NVAD coming up!

Btw., it is interesting to see the differences in the prices of old Gibson vs. Fender amps. 1950s and early 60s Gibson amps are typically around one fourth (or lower) the price of comparable Fenders. The good vintage Gibson amps are absolute bargains.
 
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Now I'm pissed! I just got a message saying the amp couldn't be shipped to Norway through the Global Shipping Program because the tubes contain mercury. So now I'm waiting for a refund from eBay...
 
Good news came quickly, though! I have already gotten a full refund, AND I have found an even cooler amp. Basically the same model, but a GA-20T, the version with a tremolo circuit. The seller is a store in Washington, and they ship old amps intrenationally quite often, so I’m praying for better luck this time. Only slightly more expensive, but a cooler model, actually. This time I’ll post pictures when I get it!
 
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Gahr said:
Good news came quickly, though! I have already gotten a full refund, AND I have found an even cooler amp. Basically the same model, but a GA-20T, the version with a tremolo cirquit. Tje seller is a store in Washington, and they ship old amps intrenationally quite often, so I’m prayong for beter luck this time. Only slightly more expensive, but a cooler model, actually. This time I’ll post pictures when I get it!
Click to expand...

Worst comes to worst, just have them yank the tubes (they should give you a bit of a discount for this) and buy new ones when the amp arrives. I personally wouldn't be putting a lot of faith in 60 year old power tubes anyway.
 
gball said:
Worst comes to worst, just have them yank the tubes (they should give you a bit of a discount for this) and buy new ones when the amp arrives. I personally wouldn't be putting a lot of faith in 60 year old power tubes anyway.
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Yep, that is the plan. We’ll see how it goes.
 
Gahr said:
Good news came quickly, though! I have already gotten a full refund, AND I have found an even cooler amp. Basically the same model, but a GA-20T, the version with a tremolo cirquit. The seller is a store in Washington, and they ship old amps intrenationally quite often, so I’m praying for better luck this time. Only slightly more expensive, but a cooler model, actually. This time I’ll post pictures when I get it!
Click to expand...

Well, then. That's just plain cool and awesome...
 
LO AND BEHOLD! The doorbell rang a few minutes ago, and a smiling young man delivered a box full of happiness on my doorstep. The GA-20T Ranger just landed in my living room. Christmas came early this year.

I have only just unwrapped it, and have played it for the grand total of five minutes (it is getting late and my old neighbors deserve a bit of peace and quiet in the evenings), but I can safely say I am in love already. I'll see if I can manage to produce some sound clips over the next few days.

It breaks up fairly early, and at full blast (yes, I had to try, just for a few seconds) it is as fat, creamy and sweet as scones with clotted cream and lemon curd. I was hoping for something like this, but I am actually surprised at just how nice it sounds. It is definitely a lot louder than what I need for home use, but not as loud as I had feared.

I had a chat with the people from the store who sold it to me (Thunder Road Guitars in Seattle, Washington) and it appears I probably don't need to take it to a tech, as it was fully serviced right before they put it up for sale. It has a 12" Tone Tubby San Rafael speaker and has had a three-prong cable installed and caps substituted where it was needed. I have not checked which tubes are actually in it at the moment, but most of them are supposed to be original. I'll have a look tomorrow (I'll take a couple of photos of the guts then). I'll probably take it to a tech anyway, just to make sure.

I read different things about the Tone Tubby speaker on the net. Some say they are great, some not. To my ears this one sounds good so far, but this might be something I will look at more in depth. Originally the amp came with a Jensen P12R, but I have very little experience with different speakers. I have a 75W 12" WGS G12C lying around, but I think I want a lower wattage speaker in this one. I'll leave the amp as is for quite a while before I consider doing anything.

Here are a few quick shots. The "Gibson" logo is missing on this one, but I have ordered a repro which should be here in a few days.

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I am super stoked! By the way, does anyone have a tip on how to clean the tweed covering? Not that it really matters, but it could have been cool to shine it up a bit.
 
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