Epiphone Galaxie 25

The usual - Bass, Mid, Treb, Reverb knobs. The standby switch is a plus, many amps this size don't have `em.

This sucker sounds incredible with my setup. I won't bore you with the whole list, but my basic rig is a Gibson Les Paul Coppertop -> Fulltone Fulldrive 2 -> Ibanez TS-7 -> BOSS BD-2 Blues Driver -> Galazie 25. I play many variations on the straight-up rock sound, ie. Hootie, Zeppelin, Van Halen, R.E.M., Live, etc. I tend to use effects for overdrive anyway, so the extreme cleanness of the amp is a bonus. Also, this amp is incredibly loud for its wattage. Noticeable volume drop around 2-3, but past that, it SCREAMS.

When I bought the amp it was unusable - it had a terrible hum when powered. This was fixed by simply replacing the awful tubes that came with it with new EL84s, 12AX7s, and 12AT7 to drive the reverb. No more hum, and it sounds better than before.

It was unusable when purchased, but it seems built pretty solidly. Surprisingly good protection around the tubes - not what I expected from Epiphone for a $300 amp.

Never dealt with 'em.

Great amp overall, incredible amp for the price. I've been playing roughly 5 years, and this is the best amp I've had for the money it cost.

Bought on Ebay, probably a '04. I wanted to post my review to add to the hum problem/question. I play mostly blues and the amp is fine for what I want. I don't look for a lot of versatility. I find a good sound and go with that (don't see the need to sound like 5 different people). This is a one channel amp, no effects loop, no headphone jack (who needs it, get a practice amp), great sounding reverb. I use this amp for home practice and jamming. It has more power than any other amp with 2 EL84's that I have ever found, blows away my Blues, Jr and my Tube 30R, I think its on a par with my Hotrod Deluxe. I never understand why people knock down the rating on a amp for lack of features, an amp is designed for a certain purpose and if you want alot of crap on your amp get a piece of crap solid state modeling amp. If you want good tone, get a tube amp, turn it up and groove. This amp has all the features it is supposed to have, but I will knock off a couple points for the cheesey chassis, they wanted it to look good but I think they should have used a stonger gauge metal, if they want to save money paint the chassis and keep the cheap chrome treatment.

I'm not going to list all my guitars I mostly play my Tele... This amp has a very nice sound that suit my style, a blues style, I can't touch him but the tone reminds me of B.B. King, not alot of variety but again it that's not what it was made to do. You might geet a hint of distortion at loud volumes but I can't turn it up more than half way, just too loud and a piercing clean. If I want to drive it more I use a "blue tube" pedal. I personally, don't like alot of distortion just a kiss of overdrive. I would like to say I think the reverb is excellent, especially considering the low buck category of this amp. This is a very subjective catagory what one person loves another could hate. Personnally I love the sound of this amp.

It's a tube amp, should be no problem, if there is I will fix it myself. Here is where I would like to address the issue of hum with this amp. When I received mine it definitly was a hummer. I wouldn't turn the volume past 1 'cause the hum was to loud. I soon as I had the time I pulled the chassis out and the little pots for adjusting the bias are right there. Now if you want to do this be very, VERY CAREFUL. Amp voltages can kill! Anyway I pulled the chassis set it on it's side at the back of the amp and plugged the speaker back in, plugged the guitar in and there was the hum. I choose one of the variable resistors and with a very small phillips screwdriver very slowly turned the resistor and viola! the hum was gone. No changing tubes, no special wiring, nothing else. Now I crank it up to about 5 and jam to my heart's content. I will knock off a couple points here 'cause they should probably do this at the factory.

I emailed customer service at the Gibson website and received the schematic and even an owners manual, turn around time 24 hours. Don't know about factory service, I build amps so I just fix 'em myself. I think it has a 5 year warranty, but since I got my used I didn't get a warranty card so I'm not positive.

I have been playing for 35 years, I have a Hotrod Deluxe, a Blues Jr, a Tube 30R, a Tube 30, a Homebrew 5e3 Deluxe, a Homebrew 5f2a Princeton, and 3 or 4 other miscellaneous amps I have made. Out of all my amps this is second to the Hotrod Deluxe. This is a great amp for the money, especially if you find one used. If you don't need alot of features and don't need to imitate 7 other guitar player you should check this out. Yes, there are better amps out there, but nothing in this price range sounds this good. If I lost this I would find another one in a heartbeat. I love the retro look, it sounds great and it's a great value.

2003 - Galaxie 25
25-Watt All Tube Guitar Amplifier, 12AX7, 12AT7, EL84, Tube Reverb, 3-Band EQ, Master Volume Control, Stand-By Switch, 12" Celestion Speaker, External Speaker Out, Blue Tolex Cover, Switchable 115/220 Volts.
Some will find this very limited (especially with the single input and no pre gain).... but I'm bumping up its rating based on the fact that its supposed to be a simple stright foward vintage-style tube amp

I'm mostly a Jazz, rock/blues player. I run a telecaster and a vintage Epiphone Emperor with floating pickup.

Suits my style of play perfectly. Super SUPER clean. You really can't get this thing to distort even with every knob cranked to 10. I've always been more of a pedal hound or outboard effect in the mix kinda guy... so I want the cleanest reproduction of the sound of the guitars coming from the amp.

ISSUE: I read these reviews beforehand about the noise and I'd say many of them didn't do it justice. It was UNUSABLE as it came from the factory. I've heard hair-dryers from the 60's that are quieter (and I don't mean the hand held variety... I'm talking the chairs like your mom uses in the salon where you have the big plexiglass dome you pulldown over your head.. picture that with someone playing a guitar quietly about 60 feet from you and you'll have an idea of how bad this thing was) I won't go in to too much detail unless someone really wants to know, but I had the amp properly biased (that didn't fix it) replaced the pre amp tubes (still no love) had the entire amp basically re-wired (which actually made a lot of progress towards fixing it ... 80% there) and converted to DC heaters (Eureka at the end... now stuidio quiet... I mean I can turn every knob on the amp to 10 and you almost wouldn't know its on except for a very light electric hiss, but definitely better than about every tube amp I've ever owned). So, 150 dollars later, I am ecstatic about the sound of the amp... smooth, very creamy clean sound that is hyper-responsive to the player.

The amp is ridiculously responsive to your attack on the strings. You almost "play" the amp like its an extension of your guitar. Some may even find it too responsive... As metaphor: If you're looking for a Lexus (with onboard computer to correct your mistakes and interpret how you "mean" to be driving), this isn't your amp. If you're looking for a good old fashioned british sports car (where you can feel every pebble in the road and the accelerator translates every micro-centimeter of travel in to horespower), you'll love this thing.

I wrote epiphone a very long winded (like this isn't?) version of the above and perhaps they'll actually do something about it. But, DO NOT buy this amp unless you're prepared to have it worked on. if your looking for reasonably priced no-brainer tube amp... check out the Peavey Classic 30. I don't think the Peavey has the potential for outstanding sounds this amp does, but it will sound darn good straight off the showroom floor.

Now that the work is completed I'd give it a 10 out of 10 for sound... but I want to make sure that anyone considering this model knows what they are getting in to.

Really just got it... and since I had some extensive mods done I can't really comment on the reliability... Also, since the work I had done on it was of the void-your-warranty type I don't think it would be fair to comment on this particular aspect.

Like I said, I got in touch with customer support through Gibson Musical instruments and recieved 1. Form letter just to let me know that my email was in the queue and 2. A short email from a real person assuring me that the issue was being addressed. I'm going to rate it in the middle of the road (5). Some companies' might not even give you the warm fuzzy of the email response... but I'm not going any higher on the rating till I hear that the amps have actually improved.

Again... overall from the factory I would have given this thing about a (2) but after taking the time and money to "fix" it I'd give it a (10)... I'm going to average the two and rate it a (6) merely because it really does have the potential of being a great amp.

Ok, so I thought I would put in a little note about fixing the hum in this amp. (It seems this is the only info on the net about it.)

The one thing that I did that made a difference and was very simple only involved lead dress. I unsoldered the power transformer and twisted the wires and soldered them back. This made a big difference in the hum in the amp and also the reverb. I also changed the amp to DC heaters, but this was a more subtle change. If anyone wants the schematic for the DC heater mod, just email me.

I didn't comment any on the sound, since I only had it on my bench for a few days.

Great sounding amp with a tendency for noise issues. I thought I'd have to live with the noise to enjoy the tone but found a fix thanks to input from others and a willingness to work the problem.

The Galaxie's tone compares very favorably to much more costly amps. I also own a Fender Custom Vibrolux and a TopHat Ambassador. The Galaxie isn't going to replace either of these amps but I'd be very comfortable using the Galaxie 25 for smaller gigs.

Let's get back to the noise issue. This amp was unusable when I originally received it. It had a hum that was LOUD! It's always a good idea to think first and panic later so I decided to try swapping a few preamp tubes to reduce the hum. I initially ended up replacing 3 preamp tubes that did reduce the noise but didn't eliminate it. I also replaced the phase inverter tubes and EL-84's with a quality matched set.

I read in Harmony Central that there were two bias trim pots that could be adjusted to reduce hum that could be caused by an incorrectly biased amp. I decided to take the amp in to the local tube amp guru to have this done scientifically. I'm sure that the amp was biased correctly but when I got it back the hum was still there.

Other posts discussed the reverb a factor in the hum issue...without mentioning which tube drives the reverb. Perhaps you have a tube chart for the Galaxie 25 but I didn't receive one. The 12AT7 that drives the reverb is the V2 or the second tube from the input jack side of the chassis. After removing the tube in V2 an powering up the Galazie 25 I was thrilled to find that there was NO HUM! (No reverb either but I was making progress.) I installed a new 12AT7 in V2 and fired up the amp and presto I had reverb and the amp was still hum free. However my amp originally had a 12AX7 in V2 and that gave the preamp a fatter more compressed tone that I happen to like. I recently ordered a Sovtek 5751 preamp tube that has about 70% of the gain of a 12AX7 so I tried that tube to drive the reverb and that substitution kept the amp quiet yet gave me the bloom I originally had when the amp was humming. Victory!

Time will tell. I'll be using this amp daily since I can get great tones out of this amp at very reasonable levels. I'll also be gigging with this amp at smaller venues.

Thank heavens for Harmony Central!

The moral of the story is that this is a great design that ships with tubes that must not be run through any form of QA.

Gibson/Epiphone better start shipping these with good tubes or get ready for a black eye.

The tone is a 10 after you retube and rebias.

I have to dock Gibson/Epiphone 5 points for shipping these amps in this condition. (I think I'm being kind with this rating.)

Epiphone Galaxie 25 Tube Amp - presumable made in 2003
This is a basic 25 watt tube amp - only one channel - cool retro look - tone controls inclued treble, mid range, bass and reverb control.
It also has an extension speaker jack & a reverb footswitch jack (footswtich did not come with amp)as well as a standby switch. Finally, is also has a 110volt/220volt switch in the back, which is damaged - (the only part of the amp that was damaged during shipment!!)
These features suit me fine. The only extras I wouldn't mind having are tremolo & headphone jack - (Headphone jacks don't usually come with tube amps, anyway, so no big deal there!)
For what I paid for this amp, the tone is well worth it!!! I'll give this amp a 7 because it doesn't have all the bell & whistles that amps nowadays offer, but that doesn't make this amp a bad value!!!

I use a 70's strat with stock pickups, a 70's ES-335 with stock humbucking pickups, and a burns marquee reissue with stock pickups (my bottleneck slide toy!!). They all sound very good through tis amp. I play mostly blues, swing, pop & jazz, and this amp handles all of these styles pretty well, blues & classic rock the best,.... don't count on this amp for industrial strength metal, though...(at least not without a petal!!)
Here's where mine differs from all of the others - most reviews I have read concerning this amp address a loud buzz or hum or however they describe it. Mine appears to be the exception to the norm. Mine is very quiet, even with the reverb cranked way up....(the reverb sounds great, by the way!!)
However, it also differs in that other reviews tell about how loud this amp is. As good as mine does sound, it just doesnt have the balls of my Fender DRRI of Peavey Classic 30. (I guess I'm kinda spoiled...these are both great amps!!) They are rated at 22 watts and 30 watts, respectively, and they are both considerably louder than the Galaxie 25, which is rated at 25 watts. (The Galaxie 25 also seem to break up at a lower volume level thatn the other amps, too!!)
Maybe they just have shitty tubes, or maybe the 110volt/220volt switch being damaged has something to do with it. As you can surmise, I am technically challenged when it comes to the mechanics of these amps. All I know is I plug into a tube amp with my guitars and it usually sounds better thatn that solid state stuff!!!
The lack of balls is somewhat of a dissapointment, but i feel this amp has really good potential because of its agreeable tonal qualities.
I an quite sure this thing can be souped up to become quite a little monster!!!

I tried to get an owner's manual through Epiphone online (since I got this at a cut rate because it was slightly damaged, it didn't come with a warranty), but their site dosen't appear to be very user friendly (For lack of a better term!!) Since I have no warranty, I'm not expecting too much from Epiphone!!

See above

I've been playing for 30 years, and for most of those years I used a Music Man RD110. that, for the money, and only one tube, was a great amp. Since then I've been through Line 6 Flextones (ok, but, too much effects for me & besides, why copy tube amps sounds when the real thing is much better???), Fender DRRI (still my fave!!), and a Peavey Classic 30 (this one is worth checking out, too!). I bought this amp out of curiosity, and hopefully to use when I go on vacation to check out open blues jams, etc...I can probably mike it, but I would rather make improvements to realize the potential that this am has. If anyone can enlighten me as to what i can do to improve this bad boy, (i.e., tubes, transformers, rectifiers please e-mail me at the e-mail address listed below. Thanks.......

2003 model, made in Korea & ships out in a box from Kalamazoo.

This amp is not weighed down with lots of features, and that was why I bought it. Single chanel, all tube (AB circuitry), decent plate reverb, 25 LOUD watts through a celestion speaker, the standby switch is a useful feature you wouldn't expect on an amp in this price range.

Although I'm happy with this amp I would be interested in a 'Galaxie Twin' with two 10s or 12s as the case may be. An effects loop would be a nice feature though not absolutely necessary. The only surprising omission was a headphone jack.

Product design on the amp is great. They are only available now in black, though I would have preferred blue. Simple control panel with a large on/off light that casts a cool red glow.

It sounds pretty good with my three main guitars: a Nashville Deluxe Telecaster (3 single coils), a Epiphone Dot Elite (humbuckers) and a Rickenbacker 360-6 (humbuckers). Play shoegaze-influenced melodic indie rock where the amp is overdriven and run through some modulation effects.
I agree there is some buzz from the reverb circuitry but I use an EH Holier Grail for a deeper reverb. I am going to investigate switching out the tubes from the Sovteks to electro harmonix ones pretty soon.

The three tone controls are useful at dialing in sounds. It's not a muddy sounding amp at any volume. It can get VERY loud and stay clean. I use a Vox valvetone OD to break it up (gorgeous pedal).

I can attest to another comment that there is a volume drop around 2 or 3. Under 3 is very quiet, but it's loud enough that I never turn it past 6 when practicing with a full band & drummer.

Seems well made and has handled moderate use for the last couple months I've had it. I would gig without a backup but do not plan on using this in live situations.

Cannot comment on service, but the Epiphone website is TERRIBLE.

I've been playing a few years now. I bought this amp to keep at my studio so that I can leave my Vox twin reverb at home. Side by side, they're not at all the same animal, but this one's got plenty of play. They've been showing up on Ebay really cheap, and I've been thinking about picking up a second to run in stereo. For the price range and the quality of construction, I don't think you can find much better.

This is just an addendum report to the other reviewers who have experienced hum and noise issues with the Galaxie 25. I would like to suggest a simple fix for this issue.

Sound is as expected with all tube amps, very good. Reminds me of an Ampeg Geminii II I owned in the 60's. I too had issues with hum, especially with the reverb section. The amp comes spec'ed with Sovtek (Suktek ?)tubes. I immediately swapped out the reverb driver and recovery tubes with "new old stock" 6201/12AT7's available @ Antique Electronics. This took care of all of the reverb section hum, regardless of the depth setting. Some residual (not excessive) hum remained even with the reverb section bypassed. I simply changed the input 12AX7A (Sovtek) with a new JJ/Tesla ECC83, this lowered the noise floor to a very respectable level. I found the Sovtek 6BQ5 output tubes inoffensive and will change them later when required. I can recommend this amp after replacing the reverb and front-end tubes.
I can't comment on the phase inverter tube, since I am flying with the supplied Sovtek 12AX7, although hum is not usually an issue this far down in the circuit. The sound of this amp is very good with both single-coil and humbucker p'ups. If you are looking for heavy distortion, plan on using a distortion pedal, this little amp is surprizingly clean, the natural clipping obtained is great for blues, but not shredding.

Can't comment yet, but the exterior build quality seems very nice. The amp I have was built in Korea, which has a reasonably mature electronics industry, which bodes well for longevity.

Not a bad buy other than the lousy tubes supplied with unit. Factor in the cost of at least the 2 12AT7's and one real 12AX7 to kill the hum issue when comparison shopping. Hope this info is useful on this little amp.

I'm submitting another review after my first one down at the bottom of this page...
Since having a broken reverb, i've replaced it with an accutronics reverb pan, and modded this amp a little more to my liking. I bought a weber Blue Dog speaker,and a dual-rectifer mod kit from torresengineering.com, and NOW i'm getting the sound i was looking for. The speaker came first, and it adds a clearly defined but dark sound to the mix. (this coming from a guy who has only stuck to halfstacks!) I plugged this amp into my 4X12 with vintage 30's, and then back into the weber speaker, installed in the combo, and actually preferred the 1 speaker in the open backed combo! it sounds much fuller, much richer, just plain BIGGER than the 4X12. (if that makes sense.) but enough on the speaker. I had two 5y3 rectifer tubes installed and the old solid state rectifier pulled out, and now this amp is incredibly responsive. I actually sold my Marshall dual channel JCM800 because i like the sound of this so much better. You just play lightly, even with the volume cranked, and it's clean and chimey, just strum harder to get more distortion. The harder you play, the harder this amp barks at you. i'm amazed. It does get pricey for all of these modifications, but this amp is a steal! try out some different options with it, you just might like what you hear.

This amp is now perfect, at least for me. By this time, this amp has now cost me over $800, with all the stuff i have done with it, but i've got my tone, and i still spent less than an amp that would do it new.

TO anoyonmus that just posted can I am a computer tech sprung up from a TV tech can you give me a more detailed ajustment procedure via my email truthm@bendcable.com I just bought this amp and love the tones it puts out but the buzz is deafing especially when you turn reverb up. need Help I dont want to return this heavy beast. As far as features this amp is basic tube model no gain no second channel just bass treble and reverb volume of course and you are going to need it cause this will blast you out of your house. no kidding. I Rate 7 cause love to see another channel and gain for distortion but hey I got a GNX 2 and awesome

Beautiful is all I can say just beautiful tones. Plus 25W hummm its much much louder than my 65W Princeton CHours amp.

DOnt know yet due to problem unsolved about humm and buzz.

Customer support seems pretty good so far two emails and two replies within 2 days. They gave me a tip to eliminate buzz but reversing REVERB in and out leads this helped emensly now reverb control has no effect on the BUZZ and humm and its been cut in half. but still there.

Been playing for 10 yrs Ive owned crate fender princeton, By far this amp is the best sound Im rating a 7 but may change that to a 9 if buzz is fixed