The RandyMan Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I have a Maestro GA-1RVT (actually labeled as "M-1RVT") that was rescued from the curb on trash day a few blocks from my house. It currently doesn't work but looks like it's all there (footswitch, reverb can, speaker and amp). It's all in the original cab. Actually, I thought it was a pretty sweet find. When I plugged it in, the tubes glowed and there was no smoke or sparks, so far so good. But when I turn the volume control up, there's nothing, not even a hum. I plugged a guitar into it and still nothing. Checked the speaker and it's still intact. Checked everything else as best I could (pilot light comes on, looked for broken/disconnected wires, etc.). Unfortunately, I'm a bit challenged, electrically speaking. So I figure it's time to turn to a professional. What I'm looking for is if anyone here has ever had an amp like this (small early Gibson) repaired and what it cost. Is it worth it to have this thing looked at and diagnosed by someone who works on vintage amps? I realize that repairs costs are going to depend on what's wrong with it, and I also am aware that vacuum tubes prices are up there. I don't have a large amount of cash to throw at this amp, but at the same time, it's kind of cool-looking and otherwise seems to be in pretty good shape for something out of the 1960's. I'm assuming it would probably have a pretty cool sound if brought back to working order by the right repairman. Any thoughts on whether or not it would be worth it to have it looked at/repaired?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 The shipping total book shows (1) shipped in 1962 & (321) shipped in 1963............ So there may only be a few that survived the last 50 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The RandyMan Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Thanks much for the info, Grog! "Shipping total book"??? Is this from Gibson's own records? Did you/do you work for them? Sounds interesting . . . I took it to my favorite small guitar shop today to have the amp man take a look at it and do an assessment. I'm kinda excited now to get it back to working order and try it out! It looks its age, but is still intact and pretty solid, considering. Doesn't look like it's been abused by gigging or anything. The case is not dented, the covering is not torn, the leather handle strap isn't rotted at all, still has the original wooden foot pedal (for the reverb?), and the inside is very clean except for the cobwebs. I'll try to get some pics posted of it when I get it back. Best regards, Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Thanks much for the info, Grog! "Shipping total book"??? Is this from Gibson's own records? Did you/do you work for them? Sounds interesting . . . I took it to my favorite small guitar shop today to have the amp man take a look at it and do an assessment. I'm kinda excited now to get it back to working order and try it out! It looks its age, but is still intact and pretty solid, considering. Doesn't look like it's been abused by gigging or anything. The case is not dented, the covering is not torn, the leather handle strap isn't rotted at all, still has the original wooden foot pedal (for the reverb?), and the inside is very clean except for the cobwebs. I'll try to get some pics posted of it when I get it back. Best regards, Randy There were two shipping total books published, one in 1992 by J.T.G. (whoever that is) & Larry Meiners published a much nicer book in 2001, adding a few more years & some more info. This info was to have come from Gibsons own shipping total records, but in some cases, there have been some discrepancies. Nothing seem to be available after 1979. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The RandyMan Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 I bit the bullet and told the repair guy to go ahead and fix it. In an effort to defray costs, I told him to put it lower on his priority list, so all I can do is wait now. I'm getting the feeling that it will be well worth the wait, though. I just hope I can hold out until it's ready . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Good luck on your repair! I'll post a schematic just in case you need it, but they are available on the web. I was curious to see if the footswitch was for the tremolo or the reverb. It is for the reverb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The RandyMan Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 To answer my own question: Yes!!! It is definitely worth the price!!! Just got my GA-1RVT back from the repair guy and it is fully functional. Makes this "OOOOOHHH . . . . AAAAAAAHHHHH . . . . . " sound. Or wait, is that me making that sound? This thing is really cool. Has a wonderfully "crunchy" sound to it. Makes a fine recording amp. I am very happy, indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucker Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 To answer my own question: Yes!!! It is definitely worth the price!!! Just got my GA-1RVT back from the repair guy and it is fully functional. Makes this "OOOOOHHH . . . . AAAAAAAHHHHH . . . . . " sound. Or wait, is that me making that sound? This thing is really cool. Has a wonderfully "crunchy" sound to it. Makes a fine recording amp. I am very happy, indeed. How much did it end up costing to repair? I have one myself and was able to so cap job it needed to bring it back to life....now I just want to get a better speaker in there since it had a non original in it...thats junk....but even with that it sounds friggen great! I just can't find out how many OHMs the original speakers were...nobody seems to post that. Is yours a Jensen speaker? Do you know how to test the ohms? I'm dying to find out an answer to that one that doesn't go something like "oh, try a blah blah blah you should probably be fine". Such a great amp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Photos or it didn't happen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAC Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 This is so cool! I'm glad you got it going and you like the tone. I would love to have an old Gibson amp. I passed on the last one I saw for sale. If I would have plugged it in, maybe it would have followed me home. Congrats again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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