1961 Gibson GA-30RV Invader

[Nightclub Dwight]

When it rains it pours!  I just got my blackface Champ a little over a week ago, then I saw an ad on Craigs list for a vintage Gibson amp--chassis and footswitch only. 

Its just the chassis, but we fired it up by attaching it to a speaker cab, and it sounded great.  Its definitely still a project.  I guess I can build (or have built for me) either a 4 ohm cabinet, or a make it back into a combo amp.  I guess when this amp originally came out it had both an 8 inch and 12 inch speaker wired in parallel.

I have trouble attaching pics for some reason, so I'll try both pics and links:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4538735356_353eb34d95_m.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4538735306_40f8044702_m.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2773/4538735250_169eed0c36_m.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2696/4538104521_40e58d0a21_m.jpg

Like Tonar said, vintage amps can be an addiction.  I think I'm hooked.  Just wish I had more knowledge so I could fix them myself.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Sounds like fun!

 

[jimh]

SCORE!!!!  :hello2:

 

[Tonar8352]

Great score! You might try doing your homework on the original specs for the amp and then see if you can find some one to build you a replica cabinet, maybe CB.  Then  find an original speaker and put it back into service.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

Great score! You might try doing your homework on the original specs for the amp and then see if you can find some one to build you a replica cabinet, maybe CB.  Then  find an original speaker and put it back into service.

Yes, I'm growing intrigued by this amp.  I bought a book on Gibson amps just to get more info on this amp, here are a few highlights I've discovered:

This model was only produced in 1961, and 715 were made.

It originally had 1 x 12" Jenson P12R and 1 x 8" Jenson speakers.

14 watts power rating.

Preamp tubes: 3 x 6EU7, 1 x 12AU7A
Power: 2 x 6V6GT
Rectifier: 1 x 5Y3GT

I'm sort of interested in how the 12 and 8 inch speakers would sound together.  I'd like to restore it to that spec.  I don't mind that it would be a new cabinet, as I'm more interested in this as a tone machine than a collectors item.

As far as the cabinet is concerned,,,,, I also bought Gerald Weber's book "All About Vacuum Tube Guitar Amplifiers."  I just got both these books today, but in scanning the Weber book, he describes a test he did to find the best wood for making cabinets.  He made identical 1 x 12 cabinets out of every type of wood he could get his hands on.  He notes that mahogany and lacewood sounded muddy, poplar and willow were good (better than pine, which he used as his control  to reference against the others).  But the best woods he found was 80 year old pine, and amazingly enough, canary wood!

How awesome would that be, to get this 1961 chassis wired up in a canary cab with a vintage (or not) 12" and 8" speaker setup!  I've always thought old worn tweed was the nicest amp covering ever, but a raw canary cabinet would be pretty snazzy.

Maybe I'm dreaming here, but thats what I'm thinking now.