Why do people HATE these amps?! | Friday Fretworks

[@ChrisBuckGuitar]

So, what are we all thinking? Black or Silver? 🤔

[@stewdapples267]

I think you should leave your hair alone. But if you insist, go silver Chris ❤

[@jmfreeland]

I tried to listen without watching and usually when I was curious to hear where a tone was from it was the silver

[@timbaxter9932]

If you got the loot, BOTH!

[@davearooney]

Sounds like a lot more low end in the silver... I think I like the black better

[@nord_laender]

Definitely black 🙂

[@CianRourke]

I’ve been playing guitar since the 70s. I’ve never heard anyone saying they “hate” these amps.

[@rrrrdavid1]

It is you tube people just want attention. The music gear shows on you tube are a joke.

[@fossilmatic]

It’s a beat up by magazines, then the internet guitar communities of the early 2000s. The silver face Twin was a long running staple for a reason. Once the Les Paul thing started getting air after Slash everyone has been talking about “the edge of breakup” tone as the most desirable guitar timbre. But the inherent qualities of single coils and clean Fenders have run a parallel course through Knopfler, Marr, SRV, alt-country, to Mayer. I heard SRV live in 84 playing his Strat through two silver face Master Volume Twins and a TS. Nothing wrong with that tone! The distortion was through the sheer volume colouring the air, not through circuit breakup. Went out and bought one and have used it ever since. Just turn the Master Volume to 10, taking it out of the loop, and use your channel and guitar volume. But please keep the myth intact. It’s a treasured secret for many who hold them dear.😂 Just listen to “Lenny” and ask yourself if you could do that on your Les Paul with a cranked amp. Then, if you’re really adventurous, go back and listen to Bloomfield playing a Les Paul through a Fender and open your mind.

[@deependguitar777]

Agreed! Never heard anyone say that about those awesome Fender amps

[@driftergarage4898]

Word…people literally crap themselves over these amps - even pimple faced D-bags…😮😂👍

[@craftbrewer4032]

yep, this is a joke

[@SteveOuimette]

The two together would be a great blend. Clearly the '68 is darker and the '65 has quite a growly mid grind to it. Love em both.

[@joanpepin1833]

I have a ‘68 ‘black line’ Bassman, a ‘68 ‘black line’ Bronco (Vibro Champ), and a ‘74 Dual Showman Reverb (master volume). They are simply amazing amps. If you know, you know.

[@michaelshearer3559]

^^. Yes, each of those are uniquely Fender but all do their own thing very well. I always loved the Red Bronco!

[@joanpepin1833]

@@michaelshearer3559 Thanks! Yeah, that Bronco on 10 and a humbucker equipped guitar is the epitome of a classic sound. The dual showman is a perfect pedal platform and when pushed hard into an Ironman II attenuater it’s also got that perfect breakup.

[@Tonetwisters]

YES! The only handwired, two-twelve, forty watt combo amp Fender ever made.

[@mrwiggles837]

I have a feeling if you ran the silver face through the black face speakers it would sound pretty much identical to the black face. Speaker selection plays such a huge role in how an amp sounds, I'd argue it is the biggest factor.

[@-doggy-6670]

You are absolutely right and as long as the silverface has had the blackface tweek it would sound very close

[@triclone123]

I was thinking the same thing. :)

[@Sputnick60]

That’s totally true. The speaker has a great influence on the tone of the amp. My 65 deluxe reverb ( a real one from the 60s) had an Oxford speaker that sounded like rubbish. So I put a G12M Celestion in it and it transformed into a wonderful sound.

[@uncleswan3896]

Pro reverb was a pre CBS design. unmodified silverface, no, it doesn't sound the same. I have a first run 1965 (since 1996) and I had a 1969 (from 1999-2013) and tried that speaker switch before. they do not sound exactly the same

[@stanesposito2664]

I have a 68 Princeton that I was told is a blackface circuit, yet it has high headroom, which I love.

[@jpalberthoward9]

The CBS eggheads didn't mess with the lower powered amps too much. They used some cheaper components, but that's about it. There's probably not enough difference between your Princeton and a blackface to even be noticeable unless somebody has performed butchery on it.

[@uponcripplecreek1]

I have a 68 Princeton too (non reverb). It has a cleaner higher headroom design than the reverb version but i love it, so does Mike Campbell, it’s less expensive too. Takes pedals beautifully. I put a Celestion greenback speaker in mine and tungsol tubes. I play it constantly and it never needs repairs. My 72 vibro champ gets a lot of action too.

[@stanesposito2664]

@@uponcripplecreek1 Mine is non-reverb too. I’ve had it since I was a kid. My dad bought it for me probably in 1968.

[@timjx3675]

Man i could watch this great Fender amp stuff all day thx chaps, love to hear you guys on the Bassman, its tone history and offspring (JTM 45 etc) 🎸🌟

[@totallyunmemorable]

My first amp, in my first band way back in 1974, was a silverface Pro Reverb (no master). It was too loud most of the time. We had a keyboard player that only had a Deluxe Reverb. So he played through my amp, and I played through his.

[@leeder92]

Exquisite as usual Chris. ❤

[@Dondini44]

One Players bad is another's Players beauty. Variety is wonderful. Choices are good, use them to fit your world.

[@GTX1123]

I got my first rig at 16 yrs old in 1978; a 65 black panel Fender Showman head run through an 8X10 Marshall hot dog cabinet. My uncle was a keyboard player who had that rig laying around and didn't need it so he gave it to me. He got it from his guitar player who had modded it by bridging the channels and sticking a master volume into one of the inputs. It absolutely SCREAMED. It sounded similar to a 100 watt Marshall with 6550's in it. I played a Japanese FugiJen Les Paul copy with a bolt neck and hot pickups in it, plugged straight into the amp, with absolutely no pedals - just the guitar into the amp and the volumes dimed to 10. That guitar into that amp sounded absolutely AMAZING. Tons of gain and sustain and phenomenal feedback. The only issue with it were the strange noises from the vibrato you'd get occasionally that had something to do with how the amp was modded / rewired. The noises were definitely related to the vibrato in the amp that were probably due to poor shielding of his schlocky rewiring of the amp.

[@davidpepper442]

Both amps sounded amazing. Honestly, they were close enough so that I was completely distracted by What and How Chris was playing. No surprise there.

[@ClayAllred]

I LOVE the Silverface with headroom for that reason. People talk down the Master volume on the Twin for some reason, but I LOVE it on my 1974 Twin. It works like an attenuator, and I can play it quite! Then I can get all the headroom I ever want, and it takes drive pedals so well. I am a Deadhead, and play Jerry Garcia tunes, so it's perfect!

[@ClayAllred]

And honestly, they both sound great, but I like the presence on the Silver better.

[@joshuajkoplin]

Any good player could dial those to sound the same to suit their needs. They’re e both great amps.

[@timchalmers1700]

They both sounded good to me, so I guess I would choose to use the lesser expensive one.

[@JasonHobbsGuitarist]

👌’65 sounds like records! Just perfect. Not so “woofy” in the bass. Much more clarity. I guess that’s what makes the black panel ones more desirable. ✌️

[@ScottsGuitar]

Chris can you do one of these on that brown face Vibroverb? Such a rare amp most ppl don’t even know it exists

[@grbguitar11]

So Very Cool, Thankyou. My only Fender Amps are a 1984 Sidekick 15R with true spring Reverb, and a bargain 2nd hand purchase Frontman 15G. The Sidekick 15R is Awesome and my favorite amp. Such amazingly clean Fender tones and takes pedals so well, very cool little Amp and plenty loud enough for my residential living. Cheers

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Thank you Chris. I asked for some tasty tunes and you didn’t disappoint. Excellent video, I could listen to you strumming air and it would be amazing.

[@audiophilssociety]

Excellent and delicious tones! But you’d make every Amp sound good. Awesome style of playing 💪🏻

[@Airfire21]

Huh, what a funny coincidence! Just a few days ago I was looking at a modern day Vibrochamp and thinking "Man I love that sound, how can I get it bigger?" and the Pro Reverb was what came to my head. Great to see a video on these amps!

[@brucerichard2904]

Surprisingly, at low volume, I slightly preferred the silver, but once it was cranked, definitely black.

[@Texasbluestunes]

That was great! Thanks

[@phillipasby9202]

Well that was quite interesting! Clean I found it very difficult to tell them apart. When pushed they sounded quite a bit different with the black panel to my ears sounding like there was an upper mid set of frequencies that were a good bit more pronounced with definitely less tight bottom. Brighter in the most basic sense. Inspired me to play through my deluxe style amp some tonight which has been mostly languishing in favor of Vox style circuits.

[@michaelshearer3559]

What were the volume settings? They both sounded great IMO, but speakers played a major role. I have a 1968 Drip Edge Pro Reverb with original Utah speakers and really love the amp. It is a very loud amp for home practice and surprisingly seems to max out pretty quick with the band in terms of head room, but I guess we play loud. Just had my amp tuned and new tubes so really enjoy having it back for a daily driver. Great comparison video. Pro Reverb is one of the best amps hands down.

[@steverolfeca]

My dad gigged his 68 Pro Reverb for a couple of decades. Unlike the Twin, you could occasionally get it into mild breakup at weddings, back in the days before OD pedals…

[@Rockriverboarder]

I have two of the very worst considered SF amps, a 79 Princeton and an early 80 Deluxe Reverb, both with the pull for boost volume knob. The biggest concession to cost in my opinion was the cabinet quality and speakers. The Princeton cabinet is all mdf and surprisingly heavy, the Deluxe is largely plywood. No pine here. They’re harder to work on with wax dipped boards and pvc insulated wire. No cloth. But with proper service and a good speaker swap these can still sound very, very good for the money. The circuit is very similar, transformers and components are same quality etc. Recently though I see pretty high asking prices on these too. There’s only so many vintage units out there.

[@teodelnorte]

68 overdriven smokes the silver face, which albeit also sounds excellent. Silver sounds very nice clean

[@redhorsereincarnated5040]

I have a 68/69 Bassman. It breaks up very easily. At least it did back in the late 80's. It hasn't been played since then.

[@nathanbouton6700]

I have 2 Silverface fenders. They're badass and LOUD!

[@bernhardnizynski4403]

I've owned a Brown Face Deluxe (1963) and 2 x 1965 Showmen (Black panel - Silver cloth, and a Brown panel Beige cloth)! I'd be quite happy with any Silver Face Fender. I am a guitar player and a technician and am able to modify any of those amps to my liking - pretty simple matter!

[@rossvanuatu2666]

The only affordable black panel Fender left. Sounds phenomenal on a recording, but sometimes won't cut through in a live setting. It always makes me feel torn coming across videos of lesser known or underrated vintage gear on a channel with this much traction. On one hand it's exciting to see how others use it, but on the other hand I prefer it being kept a secret so we don't see another piece of gear become unobtainable for non-collectors (particularly outside the US) like the Deluxe, Vibrolux, Vibroverb and Princeton Reverb's of the black panel era. People list black panel Deluxe Reverbs for $10,000 AUD or more, yet a Pro Reverb from the same year will sell for half.

[@DerekHerbst747]

The 65 is a bit rounder at the edges. Just by a tiny amount. That's the advantage at breakup. You get more harmonics out of midrange clipping than from the treble frequencies, making it sound sweeter and tighter.

[@ibji]

My black panel pro reverb was stolen...still haven't gotten over it.

[@shadoobie]

I’ve owned just about every Fender amp ever made. The Blackface Pro Reverb is absolutely one of my favorite. The Bandmaster, Twin Reverb, are too heavy and bulky for me anymore. The Pro Reverb is big enough, but still manageable to carry up and down stairs. The Silver Face Pro, and Deluxe Reverbs are very nice as well.

[@Tone.E.RockON]

Hi CB, when you come to the East Coast of NSW Australia, look me up, I have a 1963 Blonde Stack, with Reverb Tank, Tremolux Head and 2 speaker Cabs, with 4x1972 12" Marshall Celestions in it. It can Sing, howl, Bark, or whatever ya want it to do.......

[@JoshKotlar]

I had a 2x12” pro reverb silver face for awhile. It was like an old car - always broken down. I poured so much money fixing the thing. When it worked it was too loud. It was good would pedals. It really did sound good, but it was such a liability. I would really like to try out the 1x12” reissue with the mid added!

[@hadleymanmusic]

All kinds of high schools had silvers

[@hitchpaprocki2649]

I really enjoy your casts. Your love of gear shows. It's funny that your 🎤 mic sounds like a CB radio, good buddy. I would take more care because I live for sound. Just a thought. Thanks for the celebration of great gear

[@thesonnyboy]

Nice ENGC shirt! ✌🏽

[@mrmanch204]

I'll take two silvers and run them in stereo. For the same lolly. Great demo, thanks

[@kingsleysaxon9710]

I take home Silver but that's because I like clean tones with a broader eq. The blacky was more defined when cranked I thought!

[@RobertNolan]

Anything with the AB668 and AA270 circuit is fine, the AA165 is the one everyone wants to see so the price is the highest. Most will be excellent.

[@stevehughes1510]

They're powerful amps at 40w and I wouldn't need that much grunt these days. Like most older style Fenders.......they sound great. Cheers Chris.

[@chainsawcurtis]

The Pro and the Vibro are basically the same amps. I am under the impression that Leo just changed out transformers for different speaker set-ups. In 1969 I bought a Deluxe Reverb new. I haven't got a clue what happened to it it's been so long. But I also had access to a Black Face Vibro that had a single 12 on a new baffle board. That thing with all the controls on 5 would just sing.

[@mikepeters5732]

The perfect loud club amp. 40W with 2x12’s. Great amps. And, easy mod to ‘blackface’ the silvers.

[@NJSonye]

I love a Pro!

[@TK-fk4po]

I had a late 70’s silver face and it sounded great for bluesy overdrive. Was not as clean as you would assume.

[@davidkieltyka9]

Aha, now we know what the mystery silver Fender amp in Chris’ previous video is. ☺️ My ‘67 Bassman is an early silver panel. Same circuit (AB165) and components as the black ones, except the bias adjuster was modded back ages ago to Fender standard operation (rather than the “hum balance” system). Got it at a bargain price entirely due to the cosmetics.

[@ChrisBuckGuitar]

Nearly but not quite! More coming on that amp soon 😉

[@davidkieltyka9]

@@ChrisBuckGuitar Oh, cool, even more amp exploration. Bring it on!

[@tomfoolery2082]

I have a 78 bassman it has an ultra something transformer ,, I like it fine , tried different speakers , ur right its tuff to get it to breakup much . But thts why I got it .

[@vibrolax]

A friend of mine had a SF Twin Reverb, whose sound he loved - very tweedy. He had it re-tubed and a cap job, which made it sound like it was supposed to sound. He was dismayed by the result.

[@stanislavmigra]

Silver panel goes easier to that "small amp overdrive" tones, where Black panel stays big and ballsy. Might depend on application. In some situations, Black panel could took too much sonic space. In this comperation for me Black panel all the way.

[@alexcrouse]

I'm still trying to find a Twin Reverb for my dad. Doesn't matter which one, they all cost too much.

[@wesworach7441]

Those TUL 12 microphones are quite magnificent ! Both amps sound great ! Silver panel slightly above the black one !

[@alecschingel1621]

Sooooo...to me even tho they are both vintage amps, the black panel just sounded more authentically "vintage". It just has the sound. Not necessarily better or worse. It seemed like the frequencies were just put exactly where they should be and even clean it had a very sweet sounding compression. The Silver panel sounded fantastic, but it sounded more like a boutique, modern version of a fender style clean amp. More lows, more highs, really just more of everything frequency-wise and almost more hifi. Again not really a bad thing at all, but just didn't have that classic vintage sound. I'd be curious to know how much that is due to the speakers in each cabinet?

[@18190sparks]

I’ve never heard of anyone HATING Silverface amps.. clickbait title?

[@pzuliomaccavellion9711]

How do you get that amazing square wave sound on the chords and fatter sounds?

[@anthonyrichard461]

Early silvers especially the Deluxe and Princetons were basically the same circuit until the early/mid 70s.

[@COLDMKULTRA]

65 Black Panel does it for me !

[@markdavich5829]

Yeah, they're clean but, at least as far as my interest is concerned, I don't understand why someone would call a twin a lesser amp. I bought my 72 twin out of a pawn shop in the mid 80s and I wouldn't trade it for, or play through anything else, even a black face reissue - It flat-out sounds incredible. If it weren't a great pedal platform I'd feel differently of course.

[@jerryhatrick5860]

Isn't it really just ss rectifier VS tube rectifier?

[@MrGarycooper101]

Silver Panel sounded more Tom Pettyish - But I'm way over here across the pond in Canada. - In reality...... If you weren't comparing, either one was pretty darn good.

[@chrisact9601]

Big difference in the speaker sound to my ears. Silver face sounds a bit more honest. Black face has more notches in the speaker tone. I personally prefer the silver.

[@mrunit7261]

The reason they are not popular is because the Deluxe Reverb any year and any configuration is sooo much better. Plug your Strat into one of these and it is pure gold......

[@picksalot1]

I preferred the Black Panel on most of the examples. The two Amps sounded quite different to my ears. The Silver Panel often sounded weak, and just blase.

[@tomwhitworth5947]

That ‘65… 🤤

[@ebikes2xs159]

By design Leo Fender tried to eliminate distortion.

[@Thewatcherinthering336]

Both have a beautiful tone, no argument. But not enough of a difference to discern one better than the other. It’s so subtle that it could possibly be attributed to two different tubes…certain variables. I think it’s just always been just some kind of snobbery, bragging rights blah blah blah…I ve owned both, the silver has always been a beautiful solid amp, that like others, when it’s time to change tubes it changes slightly…

[@AP-ui7oi]

I have both a 66 and a 74 deluxe reverb. They sound the same….

[@damham5689]

Have you tried to carry one ?

[@Novotny72]

I'm thinking you need to call Justin Hawkins and do a collab with him.

[@alanwoodwind5265]

Through the mid 70's the amps were still good. Once they went ultra linear, it all changed.

[@HardToBeSomeone]

Everybody is always turning the loudspeaker thing into a bigger myth than it actually is. Leo was a practical man. He was concerned with his profit margin. He became an industrialist. When it came to loudspeakers, he would buy lots of them at a clip. So he would purchase them by who gave him the best deal for a boatload of them. I’m sure the quality was important to him, but, the best deal was what it came down to. Also, who could manufacture and deliver. Just so happens that in the fifties American manufacturers made the best stuff in the world. It was fallout from the technology we (Americans) had gained from the Second World War.

[@NickCormierMusic]

I'm a simple man. Chris Buck uploads - I watch.

[@shreyashshrestha6085]

Chris Buck plays, I pay full attention.

[@modestoney1577]

Nobody who has any basic knowledge and/or experience concering amps ever HATED THOSE Silverface amps. The very first SF amps were basically BF amps with a different make up and while some models changed drastically during the SF period, a few more or less stayed true to the BF design and are known to sound great.

[@ronnieblanchet4072]

The ‘68 definitely sounded brighter and the ‘65 sounded fuller, but everything that was lost in the ‘68 CLEAN, was restored when you drove the amp harder (or “let it out” shall we say)-more desirable when cranked (that “high gain” sound-choice!), but left alone, the ‘65 reigned for me-though both amps sounded great! Just depends on the context I suppose, but yes, both those amps are truly gifts from The Lord (Father, Son & Holy Spirit-The One True & Living God) Who gives us the ABSOLUTE standard for what GOOD is so praise Him for that . I’m grateful to God you posted this comparison , God bless you both! On another note, ya’ll ever mess around with a Fender Princeton? Soli Deo Gloria -Ronnie

[@crazyguy4974]

Well, there is technically a difference depending on the model. Having different coupling caps, tone stack caps. It has an extremally different frequency band from the other eras (Tweed, Brown, Black). It is important to also note that this is also why each of these generations do actually sound different. Aside from a few differences in the B+, tubes, transformers, etc. The coupling and tone stack caps have are the thing that defines each of these amps that Leo so thankfully worked on. Ever notice how the Silvers have that very unique low end? Very "tight" and "full", depending on yours ears I guess LOL. They have a shifted mid scoop and a certainly different top end character? A large portion of this difference is in those caps. Now, it takes a HUGE amount more power to produce lower frequencies. The lower the more power needed. These frequencies can strain sections of an amplifier. This is why Tweeds would first tap out on head room at the power transformer and they had a lot more sag because of this. But on the Silvers(having the fattest power transformers lol), the output transformer would be the bottle neck. It gets strained and thus produces a lot more compression as this is the characteristic of an output transformer. Although you can't always hear this the feel factor is pretty large in my opinion. This is probably stuff you already know if you are someone who is into it like me. I'm not disagreeing with you at all writing this. As someone who does waste many many hours of my life reading schematics and geeking out about this stuff (because it is just so cool), I can't say I hate Silvers. They have an excellent charm that is just so different compared to the other eras. I have a 69' Bandmaster Reverb that proves this point. But yeah, they are made to be clean and the Blackface sound much tighter and better overall imo. At the end of the day we all have different ears and minds and we all like different things. And something cool to know is that you are always a few components away from Blackfacing a Silver and vice versa. Same goes for any of the eras. Have a good day :)

[@modestoney1577]

@@crazyguy4974 You are not wrong, yet...... As I wrote, during the ~15 years of SF era, some models went through drastic changes over the years (different OT, Master Volume, big changes in the circuitry etc), while some (especially very early drip edge ones) were practically identical to the BF amps with more or less changes later on as the 70s progressed, depending on the model. So there are no "Silvers" as such. It always depends on what exact amp we are talking about. Some were BF amps with different make up, while others, later on, were very different amplifiers. Of course if someone has the tone of a BF piggy back Bassman in mind, he might be heavily disappointed plugging into a SF Bassman 135. Totally different amp. But you cannot say BF are this and that, while SF are so and so. Always depends on the year and the specific model.

[@crazyguy4974]

​@@modestoney1577 Hey man, I totally agree. I was talking in too general terms for the two eras. I think that what I said could be attributed to alot of SF models regardless though. Especially post early 70's. As for the video - the 68' Custom PR doesn't sound like the Bf PR (which I think is AA 165?) or a AB763 Vibroverb. It has all the stuff that makes it a SF amp. You can clearly hear the difference I was talking about, especially in the gain side A/B. But yeah, definitely depends on the model and year. Still I think in general terms what I said could be attributed to at least the BF era? Good fun to talk about :)

[@modestoney1577]

@@crazyguy4974 Sure, man, I don`t disagree with you. Just two geeks nerding out about details ;). My main point was that there are plenty variants of SF amps out there and the clickbaity title doesn`t really hold up. If there ever was a general hate towards SF amps, it was by people who have a lack of experience / knowledge, I guess is what I was trying to say. Even the SF that don`t sound exactly like their BF counterpart are great sounding amps in a lot of (most) cases. My guess is that people got their hands on later UL SF amps and expected them to sound like BF amps and were disappointed. Also one has to keep in mind that even two BF amps of the same model might not sound 100% identical all of the time, and that speakers play a big role in this also.

[@rasher009]

in the early 80s I played a Battle of the Bands gig where we used the stage gear, which put me through a silver face. That was the best sound I ever got in my life. I've chased that sound forever but never quite found it again. I currently use a Deluxe ToneMaster. Have to say that I now use a CS Nocaster, so that icy-clean sizzle is where my heart lies. Can't get enough of it, which is probably why my musical taste is now modern country. Odd that a guitar sound informs my musical taste and not the other way around, or maybe that's what we guitar players do without realising it.

[@mlwilliam213]

I don’t hear a lot of Tele in modern county. Hardly ever, actually.

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

@@mlwilliam213 I am not a country fan, but love the sound of telly pickups, especially the neck pickup. I am surprised it's not used way more often for country.

[@claybennett5875]

I think that’s actually quite an interesting observation how that sound informs your music taste because until I got into playing in my band (alternative indie rock) I loved blues rock stuff but the second I first tried a 5150 & Marshall astoria custom cranked in stereo in the studio when recording a track, all of a sudden I haven’t stopped listening to hard rock and metalcore trying to hear that sound that made me feel like I was soaring

[@fender4brad]

Anyone would be lucky to own either amp. Great playing! Fun video!

[@christophervincent8420]

The silver panel is not as distorted as the black panel. Very close but the black panel was also a tad darker on distortion as well. But both sounded absolutely amazing

[@aa64912]

My favorite fender amp was the vibrolux

[@mkds7756]

The only differences I’m hearing are probably due to the speaker.

[@andersf324]

Excellent playing as always, Chris! Glad to hear the post-demo discussion regarding the speakers used in each amp since it makes a huge difference. This said, I've never had a problem with silver face amps. I had a '73 twin and was about to bench it again to "black face" it (really not a lot of components) and make the "boost" pull into an NFB switch. Sadly I lived on Fort Myers Beach in Florida and lost that amp + 5 more and 9 guitars when my residence was submerged and collapsed under 16ft of water in hurricane Ian September last year. This said, I'll look for another less desirable Fender amp and mod it to my liking since I have the electronics skills. Maybe not an option for most players, though. I should mention that the twin had EV SRO speakers in it. You basically had to have a fork lift to haul this thing 😆

[@TAM-gz5tc]

YEH ONLY A TWIN OWNER LOADED WITH EV12L KNOWS JUST HOW HEAVY THEY ARE., GOOD IF YOU HAVE A WHEEL IN WHEEL OUT GIG.

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

Pro Reverbs are awesome amps. I have a number of blackface Fenders. The Pro is one of my favorites.

[@steveburroughs7343]

I had a silver face Pro Reverb back in the late 70s and I always remember that amp very fondly, along with the silver face Deluxe I had too. Wish I’d kept them both!

[@50Something]

I have a 69 Bandmaster Reverb with the aluminium trim around the grille cloth. I honestly have never thought about selling it or buying anything else, the amp is just Holy Grail for me.

[@BudgetRC_Channel]

Great comparison. Another future idea would be to highlight some of the current production amps that are similarly under appreciated. Fender's Supersonic amps would be my first vote. Such great Fender amps and nobody has them.

[@SlingShot830201]

One million times agree with this.

[@benjaminthorpe7990]

Love my supersonic! Had it for years and it’ll stay with me for a long time 😊

[@bedroomstudios205]

I got one. Bargain of an amp.

[@JasonChannell]

The 68 Custom series is pretty great. Enjoy my Deluxe Reverb

[@robbyclark6915]

Ditto that! I have an original mid 70s silverface pro reverb and my 68 custom deluxe holds it's own with no problems against its older, bigger, brother. The pro reverb is better quality, better built, and definitely louder being 45 watts, but as far as pure sound.....I might prefer my 68 deluxe? It's no slouch, I don't care what any KZbin amp snob says.

[@hadleymanmusic]

I likd the pro reverb better than the twin.

[@jasonlollar2647]

I have a tweed 57 super and brown 60 super and a 65 black super reverb and a 71 silver super reverb- the tweed and brown are really different sounding amps than the super reverbs of course. The 71 has the bigger coupling caps and has plastic insulated wires somewhat sloppily installed- both black and silver have the stock alnico speakers. The 71 has a little more headroom- not much- and a slightly clearers tone, we use it all the time listening to pickups. The 71 is like our refrence amp. I have lots of fender amps and its worth noting I have a drip edge princeton reverb- its a 67 or 68 silver panel and internally it uses the same blue moulded caps and cloth wiring the black panels use- as you demonstrated by playing the pro reverbs side by side , nice job as always

[@usagi2988]

I have a '72 Pro Reverb and my friend has a '65 Pro Reverb... I've spent a bit of time A/B'ing the two, and they're pretty identical... my Silverface breaks sooner and has a touch of edge to the tone, but they're both absolutely dream amps. I like a bit more grit in my playstyle, so I actually prefer my '72 (I, later, threw some Greenbacks in it, and it is absolutely dreamy to play). Honestly, I think there's a bit of competitive FOMO when you start getting into the weeds on gear... sometimes it feels like a "well, if I can't have a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT, then I'll never be satisfied driving." It's good to have goals and everyone should have their own preferences... but don't let them get in the way of living your everyday life.

[@petetre]

For me, the SF more articulate in the cleans, the BF more punch in the driven channel. As a pedal platform and for recording I'd def go with the Sf. Great video Chris.

[@jeremyjohnston592]

I'd go for the Silverface every day of the week. I prefer the darker tone that I find easier to manage at volume. The pulled back mids make the amp sound clearer when driven. The blackface is dirtier but a little buzzy for my tastes. Its definitely got more presence though. Really though, Im splitting hairs. They both sound excellent. Great playing as always

[@gringopig]

I would get the speakers in the silver panel looked at before they blow up. Crazy that you compare amps with different speakers and think you are doing a comparison. 3dB of extra efficiency results in twice the sound pressure. Speakers can be all over the place in efficiency.

[@jppagetoo]

I own a '60 brownface amp. I have played many blackface era amps and love them. Best Fender amp I have played is '68 Vibro-Lux silverface amp.... there are some great sounding silverface era Fender amps. I like most of this silverface amps right up into the '70 except a few.

[@PerroDelCielo]

I have a 1971 sliverface fender pro reverb, best amp i ever own!

[@dw7704]

A friend of mine had a silver face deluxe reverb amp I loved playing through it I’ll have to ask whatever happened to it

[@jasonmyers3847]

Any classic Fender amps like that out here in, California....sell like hot cakes. The music stores can't keep them in stock very long. They're great amps, indeed.

[@hadleymanmusic]

I like the one on the left everyone on the right I ever plugged into I wouldnt give more 100$ for and never buy anyway

[@youngandrew66]

Silver face twin best ever. Had allsorts over the years from blackface, tweeds etc, marshalls, ceriatone dumble copies.. always come back to the twin. Heavy as fuck but just nice. Plus incidentally- if you buy a fender amp for 'break up' or drive - you're really missing the point

[@PNWJEEPER01]

There's no such thing as "better" or "best"; just different flavors for different tastes and styles. I've never met anyone who "hated" the pro reverb. In truth, most people have never even seen, let alone played through, a non reissue model- though the reissue is a pretty faithful hardwired re-creation of the blackface version. The tonal differences shown in this video are pretty typical for a blackface/silverface comparison.