Tweed Gibson GA30RV

[guildzilla]

Interestingly, the GA-77RV had five bidders over $2,000 and three over $2,600. Not just two wild and crazy guys bidding foolishly in America.

The nicest gear is holding its own, but consider also that the dead of winter is the peak of GAS and AAS season.

 

[capnjuan]

... Not just two wild and crazy guys bidding foolishly in America. These guys, right? (unnamed LTGers photographed at a recent social event)

The nicest gear is holding its own, but consider also that the dead of winter is the peak of GAS and AAS season.

Winter has historically been prime time for higher-grade Gibson gear but what's missing this year is the better-condition GA9s/GA16s/GA18s/GA19s/GA20s ...in the past, they've been dragged out of closets/collections and up in price by the action at the top of the market.

 

[tele4tone]

I've got a GA-19RVT going on the block this weekend......

 

[capnjuan]

Hi T-for-T: Sorry to hear it ... tweed or crest? Have you considered offering it here in our FS/FT? Pics of my departed GA19 ... with a Weber 12A125. Got pics of yours to post? There's a tweed GA19RVT not getting much respect here on eBay.

 

[tele4tone]

I'll post the info/pics tonight. I really don't know what it is worth so I was hoping for the best on Ebay.... Even tho I get nailed by seller fees (9%), paypal fees and shipping.

 

[capnjuan]

Ok; yeah ... eBay fees; like a shopping mall that gets a % of the gross of the stores in the mall. eBay brings you buyers' eyeballs; gotta pay to play.

 

[tele4tone]

Ok; yeah ... eBay fees; like a shopping mall that gets a % of the gross of the stores in the mall. eBay brings you buyers' eyeballs; gotta pay to play.

It is better than the 20% local commission you pay to sell in a local shop tho. Like you say you pay to play a nd look at all the eyeballs you get something in front of.

I think it sounds fantastic with my Echoplex EP-1

 

[capnjuan]

Hi T4T: nice amp! Does yours have 6V6s or 7591s? The early models were fitted with 6V6s, the later ones with 7591s ... no standby switch suggesting this one has a 5Y3 rectifier. Sometime after the switch from 'tweed' tolex / rear-facing controls, Gibson switched from Jensen P12Rs/C12Rs to Gibson-branded 'Ultrasonic' (CTS) speakers. Over the last several years, these have run anywhere from $325 to $525 depending on lots of things including simple chance. Good luck with your sale. CJ

 

[tele4tone]

6v6 with the 5y3 rectifier. It is pretty much original except for the tubes. Thanks you Capn.

Cheers, Jeff

 

[capnjuan]

Good luck Jeff! John

 

[guildzilla]

Just noticed that the famous "Tarnation, Zeke" GA19RVT Falcon sold on e-Bay on Feb. 22:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1963-Gibson-Falcon- ... 19b9cb971d

The $767 best offer result seems reasonable. But, as I have one of these, I'll let others make the call on that.

Best luck, Jeff.

 

[jp]

Just noticed that the famous "Tarnation, Zeke" GA19RVT Falcon sold on e-Bay on Feb. 22:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1963-Gibson-Falcon- ... 19b9cb971d

The $767 best offer result seems reasonable. But, as I have one of these, I'll let others make the call on that.

Best luck, Jeff.

My oh my! Sure is a far cry from Ole Zeke's original asking price, but $767 is nothing to scoff at. I'd only pay that much if it came from the good capn's bench. :wink:

I do lament the loss of mine slightly, but my head is held high. Good luck with your sale tele4tone.

 

[capnjuan]

... There's a tweed GA19RVT not getting much respect here on eBay. Sold: $765 (not the auction amp)

The auction GA19

Left the pic of the used to be mine ... above. Embedded link to GA19 RVT UToob demo vid Here. Re the vid and paraphrasing: "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest" S&G and acknowledging that we don't all hear the same thing the same way, except for a little nuisance phizzzz in the reverb, my amp wasn't anywhere near as jabby as this one; mine much sweeter and fatter although a little darker.

Equal parts; the player wanting to play what he plays best, guitar/amp tone control settings, and not asking the amp to do tones from a different style. Not saying the amp should have sold for more but only it might have if the vid had been a little 'wider' in what it was trying to demo ... if this has been a rant, it's over now.

 

[leonc]

Back from the dead :shock:

Well, it so happens that I have been working on refurbishing a GA-30RV that had been severely butchered. Some previous owner had apparently tried turning it into something like a tweed pro...it was a real wreck. Non-original and incorrect OT and PT, totally different filtering and back end. And the work was really a thing of ugliness as opposed to beauty. So I've been rebuilding this, taking it back, pretty much, to stock. New PT and OT (hammond), all new filter section, cathode bias, new filament wiring, etc.

The pre-amp appears to be completely original and per the design, but the reverb circuit on this one is also messed up, though not exactly like the one in CJ's earlier posts. The circuit in this amp differs in some other ways. Here's the original schematic.

And here are the parts of the reverb circuit on mine that differ. The wiring sure does look original though...it's ancient and appears untouched.

Note that the input to V2 pin 5 comes not from the plate on pin 7 of V1 but from the output of the Ch 2 vol pot. So there is no Reverb dwell pot in front of the reverb transformer and pan. Instead, this pot is located at the other end of the reverb pan, leading into pin 5 of V3!!

The reverb is there...but it's weak sounding and hums if you turn it way up, as does channel 2. So I'm going to try taking this back to the original design.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Leon: welcome back ...

I guess these amps came off the line wired up depending on who was working that day; the layout shows the to-be-verbed signal being taken from the junction of the ch 2 coupling cap and the input of the ch 2 volume pot; your signal being taken from the ch 2 wiper, and in mine, the signal is taken from the junction of the two 270K Rs at the grid of V2B ... :? :?

My amp presented with less volume in channel 2 with/without the reverb on which had me chasing. The only thing worth mentioning about the ch 2 / reverb volume has to do with the voltage chart ... sorry for the messy appearance:

V1: no comments
V2A: 122VDC strikes me as sort of lame. If V4A's function is to push up the signal voltage and drive the transformer (250VDC @ pin 6), wouldn't having a higher plate voltage at V2A provide a hotter signal to V4A?
V2B: no comments

My channel-to-channel dry volume imbalance was improved with a fresh 6EU7 but with the reverb on, channel 2 was still not quite as loud as channel 1. Do you have a another reverb can you could sub in; prolly 8 ohm in / 2.5K out? If you could rule the can out, the rest of it ought to be just a matter of fresh parts ... maybe ... :wink:

 

[capnjuan]

Recent sale of a GA30RV on eBay ... $799 Been painted ... Jensen C12R ... an in-period replacement and original C8S 8". Motley knobs and handle is missing the Gibson-logo'd tweed fabric that goes in the acylic insert. The model has a "Tone Expander"; more of an early 'Bright' switch really that switches a small value capacitor in and out of a feedback loop ... otherwise, it doesn't use any negative feedback. Good chrome on the control panel and a rare, physically-intact grill badge.

 

[Japes]

Well I finally got my GA30 running....boy did I ever take a detour! LOL...But, what a sweet sound!! I used the 2 p10r Vintage Jensens I have on the bench.. now I just have to build the cabinet...for it with the dimensions supplied by Capn...

 

[capnjuan]

Well I finally got my GA30 running....boy did I ever take a detour! LOL...But, what a sweet sound!! I used the 2 p10r Vintage Jensens I have on the bench.. now I just have to build the cabinet...for it with the dimensions supplied by Capn...

This is the cabinet; used to be home to a GA19RVT; handle insert gone and hole in the top. Usual widespread orange/brown mold stains:

Upper back panel missing ... more stains on the far side.

This cabinet is 1" shallower (8.5") v. the GA30 cab (9.5") and 4" shorter (16") than the GA30 cabinet (30"). There are four chassis bolt holes; the GA30 chassis has two that match the forward holes. Think of the other two as 'spares' :wink: . The GA30 reverb can mounts vertically; I don't know whether you can mount a can vertically in this one or not; possible interference at the top between the can and the side edge of the chassis but it will go nicely on the floor.

The baffle is cut for a 12" speaker; if you use a belled alnico speaker, there's a chance of interference between the bell and tubes. The workaround means a new baffle with either (1) the center of the hole moved off-center to accommodate the tubes and/or (2) dropping the center of the baffle so the speaker moves down and cutting the lower baffle batten to allow the lip of the speaker to rest practically on the floor. It's a fair amount of work.

I haven't tried taking my GA30 chassis and putting it in this cabinet which currently has a 100w Celestion G12 in it; normally all ceramic magnet speakers are shallower than alnico.

 

[Japes]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15336734@N08/5977341195/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/15336734@N08/5977883870/
AHA! well the cab is done...maple sides all around and 3/4 ply baffle 1/4ply back...and a discovery that the GA-30 is not the same size cab as the RV...the chassis cut out is 1/2in smaller width wise than the Capn Juan specs for the GA-30RV he posted for me.. and I found after an advert for the 1960 GA-30 which is 2in shorter in height ....luckily I discovered this before applying the tweed which I ordered from Fender... so back to the workshop...but it is so sweet....not the original configuration as I have 2 old alnico P10r's ....but mmmmmmm...once again thanks to all for the help and info & to capn Juan.... I had to post a link as it didnt want to show up in preview...

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Japes: first things first:

I don't know whether it's a user option or not but your Flickr account pics are copy-protected ... no IMG or URL addresses available ... although I was able to snatch the thumbnail:

But this is a litter easier on the eyes:

If you hang around on either the Weber/amp BB or Doug Hoffman's BB, you'll find that the most-disparaged brands from back in the day for mismatch between catalog and amp, schematic and circuit, and amp-to-amp variation ... is Gibson. The Gibson tweed twin 6V6 designs were the end of the Ted McCarty/Seth Lover era; a gent named Dick Evans followed who, except for the crest GA19RVT, put 6BQ5s in the small amps and 7591s in the medium power amps - and Gibson was out of the 6V6 business.

Widely consider as 'dirty/farty' amps, one of our members who can play lights out didn't seem to have much trouble finding the sweet spot in my GA30RV: Pascal The Magnificent; my amp, Coastie's BB 8)

Congratulations on your amp and project; looking forward to seeing it fully clothed!