wiggy Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Not so much another way of rekindling the Epi vs Gibby debate/argument but rather something which a recent post made me start thinking about. Over the years how have Epiphone Amps compared with the equivalent Gibson models. I know that at present the only comparison is between the Gibson GA42RVT and it's Epiphone equivalent - the BC30 but I'm assuming that there must have been complimentary/competing models at various times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I think they were pretty much the same animals in different clothing. One may have had a model or two that the other didn't at a given time, but they were basically the same amps built in the same place, from what I've understood. It's not easy to find a great wealth of information about vintage Gibson/Epiphone amps. Gibsons were sort of the "ugly, red-headed step son" of amps, and Epiphone was like the "ugly, red-headed step son" of Gibson. They did make some pretty cool stuff now and then, though, and they go for a fraction of what similar Fenders go for. I know that at present the only comparison is between the Gibson GA42RVT and it's Epiphone equivalent - the BC30 I don't know that those are the same amp, are they? They look quite different...different number of knobbage, different jacks, different switches, etc. I'd have to see schematics to be sure, I guess, but my inclination would be that they're not the same amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 They're not identical but basically they're comparable in that they are both 15W Class A/30W Class AB, blues voiced Emminince loaded 2 x 12 combos with 4 x 12AX7's in the Preamp and 2 x 6L6GC's in the power amp. Both have valve driven reverb. Differences are that the Gibson is hand wired plus uses a SS rectifier plus has a couple of dsp effects and the ability to blend channels. Also Gibson has an effects loop. Interestingly the Gibson is manufactured in China and then assembled in the USA. Both weigh in at about the same weight - 75Lb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Differences are that the Gibson is hand wired plus uses a SS rectifier plus has a couple of dsp effects and the ability to blend channels. Also Gibson has an effects loop Other than those "minor" differences, they're identical then! To me, it sounds as though they're rather different amps. In the past, comparable models were identical, except for cosmetics. I wouldn't put these two models in that catagory at all, based upon what I've seen and what you've said. 75 fricking pounds? Good Lord... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 I'd say that they were no less comparable than the Epiphone and Gibson guitars where the only similarity between the two is the shape. Other than that they really have nothing in common (different wood, pickups, finish, etc) Would be interesting to see a side by side test to see if the hand wiring and extra functionality is worth the considerable premium over the Epiphone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Would be interesting to see a side by side test to see if the hand wiring and extra functionality is worth the considerable premium over the Epiphone. The only way to know what the handwiring would bring in terms of tone differences would be to have two identical amps side by side. That's difficult, not only because the layouts would be completely different, but because PCB built amps traditionally use much cheaper grade components than handwired. IF you had two that were made of identical components, you could probably find slight differences in tone, that would then be attributed to layout differences. As for initial and prolonged value, handwired will always be worth more than PCB, all other things being equal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenrirlupus Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Not so much another way of rekindling the Epi vs Gibby debate/argument but rather something which a recent post made me start thinking about. Over the years how have Epiphone Amps compared with the equivalent Gibson models. I know that at present the only comparison is between the Gibson GA42RVT and it's Epiphone equivalent - the BC30 but I'm assuming that there must have been complimentary/competing models at various times. i have no idea... i just know that the epi is cheaper and is tube rectified. i need no great debate, for me, "to sag or not to sag" -that is the question. they're both good 6L6 amps. the gibson is higher quality, hand wired, more reliable, but not tube rectified. the epiphone is tube rectified, and pcb isn't that horrible anyway... i mean, look at the valve JR... people mod it to heck and leave the pcb in and it can sound boutique-like... albeit less sturdy/reliable with the remaining cheap components... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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