Vintage Guitar and Bass forum

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« on: March 02, 2012, 12:16:08 AM »
I was snowed in yesterday, so I finally got around to taking a group photo of my Gibson amps......



When I started collecting amps, I decided that I would only buy amps from the 1966 catalog, that kinda kept things from getting out of hand.........

https://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gibson/catalogues/1966_index.php

jules

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'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2012, 11:53:00 AM »
Wow, great pic!!!

some really nice condition amps there. I also have a Gibson GSS100

so which ones are the players?

Ultimate gibson amp of 1966?

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2012, 06:48:36 AM »
I like the GA-77RETL, (Vanguard), as the Ultimate amp from this pile, but it is very heavy. This along with the GA-4RE are the two units Gibson marketed with the Tel-Ray Oilcan Reverb. The amp is also equipt with a 15" JBL, making it a bit rare. Mine's a 1966, only 180 were shipped in the four years listed in the shipping total book.



The Explorer & the Minuteman are a lot easier on the back!
« Last Edit: March 03, 2012, 06:59:05 AM by George Porter »

jules

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'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2012, 12:55:41 PM »
Whats your opinion on the Gibson Atlas IV bass amps? I've been playing around with one recently

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2012, 04:26:27 PM »
I've never played one.......... How does it handle a Mudbucker?
« Last Edit: March 09, 2012, 03:25:18 AM by George Porter »

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2012, 10:38:11 AM »
Great to see so many vintage gibson amplifiers looking so clean. And I doubt there are many (if any) places with so many together
1968 Gibson SG Special
1979 Gibson ES175D
2005 Fender Telecaster

jules

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Gibson EB bass humbucker through a Gibson Atlas IV
« Reply #6 on: March 07, 2012, 04:37:03 PM »
Quote from: George Porter;16833
I've never played one.......... How does it hanfle a Mudbucker?

well I like it - it certainly doesn't deserve the bad rap that some people give it.

I have three 15" bass amps set up at home - a 1964 Ampeg B15, a 1973 WEM Dominator bass and my 1964 Gibson Atlas IV

There are soundclips on each of those three pages.

The Ampeg is pretty nice straight, the WEM usually needs a little bass rolling off - the Gibson needs the bass rolling up a bit - thats to get roughly the same sound. But with a little tweaking up and down it can produce some really nice tones.

But all three are great sounding tube amps that I wouldn't hesitate to use in the studio.

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #7 on: March 11, 2012, 11:56:08 AM »
George and Jules, can you clear up something about the GSS-100 that is not made obvious in the catalogues, nor in Marx's Gibson Amps book? Do the 2x10" cabinets contain the power amp section and is this fed mains and signal from pre-amp section? I know the Plus-50, a self-powered 50w 2x10" extension cab, appears to be the same as the two used with the GSS-100 but is it?

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2012, 01:00:24 PM »
The 2x10 cabs do not have a power amp, the Plus-50 has a visible power amp in the back. In my photo, the cabnet under the GSS50 is a Plus-50 It looks the same from the front, but has a power amp mounted in the back panel. I found a photo from a few years ago showing the Plus-50 insides...

« Last Edit: March 11, 2012, 01:17:39 PM by George Porter »

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #9 on: March 12, 2012, 12:43:57 AM »
One other tidbit about the Plus-50, it works great for a power amp for the LP-1 Les Paul low impedance preamp, & it's way easier to move around!! There seems to be many more preamps out there than there are complete amps. If I remember correctly, the output was higher on the preamps at that time then they are with todays amps, (3V vs 1V?), these two units matched......


'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2012, 09:25:50 PM »
I think they sound great! I haven't used many vintage amps for bass, (even though my new stuff is about 20 years old now!) after a short stint with a Mosrite Award amplifier that was nothing but trouble, I started running my '67 EB-2 through a 2-15 Peavey. I was told in the middle '70s that the only amps that could handle it were Ampegs & Peaveys & the Peavey was all I could afford at the time. I only briefly tried bass through the LP-12..............

'60s Gibson Amplifiers..........
« Reply #11 on: July 12, 2013, 10:39:49 AM »
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2620[/ATTACH]


This is one of the old times picture of amps.

 

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