66 super reverb

[Sleepy]

Hello all I'm new here,
I have a 66 super that I would like to learn how to mod myself.
I have experience soldering and thats about it.

I would like to make my amp sound like Stevie's for starter's then go from there.
Any help is most appreciated,
Mike

[GearHeadFred]

Sleepy,

I would strongly advise you not to modify that amp!! A 66 Super is a very very valuable amp.

If you google SRV and Super Reverb, you will see there are some things you can try that will not destroy the value of your amp.. Preamp tube substitutions... Solid state rectifier.... Speaker substitutions...

I would stick with that stuff...

A stock 66 Super is gold man!

[jetlag]

I think you'll find that what SRV was getting out of a SR probably isn't the sound you are after. He almost always used multiple amps in which the sound you were hearin' was a composite of them all on together. Typically his supers were set up to maximize headroom, cleans and volume. If you are looking for a fatter sound out of your super with mids - not the scooped thing - then I recommend you try vintage CTS alnico speakers if you don't already have them in there. Also, an alternative is weber speakers, IF they are actually selling. Last time I checked they were saying "coming soon."

[SatelliteAmps]

Ditto. That is a great sounding amp already. There aren't a lot of mods to do that will get it closer to "Stevie's" sound. Tubes are a good place to do a little experimenting. Other choices to get "Stevie's" sound will include guitar, and pedal choices.

[GearHeadFred]

Originally Posted by jetlag

Also, an alternative is weber speakers, IF they are actually selling. Last time I checked they were saying "coming soon."

I emailed Ted Weber about these speakers 2 weeks ago.. He said they are "almost ready", and have been in development for over a year.

[stratman_el84]

Originally Posted by jetlag

I think you'll find that what SRV was getting out of a SR probably isn't the sound you are after. He almost always used multiple amps in which the sound you were hearin' was a composite of them all on together. Typically his supers were set up to maximize headroom, cleans and volume. If you are looking for a fatter sound out of your super with mids - not the scooped thing - then I recommend you try vintage CTS alnico speakers if you don't already have them in there. Also, an alternative is weber speakers, IF they are actually selling. Last time I checked they were saying "coming soon."

+1 on the multiple amps. From what I've been able to gather, what he used live for the mid-part of his career were Super Reverbs/Vibroverbs and 150 watt Dumble Steel String Slingers which were extremely loud & clean amps (made for steel guitar). I read an interview of Dumble talking about Stevie, that he was amazed how powerful Stevies' playing style was that he could get the SS Slingers to break up with a single-coil PU Strat.

I saw a pic of a studio setup that Stevie was recording with. It included the famous Vibroverbs, as well as two 200 watt Marshall Majors and about a half-dozen other amps. He would record them all simultaneously on different tracks, then sit there while it was being mixed-down and adjust levels of the different amp tracks to add some of one here, some of the other there to get just the "right" sound for a particular lead phrase or rhythm part.

Not to mention he also did things like cascading two Tube Screamers and making a metal plate to attach two wah pedals together and cascade those. *That's* some dedication to tone!

Cheers!

Strat

[espinete]

i've got a '66 too.if you can swamp everything after mods and come back to the original circuit in case you don't like,why not?
you could even change output tranny and put a m.magnetics clone but multitap one ,and if you don't like it then back to the original tranny.i've tried it and i'm very satisfied.SatelliteAmps suggested me not to do it.i did it anyway..i'm a rebel..it's true that a multitap tranny (2 ohms selected)has more wire than the original(2 ohms)althought signal don't pass through it,SatelliteAmps was right ,both are physically different transformers.anyway i can't perceive a change in the tone of my amp since i replaced it.maybe a machine does..i've got a serious health problem in my back but i can switch it at 8 ohms to take less weight with a 112 or a 210 cab.i'm so happy because it sounds very transparent even more than a hrd with same cab and impedance.surely not as clear as the original 2ohm 410 cab but it sounds wonderful to me.i will make some sound clips soon.sacrilegy?sure but it's your sound,it is your money ...and it's not a crime if you can go back to the original way.i would do it if it's reversible.
anyway best sound i got it was with 410 at 2 ohm with cts speakers.i agree,for me they are fantastics.I agree with SatelliteAmps,Stevie's sound appart from his fingers and amp mods will be more things.i'd start with a nice guitar and quality balanced speakers.
i agree with jetlag,firstable you should know what kind of Stevie's sound you are locking for.at the mocambo concert video or others,you can hear super reverb for ballads or cleaner things.as GearHadFred says check out some preamp tubes and speakers too.we could help you better if you tell us what type of vaughan's tones you are interested in
i think i've got cesar diaz super reverb mods somewhere..we can talk in private

[Sleepy]

Thanx to all for your input, I really appreciate it!

just to let you know a little bit more about me and my gear;
I currently have a 56 relic Stratocaster and I am waiting to receive a set of SR Pickups from Jim Wagner.

I have been playing for over 20 years, Misc bands and so forth,
I use 12-56 GHS Boomers tuned down to E-flat

Here are two reasons why I am interested in moding my amp;
Both of these links are moded supers:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S6SV3t4wyA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpycdP3ijgk

[GearHeadFred]

That 2nd clip is Tyler - he's a frequent poster on this forum.

Hard to tell from web video and cheap mics, but that first clip sounds like the amp is breaking up at a really low volume... which is fine for bedroom playing.. but I'd worry about it in a band situation.

[cheesey]

i wouldnt mod that amp beyond tubes , and a 3 prong ac cord.
maybe have it checked out if its original 42 years capacitors and filters may need attention.
i'd love to have a bf super again...

[slider313]

One non invasive mod I do to my blackface amps is to install a switch pot in place of the 50K vibrato intensity pot. This opens up the amp a bit and gives clearer bass and a touch more gain. Save the original pot in case you want to switch back.

[The Pup]

Put an RFT 12AX7 in the V1 of your channel of choice...or an old '50s black plate Raytheon.

I run my '64 BFSR with a '64 BFVV...killer!