1965 Silvertone 1457 (Danelectro) 5w 1x8" Tube Amp

This is the famous "amp-in-case" model tube amp that came with a Danelectro-made Silvertone guitar with a longer scale and twin pickups when sold. This is the later '64-'66 version of the design.

It's meant to be stood on end when in use but in the video I have it horizontal just so I could connect everything more easily. This amp is entirely original except for a new Jensen speaker and it's working just fine -- all I had to do to it was spray-out the pots with cleaner and turn it on.

As you'd expect, being a 5w tube amp from the '60s with a two-prong cord, it's a little quirky and because I'm sitting right next to it with the guitar, you can definitely hear when my fingers come "un-grounded" from the strings when I'm playing or when I hit the footswitch. The same is true on just about any low-watt tube amp, though.

In the video I'm using a guitar that has a cleaner-sounding humbucker with a series/parallel switch. The amp is on about 3/4 of the way up and when the humbucker is in series you can hear it pushing the amp pretty hard into distortion, but as soon as I flip it to parallel (the lower output setting) it cleans right-up and has a nice, '60s vibe.

The tremolo circuit on this slightly-later model is much more "full-on" and less-mellow than the earlier 1449 also in-shop.

The case (or "cabinet") is in good shape overall.

Users can experiment with amp placement, how much the case is open, and orientation to get the sound they want. These sound best only a little open and placed in a corner or with its back to a wall to get the most of the room "helping" with the sound and extending the bass. With the case closed you definitely get a bit more low-end response if you have to place out in the open, though I'd keep an eye on heat build-up from the tubes if that's opted-for.