Speaker Advice for Gibson GA-20

[Ryan300000]

Hi all,

Need some advice here. I have an early 50s Gibson GA-20 that I love dearly and want to replace the original speaker because it gets quite flabby/farty in the low end even at lower volumes. A tiny tear in the cone has already been mended, so I'd like to avoid more damage since I really like to crank the amp and hear it roar. After a lot of research, I think I'd like to go with the Weber 12A125A (although if you have better suggestions, I'd love to hear them), but I'm torn between the 20 watt or the 30 watt version. I believe the original P12R is rated at 12 watts, so the 20 watt Weber would obviously be closer to the original spec but maybe allowing a little more headroom before speaker distortion sets in. Would the 30 watt version take that ultra-gain character away or would it be better for the life of the speaker without too much of a sonic difference? I hope this makes sense. If not, I can elaborate!

thanks,
Ryan

 

[corliss1]

30 Watt version for sure if you're cranking it up.

Has the amp also been serviced? If not, that will only contribute to an even flabbier low end.

 

[VonBonfire]

In my experience, a '61 Gibson Maestro Ga-2rvt, approx 15 watts, that can't even really do a clean sound I would just get the higher wattage speaker. I acquired my amp without any cabinet and made a fancy one. Originally it came with a 15" so for whatever reason I threw a 15" Weber Michigan in there, which I believe is some kind of EV copy, and it sounds good, slightly dark but not detrimentally so. For a comparison I threw a JBL D130 in, as I find JBL's are usually better in everything, but it was not. In fact, it was lousy, so I still have the Weber in there.

Have fun with your Gibson. Mine seems to have a track record of breaking down after four or five hours of use. In fact, it needs work right now. As a studio amp it is difficult to find it's rival. The controls on channel 1 are interactive with the controls on channel 2. A strange piece of gear.

 

[uriah1]

Hey Gibson GA20 amps lovers...

Gibson GA20 lovers Hi good people of the world. I just unpacked my first vintage Gibson amp ever. It's a 1952 GA20. It's a killer amp with a good look. Less volume and headroom than my '56 Fender tweed Deluxe (I would love to compare the GA with a wide pannel or à TV front Deluxe...) and...

www.tdpri.com

Prob 30. You may need more on tap later. Imhohttps://www.tdpri.com/threads/hey-gibson-ga20-amps-lovers.606454/

 

[Ryan300000]

I've had it serviced a couple of times over the last few years, so there's nothing wrong with the electronics. You guys now have me leaning toward the 30 watt while it was slightly the other way before I posted. Thanks to all of you for responding with your opinions!

 

[Milspec]

I don't have that particular amp, but all the vintage Gibsons that I do own always sound overly bright.

In each case, I went to a smoothcone speaker to tame the highs and always loved the results.

WGS G12C/S are a very good example

 

[Ryan300000]

I've heard that elsewhere about Gibsons being too bright, but that isn't the case with mine. It's actually quite dark, so much so that I usually have the tone knob dimed. Maybe the octal preamp tubes (6SJ7) have something to do with that? Not sure...

 

[corliss1]

I don't think the "super bright Gibson" period started until the 60s, in my opinion.