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

[@NickCormierMusic]

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

[@shreyashshrestha6085]

Chris Buck plays, I pay full attention.

[@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

[@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

[@michaelsteven1090]

@@mlwilliam213you don’t hear or see a lot of teles in modern country?.which one is it because there two different things..

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@fender4brad]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@jacquesduplessis8382]

Silverface for me. Love your channel. All the best from South Africa.

[@johnsettle5607]

I noticed Ed wearing an East Nashville Guitar Club shirt. That’s pretty much my hometown. You definitely need to get to Nashville soon!

[@Tonetwisters]

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

[@Tonetwisters]

I might addendum to my statement, by saying that the tweed low-powered Twin was probably around 40 watts, with two twelves.

[@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!

[@sichuancowboy]

I specifically LOVE the silverface/panel amps specifically for that headroom... Who would hate an amp that's designed to do what it's meant to do, unless said person has no clue. I love the sparkly squish. Just dime the amp and let it breathe. It's got tons of headroom for a beautiful clean sound that breaks up so nicely as you dig in. And if you need a boost/dirt for a lead tone or you need it to break up at lower volumes, just add said pedal in the chain.

[@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.

[@chaz__]

To me, it sounded like the black panel was handling the chords much better when cranked @13:52, sounding more open with a little bit more top end sparkle. Both amazing.

[@stanislavmigra]

agreed

[@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

[@lucistired]

I have a 100 Watt twin reverb from 1976. It's my favorite thing ever. It has a massive clean sound, and a brilliant overdrive tone that comes at paint peeling volumes. I love absolutely everything about it. For the record, mine has the original speakers and transformers, so i'm sure you could go even further with it if you started tinkering

[@DavidGarcia-kw4sf]

Yes. I have the same amp which I got back in my college days. I think it has an amazing sound; not at all thin or brittle as some people tend to describe it. And when I add my pedal board it is a wonderous combination. But it is indeed very clean and that is why it is a perfect pedal platform.

[@motorcyclemark2889]

My cousin has a 73 twin reverb he used it for 50 years its an awesome amp the brightness will blow your ear drums out

[@frankgrotto]

I owned a silver framed super reverb (-67). Nothing before or after has ever come close. Good u bring this up.

[@PrisonerD]

I used to have a 72 silver face quad reverb. Loved that amp, the clean head room was unbelievable on it. Worked very well with pedals for hard rock.

[@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

[@Benji8461]

Man, your playing mesmerizes me. Seriously, your playing has picked up where the late Jeff Beck left off, RIP. You're becoming my fav guitar player and rest assured, I'm 62 and have been playing for over 55 years so I've listened to a few guitarists. Keep it up, man

[@dkelban]

Great video. I especially like when you go from heavy distorted chords to quiet delicate finger picking. It's beautiful. If that's part of a song, what song is it. That transition to gorgeous quiet finger picking slayed me. Very emotional playing.

[@Mr2greys]

I have an early 64 Bassman Blonde, literally one of the last ones made, I had to get the caps replaced and took it to a local very reputable amp repair guy and he was utterly fascinated as he said there were some things that although pre-CBS it has some things that have been considered post and is obviously been unmolested. This included the change with the fender script and the transformer.

[@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.

[@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) 🎸🌟

[@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.

[@ErikThomasMusic]

The Orange Label Utahs which are in that black faceplate Pro Reverb in the video, are from the 1970s based on their larger magnets than the Utahs of the 60s. They are most likely 1977 Utahs. Fender used blue labels on the Utahs up until about mid 1967 when they switched to orange labels. The first orange label Fender Utahs were used in the 1967 Bassman 2x12 cabinets. By the time of the release of the early silverface amps which was completed in September, 1967, the orange label Utahs were used. Its the same speaker as the blue label, but the color of the labels changed. The speakers in the 68 in the video may be Oxfords, as they were still using the blue label at that point, or possibly they were some left over blue label Utahs. The only way to tell visually is to look at the baskets of the speakers but unfortunately the photo is not clear enough to tell. Its possible that the silverface in the video is an AB668 circuit.

[@Beermaker2000]

Picked up a 1968 SF Bassman head for $850 two years ago. The transformers are from 1967, and the bass channel still had blue molded caps. AB165 circuit. It sounds amazing, especially cranked. BF Bassman tone for sure. If you want vintage, SF is the way to go.

[@CargoShorts7]

The holy grail of my humble collection is my all original 1965 Deluxe Reverb. I’ll be buried with that thing lol! For me, I think the blackface Fenders will always be king for their iconic history, but the silverfaces are finally getting the recognition they deserve as rock solid road warrior tone machines at 1/2 the cost (for now 😅)

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

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

[@jujuUK68]

I've got a Pro Reverb Silverface - Has the Master Volume, but still only Treble and Bass EQ. So probably 74 ish - but before the "ultra linear power amp or solid state rectifier were added. - And I'm very happy with it. Especially as I bought it 30 odd years ago for £200.

[@g_and_kikos_studio]

Last year I got a very early drip edge with Black Lines Twin Reverb dates 67. At an estate auction. With 1 JBL and 1 Fender Speaker. I love it. That early is same as blackface. Same amp the Beatles used in the new Film "Get Back" I did a KZbin video on mine when I first started my channel

[@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.

[@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.

[@papawx3]

I have a ultra linear Pro Reverb that I had modded and it sounds very similar to a Highwatt 103 I had years ago. Just sounds GLORIOUS, it is one of my never sell amps. I also have a silver plate Vibrolux Reverb with the AA270 circuit. These can very easily be put back to black plate specs for very little money and effort should the owner so desire, but I have never felt the need to. It sounds great as it is. I have ner understood all of the disrespect for the 1970s Fender amps, any of them are FAR better than 90% of the amps made today.

[@totallyunmemorable]

I have a '69 ultra-linear Sunn Sceptre. I've modded it fairly extensively, but did nothing about the ultra-linear aspect. It's my favorite amp. I love it dearly. Great clean, great dirty.

[@johnl.6930]

Silver a tad brighter so infinitesimally so. I own the ‘68. Had to swap out the Utah crumbling speakers. This is my favorite amp in my studio. Excellent job comparing the 2. Thanks!✌️❤️

[@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.

[@timchalmers1700]

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

[@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

[@robbyclark6915]

I have a 74 or 75 pro reverb, 2x12, 45 watt, all original, except maybe a couple of tubes, maybe? The only person who would know for certain is my dad, but he just passed which is why I now have the amp. I have taken it apart though, and it is a thing of beauty! All hand wired, point to point, and everything, including the caps appears to be vintage from the 70s, and still in great condition! The very interesting thing about this pro reverb is the addition of a master volume! It doesn't do a lot on the normal channel, but on the tremolo channel, it sounds awesome! I can get the sweetest tube overdrive that starts around 7 and just gets fatter and crunchier all the way to 10. I used to play this amp as a teenager wanting to sound like AC/DC and Aerosmith, and never knew it made it's own overdrive! My dad, being a jazz man, never realized it either. I remember saving up for an Ibanez TS9 as a kid, so i could get something close to distortion out of this amp! If, if, if.

[@Dondini44]

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

[@rawspaghetti9185]

Much prefer the silver face, surprisingly. On this recording the black face sounded thin and uncontrolled. The silver face full , it’s always easier to cut out tones you don’t want than adding those you wish you had

[@aa64912]

My favorite fender amp was the vibrolux

[@p6x2]

Fender The "evil" Twin is one of the most despised Fender amplifier. It is also nick named the "red knob" Twin. I never quite understood why the hate; Poppa Chubby used to tour with those, and Robben Ford too, with his Hermida Audio Zen drive. I did actually witnessed it myself. No hearsay. I got my own "Evil" for only 200 US dollars in 2008 from a guy who could no longer wanted to assume its considerable weight. It is still going strong today. Just as heavy as ever!

[@rodanone4895]

no. the red knob is not the "evil twin". they are different amps. you are referring to the twin II which has black knobs and is a Paul Rivera design. the red knob is an amazing and unique design that i use daily in the third hole... you can get very dumble tones with it. note it is Steve Cropper's first choice backline amp. the twin II was a two channel made to compete with Mesa at the time... with its heavy overdrive channel... "evil twin"

[@rstuartcpa]

I have a ‘74 Fender Pro Reverb and it’s incredible…but weighs a ton. I also have a reissue and love it too.

[@joshuajkoplin]

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

[@honkytonkinson9787]

The silver one sounds more like the music from the 60s and 70s that I like! Both sound similar though! Great Fender history! Even if you prefer other brands of amps and/or guitars, hard to argue that Fender’s history isn’t cooler than the other manufacturers!

[@PerroDelCielo]

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

[@PaulJohnson-jq9xw]

I had an all original 1965 Pro Reverb… one of the best amps I have ever played.

[@cortmiller]

I have found with my vintage fenders that a speaker swap can wildly change both the volume (based on speaker sensitivity and voice coil size) and the overall character of the amp. I tend to put celestions into a lot of my vintage fenders. (My 67 deluxe reverb has a celestion g12H 55hz heritage which took some of the high end from the bright cap off and made it much louder). But vintage fenders in general be it tweed, brown, blond, black or silver I think are the best amps on the planet

[@blackstrat6732]

I agree, so musical , give the guitar note piano like complexity

[@BrianBrazilHarmonica]

I had a Black Face 1965 Pro Reverb. It was one of the best amps I ever owned. It had 2 x 12" Jensen's and weighed way less than a twin. It produced about 40 Watts and sounded great lots or warm tone with you could get some great dynamics out of them. With a 1968 Gibson ES 335 they were a monster.

[@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.

[@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!

[@famtoonen18]

I just bought tickets for your concert in Amsterdam!!!! Looking forward to see you!!!! Please put your tour dates in the video description, not just a link? I didnt expect your to play in Amsterdam. It was luck I discovered you were playing in Amsterdam in May....

[@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.

[@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 💪🏻

[@leeder92]

Exquisite as usual Chris. ❤

[@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.

[@brucerichard2904]

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

[@ImNotOld_ImVintage]

Well... it depends on what you are using it for. To just sit in a room and play guitar, I think I prefer the fullness of the Silver panel. However, in a band context, I think the Black Panel is going to sit better in a mix and keep the guitar crisp and not washed out.

[@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

[@18190sparks]

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

[@tomduckworth8335]

Yes the early silver panels were good because they share so much with the blackface amps. It’s just that the later ones CBS got away from the black face specs. and they just sound like they have a head cold a very unpleasant upper midrange nasal sound

[@johnviolette5511]

When I was a teen, I had a 1980ish pro reverb with master volume and a 1979 Fender Lead II. I was playing a wedding once and an older gent who played back in the 60's said the tone I had was awesome. I was not much impressed with my tone as i was just a teenager that didn't know any better.

[@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.

[@MichaelSorensen-bl3ec]

I really admire your unique playing technique. Very expressive.

[@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.

[@scottwilcox6313]

So very close the black face seemed a little fuzzy which is cool. You should really try a 67 ab165 Fender Bassman. Just so versatile.

[@meesterprofe007]

A good friend of mine 😊Wilson sold me his cannibalized b.f. Pro Reverb chassis years ago. Hardly had any resistors or caps in it, let alone wires. I had another friend Lester repopulate later the circuits in the chassis and get it sounding. I have a 2x12 box with Celestions in it. Already I am becoming amazed with this amp and its muscular tone and midrange response

[@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.

[@andrewguttry6886]

I gigged a Blackface Pro Tube Pro Reverb for a couple of years; fantastic amp that didn't stay in the Fender catalogue for long. Domwnside? 75lbs! Great overdrive and classic cleans. Well worth hunting out.

[@stratplayr6997]

Never thought those amps were hated, I just don't see as many of them as I do Fender's other amps. They just seem rarer than Deluxe Reverbs, Twin Reverbs, etc. BTW... that Les Paul is BEAUTIFUL!!

[@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!

[@taborturtle]

In the 90s I played in a band with a lead guitar player that used a silver face Twin. His tone could shatter eardrums! And he always had it cranked for crunch. I think my tinnitus is from his guitar!

[@thevalvinist5713]

What a combo! And the amps are pretty good too 😁 Nice to see the Welsh guitar scene blossoming. 👍 The Blackface overdrive tones stole it for me.

[@miltonbrown9305]

I had a drip edge that I gigged for many years. I had two EV12L’s in it. It was heavy but sounded glorious. Great amp. Sold for a Paul Rivera modded Deluxe that I still use. Much lighter. 😂

[@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.

[@daviddalziel884]

Best old Fender amp I played was a Super Twin -160 watt and the weight of a boat anchor . Think they were only made 75/76 , an absolute tone monster .

[@ksharpe10]

I bet it was all blk, and had JBL speakers in it.??

[@daviddalziel884]

@@ksharpe10 it was all black dunno about speakers and it was sitting in a flight case as it would have been wheeled to gigs then sat upright to play then laid down again , I didn’t buy it as it was so heavy -internet says around 100 lbs !!

[@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.

[@cgoebbert]

Great video! I have a ‘68 drip edge Princeton Reverb that breaks up nice around 4-5 and a ‘69 Twin Reverb that will kill you either by lifting it or by cranking it up - it’s so freakin’ loud!! Headroom for days (weeks, months, etc.). Both awesome amps but I’ve retired them from live work and just record w/ them. Both great pedal platform though the Princeton can get loose in the low end w/ semi-high gain & humbuckers. Live these days I’m using a Fender Blues Jr IV and a Blackstar HT20R MKII, both set clean, though the HT20R has really nice sounding chunky & searing gain channels, which I sometimes use. Man, gear is fun!!

[@richardpierce7819]

I have a Twin Reverb , and I also have a pretty rare Twin Reverb 2 , I just had the Twin 2 completely rebuilt , ( these amps were only built from 83 to 86. ) I've heard that SRV and Jeff Healy both used the Pro Reverb. I would like to have 1 if I could find an affordable one.

[@mitchellrosenthal6305]

Both sound awesome. The black panel one imo sounds brighter, tighter, and would probably work better in general for recording or playing with a band.

[@coreymihailiuk5189]

For some clarification, the very first year of the "drip edge" silver face amps ( 1968 ) had the exact same circuit as the previous years of Blackface fender Amps. This circuit is the AB763 which debuted in 1963. They sounded identical and the only real difference was cosmetic. I owned a 1968 "Drip Edge" Deluxe Reverb that sounded just incredible. After 1968 Fender began making changes in the circuit design and they eventually moved from a GZ34 rectifier tube to 5U4's. These many changes led to a less desirable tone that started the craze to find older Fender Blackface amps that just sounded better.

[@GuajoloteGonzales]

Actually, this circuit is AA165, the same as the first blackface Bassmans.

[@ShorelineDreamer]

The circuits on the SF Deluxe Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb amps were largely unchanged throughout the 70s. Not all models were subject to the Master Voleme/UL schematic in the power stage. Thankfully!

[@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.......

[@mikesolomon481]

'68 to'71 silver panel pro reverbs still maintained the black panel era circutiry. They are Excellent amps and relatiely speaking represent good value in the market. "65 to '67 amps sound a touch weeter to my ears for some reason, maybe the rectrifier tube ? Either way the Pro Reverb is an Outstanding amp,and anyone who "hates' them just has not really experienced what they can really put out. Great demo video here.

[@michaelsteven1090]

Whoa, that Silver sounds amazing..

[@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

[@MAHGlie]

I have a 68 “black line” drip-edge Pro Reverb. Fantastic amp. Same circuit & components as the blackface.

[@jaymichaels5187]

Other than the late ones with UL output transformers, most late made SF Fender amps can be modded close to BF specs with little expense in parts cost if you can read a schematic and can use a soldering iron and observe and practice electrical safety .

[@m0j0b0ne]

I had my '69 silverface drip-edge Super Reverb converted to blackface spec. Since I acquired a '65 blackface Super, I'm considering having it changed back to recover some headroom and to make it a better mate for layering with the blackface in a cleaner/dirtier configuration. The silverface was a shade over $200 in 1986 , the blackface a shade over $2000, ten years ago.

[@mrmanch204]

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

[@cooper5882]

I've been using Fender amps for the last 45 years and love them . 100 watt twin was my favorite back in the day . I might change the speaker or something like that . But as a general rule they are great amps and they take pedals really well . At my age I use a 57 1x12 tweed or Princeton 1x12 or a 72 SF Bassman I made into a combo now. I will pair together some combination of those 3 amps . But to answer your question Silver or Black makes no difference to me .