$299 Gibson tube amp - Made in USA!

[Guitarslinger1]

Originally Posted by JamonHamon

How is the GA5 Voiced is it like a marshall or Fender or a blend of the two sounds

I was thinking kind of Vox - like when clean, and I'm not sure when dirty. Maybe others will chime in.

[red57strat]

Originally Posted by JamonHamon

How is the GA5 Voiced is it like a marshall or Fender or a blend of the two sounds

I'm not sure how to describe it. I've never considered a Champ to sound like a full size Fender amp (tweed or blackface)!
I think it sounds more like a Champ than anything else.

[red57strat]

Originally Posted by Sidney Vicious

Here is the front baffle removed from amp without the speaker showing metal grill from the Attachment 9465interior.

Thanks for all of this. I was planning to attack this project this weeekend. It's nice to see how it all looks.

[Rob DiStefano]

This may well be the best new tube amp buy of the new millennium.

[Blues Hurler]

Just out of curiosity, rather than go to the trouble of removing the rear grill, why not just leave the back off? Any reason other than cosmetic? Mine seems to sound better without the back.

[Whisperer]

maybe someone could post some sound samples pre and post mod?

[mistermullens]

Do you guys think the metal grate in the front makes that much of a difference in sound? My 2x10 cab is a Hartke bass cab and it has a metal grate. Didn't think it made that much of a difference in sound.

[Rob DiStefano]

My first GA-5 is getting the full monty of circuit, speaker and cab mods, the second remains perfectly box stock - this affords some viable sonic A/B testing which I'll carefully record with a Zoom H2 and share on this thread.

I don't think it'll matter much at all if any or all of the grilles are removed - dittos for the removing the entire rear panel.

CIRCUIT (as of 3/7)
* 1m resistor and 22pf cap removed and jumpered
* 1st stage 25uf cap lifted
* 47k NFB added
* 1/4" external 8 ohm speaker jack added
* ground buss rewiring??? - more on this due from specialty

SPEAKER
* Weber 8F150

CAB
* remove the power cord box
* remove the rear grille
* rebaffle with 1/2" birch ply and cane grille

[red57strat]

Sidney Vicious seems to think so.

The problem with this grill is that it's so dense. I would think that it would make some difference. It would be different if the amp was voiced with the grill in place. I believe it was an afterthought with these amps.

Besides that, I'm a bit of a purist and don't like extra crap that doesn't belong there and bought this amp to mod and tweak anyway.

[Rob DiStefano]

IMO, the rear grille is there for corporate protection, and the front grille insures a no-sag cloth front that's "poke proof". In terms of sonics, I still don't think the grilles will much matter, and with the stage of mods I've already done to GA-5 #1 it'd by hard to tell the difference with my stock GA-5 #2. The cane grille I'll be using will be tight as a drum and nearly as "poke proof" while allowing for quite large weave holes for the sound waves to escape.

[stephent2]

Just pull mine outa the box, cute thing. Sounds pretty dang good w/ the volume at 5, it does get a little raspy on the top end but not too horrible.

For me it's not a gig amp but it's a fine workbench/utility amp, I've been using a Fender mini bassman (the old yellow plastic one) which will tell you that you've got a good circuit, but that's all, this will be a real improvement.

I'll take it apart and try some of the mods mentioned when I get time, but I'm happy w/ the Gibby.

[Guitarslinger1]

I believe the rear grill is there to make it certified CE to be sold in Europe. I believe they require that a grill or some other method be used so that there is no way that anyone could stick their hand anywhere and get burned by the tubes.

As far as that weird cord box, I have no idea.

I'm guessing the speaker grill is to keep "little Billy" from sticking his foot or something else through the speaker.

It does all seem a bit much, but such is life in a time when everyone must be protected from themselves. I wonder how many deaths and injuries occurred to guitar players in the 30s 40s 50s 60s and 70s before these modern safety features were required? Sure a lot of Vox amps caught on fire, but that's because they didn't have enough ventilation, because they were...over-enclosed.

[Sidney Vicious]

I am the first to admit that I may be hearing things with regard to the difference in the sound of the amp without the front metal grate - in fact I was the first to admit it in my original grate-removal post.

But having said that, I think my ears and mind are not fooling me - that grate would deflect a poke from a thown cue stick! Its as though it were designed to protect something much more irreplacable than a Weber Sig speaker . . . .

I have several vintage Fender amps - as do many of us - that have nothing but a grill cloth protecting the speaker from the world. For whatever reason, Gibson decided that grill cloth is not enough.

I have got to believe that at some point a grate of this sort has a deliterious (sp?) effect on the ability of the sound to escape.

The rear grate is less important - I removed it so that I can put the cord in and out more easily.

I believe the evidence indicates that heavy front metal grate was a late "improvement" to the amp's design - removing it in my view returns the amp to a purer form.

[WallyArms]

If it originally had no rear grill or "cord box"... I wonder if the grill and "cord box" were added after a bunch of amps came in for service. It seems to me with a "computer style" electric cord that plugs into the amp vertically, you could do some damage if you grabbed the amp (to move it) and forgot to unplug it first.... the cord box will prevent some of that, and the grill prevents "re-routing" the cord. Just a guess - most computer style electrical cords plug in horizontally instead of vertically.

[KC]

I'm not saying y'all are crazy or nothing, but this fuss about the front grill seems way out of line. my other Gibson amp's got way more of a screen



and it sounds just fine. Kind of like the GA-5's big brother, actually. Hey, maybe the screen's the secret! I'm going to go rob a confessional and put that screen in front of the speaker on my Bad Cat! I'll report back when I get out of jail.

[Sidney Vicious]

Originally Posted by KC

I'm not saying y'all are crazy or nothing, but this fuss about the front grill seems way out of line. my other Gibson amp's got way more of a screen


and it sounds just fine. Kind of like the GA-5's big brother, actually. Hey, maybe the screen's the secret! I'm going to go rob a confessional and put that screen in front of the speaker on my Bad Cat! I'll report back when I get out of jail.

Good point about that other Gibson grill - and come to think of it, those old Parish priests did seem to hear my sins pretty good through that confessional screen back in the day.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally Posted by WallyArms

If it originally had no rear grill or "cord box"... I wonder if the grill and "cord box" were added after a bunch of amps came in for service. It seems to me with a "computer style" electric cord that plugs into the amp vertically, you could do some damage if you grabbed the amp (to move it) and forgot to unplug it first.... the cord box will prevent some of that, and the grill prevents "re-routing" the cord. Just a guess - most computer style electrical cords plug in horizontally instead of vertically.

Like most amps, the power cord on the GA-5 has screw retainer into the cab side for cord stress/strain relief. So the cord box serves some other purpose.

[red57strat]

Originally Posted by Rob DiStefano

Like most amps, the power cord on the GA-5 has screw retainer into the cab side for cord stress/strain relief. So the cord box serves some other purpose.

I believe it's just to close up the box from small items better.

Look at the internal pics of the new Fender Deluxe reissue. It has a box around the input jacks.

[red57strat]

Originally Posted by specialty guitars

It does all seem a bit much, but such is life in a time when everyone must be protected from themselves.

I just bought a brand new Mesa/Boogie Express 5:50 about a month ago and it has none of these safety items in it!
The tubes and transformers are completely exposed in the back with only an extruded aluminum bar to protect them (not you!).

If you'd like to burn yourself on a hot 6L6, you're free to do so.

Rock and roll is supposed to be dangerous!

[Blues Hurler]

Originally Posted by Rob DiStefano

Like most amps, the power cord on the GA-5 has screw retainer into the cab side for cord stress/strain relief. So the cord box serves some other purpose.

I think it's just to prevent the plug from going all the way back into the cab so you can't grab it. With the grill in place in back, there's no other access, so you'd have to try to reach in through that little hole and fish around with your finger to try and hook the damn thing out.

[androo]

Hiya everyone, I've got a GA-5 gig report to share...I had been looking to help bring down our stage volume a bit, so I jumped on this little amp. It's all stock, I don't know a thing about all the wonderful mods you have been chatting about! I did swap out the 12AX7 with a 12AT7 to see if I could get a little more clean headroom...here's my report:

Played a small venue last night, brought this new little gem. Small stage. House held about 100. We are keyboards, bass, drums, and guitar; a Louisiana style zydeco/funk band.

This amp kept up really well, everyone in the band liked it! I put a SM57 on it and sent it through the PA. Up on an amp stand, just next to me, angled across the stage like a monitor. At one point, my bass player stepped back outta line with this thing when I took a solo later in the night (when our volume started to get up there!) It was too loud for her!

This thing is just great for me. Lightweight, packs a great punch. Not a ton of 'at volume' clean headroom, so that was an adjustment. I never once used my Blues Driver, so unnecessary. It was all about twiddling the volume knob on my Strat. I kept the amp around noon or 1 o'clock, never touched it all night. I did use an EQ pedal to give it more high end, and that worked great, I kept it on all night.

Overall, I'm very happy with it and looking forward to gigging it again. In a live situation, there's a learning curve for me when it comes to getting my gain at the guitar, and dialing down for clean. This made it very fun and satisfying to play, a whole new ball game!



droo

[Guitarslinger1]

Originally Posted by red57strat

I just bought a brand new Mesa/Boogie Express 5:50 about a month ago and it has none of these safety items in it!
The tubes and transformers are completely exposed in the back with only an extruded aluminum bar to protect them (not you!).

If you'd like to burn yourself on a hot 6L6, you're free to do so.

Rock and roll is supposed to be dangerous!

Indeed it is!

Out of curiosity does this amp have the CE symbol on it anywhere?

[ramblinmike]

seems its been discontinued...:(

[johnnytronics]

I'm waiting for Rob's A/B clips. Mine sounds pretty sweet out of the box. No body seems to talk about the room size, furnishings, ambient sound, etc. All real world variables which shape and color sound, possibly negating various "mods".