Solid state Gibson use?

[David Laveau]

Anyone have experience using old Gibson solid state or tube amplifiers in their steel guitar rig?

I'm waiting on a GSS50 and Plus50 slave to arrive.
Will update with thoughts, just wondering if anyone has traveled this road previously and willing to share a thought or two

Seems like they are 'clean machines' from some reading, but I have no personal time spent with any of them yet

[Donny Hinson]

I tried the Gibson amp that the lead player in my first country band used. Nice warm tone, but not a lot of the "sparkle" that made Fender famous. It was supposedly a 60-watt tube job, same as my Twin Reverb, but it played more like a 30 or 40 watt amp - not a lot of headroom before it distorted.

[David Laveau]

I tried the Gibson amp that the lead player in my first country band used. Nice warm tone, but not a lot of the "sparkle" that made Fender famous. It was supposedly a 60-watt tube job, same as my Twin Reverb, but it played more like a 30 or 40 watt amp - not a lot of headroom before it distorted.

That makes sense to me, thanks!

To me, different but maybe kind of similar to when JBL changed the large format diaphragms to the 2445 diamond style compliance edge from the 2440's roll style - which extended highs through 'spurious resonances' according to the critics at least...


All good to me, lots of flavors for everyone to enjoy

Thanks!

[Jerry Van Hoose]

Wow, hadn’t thought about those old Gibson amps in a very long time. During the mid 60’s, I had a gray tolex Gibson Vanguard amp prior to buying my first Fender Twin Reverb. The Gibson was warm sounding, think it had 2 - 12’s & about 40 watts, not certain. It also had the internal Adineko (spelling?) oil can delay. My main remembrance was that it was extremely heavy.

[Brooks Montgomery]

I’ve a Gibson Twin G-105.
Bought it at a pawn shop for $100.
It’s pretty unremarkable (compared to my other amps). Has a very sensitive tank reverb.

[Jerry Van Hoose]

I bought my Gibson Vanguard used in 65 or 66, it was probably a couple of years old at the time, looked like this one.

[Bob Carlucci]

Gibson amps have a certain "cool factor", but they are not pedal steel amps, and I have doubts you will be thrilled with the sound.. There is a good reason why you most likely never saw gibson amps in a backline, either tube or solid state.. They can't compete with Fender for tone and clarity... The old ones pre about 1965 sound really nice, warm and very musical and some had gorgeous reverb and trem... Later tube and SS models were really generic sounding, just blah.. If you like the tone Of Kustom, or Acoustic or maybe Ampeg built SS amps you will like the Gibson.. Not ragging on Gibson amps, I actually like them a lot , especially old ones.. They just seemed closer in build quality to say Valco than they did to what Fender, Ampeg, Traynor was building in the 69's and 70's.... bob

[Len Amaral]

Here is a pic of my 1964 Gibson Medalist amp with 4 ten inch speakers. It has an EL-34 power tube section and a small farm of preamp tubes This beast of an amp has to be one of the heaviest combo amps ever made. It stays in one place and I never move it.

[Bill A. Moore]

I worked on a Falcon for a fellow a couple of weeks ago, but it is tube! Sounded really good when he played it!
[/img]https://photos.fife.usercontent.google. ... authuser=0

[David Laveau]

It's kind of crazy how Gibson would overhaul a design completely, and use the same monikers over and over...

Makes things interesting, to say the least.

I got the units, but they still not up and going...
Unforeseen complications both with one of them, the plus 50, and life generally...

I'll get there, they seem like pretty easy fixes and circuits - just need to find the time...

Interestingly, the plus-50 included a Monarch Pre-101 - but the speakers in the box were toasted replacement units complete with shifted magnets