Alive and kicking! This made-in-England, 25-watt, EL86-equipped, single-channel head is fun and breathes fire.
Introducing The Deputy, a 25 Watt amplifier born from collaboration with Peter Honore. Simple, versatile, and robust, this all-valve amp embodies 'plug and play' convenience. Boasting a single channel, master volume design, along with a Bright switch, a three-position voice switch, and onboard reverb, it's a versatile companion.
Whether you're chasing the soulful cleans of the 60s or cranking it up for classic rock, The Deputy has your back. Its compact size makes it the ideal on-the-go gigging amplifier, equally comfortable in the studio setting.
How an old Silvertone 1484 became the foundation of this roots-guitar power player's sound.
Roots-guitar badass Rev. Peyton plays with the intensity of a charging bison. That ferocity comes from his fast, hyper-accurate picking hand blended with dexterous fretting, and it gets juiced by dirty crushed-velvet tones from a variety of evocative guitars: custom Nationals and a mother-of-pearl covered Daddy Mojo, an original 1954 Supro Dual Tone prototype, a Kay Speed Demon, and more. But the foundation for his retro-modern sound is a workhorse from 1964: a Silvertone 1484 head, which drives his 2x12 Ted Weber custom cabinet.
You can hear that Silvertone—run in parallel with a 1949 Supro Supreme, its studio-only companion—on his band's new Dance Songs for Hard Times. Both amps made the trip from Peyton's Nashville, Indiana, home to Nashville, Tennessee, to record the album at Vance Powell's Sputnik Sound studio. For an earful, check "Too Cool to Dance," where Peyton slings slick Chuck Berry licks over his own percolating bassline accompaniment, or "Come Down Angels," where his slide keens with the intensity of a gospel-choir possessed by the holy spirit. Or you can go online and watch the video he made for us, where he makes the 1484 deliver the goods with his Daddy Mojo and displays his slide approach close up.
"I ask a lot of that amp by running all those guitars in different tunings through it." —Rev. Peyton
Although Peyton has a stable of three 1484s, he found his first and favorite, the '64, while on tour with his Big Damn Band trio—which includes Breezy Peyton, his wife, on percussion and vocals, and drummer Max Senteney—at a Nashville, Tennessee, guitar shop. "This guy was moving and selling all his stuff on consignment, and I happened to be there when he came in and said, 'I need to sell all this stuff, now.'" Peyton stepped up, and his offer of $500 for the Silvertone was accepted.
The Danelectro-built 1484 model was sold via Sears from 1963 to '67. It's a 60-watt, all tube, two-channel demon, with volume controls plus bass and treble for each channel. The two channels can be daisy chained, to get more gravel, like older Marshalls. There's also on/off, standby, and ground toggles, plus a footswitch input for tremolo and reverb. It has two 6L6 power tubes, and 12AX7s run the reverb, tremolo, and preamp. While the trem is smooth and deep, the reverb on these amps is notoriously bad. That's why Peyton keeps his turned off and uses a Catalinbread Belle Epoch and an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail to lend his tones dimension. He also sometimes uses a Rolls Tiny Two-Way Crossover to pump his signal to a bass amp.
Here's a look at the tube and transformer array of the Rev.'s Silvertone 1984. There are only two mods: an out for the 2x12 and the original power cable has been replaced with a 3-prong cord for better grounding.
The 1484 head was designed so it could tuck into the back of its two-speaker cabinet for travel—a famed Silvertone flair. But as cool as those original cabinets can sound, they were made of particle board, so if they're not already feathered and falling apart when found, a few thousand miles on the road will turn them to termite chow. So Peyton had Weber build a 2x12 with its Chicago speakers as his 1484's reliable companion. It's also in the video, online.
The fret-burning Peyton sets treble at 3 o'clock, bass at 7 o'clock, and volume at 9 o'clock. "I don't like to run my amp loud," he says. "At these settings, I get a good clean tone with a little break-up, so it's nice and creamy," he says. "I use a wide variety of guitars—at any given show, seven or eight—and it works great with all of them." That's impressive, given the wide range of pickups and construction in his new and vintage instruments, and that he uses tunings—like open G, Eb, C#, drop standard—with low-string frequencies that can make some amps sound like they're passing gas. He also eschews distortions, fuzzes, and overdrives.
So, what's Peyton's secret to maintaining great, just-the-right-amount-of-hair tone with gold-foils, single-coils, and humbuckers of all ages? "I use an MXR 10-band EQ that's been my secret weapon forever," he says. "I ask a lot of that amp by running all those guitars and tunings through it and being able to adjust a frequency here and there keeps my sound sparkly, creamy, and thick, with just the right amount of break-up."
Rev Peyton’s Big Damn Tone: 1964 Silvertone 1484 Demo (Love & Sockets)
A 5-watt affair with a built-in attenuator that aims to cop vintage tweed and blackpanel tones.
There is nothing quite like the sounds of a cranked-up blackface or tweed-era guitar amplifier; but getting those tones at reduced volume levels has been increasingly difficult -- until now.
Introducing the Tone King Gremlin 5-watt all-tube head. Whether you're picking at home or keeping up with a drummer, the Gremlin dishes out enough vintage-vibe to inspire. The amp's two inputs and simple control layout make finding your tone an intuitive process. Plug into the Rhythm channel for a more blackface tone with bell-like highs and increased headroom. Or maybe the Lead input's tweed-style drive is more your flavor. Thanks to the built-in Ironman II power attenuator, you're able to enjoy the saturated tone of a maxed-out power tube at a level that won't wake the neighbors. If you're drawn to the American side of cranked vintage amps, your tone is in the Gremlin.
The variety of tones you'll get from this unassuming tube amp is brilliant. Whether you prefer cleaner tones as a pedal platform, or live for pushing your amp into sweet-sounding overdrive, the Gremlin's got it. Plug in any standard A/B/Y footswitch and make both channels yours on-demand.
● Rhythm and Lead channels are voiced for blackface and tweed tones
● Rhythm offers more headroom, while Lead is a more driven voice
● Select your input or jump the channels with an optional A/B/Y footswitch
Even at 5-watts, the Gremlin is powerful and enough to keep up with most drummers. The onboard Ironman reactive load power attenuator delivers that same sweet tube drive at bedroom levels. Experience the genuine tone you crave, at any volume you choose.
● Onboard Ironman II power attenuator
● Reactive load reacts and feels just like your amp at any volume
● Get the same tone whether performing live or playing quietly
For the Gremlin Head, Tone King has selected two 12AX7 preamp tubes and a 5881 power tube. The 5881 tube provides greater headroom, making it better suited to match with YOUR cabinet. Connect this head to a 4x12 cab and hear just how BIG this little Gremlin sounds.
Dimensions: 8"(L) x 15"(W) x 9.25"(H)
Weight: 14 lbs.
$1,095.00 street
For more information:
Tone King