So my uncle found this Gibson amp at the dump. It is some kind of GA-40, even this doesnt really tell me anything. Done some googling and it is not "the" GA-40 that all info is about, some late 60s thing maybe? My source on amp schematics (el34world) has 3 different versions of this amp, maybe even more since theere is a possibility that "les paul amp" is the model also. I mostly just wanna know if this is something that will have all caps dried out and I'll ruin a set of weird-ass valves if I turn it on. Like Gibson amps are pretty pricy aren't they?
imagine finding out your son is your daughter & she's into noise music
I think of there being 5? eras of gibson amps - the early pretweed stuff, tweed, post-tweed/crestline, TraceElliott/goldtone era, tolex’d GA-5 era. Tweed is probably the most valuable/popular, the last era of GA-5’s were pretty popular for a while there, with a whole modding community, after the Epi Valve Jr craze. Looks like you’ve got a GA-40T, crestline era. Never seen one of those before - even the Gibson amp history site doesn’t have a pic.
Definitely do a recap. 6EU7’s aren’t inexpensive. I think there’s adapters to run 12AX7s?
The (re)discovery of Gibson amps is a little like the sudden interest in the Jazzmaster. (Former also-ran becomes only place to find value in saturated market?)
I play a 1960 GA-5T, a 5w tube amp with an 8" Jensen speaker that is pretty similar to a Fender Champ. It's brilliantly characterful and cost me $100 shipped, $200 after repairs. (The 'Les Paul' amp is a pre-1960 GA-5 with no tremolo, btw.)
I don't know about the GA-40 but the mid-sized 60s models are beginning to attract buyers. Great find -- definitely recommend a service.
"She opened the case of my guitar and placed six fingertips to the pick-ups beneath the strings. She made me a tea from the dried orange skins on her fire, and taught me the way of guitar voodoo." -- Jim Carroll, 'The Book Of Nods'
I'd probably recap it. I'd suppose it needs it.
) I used to have a sixties Skylark too.
