Fender Super Reverb amps

[Chickenwings]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

You forgot the tube vs SS rectifier...

lol. no i dint! You even quoted me mentioning it!. :wave:

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

my two cents - great tone. very versatile blend of volume and headroom; they cover pretty much any size of gig or practice with ease. awkward combo to carry due to the combination of shape, weight, and balance.

i sold mine [ri model] some time back when i was going through a purge mode, and i really regret doing so.

that said, if i was to set out to replace it with an amp of a similar configuration, i'd get a vt-40 instead. no vibrato, but a much more tonally versatile amp imo [outstanding tonal control/variety].

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

great tone - awkward to carry. my two cents.

i sold mine [ri model] some time back when i was going through a purge mode, but i really regret doing so.

That is my biggest single issue with a Super Reverb...

When I was into the BF/SF Fender tone I had a very nice SR but it was a bigger pain to move around than my Twin Reverb !

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

The carrying/awkwardness thing made me think: I always thought that the BF Super Reverb was basically the combo version of the BF Bassman. Aside from the speakers, how different are they? They're both 40W 6L6 amps, after all. Forgive my ignorance.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

I too have a 68 Super. I would venture to think that the model in a 15w SS vox doesn't actually sound much like a Super. They are not at all like a plexi. They do have a fantastic power tube overdrive if you crank them, maybe that's what you associate with a plexi. The warmth of a good super is unbelievable, with a certain "growl" even in the clean sound once you can get the amp up to about 3 or higher. They are also great platforms for pedals. The old ones are hand wired and built like tanks. The original Alnico speakers are like magic. Twins are much louder, much cleaner, and have more of a twang if you know what I mean. Both amps have very good tone controls and a beautiful reverb. I suggest you hit the stores and play a couple. Also, make sure to turn them up to at least 3 to hear what they really sound like.

Definitely I am leary of the accuracy of the modeled super, based on my real amp experiences and modeled versions. That is why I started the thread. I have been able to fairly accurately mimic the tones that were done with (a real) super reverb on those albums..which fit pretty seamlessly in with 50w JMP plexis and metalfaces that were also used. Of course I am also aware of studio magic.

thus my question for users/owners of the real deal :bigthumb:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

The carrying/awkwardness thing made me think: I always thought that the BF Super Reverb was basically the combo version of the BF Bassman. Aside from the speakers, how different are they? They're both 40W 6L6 amps, after all. Forgive my ignorance.

Pretty different...

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

Here is a shot from a session form what I think was the In Step album...

He had a custom splitter made that would rout his signal to up to 10 amps at a time:

Here is a live shot that shows PART of his live rig,mostly just the clean side of things...the Supers, Vibroverbs and Bassmans are out of frame!

I do not normally reply to threads that ask:
What amp do I need to get the "John Doe" sound.?
But next time the question gets asked in reference to SRV..... I do not think I will be able to resist.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

The carrying/awkwardness thing made me think: I always thought that the BF Super Reverb was basically the combo version of the BF Bassman. Aside from the speakers, how different are they? They're both 40W 6L6 amps, after all. Forgive my ignorance.

You've got the reverb and the vibrato for one, besides that it seems that the bassman has an extended low and high end and has a solid state rectifier so it has a bit less sag/more punch.

http://www.thevintagesound.com/ffg/schem/bassman_aa864_schem.gif

http://www.thevintagesound.com/ffg/schem/super_reverb_ab763_schem.gif

On the topic of the actual amp....the BF/SF Super Reverb is my favorite big reverb amp. The 10s give it a LOT more midrange and texture than 12s do, especially on a twin. The tube recto gives it a very interactive feel (to me) and when all else fails.....in the world of combos a Super Reverb just LOOKS imposing!

Luke

 

[Bludave]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

I heard that he said something like that in a interview along time ago. I just figured he honestly didn't know what he was talking about and that he also filled up a building with a whole lot of amps when he was recording one of his records and it was so loud everything was shaking.

It is hard to really judge what he used when. I know when he did the instep record he had about 50 amps that were all wired up and he would just keep switching until he found the sound he wanted. I believe Cesar Diaz was his amp tech at that time. I'm just going by what I read so I could have it wrong. Bottom line is this thread is about Super Reverbs and for most things I think they are great amps. I use mine in conjunction with a Marshall 900 for years. Whe nI bought my first Strat in 87 I bought a Jazz Chorus 77 with it. About 6 months later I bought my Super and planned on A/Bing the amps. BUT the JC just sucked by comparison to the Super so I bought a Marshall and unlike SRV I used the Marshall(a 900 50W combo that I still have) for drive stuff & the Super for cleans. Worked beautiful. Now I have a Bogner and a Komet, but I Still have the Super and the Marshall. It worked really well but it was a lot to carry. Most of my Gigs nowadays are done in small venues so I typically use a Deluxe Reverb. Small enough to keep the volume under control and loud enough to do what I need. I use a TS9 to push it when I need to...

 

[Bludave]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

I had a dolly that I used when I gigged with mine. It was high enough to make it awkward to carry, but once it was on stage it was heavenly!

 

[Grenade]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

When I saw SRV live he had 2 Super Reverbs, 2 Dumbles, Marshall Major, and a Vibroverb to drive the rotating speaker cab. It was LOUD. So loud they built a plexiglass baffle in front of his rig on a 45 degree angle to keep his guitar from screaming down the vocal mic and blowing his hat to the 25th row.

 

[nedcronin]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

They are heavy, and a ***** to carry for sure. Taking them home is always worse than bringing them out.

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

I too have a 68 Super. I would venture to think that the model in a 15w SS vox doesn't actually sound much like a Super. They are not at all like a plexi. They do have a fantastic power tube overdrive if you crank them, maybe that's what you associate with a plexi. The warmth of a good super is unbelievable, with a certain "growl" even in the clean sound once you can get the amp up to about 3 or higher. They are also great platforms for pedals. The old ones are hand wired and built like tanks. The original Alnico speakers are like magic. Twins are much louder, much cleaner, and have more of a twang if you know what I mean. Both amps have very good tone controls and a beautiful reverb. I suggest you hit the stores and play a couple. Also, make sure to turn them up to at least 3 to hear what they really sound like.

I had a 66 BF quite a few years back, and if I remember the sound of it correctly, with pedals and no pedals, I concur. I had a Twin at the same time.

Yep, they are a pain to haul for sure, which is why I am not interested in having one as a gigging amp these days.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

Not to start anything but the Supers came after the Vibroverbs.

Stevie's early tone was the Marshall Club and Country for cleans and a pair of Vibroverbs for OD.

In the mid 80's he swapped the Club and Country for either 2 Dumbles or a Dumble and a Marshall Major for cleans then swapped the 2 Vibroverbs for 2 Supers keeping both Vibroverbs on hand...one to power his Leslie and the other as a spare or often combined with the 2 Supers.

He also added 2 reissue tweed Bassman amps on his last tour and often ran them in addition to the 2 Super Reverb, 2 Vibroverbs and was still using the Dumble/Marshall Major for cleans.

That's a crap ton of amps but he was SRV.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Fender Super Reverb amps

Supers in head form factor the way to go. Easier on the back.