Fender Super Reverb for steel?

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 27 Nov 2019 5:42 pm

Just curious if anyone uses one here.

Thanks

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 27 Nov 2019 6:03 pm

I did a 2 night gig in around 1980 where my band used the equipment of the headliner band. One of their guitar players had a Super with JBLs that I used. It was awesome, even with the C6 neck. I was using a Twin with JBLs at the time. Since that time, I have always wanted a Super with JBLs. And someone to carry it for me.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 27 Nov 2019 6:16 pm

I used one for a while with the original CTS speakers,, Absolutely gorgeous sound.. Better than a twin in my opinion, and plenty of power.. They are very loud, and if you need more volume to cut through, the band is playing way too loud.. I will go as far as to say, the sound I got with a Super Reverb was probably the best sound I personally have ever had.. There is a noticeable difference in the tone of a Fender amp with a SS rectifier and one with a tube rectifier.. The SS rectifier amps all sound great,,, The tube rectifier amps sound better than great... bob

Steve Spitz · Post by **Steve Spitz** » 28 Nov 2019 8:17 am

Iâ€™ve got one from my blues bum days. Your comments make me consider new tubes and a check up.

Iâ€™m wondering , was the sound you refer to with modern high output pickups ? Active not passive pot pedals ?

Something tells me lower output pickups and pot pedals may be part of the tone equation.

Could I expect the same mojo with a 20K pickup and a modern active pedal ?

When I tried a ShoBud through a twin, using the pot pedal made a huge difference.

Brian Herder · Post by **Brian Herder** » 28 Nov 2019 8:59 am

I use a 74 Super Reverb with a 4 ohm Weber California 15". I'm usually playing guitar too, so that gets the Vibrato channel and the steel goes into a Boss RV-3 with the other channel. Volume is typically set around 4 and it sounds great, I think. Not sure what I am missing with the 4ohm speaker and a 2ohm amp, but I like everything about it besides the weight and height. Plenty of power.. a lot of times I have to back it down volume wise for the soundman. Never tried it with 4 10s, which is probably your main curiosity.

Steve Spitz · Post by **Steve Spitz** » 28 Nov 2019 2:10 pm

Iâ€™ve considered the 15â€ speaker as well. I may have to try this.

Iâ€™ve got a blackface twin with a JBL or Altec 15â€, and itâ€™s spectacular, but heavy.

Iâ€™m not sure this would be a noticeable improvement, but Iâ€™m curious.....

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 29 Nov 2019 6:24 am

Steve Spitz wrote:Iâ€™ve got one from my blues bum days. Your comments make me consider new tubes and a check up.

Iâ€™m wondering , was the sound you refer to with modern high output pickups ? Active not passive pot pedals ?

Something tells me lower output pickups and pot pedals may be part of the tone equation.

Could I expect the same mojo with a 20K pickup and a modern active pedal ?

When I tried a ShoBud through a twin, using the pot pedal made a huge difference.

Pot pedals, always..
Low output coil tap TT pickup 9 K -12K wound to old Fender cable guitar specs .
20 k pickups and an active pedal?.. meh, not for me, but its worth a try I suppose. I have a feeling you might run into more problems with distortion than I did .
When those amps were made, there was nothing around with that kind of output into the front end of an amp.. You have the amp, its worth a shot thats for sure... bob

Steve Schmidt · Post by **Steve Schmidt** » 29 Nov 2019 10:22 am

A super reverb makes a great pedal steel amp. have a new cabinet built (I build those too) for a single 12" speaker and put a TT12 speaker in it and you have a great 2-6L6 steel amp. I ran mine stock for a long time and eventually I put a newer output transformer in it that was for either 4or 8 ohm since the stock one is for a 2 ohm load and the travis toy speaker is 8 ohm. you won't hurt anything running a higher load speaker in it, but an impedance match is always best. I like them because they have a mid range control.

John Groover McDuffie · Post by **John Groover McDuffie** » 29 Nov 2019 11:18 am

I use a 74 Super Reverb with a 4 ohm Weber California 15"

I've also seen this mod. For those that don't know, the Weber California series is modeled on a JBL.

4 10"s have nearly twice the cone area as a single 15. The LF would probably sound tighter. The coupling of the adjacent cones also enhances the low end projection. After all, SVTs use 8 10"s, and I've never heard anyone complain that they are lacking in low end, yet they never sound flabby when cutting through a loud rock band. The coupling of the adjacent cones also enhances the low end projection.

I think the 4 x 10" setup might have a more directional high end and a faster attack, something most steel players don't need as far as I know. the coupling of the adjacent cones also enhances the low end projection.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 29 Nov 2019 2:36 pm

I use a 74 Super Reverb with a 4 ohm Weber California 15"

Brian, is it the ceramic or alnico California, and which dust cap? Paper or aluminum?
Thanks

Steve Spitz · Post by **Steve Spitz** » 29 Nov 2019 6:41 pm

I think I would replace the baffle board with one for a 15â€ speaker, only because I have a house full of steel friendly 15s lying around.

This. would only be after an â€œA-Bâ€ comparison with the stock 4X10s, vs. a 15 in a separate cabinet.

I donâ€™t think Iâ€™d want to permanently alter my Blackface Super and baffleboards are cheap.

Bob, thanks for the advice. I suspected the Pot pedal and lower output pickup might be the way to go.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 29 Nov 2019 8:54 pm

Personally, I think adding a 15 would be a mistake, if you already have good amps with a 15.. The 4X10 configuration is GOOD for steel, and has considerably more surface area than single 15.. I know, its not widely used, but there were not many 4x10 amps out there to use for steel, and most players just never tried it.. the Super Reverb, Music Man had a 4 x10 amp, and a few obscure others were about it..
A lot depends on how loud you have to play, a SR will break up before a twin lets say, but if set up right and with good speakers, there is a LOT of volume in that 2 ohm 4x10 config, and its a huge sound, plenty of bass, and as much top end as anyone could want..

a cool trick i have used in the distant past was mixing speakers too.. Say 2 10 inch JBL speakers and 2 Utahs, or CTS, Oxfords, Jensens or whatever else fender used in these amps.. I have seen guitarists do it and it works nice for steel as well, to add a more distinctive voice to the sound.. Its a classic steel sound, using a Super Reverb, not a modern one, but thats what i like and have always strived for.. Guys that swear by the big clean 300 watt Peavey steel amps on the bitter end of a modern steel with 20-21 K pickups might not go for the tone of a great old Bud run straight into a Super Reverb .. btw, another GREAT steel amp i used for a while was a QUAD Reverb.. man what a HUGE classic Fender sound. That was mid 70's master volume Fender and it sounded great, but as far as sweetness of tone , and all around "tubey goodness" the old The Super Reverb had a better sound. but man was that Quad loud and clean... jeez. Needed 2 good men and a pack mule to move it though!..bob

Tommy Mc · Post by **Tommy Mc** » 30 Nov 2019 8:19 am

Bob Carlucci wrote: The Super Reverb had a better sound. but man was that Quad loud and clean... jeez. Needed 2 good men and a pack mule to move it though!..bob

The Super Reverb is a beast to haul. As I recall, it weighs around 68 lbs, putting it in the same class as my Session 400. The difference is that the Super Reverb is too tall to use your legs to lift. It's all in the arms.

I've gotta say, this thread has me thinking about dragging my old SR to a gig and trying it out. IMHO the SR is one of the finest sounding guitar amps. If that translates to steel.... Oh, my back is already protesting!

Brian Herder · Post by **Brian Herder** » 30 Nov 2019 7:01 pm

Dave- It's a ceramic with the paper dust cap.

Steve Spitz · Post by **Steve Spitz** » 1 Dec 2019 9:53 am

Agreed the Super Reverb is the bomb for six string..

Mine paid my rent for a good while back in the day.

Single coil fender pickup, no effects, and glorious tone.

Brooks Montgomery · Post by **Brooks Montgomery** » 1 Dec 2019 10:24 am

This thread reminds me of an old band mate, now deceased, and his old Super.
His heavy old beast reaked of cigarettes and spilt beer. Check out the nice beer impressionist art on the grill!ðŸ˜Ž

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 1 Dec 2019 2:09 pm

Tommy Mc wrote:
Bob Carlucci wrote: The Super Reverb had a better sound. but man was that Quad loud and clean... jeez. Needed 2 good men and a pack mule to move it though!..bob
The Super Reverb is a beast to haul. As I recall, it weighs around 68 lbs, putting it in the same class as my Session 400. The difference is that the Super Reverb is too tall to use your legs to lift. It's all in the arms.

I've gotta say, this thread has me thinking about dragging my old SR to a gig and trying it out. IMHO the SR is one of the finest sounding guitar amps. If that translates to steel.... Oh, my back is already protesting!

Yeah the Super is heavy, but try a Quad!.. Same shape except taller, deeper and wider, and 4 x12.. oh yeah, and 21 pounds heavier than a Super... 89 pounds with standard speakers, probably close to 100 with optional JBL's.. however HUGE Fender sound!... bob

Tiny Olson · Post by **Tiny Olson** » 6 Dec 2019 5:56 pm

Hey Dave: Hope you're well man..!!

Concerning the Super Reverb... A guitar player I worked the road with back in the early-mid 70s had two Supers, one with the stock 4, 10" speakers and one with a new baffle fitted with a JBL, D-130 15"(metal dust cover of course). Both amps sounded great when I tried them, playing my steel through them. The one with the 15" D-130 though was absolutely outstanding sounding..!! I was playing through a Twin with JBLs or an Evans Hybrid 300 with a D-130 in those days (pre 1975) and they sounded really good. That Super he had though was quite special.

I still talk to him often and he still has that amp. It's in great shape and still sounding awesome he tells me. If he ever decides to sell it I'd buy it in a heartbeat...!!!

Good luck in your quest Dave.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 6 Dec 2019 9:59 pm

Thanks Tiny! Do you still play with George and Steve with the Cody band?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 7 Dec 2019 8:34 am

I have a Super Reverb and, if we're talking amps, I also have a Fender Super Six.
Now you talk about a beast!

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 7 Dec 2019 12:33 pm

Erv Niehaus wrote:I have a Super Reverb and, if we're talking amps, I also have a Fender Super Six.
Now you talk about a beast!

Yeah thats a rare bird,, 6 10's, can you imagine??.. How does it sound with steel?.. My 4x12 quad sounded wonderful, and I bet the Super six is every bit as good.. Moving it around??... Problematic at best.... bob

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 8 Dec 2019 6:45 am

Bob,
It sounds good but it is a monster.
It came from Fender with casters on the side and handles on the ends, and believe me, you need them!!!
I bought it from Guitar Center and talked them into sending it from their store on the East Coast to one of their local stores free of charge.
It came in such a big box I couldn't hardly get it into the back of my Jeep.

Erv

Tiny Olson · Post by **Tiny Olson** » 8 Dec 2019 4:00 pm

Hey Dave. I haven't done a gig with Cody in over 5 years. The $$$ was tougher to come by I guess and there were some other issues as well. Plus, I was trying to balance the Cody gigs with a 50+ hr. work-week and that got to be a bit much. I've since retired and I love that..!! Mark Emerick ("Getty") stopped playing with them about 3 years ago as well. They've been doing fewer and fewer gigs the last few years it seems and I know Steve is doing quite a few local gigs around the Boston area now.

I had a lot of fun overall during the 11 yrs I played gigs with George though I must say.

Good luck with the Super Reverb and I hope you're well and playing often Dave.

Jack Wilson · Post by **Jack Wilson** » 8 Dec 2019 7:22 pm

Wanted a Milkman Sideman, but lacked funds. Had a 68 Super Reverb chassis, so I ordered 15" cabinet from Mathers in Nashville. Finger joints, solid pine and pick of tolex. Reverb on both channels, neo 15". Tele one channel and steel in the other.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 8 Dec 2019 10:49 pm

Good luck with the Super Reverb and I hope you're well and playing often Dave.

thanks Tiny. I haven't got the Super yet. I know someone selling an old blackface one...but the thought of carrying it scares me...

I've been playing a lot but do guitar gigs as well as steel. I think I only played once or twice with George in the last 5 years....Cheers!
Dave