This vintage 1953 Gibson GA-20 amp came through the shop a few years ago. The GA-20 is one of my favorite vintage guitar amps and pairs nicely with 1954 Gibson Les Paul Model guitars! I'm always a vintage Gibson amp buyer but I especially love the 1950s Gibson GA-20 amps. Please contact me here to sell a vintage Gibson guitar or amp.
Here's another vintage 1957 Gibson GA-20 guitar amplifier that is currently in the shop:
Vintage 1957 Gibson GA-20 guitar amplifier
The GA-20 was Gibson's counterpart to the popular Fender Deluxe in the early 1950s. The preamp section on the GA-20 is comprised of a pair of 6SJ7 tubes while the power section uses a pair of the ever popular 6V6GT power tubes in a push/pull configuration. These amps have that smooth, natural breakup at relatively low volume that's perfect for the house or studio.
This GA-20 is in excellent condition with only minor maintenance updates from my trusted tech Joseph Dorough of Great Dane Amplification. Joseph performed an expert and clean filter cap replacement and 3 prong cord installation. The rest of this amp is just how it came from Gibson's Kalamazoo factory way back in the day. The original Jensen P12R is in great shape but I recommend swapping in a modern replacement so you can really enjoy the tone without worrying about blowing the fragile cone on these valuable old speakers. The Sylvania and GE 6V6GT power tubes are matched within one milliamp and test very strong. The preamp tubes are likely the original tubes as well. The rectifier tube is a GE 5Y3GT and is likely the one it originally came with. It's clear from the condition that this amp was lightly played throughout the years.
Comments
Hello, Thanks for this article. I have one of these amps on the bench right now. From the pot codes etc looks like a 1950. The covering is in pretty bad shape on the sides and the customer just wants it glued back on as best as possible. All components are there, however it needs to be recapped and he requested a grounded power cord and a handle. Anxious to get it up and running and see how it sounds.
Bart
The ToneBoxx Cafe