Kalamazoo, Epiphone/Gibson Vintage Amp Club

http://dustyoldamp.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/epiphone-comet-mid-60s-1.jpg anything out of the old Gibson Kalamazoo plant, like my Epiphone Comet

Nice amp, Rangercaster. I haven't seen one of those.
I'll list mine without pics...maybe later I'll get them together for a group photo.
1950 GA-30
2X ca. 1950 GA-20's
1955 GA-40
1960's amps
Epi REgent
Epi Devon Tremolo
2X Gibson GA-35RVT's
Gibson GA-19RVT Falcon
Gibson Hawk
Gibson ATlas head

count me in with my early '60s Epi Devon Tremolo ... not exactly mint, but it'll still honk!

I like that one, Woodman. Mine is the Crest line version with the single angled front controls. I upt a Celestion 'silver Bulldog' in it and it came to life.

I've got an old Crestline GA-8T currently in pieces. I am considering different options for the circuit. It's basically a cathode biased EL84 princeton circuit.

How do these sound with the 6EU7 instead of 12AX7?

I got this ugly funky Epiphone Galaxie - its got natural mojo.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/medium/Epiphone_amp_002_Medium_.jpg

Wally you have a great collection !!! the Comet is a just a Gibby GA15RVThttp://online.physics.uiuc.edu/courses/phys498pom/amps/amp_pix/60s_Gibson_Explorer_GA15RVT.gif in Epi clothing

alot of these are gems you find on ebay for little money. i bought a kalamazoo reverb 12 off ebay mainly cause it had a vintage jensen alnico in it for a little over $200, had to fix the reverb on it but this thing sounds sweet.
reverb and trem and 12 watts through a jensen 10. one of the best grabs i've ever made off ebay

May I join in?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/eh-150/IMG_0618.jpg

May I join in?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/eh-150/IMG_0618.jpg

Sweet!

Deleted post.

'63 GA-19RVT Falcon - my favorite amp, in constant use since I got it in 1994. Stock tubes, trannies, and speaker. 46 years and still going strong!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/erksin/HMFalcon.jpg

I've put this thing up against some very heavy competiton - vintage BFDRs, BFPRs, Reverberockets, Magnatone 440s, etc - nothing comes close. Its the only piece of gear I'd run back into a burning building to get.

anything out of the old Gibson Kalamazoo plant, like my Epiphone Comet

FWIW - Gibson/Epiphone/Maestro/Bell didn't make their own amps, they contracted them out from a few different jobbers like Barnes/Reinecke and Bell Labs. All basically share the same components and features from model to model.

I seriously doubt that Bell Labs was making junky guitar amps, or consumer electronics of any type.

Western Electric was the manufacturing arm of the Bell System and in this period they were making telephone equipment and various aerospace and defense electronics, i.e. high tech/high dollar equipment. ICBMs maybe...guitar amps, no.

I think when it says "Bell" it means Bell Electronics, a small manufacturer of consumer electronics.

I seriously doubt that Bell Labs was making junky guitar amps, or consumer electronics of any type.

Western Electric was the manufacturing arm of the Bell System and in this period they were making telephone equipment and various aerospace and defense electronics, i.e. high tech/high dollar equipment. ICBMs maybe...guitar amps, no.

I think when it says "Bell" it means Bell Electronics, a small manufacturer of consumer electronics.

A Bell GA-30RV:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/erksin/Bell30RVT.jpg

Could have been Bell Electronics, but I've seen reference to Bell Labs stuff before.

People say "Bell Labs" but that was a different Bell, who made various hifi and PA amps too.

Now, Western Electric/Bell Labs patents were licensed, but that is different from manufacturing. Bell Labs itself was a research facility.


Western Electric made studio and sound distribution gear into the 50s and, before that, theater sound gear. Here's my audio business site, which has some of my partner's collection of Western Electric sound equipment pictured. This was the pinnacle of sound technology in its day:

http://www.silbatoneacoustics.com/collection.html

Here's my '41 Gibson EH-150, live in person:

J_YfNMzCEgk