Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

[JeffB]

I was browsing and found this pic of a couple 59 V's...

but the thing in back is what I'm REALLY interested in

The story is this:

My father played a little guitar...and the organ..as kids I suspect that is why me and my 2 other siblings ended up playing instruments...

anyhoo..The guitar I'm still researching...it was 1950s Gibson hollowbody with a trapeze type tailpiece and a single dog ear p90...

But as a very young kid I remember him playing through this amp...but it's wierd dream like memories as I was only 4 or 5....then the amp "died". It was in our attic at one point and when I was a teen and started playing, I went looking for the amp to see about getting it fixed..but..apparently my mom or dad threw it out a couple years prior since he didn't play anymore and had given the guitar to my brother.

From my vague memories this is VERY VERY close to what his amp looked like..especially the shape...and I know it was def a gibson, as I remember that and it's size distinctly...and he bought it when he bought the guitar..so it had to be sometime in the 50s.

Anyone know about this amp? Or can point me to some info (on the guitar as well?)

 

[JeffB]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

Welp found the guitar

This sucker sounded mean as a snake through my Marshalls, and sweet through an old Roland JC or my brother's Musicman of the time Learned my first chords on it..Then he gave it to my brother...guess he still has it (we don't talk much)

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

That my friend is a GA-79RVT...what would you like to know?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

BTW..entirely possible the amp/guitar is from the early 60s too...I only know he bought it before my Bro was born and he was born in 1964. Unfortunately my dad is not around anymore to ask.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

That my friend is a GA-79RVT...what would you like to know?

Anything? everything? LOL

Tube complement...speakers...

All I know is as a kid I remember it having that warm jazzy 50s sound...(think the guitar parts on Nat King Coles "The Christmas Song") . I lvoed it when my dad played...was mostly hymns and some bluegrass but it was just a great sound

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

The GA-79 RVT was a true stereo amp...you had 15 watts per channel through a single 10 or you could run it mono for about 30 watts through 2x10's. The power section(s) were EL-84's (6BQ5's) and the pre amp section(s) was made up of 3 6EU7 (Gibson used 6EU7's quite a bit, they are pretty close to a 12AX7) as well as a 12AU7, a 7199 (the 7199 tube was also used quite a bit in older Gibson amps) and the early ones had tube rectifers...the later ones did have a SS rec. Most of them came stock with CTS speakers, some did have Jensens. The RVT is for ReVerb and Tremolo. Each channel has a Volume control and the bass and treble controls. They were Gibson ideal match for the 345 and 355 Stereo guitars. If you run the amp in stereo modde you can only get the reverb and tremolo on the first channel...the second channel stays 100% dry which make these amps a blast to record with.

Does that help any at all?

 

[B Bent]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

The GA-79 RVT was a true stereo amp...you had 15 watts per channel through a single 10 or you could run it mono for about 30 watts through 2x10's. The power section(s) were EL-84's (6BQ5's) and the pre amp section(s) was made up of 3 6EU7 (Gibson used 6EU7's quite a bit, they are pretty close to a 12AX7) as well as a 12AU7, a 7199 (the 7199 tube was also used quite a bit in older Gibson amps) and the early ones had tube rectifers...the later ones did have a SS rec. Most of them came stock with CTS speakers, some did have Jensens. The RVT is for ReVerb and Tremolo. Each channel has a Volume control and the bass and treble controls. They were Gibson ideal match for the 345 and 355 Stereo guitars. If you run the amp in stereo modde you can only get the reverb and tremolo on the first channel...the second channel stays 100% dry which make these amps a blast to record with.

Does that help any at all?

Please tell me that you looked this up and didn't just happen to know this off the top of your head!!! LOL You should change your name to Guitar Encyclopedia. Nice one man. That sounds like a real fun amp!!

 

[JeffB]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

The GA-79 RVT was a true stereo amp...you had 15 watts per channel through a single 10 or you could run it mono for about 30 watts through 2x10's. The power section(s) were EL-84's (6BQ5's) and the pre amp section(s) was made up of 3 6EU7 (Gibson used 6EU7's quite a bit, they are pretty close to a 12AX7) as well as a 12AU7, a 7199 (the 7199 tube was also used quite a bit in older Gibson amps) and the early ones had tube rectifers...the later ones did have a SS rec. Most of them came stock with CTS speakers, some did have Jensens. The RVT is for ReVerb and Tremolo. Each channel has a Volume control and the bass and treble controls. They were Gibson ideal match for the 345 and 355 Stereo guitars. If you run the amp in stereo modde you can only get the reverb and tremolo on the first channel...the second channel stays 100% dry which make these amps a blast to record with.

Does that help any at all?

Def Christian...thank you so much! ...let me ask this...did Gibson manufacture any other amps with this cabinet shape/design?

reason I ask is I remember it having more "tolex" and mostly dark brown in color... though I could def be mistaken..I was just a 1st grader or so...

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

The GA-79RVT is the only Gibson amp I know of with that cab shape...the early ones were Tweed but in the middle 60 they did switch to a tolex covering...look atthis one on Ebay right now...

http://cgi.ebay.com/66-Gibson-GA79R...352841171QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[JeffB]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

The GA-79RVT is the only Gibson amp I know of with that cab shape...the early ones were Tweed but in the middle 60 they did switch to a tolex covering...look atthis one on Ebay right now...

http://cgi.ebay.com/66-Gibson-GA79R...352841171QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hmm...dont remember it being black...but thats the amp...maybe he had a darker colored early tweed model...been 30 something years since I've seen it.

Thanks again man. I'd sure love to have that amp (and the Es125) in my collection.

El84s...hmm..very british choice for Gibson...

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

There were quite a few Gibson (and Epiphone) amps with EL-84's...Gibson seemed to really like that tube.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

That tremelo would bounce from one speaker to the next.

I'd imagine there were different tolex changes as with the rest of the Gibson line. In 62, they switched to a dark brown smooth tolex, then to a more "brushed" style of Tolex for a number of years, then came the black. I can't see the Ebay auction.

They're nifty little amps.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

Hmm...dont remember it being black...but thats the amp...maybe he had a darker colored early tweed model...been 30 something years since I've seen it.

Here's my '62 Falcon, it's an old crappy picture, but you kinda get an idea of the tolex and the grille cloth.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

The GA-79RVT is the only Gibson amp I know of with that cab shape...the early ones were Tweed but in the middle 60 they did switch to a tolex covering...look atthis one on Ebay right now...

I'm almost certain that one of the very early Marshalls had a cabinet shape like that. I seem to remember it going off on eBay for some ungodly amount because of the historical significance of it. It was either eBay or one of the amp books I'd been browsing.

I could be totally off here...but that shape is very distinctive and I could of sworn I'd seen it used elsewhere.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

Here's my '62 Falcon, it's an old crappy picture, but you kinda get an idea of the tolex and the grille cloth.

Yup def closer....the one in the ebay ad is black..but similar grillcloth

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

Nice info TGWIF... there´s nothing I could add except that I think they generally came with GE tubes stock

Please tell me that you looked this up and didn't just happen to know this off the top of your head!!! LOL You should change your name to Guitar Encyclopedia. Nice one man. That sounds like a real fun amp!!

Well, he IS the "Obscurologist"... that means if you can´t find **** on it anywhere and everyone says it doesn´t exist, just ask him and he´ll tell you the real deal... I don´t think he´s ever failed us so far :beerchug:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone identify this amp? (vintage)

Thanks Zerb...what can I say...I have love for some wild and strange sh!t.