pressed Board | |
| Cabinet Covering/Color | Vinyl / Black | |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 14″x17″x6″ | |
| Weight | 10 lbs. | |
| Power | 120V AC | |
Schematic Courtesy of SchematicHeaven.com
Additional Resources
More info to come…
NOTE: This amp in the photo now lives happily with its new owner in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Sears 10 XL was sold through Sears and Roebuck in the late 1960’s and early 70’s. The 10 XL is a single channel, 10-watt (peak) combo amp for electric guitar with a very cool built-in tube-powered tremolo effect.
This little amp first appeared in the 1969 Sears Catalog as a 10-watt tube-powered amp and, transformed into to a solid-state amp around 1972, and then discontinued in 1973. The label on the rear panel identified this model as Silvertone 257.1421100.
The photo of this little amp looks innocent enough. But don’t let the its appearance fool you! This is a serious sleeper of a tube amp, and sounds fantastic. Perfect for your next garage band. And you won’t usually find them as nice as this one!
Summary: A 10-watt tube combo with tremolo and 8-inch speaker. Hand-wired. A classic garage amp! Starts out loud and stays there. Comfortable at full volume playing in a garage, but will blow you out of your bedroom. Lots of midrange and natural tube overdrive. Highly responsive and touch sensitive to player’s technique; so a talented strummer can get a wide variety of tones and sounds. This amp lives mostly on the treble end of midrange, but depending on the speaker can growl and howl on the low-E notes. Great for classic and indie rock, jazz, blues, country and rockabilly. Use as a practice amp or at small venues. Perfect for recording.
Pluses (+): Vintage 1960’s tube sound in an affordable practice amp package. Compact and lightweight. Tube powered tremolo that is other-worldly!
Minuses ( – ): Typical department store construction; lightweight cabinet and vinyl covering (it’s a Sears amp!). The original fabric grille cloth was fragile, and therefore most are completely deteriorated by now. Not really loud enough for a big venue, but still perfect for those small and intimate gigs (i.e. coffee shop).
Surprises ( ! ): 1) The 7189 output tube! This is the higher plate voltage version of the EL84 tube found in British valve amps of the 60’s; and 2) The 8-inch Oxford Alnico speaker sounds great!
Value ($): Depends on the condition and market demand. I have seen them run from $150 (beat up and not working) to as high as $500 (too much!).
Similar Amps: Unique, nothing else in the Silvertone line is similar. Preamp tube (12AX7) and power tube (7189 version of EL84) used in the 1960’s Vox AC4.
The Sears 10 XL was a member of the Sears XL Series of amplifiers that first appeaed in the late 1960’s and ran through the mid-1970’s. The XL Series followed the venerable Silvertone 1400 Series (1472, 1482, 1483, 1484, 1485) from the early to mid 1960’s. The XL Series ranged from the little 5 XL (3-tubes, 3-watts) to the giant 200 XL (200-watts solid-state).
Before the XL Series, the Sears Silvertone 1400 line up of amps was designed and built by the famously efficient and economical Danelectro Company of Neptune, New Jersey. Danelectro was founded by the pioneering electronics engineer and builder Nathan Daniel. Nate Daniel specialized in building quality musical instruments and gear at reasonable prices. Danelectro built and supplied all the guitar amps to Sears and Roebuck from about 1958 to 1968. In 1966 founder Nate Daniel sold his company to MCA, and unfortunately by 1969, MCA had to shut down the operation and thus the original Danelectro Company no longer existed.
From about 1968 to 1972 the smaller amps in the Sears XL Series (the 5 XL, 10 XL, 40 XL) continued to be hand-wired tube amps. But by 1973 the entire XL line – except for the little 5 XL – had transitioned to all solid-state electronics. Exactly who built these XL amps for Sears remains a uncertain. We have speculated that the 5, 10 and 40 XL’s were still built in New Jersey with left-over parts from the defunct Daneletro.
The chassis of the 10 XL is all hand-wired point-to-point electronics with a 6X4 tube rectifier, a 12AX7 preamp tube, a 12AX7 tremolo tube circuit and a single 7189 output power tube. The amp has volume and tone controls, Tremolo speed and intensity controls, two 1/4″ guitar input jacks, and one 1/4″ tremolo foot switch input jack.
The loudspeakers that came in the Sears 10 XL varied throughout production. All speakers were 8-inches in size. But the manufacturer and type of speaker varied. This particular model has an 8-inch speaker made by Oxford with an Alnico magnet, which perfectly compliments the lower output level of the 7189 power tube, and sounds great in this amp. Some other 1421 models were made with speakers from the CTS or Fisher factories, and by my account, those all had ceramic magnets instead of Alnico.
The baffle board is typical Silvertone quality: 1/8″ pressed board (Masonite). That just helps to establish this amp’s personality. The original silver, gold and green sparkle fabric that covers the baffle board is quite delicate, and in most cases rotted away over the years. Thankfully, somehow the original fabric survived on this model.
This 10 XL is in fantastic condition for it’s age. It even came with the factory original vinyl dust cover and tremolo foot switch. It is all original, except that I replaced a broken power switch, and then replaced the old 2-prong power cord with a safer grounded cord. The tubes, chassis, speaker, cabinet and finish are all in perfect condition — sans for the cigarette-sized hole in the original grille cloth (not by me, it came that way!).
| SEARS 10 XL (SILVERTONE 1421) | ||
| Model Number | 257.14211000 | |
| Serial Number | None | |
| Manufacture Date | April 1971 | |
| Type | 8″ Combo | |
| Output (Peak or RMS) | 10 Watts, Peak | |
| Pre-Amp Tube(s) | 1 x 12AX7 | |
| Tremolo Tube(s) | 1 x 12AX7 | |
| Power Amp Tube(s | 1 x 7189 | |
| Tube Rectifier | 6X4 | |
| Speaker | Oxford 8″ Alnico | |
| Speaker Code | 465-7118 | |
| Speaker Configuration | 1 x 8″ | |
| Baffle Board | 1/8″ Masonite | |
| Impedance | 4 Ohm | |
| On-Board Effects | Tremolo | |
| Footswitch | Yes | |
| Controls | Volume & Tone | |
| Inputs | 2 | |
| Channels | 1 | |
| Cabinet Construction | 3/8″ Pressed Board | |
| Cabinet Covering/Color | Vinyl / Black | |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 14″x17″x6″ | |
| Weight | 10 lbs. | |
| Power | 120V AC | |
Links to additional information.
More info to come…
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
June 8, 2012 at 4:06 pmhave one in perfect condition,with the foot petal.no dust cover.ready to sale
February 2, 2013 at 6:10 pmthe other maker of sears guitar amps was electrnic sound corp of chicargo ill during the 1970s to about the late 80s. they used oxford, and quam speakers and maybe cts or some utahs. the also made cabents for the game manufactuers wiaims/bally/ etc.
July 25, 2013 at 12:50 pmlooking for schematics for sears 1422/ 40XL Tube amp
Holy crap! What an incredible find. Someone is selling on eBay a mid-1960′s Silvertone 1481 tube amp, brand new in the original box. That’s crazy! Original Silvertone tubes inside. Complete with original papers and Owner’s Manual. Even has the original shipping label on the box from the Danelectro factory in Neptune NJ to Sears Roebuck store in Newington Connecticut.
The 1481 was the smallest combo tube amp of the Silvertone family at that time. It was the poor man’s version of the Fender Champ, with one 6V6 tube putting out 7-watts to a single 8-inch Alnico speaker. According to Silvertoneworld.com, the 1481 was a cosmetic replacement to the earlier 1471 and was offered in the Sears catalog up through 1968. It was made in Neptune, New Jersey by Danelectro.
Link to eBay auction: 1960′S SILVERTONE AMP MODEL 1481 NEW IN BOX DAN ELECTRO
Original shipping label from Neptune, New Jersey:
UPDATE: This auction has ended. The amp sold for $610.
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