Slamdozer Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I just ordered a GA42RVT this past weekend. Stay tuned for my feedback. If it's anything like my 79RVT (minus the Stereo) I'll be blown away. This appears to be my answer to gigging with a classy boutique, minus the worry of theft or damage to my 'ol 79. $1300 isn't small change, but it's a steal for what is offered for the 42RVT. I jam with several different players and what they all have in common is Fender Tube amps and Marshall Tube amps. Yeah these amps sound great but it's also pretty run of the mill too. Flash the GA79 out there and I really stand out of the mix. In my experence it truely is nice to be able to add something new to the somewhat standard sound as the entire group can feel the diference. Well like I said, I'll be updating this to let all the Gibson world know how this amp works out. Besides if I'm careful I can't think of a better investment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Me again...after further looking at these forums I discovered that indeed the GA-5 Les Paul Junior amp was being blown out on amazon for the stupid low price of $299!!! You bet I just ordered one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 OK, got the amp today. Shipped from Zzounds in 5 days free (the thing weighs 75Lbs.) so that was a good deal in itself. The very first thing I noticed is that on the front of the amp in the lower right corner of the control plate it says, and I quote "GA-RVT Limited Edition". The packaging was factory sealed direct from Gibson, all material included, footswitch, warranty, eminence emblem hanging from the corner of the right handle, user manual etc.... The only thing I guess that I didn't agree with was that there was a small plate screwed to the speaker grill on the lower right (made of plastic) that said "Eminence Inside". What do I do if someday I replace a speaker. I guess that if my amp is true to its word I'll install eminence, or don't and remove the plate? Well I have about an hour of playing time on it and man it is sweet. Great breakup with the Les on Mix and Channel 2. Nice cleans on 1. Yeah I've read some complaints about the trem being week, but not with this baby. The freaking thing is huge so when the tremolo is on it litterally pulses through your body, amazing to feel. The tremolo is on par with my 79RVT so they did their homework on this pup. The cabinet as far as I can tell is a couple inches wider, longer, and higher than say a Fender Twin. I haven't measured it yet but I will be soon as I'm ordering a flight case tonight, I'll be posting some pic's with dimentions later on when I get time. My CJ-165 sounds excellent throught almost anything, and this amp is primed for acoustics. Channel 1 is where it's at. Surpases any dedicated acoustic tube amp on the market, hands down. Crisp, deep, lush, exact....wow. Well you may think that I have first day haze, and I may, but let's not forget that I also own an older and respected RVT in top working order and have been playing guitar for over 20 years. I guess what really has me baffled is the price I bought it for, I feel honestly kinda guilty for owning such a damn nice piece of gear for such a fricking low price. Later, I gota go jam some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ES345 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Glad you like the amp, trem has a great range, but how is the Reverb, does it have a good range, also try an aby box so you can select ch 1 or 2 or both without using the mix input. Is the price is as posted on their webcite. thanks enjoy, should be a great amp. peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ES345 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Slamdozeer, how is the reverb on the '42? peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Slamdozeer' date=' how is the reverb on the '42? peace[/quote'] The reverb is deep, but not what I would call too deep. Basically it doesn't get mushy, or muddle the sounds. It is a classic type of reverb. It is quite noticeable but not crazy noticeable. I play it at about 3/4 on, steady, no need to go further for my tastes. I'm more into Indie/Alt. type of sounds, it has that in spades. Put it this way, I'm not going to purchase a reverb unit as I would never need it for this amp. A bud of mine swung by this past weekend, he plays a 100W Twin Reverb w/Jensen 200W speakers and he had nothing but praise for the reverb and tremolo. He was able to get many pleasing sounds out of it, and he's heavy into reverb. By the way the melody maker w/ a single P90 sounded huge, that blew me away. This is a players amp so to speak, a practiced player not needing to cover mistakes w/reverb, like say my Marshall solid state could, would have to brush up a bit. Campaired to the Marshall MG50DFX for reverb I'd say that for the Marshalls scale of 1-10, the 42RVT would max out at 6-ish on that scale. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ES345 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Slam, thanks, because i had the 40RVT and i could not hear the slightest bit of reverb when i applied it. the tremelo and the tone are fantastic, but no reverb. i played my first 10 years without reverb and only use a touch now and then, but i didn't think it was working at all, so i sent it back and am waiting for another one. i was just interested in insuring that the reverb actually works, my mesa mark iv has about a 5 on the fender scale, but there is no doubt when it is on. thanks for your input, have you tried using an AB/Y swithch plugged into ch 1 and 2, i liked that slect either or both, rather than having to use the mix, and for me, jazz, its ch 2 80%, 10% on ch 1 and both, a great amp and thanks for your input. Gibson said it should have a deep reverb, hopefully the next one will have a noticeable reverb, 6 on your scale would be acceptable. peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Yeah about the aby box, Thanx for the suggestion, I ordered one on Saturday and it should be here around Thursday. Good luck with your 40! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted August 8, 2008 Author Share Posted August 8, 2008 For those of you who would like to here this amp in action check out my band on myspace. Here is the link: http://www.myspace.com/stereocommission . Or search Stereo Commission through myspace or Bandmix. On the song The Sun and Moon I'm playing the Tremolo parts (100% on, both pot's) with 100% reverb. I switch the tremolo off during the harder edged chorus and turn on a Tube Screamer with pot's at 50%. I've got a nice little solo in there too. That's it for effects. Favorite Son turned out damn nice as well, I'm rhythm on that piece. I'm also using a Melody Maker for all the recordings on this site, and this amp of course with an attenuator. I'm singing the stuff so it's easier with that git, and to tell the truth it sounds better than the Les for the type of sound I need at the moment. Go figure, I buy a Les Paul - get a free melody maker with the purchase - and end up playing th MM more. If you haven't played a guitar with a P90 pickup through a tube amp, you must. Jeff is playing an Italia guitar through a Fender Twin Reverb 100W, so you can hear the interaction between the two different amps. BTW all the recordings so far were made live on a Boss MicroBR with its field mic and mix down effects, I think I like it. In a few weeks there will be some material with the Les Paul on it, as well as the CJ165. If possible I would like feedback as to your opinions regarding the material and the sound, which I'm sure some will take as an open invite to slam me, but hey don't let your jealousy turn to hate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Roemer Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 I picked up a ga42rvt a couple of weeks ago and I am very happy with it. For me it was an upgrade from a Fender Blues Junior which had just started sounding tinnier and tinnier the more I used it. On the Blues Junior I had upgraded the speaker and the tubes and still couldn't get away from the harshness. I'm just starting out, having taken guitar lessons long ago (middle school) and now having another go at it on my own. A local dealer (Russo Music in Trenton, NJ) had the ga42rvt. I tried it along with a Fender '57 Deluxe Reissue, a Mesa Lone Star, a Marshall 1974x, a Fender Princeton and a couple of Orange amps. The Gibson jumped out for me above these others in it's overall sound and tone, along with the range of tones it can make. In general, it seemed to have much more headroom than these other amps. In playing side by side there's really no comparison between the ga42rvt and the Fender Blues Junior. The BJ sounds small and harsh, I have to turn the treble all the way down on it and that's not enough (I'm using a LP Vintage Mahogany), and the ga42rvt sounds rich and full. If anything I'm having to correct in the opposite direction with the Gibson amp, turning down the bass a bit. I also got a THD Hot Plate (16 ohm) to go with the Gibson Amp. It's great and works very well for my situation (playing at home.) Side Note: The Gibson amp I got had been on the floor at the dealer. Based on my visits there, a max of three months at the most. When I brought it home I contacted Gibson to get confirmation as to which speaker jack the internal speaker cable should be plugged into (8 ohm or 16 ohm). I wanted to be sure that no one at the dealer had changed it and I wanted to be sure to get the correct Hot Plate. Well, a few days later Gibson is still trying to get confirmation. They initially said it was 8 ohms but the photo of the back side of the amp on Gibson site shows 16 ohms. The manual and the amp have no indication as to which jack should be used for the internal speakers. Thanks to Slamdozer, I was able to get confirmation that it's 16 ohms. If you are in central NJ and want to get away from the Guitar Centerness of the local Guitar Centers Russo Music is a nice low key place and amazing well stocked for a store its size. I have no connection with them - http://www.russomusic.com/index.html . ---- 8/14 - Gibson confirmed this morning that all of the ga42rvt's in their Pro Audio Showroom are using the 16 ohm port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avalonpb Posted August 15, 2008 Share Posted August 15, 2008 Have these been discontinued. I've had one on order for some time and it is hopelessly back ordered. Just wondering if I'm ever going to get the amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVM Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 I would love to know what's going on with this amp. Is it still possible to get one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 From what I could tell these amps are limited editions, made in small batches. They pop up about 2X a year as in-stock on web retailers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVM Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Wanna sell me yours? Actually that works out well for me, if they pop up twice a year. I'm not looking for a new amp right now as I have a boogie, but I might be selling it in a month or three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 Hmm, well ...........I’m not really in the market to sell, but you come across like a sucker. I’ll buy that boogie from you, I hear that scrap metal has a higher value right now. Who knows, in three months (or one), I might be able to double what it’s worth and make a couple bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 Like I said if you want to hear this amp check out my band http://www.myspace.com/stereocommission . Read some previous posts here and make your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Roemer Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 American Musical Supply now lists the amp as being available on 10/17/08. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SongRider Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 I snatched one up today from AMS! Cannot wait to hear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 I snatched one up today from AMS! Cannot wait to hear it. Great!! Lets get the word out on these amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenderson Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 hey there i am very interested in this amp. i have played fender amps up to this point but have been looking for a reasonably priced amp that is hand wired and tube driven. i like what i have heard about this amp but i read the posts above... i thought that this amp was being sold for 899.00 not 1300. did i misread something? has anyone cracked this egg open to see it's inards? are gibson amps made in the USA or do they do some of this work elsewhere? i know these things seem silly but these are deal sealers for me in the end...thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slamdozer Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 I picked mine up for $1300, they went on sale 29 Days later, American Musical Supply sent me back $400, and I felt rich. I would have no problem paying the $1300 (or more) for this amp. All hand-made in the USA..........that's it. Seem to be hard to get though, but I would bet you could flip the thing fairly quickly and maybe make some cash. I'm biased when it comes to this amp so I hope others respond who may have more objectivity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SongRider Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Well I should recieve mine wednesday or thursday and Ill definately give my opinion. I have been watching AMS for months waiting for them to get one in. It showed them next month but I looked the other day and it said 1 left in stock so I snatched it. slamdozer I dug your clips... I cant wait to make a few of my own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatandm Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I got my amp a few days ago, and it sounds awesome!!! The only problems I have had with it is that the Pentode/Triode switch makes the amp hum when it is in Triode mode. Also, I can't flip the switch back to Pentode mode...it is stuck. Any ideas??? The shipping sucked because there is a gouge out of the back because they probably squeezed it in between other boxes, but that isn't Gibsons fault. The amp is built very solid, and it still rocks even after some rough shipping. I might send in a better review later if I have time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avalonpb Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Well, mine finally arrived from ZZounds. Although I did not order a b-stock or open box item the amp I received was clearly a customer return and used item. The original shipping sticker on the box was addressed to American Musical Supply. The amp has a build date of 4/2008. I'm still pissed about that and will be calling them today. So far the amp is pretty nice although I find it pretty noisy and it hums a lot. It is nosier than both of my Mesa Mavericks which are also class A and noisy. Anyone else have rather loud hum and noise (esp with Single coils)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ES345 Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 I got a 40, a single 12 inch speaker. the amp sounded great, i used an aby switch to control mixing the channels. The amp's tone etc. were great, the only problem was the reverb did not work at all. I sent it back and they replaced it with an amp that when i first turned it on it blew the fuze. these amps are fantastic sounding but they do have some quality control issues, gibson told me they were made in china and some assembly in the us. i also found that the back of both amps were not cut exactly square and required quite a bit of work to get the back on and off, required for changing tubes. so if you have one that sounds great and has had no issues hold on to it because i think they have had there share of being returned. a friend of mine also went thru two and then gave up as i did. i have two other gibson amps, a G6 i bought new in '57 and a gold tone head 30 watt with two gibson cabinets, 2 10's and 2 12's vintage 30s in each cabinet. this amp was made by trace elliot, in the uk. this amp is wonderful, but a little too much to transport, one cabinet is 93 lbs and the head is about 55 lbs. i really wanted the 40/42 to work out but i didn't have any luck with the two i had and gibson would not support getting it fixed locally from a well respected mesa, fender, marshall factory tech rep so i returned them. all the best with yours. peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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