Why no Gibson reissue amps?

One reason not to accurately reissue the 50s/60s Gibson amps was that most of them used tubes which are outside the regular 12xx7 / 6x6 box.

Check here for a wealth of detail: http://www.superiormusic.com/page199.htm

Gibson had an uncommon bout of common sense with the 1959 tweed amps, like the tweed GA-16T Exploder and GA-18T Discount. My old GA-16T was sweet in a tweed-10" home-amp way but it didn't have the oomph to keep up with a band.

Today's market is crowded with affordable multi-function 25W amps. It's safe to guess that right at this moment Gibson isn't looking for more new cool things to do as they try to pare down for their upcoming Date With Debt Destiny too.

Honest answer, they weren't that popular. Fender pretty much had that market cornered.

akstrat61 said:

Mike, That GA20T is a Deluxe killer! :jim:jim

Everyone seems to think the GA40 is the bomb, I wonder how many of them have played one of the tweed GA20T's??:salude:salude

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I Have a GA 20T that is a great sounding amp. It most definitely does not sound better than my Tweed Deluxes. It also has a funky grounding scheme And the capacitors are mounted on the backside of the tag board. Servicing this amp can be a challenge. The 5879 tube is unique, Like any other pentode you might need to sort through a few to get one that isn’t Noisy or microphonic. Another unique thing about the Gibson is it has a redwood cabinet and is voiced a little brighter than the Tweed Deluxes.

Just to add a little more Gibson love, my '58 GA-5 is one of my absolute favorites. It is a killer. Especially in combo with my '56 TV Model. :jim

I think GIBSON has more serious issues right now to contend with, But... What would they reissue? Which era amps and which models. GIBSON made a lot of very different amp models just in the '50's alone and when you get to the Sixties it's even stupider.. I had a 1960 tweed GA-20 "Crest" for a long time. Was un-useable as it would not clean up. Basically a one trick pony. Sounded great, but only for one thing. When you get to the mid-Sixties they're too clean... Then you get the SG Series amps and then the Lab Series.. No thanks!