seanrosedotcom Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 Hey picked up an old Gibson tube amp, GA-20 RVT Minuteman, in very rough water damaged, yet all original - even the RCA tube set - condition. I've been building and repairing tube amps since the 80s, but this is my first time having a Gibson amp for restoration. From what I read online, these were made from 1965-1967. However, the markings that are normally date stamps don't really match up: The paper tube label/schematic is stamped Inspected by 36 71 02 The chassis is stamped Inspected by 31 71 01 The reverb tank has 67 01 Transformers have 67 3 When I first got the amp I assumed it was a 1971. Did some reading and found the other stamps and now I am just wondering? I have the amp chassis out, but haven't made out any marking on the pots with the angled amp face and components in place. I'd have to remove the pots to do that and don't want to, if I don't have to and I am going to fix the amp cabinet first as it needs the most love with the fiber board being really destroyed by water. Any thoughts, ideas or real info would be much appreciated. Thanks~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 (edited) If it looks like these amps, you have the timeline right on. 1965-67. These were the last series of amps built in Kalamazoo MI. My Minuteman is second from the top, in the middle. Edited September 6 by Grog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanrosedotcom Posted September 8 Author Share Posted September 8 Grog, thank you. Yes, that is it. The silkscreen on the amp is clear, it's is a GA-20 RVT Minuteman. Everything I can find online said amps stopped in 67, even though they didn't pack up and leave for Nashville until 74. So, it seems like it must be one of the last ones. Which is kind of cool. I have made some really good progress and I'll try to add some pics at some point when I get closer to being back together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted September 9 Share Posted September 9 My understanding is that after this series, Standell started making amps for Gibson. There might have been others……… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.