Gibson GA-18T: any opinion please?

[slidincharlie (Carlo P)]

I have a chance to buy a late-50s Gibson GA-18T amp.
Has any of you guys ever played thorugh it, or heard any user's comment?
Gerald Weber in his most recent book expresses a very poor opinion about some Gibson amps, like the GA-40 ('it is impossible to get a clean sound out of it' due to the paraphase style phase inverter), and the GA-20 RVT ('it has many many problems').

I wonder if the GA-18T falls within the 'bad Gibson amps' category...

Carlo

[TD_Madden]

I have a "tweed" GA-18T with a jensen P10r, and the following tubes:

5Y3, 2 x 6V6, 2 X 12AX7

It kicks ass, frankly....a very BIG sound, especially for a 10-inch speaker.

The circuit is very much like a tweed deluxe, but the volume-pot doesn't breakup early like the deluxe....would probably sound fantastic thru a Celestion Blue.....

[slidincharlie (Carlo P)]

Thanks TD,

I already have a 1482 Silvertone, which I like for its early breakup and big tweedy sound; what I don't like is the closed back cab and also the cab's apparently wimpy construction.
I guess that a "tweed" Gibson amp of comparable power should be a great upgrade, shouldn't it?

[TD_Madden]

yes, they are quite well-built and have a GREAT tremolo!

Think I paid $250 for mine about 15 years ago at American Guitar Center in Wheaton Maryland (now moved to Vermont somewhere). I had a choice for it or a orange-tolexed (!) 50's Deluxe. No contest.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

I wonder what the Orange tolexed tweed Deluxe would be worth now, after you'd rip the tolex off, compared to the $250.00 Gibson as is?

By the way, I found a non-working 5E3 in the back of a pickup truck full of junk as it was just about to be tossed into a local landfill where I was unloading my little trailer full of spring cleaning trash.
The guy just handed it to me when I expressed a mild interest in it and I put it in my PU truck so I could look at it later.
Of coure I was peeing my pants while unloading my crap....
All it needed was tubes, speaker was OK, the tweed was a 6 out of 10 and it worked fine.
DUH!

Bruce

[TD_Madden]

Well, it had wires hanging out of the chassis (no back panel) and a radio-shack speaker.

Think my Explorer is worth at LEAST what I paid for it....probably more as it's probably an 8 our of 10 apprearance-wise, with original P10R, footswitch, and original tubes (now in a box).

[djl audio]

For yet more information, check out my website http://www.djlservice.com/AudioGibsonGA18wPhotos.htm I have documented a full GA18 restoration I completed recently that had a 12 inch factory speaker and tremolo. The sonic results were spectacular.

[slidincharlie (Carlo P)]

Great web page, very interesting!
Did it come with a 12 inch speaker? Stock?
Mine has a 10" in it, and I think the schematic calls for a 10" as well.

[djl audio]

The amp featured on my website had a stock Jensen Alnico P12R, this is why I considered this particular amp to be rare and it gave the low end tone a little more headroom. As stated earlier, Gibson models varied significantly within the same model number.