$299 Gibson tube amp - Made in USA! - Page 29

svasqu01 · June 10th, 2008, 05:36 PM

Hey NewOldStock

That's exactly what I did. anyone who's interested email me and I'll send you a schematic of a simple "Tweed" type tone stack. all ya need is: 1) CTS 1 megohm pot 1) 470pf cap and 1) 5000 pf cap. brings out the sizzle in these babies without losing the bottom end. Simple to install, but no going back, as you have to drill a hole for the pot, and will void your warranty. Simple, inexpensive, effective and will in no way harm your amp.

svasqu01@swbell.net

andrenighthound · June 10th, 2008, 06:10 PM

i been using the barber eq with the ga-5, to shape my sound depending on what guitar im using. But the tone stack seems like a great idea!

Guitarslinger1 · June 10th, 2008, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svasqu01

Hey NewOldStock

That's exactly what I did. anyone who's interested email me and I'll send you a schematic of a simple "Tweed" type tone stack. all ya need is: 1) CTS 1 megohm pot 1) 470pf cap and 1) 5000 pf cap. brings out the sizzle in these babies without losing the bottom end. Simple to install, but no going back, as you have to drill a hole for the pot, and will void your warranty. Simple, inexpensive, effective and will in no way harm your amp.

svasqu01@swbell.net

It should possible to find a dual concentric 1M pot that would allow you to add the simple tweed tone control and not have to drill a hole in the chassis face.

Might seem silly to worry about, but that additional hole in the chassis face would likely hurt the resale value if you ever wanted to sell the amp in the future.

A Tone Mint · June 10th, 2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red57strat

This is an earlier amp, right? Note the filter caps and the positioning of the rectifier diodes.
They changed these amps' layout at some point.

I bought the amp used and have only had the amp about a month now. But I do think it is an early one...there is no sign of a cord box and no metal grill on the front or back and no evidence of them being removed. I think that makes it early...don't know for sure.
Anyone know how do you date these amps?

I just thought the circuits were the same...evidently not!

Guitarslinger1 · June 10th, 2008, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Tone Mint

I just thought the circuits were the same...evidently not!

I believe from what we saw, some did not have the 1.5k grid stopper resistor. Aside from that, and the filter cap values and brands changing, the circuits are the same. The layouts changed.

Cassady · June 13th, 2008, 11:44 PM

I got a chance today to hear what this amp can really do and it's darned impressive. I had a guitar lesson after work today and took my Tele and the GA-5 with me.

My guitar teacher wanted to try out my Tele after I'd had some work done on it (a fret dress and setup by a local repair wizard) and I had it plugged in to the GA-5 for my lesson. He played some hot jazz and Western swing stuff with the neck pickup of the Tele and the amp at about 11:00 and it sounded phenomenally good.

He then asked what it sounded like with a bit of crunch and I turned it up to about 2:00 o'clock. He played some really good blues and rock stuff and, again, this little amp sounded great.

I really wish that I had his touch, not to mention his technique, but it made me really happy that I bought this amp when Sidney Vicious pointed it out.

Cassady

Rob DiStefano · June 14th, 2008, 05:01 AM

My GA5 is totally irreplaceable. I've been using it daily and the Weber 8A125T has broken in just right, as have the Jupiter Vintage Tone coupling caps. She's got the trinity mods minus the NFB resistor, and a full compliment of Atom filter caps. I just set the volume to noon and plug in a Strat or Tele. The full, robust tone just drips 'n' rips out in yer face. I've had more on-the-spot offers to buy that amp than any of my others, and my others are THAT good. So for me, the GA5 honeymoon is still in full swing ....

red57strat · June 14th, 2008, 10:51 PM

In an e-mail, to a forum member today, I said-

"I brought my GA-5 to a jam yesterday. I also brought my tweed Deluxe clone in case the GA-5 didn't work out. We played blues ranging from Muddy Waters to Jimmie Reed with a bit of Fabulous Thunderbirds and Led Zeppelin thrown in.

The amp was great. I used it exclusively except when the harp player used it (and loved it) on a few tunes. It's a great harp amp.

I played my USACG T-Style (that's wired like a Broadcaster- no tone control) all night.

I occasionally used delay, a tremolo pedal and even used my Fulltone '69 Pedal with it with great results.

The amp has a very authentic blues tone except maybe the texture of the distorted sound. That might be due to the EL-84 tube.

The other guys were impressed with it and harp player wants one."

Keep in mind that I played a guitar without a tone control into an am[ with no tone control all night and didn't miss it!

Sidney Vicious · June 15th, 2008, 02:47 PM

I ended up owning a brand new $299 GA-5 and a slightly older very lightly used non-cord boxed/non-metal grilled GA-5.

Did a comparison.

My report:

My newer $299 model is stock except for removal of the cord box and heavy metal screens detailed in my earlier posts on the amp. I added a longer cord and a tube shield on the 12ax7 - had to dremel down by half the two nubs that hold the tube holder to the chassis for the shield to clear. And I swapped in a cool vintage Jensen 8J11 alnico speaker that I had. The speaker is the only real sonically significant mod I think.

The older model sounded very dark and staticky - got it cheap because of that.

Sprayed the tube pins and did the in and out - and one of the pin holes pulled from the socket! Not a wired pin but not a good sign.

Pulled the chassis and found a lose screw rolling around. The GROUND screw from one corner of the turret board! Replaced and tightend down.

Added a shield to the 12ax7 - no need to dremel as the nubs are shorter by half.

Overall

- even aside from the screw rolling around -

I found the newer model to have cleaner lead dress, better and tighter twists - although the older model has more substantial metal jacks and more wire under the board rather than flying over as in the newer.

Put the older back together and gave it a run.

Still dark - but no static. The ground screw fix was it.

Older model sounds cool in a lo-fi way but more useable tones come from the Jensen in the newer model. But I like them both!

Will swap speakers to see if the speaker is the key -

and do side-by-side gut shots for the hard core out there.

WallyArms · June 16th, 2008, 10:08 AM

A question for those who have been trying different speakers and are familiar with Weber speakers - earlier in the thread, it seemed that there was agreement that the stock speaker was a Weber Signature 8. If so, how would a Signature 8S change the tone? It's description as "brighter with later break up" sound like the right prescription to me. I am also curious about the British series 8 (alnico or ceramic).

Why? Although many have described this amp as "bright" in this thread, for me it can be a little dark. I suspect these opinions are results of different playing styles and instruments. I play a Tele, Strat and Melody Maker. I think the tone of the amp is nearly perfect for the little bit of slide playing that I do (and would make a great "lead amp") but I am mainly a clean rhythm player that favors the neck pickup on my Tele and Strat - in that application I could use a little less "dark" and a little more "bright and jangly".

On a related note - I am considering swapping in a 5751 in an attempt to extract a little more clean headroom and tame the amp a little. What are your experiences with 5751's?

I appreciate your input on these non-permanent mods. I am not interested in making any permanent mods at this time.

I am glad I was able to grab one of these amps - I play though mine nearly every day. I don't expect we will see a deal like this again for long time.....

red57strat · June 16th, 2008, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WallyArms

Why? Although many have described this amp as "bright" in this thread, for me it can be a little dark. I suspect these opinions are results of different playing styles and instruments. I play a Tele, Strat and Melody Maker. I think the tone of the amp is nearly perfect for the little bit of slide playing that I do (and would make a great "lead amp") but I am mainly a clean rhythm player that favors the neck pickup on my Tele and Strat - in that application I could use a little less "dark" and a little more "bright and jangly".

My GA-5 is my darkest amp by far. My tweed Deluxe (5E3 clone) is brighter. My Vibrolux Reverb and the Princeton Reverb that I just sold are much brighter.

colimodio · June 16th, 2008, 01:45 PM

Hello everyby!! New here..Love my GA-5...maybe a hemp speaker???...

http://www.tonetubby.com/

The Tone Tubby 8" Ceramic Hempcone Guitar Speaker

Anyone???

Guitarslinger1 · June 16th, 2008, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WallyArms

A question for those who have been trying different speakers and are familiar with Weber speakers - earlier in the thread, it seemed that there was agreement that the stock speaker was a Weber Signature 8. If so, how would a Signature 8S change the tone? It's description as "brighter with later break up" sound like the right prescription to me. I am also curious about the British series 8 (alnico or ceramic).

Why? Although many have described this amp as "bright" in this thread, for me it can be a little dark. I suspect these opinions are results of different playing styles and instruments. I play a Tele, Strat and Melody Maker. I think the tone of the amp is nearly perfect for the little bit of slide playing that I do (and would make a great "lead amp") but I am mainly a clean rhythm player that favors the neck pickup on my Tele and Strat - in that application I could use a little less "dark" and a little more "bright and jangly".

On a related note - I am considering swapping in a 5751 in an attempt to extract a little more clean headroom and tame the amp a little. What are your experiences with 5751's?

I appreciate your input on these non-permanent mods. I am not interested in making any permanent mods at this time.

I am glad I was able to grab one of these amps - I play though mine nearly every day. I don't expect we will see a deal like this again for long time.....

Actually, the GA5 speaker has a larger voice coil than Weber's Sig straight cone. So it must be custom made for Gibson. But regardless, Weber's Sig S has a ribbed cone (brighter), so it would help with those complaining that there GA5 is too dark.

A 5751 has ~ 70% of the gain of a 12AX7. This may sound like a great idea, but since you will be lowering the gain of both the preamp stage and the following driver stage by 30% each, and with gain being multiplicative, the actual reduction in gain by using a 5751 vs a 12AX7 is more like a reduction of 50% or more. It may work for some, but many find the amp too wimpy this way. This is why the easily reversible mod of lifting or removing the preamp stage 25uF cathode bypass cap is recommended. It reduces the gain of the preamp stage by ~ 50%, but leaves the driver stage, which was fine already, alone.

I don't consider the removal of a component that can easily be re-installed a "permanent mod". I would consider a permanent mod to be drilling holes in the chassis face to install switches, covering the cab in orange tolex, or cutting and modding it for larger transformers etc. But to each his own.

Try the 5751. It might work for you, or your might come back saying "What happened? Now I can't get it to break up at all."

Guitarslinger1 · June 16th, 2008, 04:17 PM

PS.

Those complaining that their GA5 is too dark will probably not want to do the mod that bypasses the 22pF cap and 1 meg resistor.

Sidney Vicious · June 17th, 2008, 11:37 AM

the older reissue - Jan.05 by date
the newer reissue - a 299 "blowout" special - Feb. 06.

One subtle difference I noticed today the older has a thicker more substantial handle. Gutshots likely tonight.

Swapped the old Jensen speaker that I had installed in the newer reissue into the older reissue and found immediately that the difference that I detect between the two amps is due to that speaker.

In short, in both models with the stock speaker the amp is a dark loud roaring beast.

The old Jensen alnico tones them down in a good way, resulting in a more "musical" sound - not as loud, not as dark.

I love the sound of the stock model - don't get me wrong. For a low priced handwired USA-made amp it is a KILLER!

But for those who find it dark my experiment suggests that a hunt for an old alnico speaker might be in order.

A lot of posters have old Champs - maybe an old Fender Jensen or Oxford might be worth a try-out.

red57strat · June 17th, 2008, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guitarslinger1

PS.

Those complaining that their GA5 is too dark will probably not want to do the mod that bypasses the 22pF cap and 1 meg resistor.

Even though I find the amp to be a bit dark, I prefer it without the 22pF cap and 1 meg resistor.
They brighten the sound a bit by removing some of the amp's goodness.

I'm past due experimenting with speakers in this amp.

Sidney Vicious · June 17th, 2008, 09:53 PM

Newer chassis - February 06

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showp...9/limit/recent

Pics aren't very good (and for the life of me I cannot embed a picture, try as I might) but I think you can make out a few subtle differences.

Sidney Vicious · June 17th, 2008, 09:54 PM

Older chassis - January 05

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showp...00/ppuser/2402

red57strat · June 17th, 2008, 10:28 PM

I wonder how many they built each way? It looks like the difference between prototype and production.

A Gibson customer service rep told me that they were all built in North Carolina. I assume that means Mojo Musical Supply.

Deadduck · June 18th, 2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WallyArms

On a related note - I am considering swapping in a 5751 in an attempt to extract a little more clean headroom and tame the amp a little. What are your experiences with 5751's?

I haven't done any mods to my newer GA5 other than swapping out the preamp tube to a NOS JAN 5751. I think it was like $12. I really like it and wouldn't go back. With all respect to Guitar Slinger, it really doesn't lower gain as much as one would think, and it will certainly still break up, at least mine will with P-90s or a Tele.

Stock, the amp got a loose and uncontrolled after about 11:00 on the dial. This is with an Epi Casino with P-90's. The the OD tone was harsh and grainy. The 5751 gave it a little more clean headroom, but the big change is the OD tone. Smooth and crunchy. More "British" sounding to me. It was quite a dramatic change in overdrive tone. I really prefer this tone and wouldn't go back to the 12ax7, I don't think. I think the JAN 5751 is a pretty clean tube, and lets the EL-84 tone come through more. The clean tone is still chimey and 3D sounding, kinda Voxy.

I run my amp at about 11:00 on the volume now, and use my volume controls and pick attack to go from clean to crunch. I mic with a Shure SM-57 to FOH.

I'm able to get a good AC/DC OD tone by using a cheap Danelectro Fish N Chips EQ pedal. I use it as a clean boost by turning up the volume on the EQ, cut the lows a little, and boost the mids. Instant Malcom Young. I only kick it in when I want the boost, I leave it off a lot.

My suggestion is to go to the Tube Store or KCA Tubes and order one. If you don't like it, let me know and I may buy it from you as a spare.

Rob DiStefano · June 19th, 2008, 05:48 AM

Tube swaps in any amp may produce subtle tone changes, but an amp like the GA5 lends itself best to least trying out circuit mods to see how it will react with your guitars and your playing style.

The trinity circuit tweaks outlined for the GA5 are the easiest to accomplish, and reverse.

Functional mods such as adding a standby are well worth the effort.

Component swaps are great to do as well - filter and coupling cap changes can make dramatic tonal shifts for the better! Love those Jupiter Vintage Tone couplers!

WallyArms · June 19th, 2008, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deadduck

I haven't done any mods to my newer GA5 other than swapping out the preamp tube to a NOS JAN 5751. I think it was like $12. I really like it and wouldn't go back. With all respect to Guitar Slinger, it really doesn't lower gain as much as one would think, and it will certainly still break up, at least mine will with P-90s or a Tele.

Stock, the amp got a loose and uncontrolled after about 11:00 on the dial. This is with an Epi Casino with P-90's. The the OD tone was harsh and grainy. The 5751 gave it a little more clean headroom, but the big change is the OD tone. Smooth and crunchy. More "British" sounding to me. It was quite a dramatic change in overdrive tone. I really prefer this tone and wouldn't go back to the 12ax7, I don't think. I think the JAN 5751 is a pretty clean tube, and lets the EL-84 tone come through more. The clean tone is still chimey and 3D sounding, kinda Voxy.

I run my amp at about 11:00 on the volume now, and use my volume controls and pick attack to go from clean to crunch. I mic with a Shure SM-57 to FOH.

I'm able to get a good AC/DC OD tone by using a cheap Danelectro Fish N Chips EQ pedal. I use it as a clean boost by turning up the volume on the EQ, cut the lows a little, and boost the mids. Instant Malcom Young. I only kick it in when I want the boost, I leave it off a lot.

My suggestion is to go to the Tube Store or KCA Tubes and order one. If you don't like it, let me know and I may buy it from you as a spare.

The clean tone is still chimey and 3D sounding, kinda Voxy... exactly what I am looking for. Looks like I need to order some tubes

After that, I will consider a speaker swap. Subtle changes are all I'm looking for at this time.

Thanks for the input on tube and speaker swaps folks.

June 10th, 2008, 05:36 PM	#1121 (permalink)
svasqu01 TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Arlington, Texas Age: 46 Posts: 13	Gibson Goldtone Hey NewOldStock That's exactly what I did. anyone who's interested email me and I'll send you a schematic of a simple "Tweed" type tone stack. all ya need is: 1) CTS 1 megohm pot 1) 470pf cap and 1) 5000 pf cap. brings out the sizzle in these babies without losing the bottom end. Simple to install, but no going back, as you have to drill a hole for the pot, and will void your warranty. Simple, inexpensive, effective and will in no way harm your amp. svasqu01@swbell.net

June 10th, 2008, 06:10 PM	#1122 (permalink)
andrenighthound Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bronx NY Age: 32 Posts: 230	i been using the barber eq with the ga-5, to shape my sound depending on what guitar im using. But the tone stack seems like a great idea! __________________ "Blues in a doggy bag, is what I got to eat!" www.andreandthenighthounds.com

June 14th, 2008, 10:51 PM	#1128 (permalink)
red57strat Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,112	In an e-mail, to a forum member today, I said- "I brought my GA-5 to a jam yesterday. I also brought my tweed Deluxe clone in case the GA-5 didn't work out. We played blues ranging from Muddy Waters to Jimmie Reed with a bit of Fabulous Thunderbirds and Led Zeppelin thrown in. The amp was great. I used it exclusively except when the harp player used it (and loved it) on a few tunes. It's a great harp amp. I played my USACG T-Style (that's wired like a Broadcaster- no tone control) all night. I occasionally used delay, a tremolo pedal and even used my Fulltone '69 Pedal with it with great results. The amp has a very authentic blues tone except maybe the texture of the distorted sound. That might be due to the EL-84 tube. The other guys were impressed with it and harp player wants one." Keep in mind that I played a guitar without a tone control into an am[ with no tone control all night and didn't miss it! __________________ Don

June 15th, 2008, 02:47 PM	#1129 (permalink)
Sidney Vicious Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Posts: 1,066 6 Photos	Comparing a newer GA-5 reissue to a slightly older one . . . I ended up owning a brand new $299 GA-5 and a slightly older very lightly used non-cord boxed/non-metal grilled GA-5. Did a comparison. My report: My newer $299 model is stock except for removal of the cord box and heavy metal screens detailed in my earlier posts on the amp. I added a longer cord and a tube shield on the 12ax7 - had to dremel down by half the two nubs that hold the tube holder to the chassis for the shield to clear. And I swapped in a cool vintage Jensen 8J11 alnico speaker that I had. The speaker is the only real sonically significant mod I think. The older model sounded very dark and staticky - got it cheap because of that. Sprayed the tube pins and did the in and out - and one of the pin holes pulled from the socket! Not a wired pin but not a good sign. Pulled the chassis and found a lose screw rolling around. The GROUND screw from one corner of the turret board! Replaced and tightend down. Added a shield to the 12ax7 - no need to dremel as the nubs are shorter by half. Overall - even aside from the screw rolling around - I found the newer model to have cleaner lead dress, better and tighter twists - although the older model has more substantial metal jacks and more wire under the board rather than flying over as in the newer. Put the older back together and gave it a run. Still dark - but no static. The ground screw fix was it. Older model sounds cool in a lo-fi way but more useable tones come from the Jensen in the newer model. But I like them both! Will swap speakers to see if the speaker is the key - and do side-by-side gut shots for the hard core out there.

June 16th, 2008, 10:08 AM	#1130 (permalink)
WallyArms Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: TN Posts: 925	A question for those who have been trying different speakers and are familiar with Weber speakers - earlier in the thread, it seemed that there was agreement that the stock speaker was a Weber Signature 8. If so, how would a Signature 8S change the tone? It's description as "brighter with later break up" sound like the right prescription to me. I am also curious about the British series 8 (alnico or ceramic). Why? Although many have described this amp as "bright" in this thread, for me it can be a little dark. I suspect these opinions are results of different playing styles and instruments. I play a Tele, Strat and Melody Maker. I think the tone of the amp is nearly perfect for the little bit of slide playing that I do (and would make a great "lead amp") but I am mainly a clean rhythm player that favors the neck pickup on my Tele and Strat - in that application I could use a little less "dark" and a little more "bright and jangly". On a related note - I am considering swapping in a 5751 in an attempt to extract a little more clean headroom and tame the amp a little. What are your experiences with 5751's? I appreciate your input on these non-permanent mods. I am not interested in making any permanent mods at this time. I am glad I was able to grab one of these amps - I play though mine nearly every day. I don't expect we will see a deal like this again for long time..... __________________ Save The Hymnals! Last edited by WallyArms; June 16th, 2008 at 10:53 AM.

June 13th, 2008, 11:44 PM	#1126 (permalink)
Cassady Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Lincoln, Nebraska Posts: 546	I got a chance today to hear what this amp can really do and it's darned impressive. I had a guitar lesson after work today and took my Tele and the GA-5 with me. My guitar teacher wanted to try out my Tele after I'd had some work done on it (a fret dress and setup by a local repair wizard) and I had it plugged in to the GA-5 for my lesson. He played some hot jazz and Western swing stuff with the neck pickup of the Tele and the amp at about 11:00 and it sounded phenomenally good. He then asked what it sounded like with a bit of crunch and I turned it up to about 2:00 o'clock. He played some really good blues and rock stuff and, again, this little amp sounded great. I really wish that I had his touch, not to mention his technique, but it made me really happy that I bought this amp when Sidney Vicious pointed it out. Cassady

June 14th, 2008, 05:01 AM	#1127 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 62 Posts: 4,659	My GA5 is totally irreplaceable. I've been using it daily and the Weber 8A125T has broken in just right, as have the Jupiter Vintage Tone coupling caps. She's got the trinity mods minus the NFB resistor, and a full compliment of Atom filter caps. I just set the volume to noon and plug in a Strat or Tele. The full, robust tone just drips 'n' rips out in yer face. I've had more on-the-spot offers to buy that amp than any of my others, and my others are THAT good. So for me, the GA5 honeymoon is still in full swing ....

June 16th, 2008, 01:45 PM	#1132 (permalink)
colimodio NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Greenacres Florida Posts: 2	Hello everyby!! New here..Love my GA-5...maybe a hemp speaker???... http://www.tonetubby.com/ The Tone Tubby 8" Ceramic Hempcone Guitar Speaker Anyone???

June 16th, 2008, 04:17 PM	#1134 (permalink)
Guitarslinger1 Banned Tele-Holic Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 966	PS. Those complaining that their GA5 is too dark will probably not want to do the mod that bypasses the 22pF cap and 1 meg resistor.

June 17th, 2008, 11:37 AM	#1135 (permalink)
Sidney Vicious Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Posts: 1,066 6 Photos	Older reissue v. Newer reissue comparison continued. the older reissue - Jan.05 by date the newer reissue - a 299 "blowout" special - Feb. 06. One subtle difference I noticed today the older has a thicker more substantial handle. Gutshots likely tonight. Swapped the old Jensen speaker that I had installed in the newer reissue into the older reissue and found immediately that the difference that I detect between the two amps is due to that speaker. In short, in both models with the stock speaker the amp is a dark loud roaring beast. The old Jensen alnico tones them down in a good way, resulting in a more "musical" sound - not as loud, not as dark. I love the sound of the stock model - don't get me wrong. For a low priced handwired USA-made amp it is a KILLER! But for those who find it dark my experiment suggests that a hunt for an old alnico speaker might be in order. A lot of posters have old Champs - maybe an old Fender Jensen or Oxford might be worth a try-out.

June 17th, 2008, 09:53 PM	#1137 (permalink)
Sidney Vicious Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Posts: 1,066 6 Photos	Couple of chassis gut shots Newer chassis - February 06 http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showp...9/limit/recent Pics aren't very good (and for the life of me I cannot embed a picture, try as I might) but I think you can make out a few subtle differences.

June 17th, 2008, 09:54 PM	#1138 (permalink)
Sidney Vicious Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Posts: 1,066 6 Photos	Couple of chassis gut shots Older chassis - January 05 http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showp...00/ppuser/2402

June 17th, 2008, 10:28 PM	#1139 (permalink)
red57strat Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,112	I wonder how many they built each way? It looks like the difference between prototype and production. A Gibson customer service rep told me that they were all built in North Carolina. I assume that means Mojo Musical Supply. __________________ Don

June 19th, 2008, 05:48 AM	#1141 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 62 Posts: 4,659	Tube swaps in any amp may produce subtle tone changes, but an amp like the GA5 lends itself best to least trying out circuit mods to see how it will react with your guitars and your playing style. The trinity circuit tweaks outlined for the GA5 are the easiest to accomplish, and reverse. Functional mods such as adding a standby are well worth the effort. Component swaps are great to do as well - filter and coupling cap changes can make dramatic tonal shifts for the better! Love those Jupiter Vintage Tone couplers!