I've been watching the video's with the blog on the Fender Super Reverb. I am an owner of a Super Reverb Re-issue and it has been my my main amp since 1995. I've never changed the Jensens P10R that came with it, but the other day one of them started making raspy noises when playing the low E string. I replaced it with with a P10R I had in a pro jr. I've accually never heard a 'real' vintage blackface amp. (except for youtube)
I fell in love with the amp cause of the directness en the punch it was giving. I had not expirienced this with my other amp ('60 vox with greenbacks) This is why I always highly regarded the Jensens. I never use it with the bright switch on. For me it has sparkling cleans en I usually push the preamp to it's limit with an EP booster.
All is fine, but there's some things bothering my the last couple of years..
The sound is getting a bit muddy, especially on lower volumes. I usually turn the bass down a bit to get it to 'cut though the mix' , so to speak. I called my favourite local technician and he said the bias was adjusted too hot. And that the sound would open up again when turning it down a bit. Do you guys argee on this?
Would a trafo upgrade be a thing to consider?
Now if it was for you; would you
- change all the speakers (vet 10's or g10 c or a)?
- combine the stock Jensens with vet 10's or g10's?
- combine g10's with vet 10's?
- (sorry, don't want you to cut in your own flesh, but still) Search for a low wattage alnico alternative. (and combine them with vet 10's) Because the g10a is too efficient for a 4x10 setup?
- Breaking in at lower volumes is always a good thing when you ask me.. Will low wattage speakers give more drive for the amp? Will low wattage speakers loose punchyness?
I hope you can help me with this!
You've came to the right place! The Fender Super Reverb is my "if I could only keep one" amp :-)
First the bias: sure, if it's biased hot, and has been for a while, it probably needs to have new output tubes. Here is the issue for you, though. If you really dug the sound of the amp as it was, then you'll want to keep the bias on the high side ... if you bias it cooler, it won't sound the same. As long as the bias is in an acceptable range for your output tubes, the only down side of a slightly hot bias is reduced tube life.
Now the speakers: Those Jensen RI's do, indeed sound decent in the re-issue Supers and Bassman amps. However, they usually begin to sound their best after a good bit of play time, because the cones are so darn stiff! Then the problem is that by the time the cones are getting loose enough to sound good, the little 1" voice-coil on a paper former is probably starting to get a little crispy.
I have several original blackface Super Reverbs, the one I'm currently playing out with is a '67 chassis in a RI cabinet (it came to me that way). With the four Jensen's, it sounded okay, but nowhere near as good as my '64 with original CTS Alnico's. I tried a lot of combinations ... trying to save the Jensen's, and ultimately here is what I ended up with in that amp:
I've kept two of the Jensen blue Alnico RI's, added one WGS G10A, and one vintage CTS Alnico. The result is a cab that sounds ALMOST as sweet as the all-CTS original ... but without the expense of finding and buying a quad of healthy original CTS Alnico 10's! The G10's are SOOO efficient and ballsy on the bottom that just adding ONE into the mix makes a HUGE difference.
So, my suggestion to you is this: if you still have three of the Jensen's that are FULLY HEALTHY, then add in one G10 (Alnico if you can afford), give that a try and report back. Oh, and see to those tired output tubes that have been run hot!
Thank you Vaughn for your reply. I've come to the right place indeed! This is really helpfull.
I think I'll keep two of the Jensen. They do have 18 years of playing in them. I'll add one G10a, to the amp, as you suggested.
Why is there a difference in wattage of the g10a (75watts) and the vintage cts alnico's (25 watts) and how does that impact the sound it'll produce?
I hope the muddiness disappears with the replacement of the 6L6's.
Hello again,
Today the g10a arrived! I ordered 2 veteren 10's with it, since I'm planning to change all the speakers. I wanted to give the g10a try and compare it with the vet 10.
So here's what I did;
First I swapped 1 of the p10r's with the g10a. (that's one hell of a magnet by the way. The weight of the amp increases significantly..) I found it hard to compare with the other speakers jangling along, so I made a 2x10 combination of the g10a and a p10r. Overall I can say that the g10a handles the bass frequencies better and the top end is smoother. But with 4x10 (3x p10r) it does not really make a big difference I think. (since the other speakers are in the way I suppose) .
Next I added the veteran 10's. First I tried just the two of them. This really made a difference! Nice compression and woody tone. I even liked turning on the bright switch, which I never do. I was able to get nice overdriven tones from the amp.
Then I connected all 4 of them. I think it's a real improvement over the p10r's. But for me, the vet 10's work best.
I'm planning to put the g10a in my pro jr. I'm curious what it's gonna do there. I'll report it later, since the pro jr is in sickbay right now..
I haven't decided what I'm gonna do with the remaining 2 speakers yet. It's gonna be either 2 extra vet 10's or 2 low wattage alnicos from another brand.
Still I find that the amp has lots of low mid esspecially when your overdriving the preamp. Certain frequencies in the low mid area seem to resonate harder the others. I checked the power tubes (and preamp) and they are fine. Suggestions anyone?
I can tell you have discerning ears! It might be time for you to consider trying to move from the Reissue SR to the real deal!
Also, I tried a G10A in my Fender Pro Junior ... and it won't fit! Those terribly small cabinets are the worst part of those amps!