Thoughts/opinions/info on Fender Super 6?

[WheelchairBandit]

Howdy,
Does anyone have any thoughts,opinions or information about the old Fender Super 6 amp?They made them for awhile back in the early-mid 70s,and from what little info I've found,I guess it's nothing but a Super Reverb with 6 ten inch speakers in it.

After seeing Derek Trucks play one with the Allman Brothers on the Tonight Show back in August,I looked around and found a few minty ones for only $550-$700.I guess no one wants to haul them around as I guess they weight around 100 pounds.

Thinking about getting one in the comming year.I don't gig,but it'd be an interesting toy (my neighbors are all at least 50 yards away,and they play their rap stuff loud all the time so what the hell!),plus with the prices vintage Fender amps are starting to command,it might be worth something one day.

Seems that as soon as I start looking for one with the mild idea of a future purchase in mind,they all disapear,as always.......

WB.

 

[monstermikewelch]

A Super Six is actually a Twin chassis with six tens...

And Derek's was completely rebuilt by Lord Valve, who blackfaced it, put in a switchable tube/solidstate rectifier, converted the normal channel to tweed spec, added reverb to the normal channel so he could jumper them, and replaced the speakers with custom Weber-made roadworthy Pyle clones...

So 550-700 for an amp that needs that much modding (otherwise, you've just got a silverface Twin that's even harder to carry) - well, it's up to how much you're willing to spend.

The other guitar player in my band, who's a Derek fanatic like myself (although neither of us play anything like him) reminded me that Derek sounds just the same through a Super Reverb, a Marshall, a Randall, a National steel...that incredible throaty vocal character is just part of his touch.

M

 

[WheelchairBandit]

Didn't say I was looking to sound like Derek (though who wouldn't?)-I just said that's where I first saw one.

Wouldn't mod one at all if I got one-nothing wrong with a Silverface Fender for the blues/jazz/rock stuff I play.

Am mostly interested in one as they're "different",not horribly expensive,and will probably be worth "something" someday at the rate old Fenders seems to be going up.

If I got one,it'd park itself permanetly between my dresser and my stero cabinet in my bedroom.

When the dumb ass across the way starts cranking up his boom box (you can never hear anything but the crappy bass line),it'd be fun to switch it on and see how long he can stand my odd slide noodlings.

Hee hee..........sweet revenge!

WB.

 

[pablomago]

I was looking for one for a while. I was going to put in a baffle to hold two 10's and a 15. Instead, I found a Dual Showman Reverb and I'm having a combo cabinet made to hold a single 15. If I want two tens to go with it, I can build an extention cabinet. The DSR alone is almost too much amp to carry around. You'd want roadies for a Super Six.

 

[WheelchairBandit]

Don't need any roadies-it'll go up a short flight of stairs that lead to my bedroom,plugged in and there it'll stay.

I think I'll go on the other end of the spectrum and get a Champ to pack around.

I never have been very practical,but I have a lot of fun. ;~)

WB.

 

[gmann]

I think they are great amps and I wouldn't mind havin' one if I had a roadie. You see 'em around, not really that rare but certainly not common either. As Monster Mike said, it is a twin with a different speaker configuration. Fender also made a Quad reverb. This is also a twin but with 4 12" speakers. Great sounding amp, louder than hell and heavier than shit.

 

[DrRobert]

I had one for a while, great for swamp rock, rockabilly, surf-anything where loud, clean and reverby is good. The 610 speakers put out a bit more bass and treble with less mids than the 12s in a twin, so maybe not so good for blues (I never got it cranked loud enough to distort). For distorted type music I'd probably change the speakers out. I paid $450 for my fairly worn but otherwise straight one, so $550 for a minty fresh one would be cool. Also, those are the same speakers as SF Supers, so you could probably pull then, sell them for $50-60 each, put in nice Webers and not be much behind the game...

Oh yeah, i'd never gig one-they're not only heavier than Twins, they're a very awkward package to move (taller than a 412 but thinner) and not as stable on stage-you're going to be beating either them or your other gear up. Maybe turning one from a full sized monster to a 210 combo and a 410 cab would make it more useable.:eek

 

[TruelasDougblood]

(I never got it cranked loud enough to distort).

Based on the '72 Twin I had, you never would get it loud enough to distort either. Gawd did I hate that amp. No idea what ever possesed me to buy it other than the fact it was brand new. What a tool I was....

 

[jcs]

you guys can chase all the 70s and newer amps....i will stick with pre 71....not to say there arent many great newer amps,there are......thing is most 70s fender silverface need lots of work to get a pleasing od sound...now if you have a good assortment of od pedals,youre half way there.........the derek trucks super six is no where near stock(as mentioned).......as far as derek sounding the same on all amps "horsecrap'!!!(he may sound similar with an acoustic guitar but not amplified)............ the reason this amp was built was, because he wasnt happy with the reissue marshall and the other assortment of amps he tried.....the 64 super reverb with pyle car speakers is dereks 'signature amp tone',period.......producers with sony tried "proper speakers" on his sony recording with the 64 super and it sounded thin and bright with no mids,so back to the pyles..............

 

[WheelchairBandit]

JCS,
Derek could play through a damn sack of potatoes for all I care.I'm not getting one because he or anyone else plays with one.I only mentioned his name because I saw him playing one on TV and that's when I became aware that this amp even existed.

BTW,I have the new Allman Brothers Beacon DVD,Derek is playing through a Marshall 100 watt inside a Randall box.Sounds fantastic too me.I have several shows from August '03 with him playing the Super Six.....still sounds like Derek Trucks and still sounds damn good.

As for overdrive-I've never been one for playing at loud volume JUST to get distortion.I'll just plug into a tubescreamer thank you.

As for pre-70s Fender amps-yup,they aren't as good as Black Faces.They aren't nearly as expensive either and they're head and shoulders above most of what you can buy off the shelf today in the same price range.

I think a lot of this worrying about this and that with minor things in the amp is mostly in our heads.No matter what kind of amp you play or what you do to it or if you play a Gibson or a Fender or use '57 Classics or Duncans or ect. ect. ect.,it's still going to sound like YOU and nobody else.I could hand you one of Clapton's guitars and his amp and you could rip into one of his songs and it'd still sound like YOU and not Clapton.

But it is fun to BS about all this technical stuff.Taking it too seriously would suck all the fun out of it.

WB.

 

[davebc]

We bought them when they were first introduced in the early 70's,the super six and the quad reverb.
Man,they were they a figgin pain in the ass to lug around,heavy,loud,super clean sounding amps.They didn't stay in the line up long.They just weren't happening.

 

[jcs]

wheelchairbandit,easy buddy!! derek trucks would sound like muffled crap playing thru a sack of potatoes!!! thats funny bud....i was sharing info okay...i know lord valve pretty well and derek approached him because he found the big amps he used with the allmans 'less than inspiring'..........he basically wanted a 'bigger super reverb sound' which is what the rebuilt super six is.........the open back sound of the the pyle 10s and a fender circuit...i was stating that a stock super six is a loud clean beast that isnt particularly great at anything(stock that is) plus the fact they are heavy as hell.........and NOT ALL silverface fenders are crap at all! i never said that......silverface fenders do have problems with lead dress and the plastic coated wiring and the chocolate drop caps are crap plus plenty of stupid circuit changes by cbs........i have owned plenty of both silver-black-brown and a few tweeds too .............there are still plenty of blackface bassmans-bandmasters out there for cheap.....

 

[WheelchairBandit]

JCS,
I was just screwin with you a little bud.I knew what you meant.

Derek might not have liked the sound of the amp he was playing with the Allmans (the Marshall 100 watt in a Randall box that is owned by the band-the one Derek plays is the one Dickey was using),but it sure sounded fine to me.

I've heard Derek play through the Marshall/Randall,the Super Six,his Super Reverb and I *think* a Twin he was using with the Derek Trucks Band.With each amp,it still sounded exactly like Derek.

I've got a pretty good ear,and I really cannot tell much difference in his tone between any of the amps.

Just like with Dickey Betts-I've heard him play Les Pauls,335s,SGs,Strats,you name it,through Marshall 100s,Marshall 50s,Soldanos,and the Randall/Marshall.Always sounded EXACTLY like Dickey-heck,it is hard to make out any difference between his Les Paul and his Strat for crying out loud!

I've got a VCD (video cd) of the Brothers in '91 playing in Baden Baden Germany.At the start of Dickey's solo in Elizabeth Reed,he breaks a string on his old worn '57 Gold Top (the one he ended up refinishing to red).

While Warren fills in for him,Dickey hands the '57 off to his tech,who hands him back a '56 Gold Top with P90s.Dickey plugs it in,doesn't touch the amp,and goes right back into his solo-sounding EXACTLY the same as he did with the '57 with humbuckers.

Go figure!!

Now as for the Fender amp and clean tones-my idea of guitar/amp tones is way different than most peoples.I like a clean tone from both my guitar and amp.My theory is,when I want over drive or distortion,I will use a tube screamer.Rarely do I want break up or over drive-I like a clean,full,round tone.

The Super Six is really (to me)just an oddity and something that'd be an interesting thing to have.

For practical use,I think I'm going to get a Twin Reverb,either a silver face or one of the newer '65 Reissues.

For what I'm doing now though,a VibroChamp will serve me fine since I'm just playing around the house and would like something I can carry from room to room without bothering my back or neck which are quite bad.

The setup I plan on getting in early January will be a Gibson Lucille model or Howard Roberts Fusion,a custom tube screamer that a good friend of mine makes,and a Fender VibroChamp.

The next setup after that will likely be some sort of Les Paul through a Twin.

WB.

 

[jcs]

wheelchairbandit, ..........dickeys strat when i saw him had hotter pickups........ if dickey played one of my stock strats thru my buddys twin reverb set at about 5-6 versus say a les paul thru my 71 marshall 50 'cranked' you would hear a 'difference in tone',but yeah it would still sound like dickey!!! :hippy

 

[WheelchairBandit]

Amen brother,amen.

WB.

 

[TFG]

Howdy,
Does anyone have any thoughts,opinions or information about the old Fender Super 6 amp?They made them for awhile back in the early-mid 70s,and from what little info I've found,I guess it's nothing but a Super Reverb with 6 ten inch speakers in it.

After seeing Derek Trucks play one with the Allman Brothers on the Tonight Show back in August,I looked around and found a few minty ones for only $550-$700.I guess no one wants to haul them around as I guess they weight around 100 pounds.

Thinking about getting one in the comming year.I don't gig,but it'd be an interesting toy (my neighbors are all at least 50 yards away,and they play their rap stuff loud all the time so what the hell!),plus with the prices vintage Fender amps are starting to command,it might be worth something one day.

Seems that as soon as I start looking for one with the mild idea of a future purchase in mind,they all disapear,as always.......

WB.

I just bought a refurbished 1972 Super 6. The open back 6x10” speakers sound much more like a 4x12” closed back because the 10” speakers have less midrange and more highs and lows so less woof. I will use it with a Purple Plexi pedal and delays etc in between the pedal and the amp. It’s crazy loud and clean. Used for heavy rock it’s comparable to an all in one 100w Marshall half stack if you use a Marshall type preamp pedal in front. I happily paid 1400 bucks for it. It’s a monster. Excellent vibrato and reverb as expected. I highly recommend this amplification system. Have a nice time.

 

[goldtop0]

Well this is one from the archives.
I remember Wheel from 21 years ago, ah the memories

 

[TM1]

I keep saying that your Tone is in your Hands! I've known Dickey since 1968 and he's always had that golden tone. I was 15 when we first met. He's always been a great musician! His son Duane is the same!

 

[charliechitlins]

The other guitar player in one of my bands had one.
He was a little guy and reached straight out to work the controls.
They're so cheap now, I want one to lay on its back, put a piece of glass over it and gave the world's hippest coffee table.