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An Interesting Old Gibson Amp

Bob Womack

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Joined
Apr 8, 2002
Messages
2,191
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I guess I'm a sucker for underdogs. I played a 1966 Gibson GA-55RVT Ranger when I was in college and people loved my sound. Yes, I know, that is the Gibson "whiteface" period so everyone who liked my tone must have been wrong. :) Well anyway, recently in a fit of nostalgia, I ran a search for that amp, knowing full well that at seventy pounds I wasn't going to be interested in lugging one around. But in the process, I came across one of its little brothers and the sparks flew, speaking figuratively. You can enjoy my little trip through history and nostalgia, HERE.

Bob
 

J T

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Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Messages
10,501
What a great story!

Another "under the radar" gem. Seems like it called you back then finally convinced you to bring it home.

Looks like a great studio amp maybe if you get confident enough that it won't fizz out during a gig, a nice portable gig amp. Put it up on a chair and play all night.
 

AA00475Bassman

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Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
I for one have really owned some great Gibson amps over the years , i have IMO a great sounding 57 GA 9 . Nice amp now I will look for these white face amps !!!
 

agogetr

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
451
I for one have really owned some great Gibson amps over the years , i have IMO a great sounding 57 GA 9 . Nice amp now I will look for these white face amps !!!
it seems like these whiteface gibson amps have been off the radar in the vintage amp world. i had a couple bigger ones i got rid of (still have a couple ) last one i got rid of i threw in on a deal for a burst around 93. i always thought they sounded kind of tight and just werent my cup of tea.. however does anyone know if maybe these have some kind of solid state rectifier? i wonder if something couldnt be changed inside these amps to 'loosen' them up a bit? actually just had one given to me a week ago on a 1965 super 400 purchase. i guess it came with the guitar when my pal got it. its an rvt35 ithink. a ranger? i,m going to plug it in once the threat of forest fires burning my house down passes!
all in all these amps are probably a great investment too since they dont bring a lot of money rite now.
 

Bob Womack

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Joined
Apr 8, 2002
Messages
2,191
The GA-35RVT is the Lancer, which some call the Gibson equivalent of the Fender Deluxe. They called the GA-55RVT Ranger the Kalamazoo Super but it was quite different from a Super. The Gibsons break up far earlier and smoother with no ice pick. Everyone loved my Ranger and my partner's Super was tough to get a good sound out of. Both the Ranger and the Saturn had tube rectifiers. That plus the negative feedback scheme contributed to a really nice, pillowy sustain

The Ranger required that you wind out the midrange to get a good sound out of it. The downside of the smaller units is that they are missing the midrange control. I looked at the schematic of the Saturn and have noted that the midrange circuit is there but the pot was deleted. The cap values make it so that the amp is choked down to a thinned-out midrange. There are YouTube videos that show how to change the components to get a fatter sound. I'm going to do that, when I get the time. If the Lancer turns up kind of thin-sounding you might look up the schematics and see whether it has any such mod possible. As always, drain the caps before you work on the sucker because it can give a good enough shock to reprogram your heart.

Meanwhile, you've got an amp that is built like a rock. Pay attention to the power switch. When they get old they can fail in a closed position. One day I walked into the guitar room and was bathed in that lovely old amp smell. The amp was warm. That wasn't good because I hadn't played since the night before. The switch was staying engaged, even when set to "off." I unplug when I'm not playing these days. Another thing on my repair punch list.

Bob
 

agogetr

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
451
The GA-35RVT is the Lancer, which some call the Gibson equivalent of the Fender Deluxe. They called the GA-55RVT Ranger the Kalamazoo Super but it was quite different from a Super. The Gibsons break up far earlier and smoother with no ice pick. Everyone loved my Ranger and my partner's Super was tough to get a good sound out of. Both the Ranger and the Saturn had tube rectifiers. That plus the negative feedback scheme contributed to a really nice, pillowy sustain

The Ranger required that you wind out the midrange to get a good sound out of it. The downside of the smaller units is that they are missing the midrange control. I looked at the schematic of the Saturn and have noted that the midrange circuit is there but the pot was deleted. The cap values make it so that the amp is choked down to a thinned-out midrange. There are YouTube videos that show how to change the components to get a fatter sound. I'm going to do that, when I get the time. If the Lancer turns up kind of thin-sounding you might look up the schematics and see whether it has any such mod possible. As always, drain the caps before you work on the sucker because it can give a good enough shock to reprogram your heart.

Meanwhile, you've got an amp that is built like a rock. Pay attention to the power switch. When they get old they can fail in a closed position. One day I walked into the guitar room and was bathed in that lovely old amp smell. The amp was warm. That wasn't good because I hadn't played since the night before. The switch was staying engaged, even when set to "off." I unplug when I'm not playing these days. Another thing on my repair punch list.

Bob
great tips! thank you. yes its built like a rock..its heavy!
 
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