Gibson Falcon

1966 Gibson GA-19RVT Falcon Amp. Beat up but a new speaker (Celestion Vintage 30)/NOS tubes/Filter caps brought it back to life.

Simple Volume/Tone/Reverb/Rate/Depth. 2 button footswitch hardwired in. Reverb pan bolted to the bottom. 2 inputs (1 has a bit more gain than 2) and a line out. Simple.

Sounds very good. A bit thin with single coil strats etc. Very tight and toneful with humbuckers. Hey, this was made by Gibson, so it was probably voiced for humbuckers/P-90's. Not huge in the gain department, but works very well if you find your guitar is a bit to hot for other amps.

Reverb is very very lush and can really take over (in a good way). Reverb stays on even if the volume is 0. Vibrato is the good tube kind can be deep or subtle.

Makes a good jazz amp. Will overdrive nicely if you have a good boost.

Very cool amp except the chassis can buzz buzz on higher volume with some notes. Otherwise, very good tone.

After 42 years, replacement of the caps/speaker/tubes was needed. This thing will probably run another 42 years. Nice solid cabinet. Chassis is a bit flimsy though.

Gibson is more known for guitars. This amp is easy to work on, so It'll be supported by myself.

These amps are still a fantastic value. Sound is a bit different but still has that '60s vibe. If you want some vintage tone and don't want to spend a fortune on a Fender Deluxe, look no further (just buy an EQ pedal if you are a Strat/Tele diehard with this one).

1965 Gibson Falcon - 7 years older than I - bought at my favorite guitar shop, Taylor's in Memphis (Taylor recently sold out and retired).

Basic amp - straightforward. Not that many features to speak of. The reverb is very, very deep, and in my case, always on (hey, it's 40+ years old, give it a break) - the footswitch no longer switches reverb on and off - it's just a dial-in question of HOW MUCH REVERB you would care for. The tremelo gave out altogether a few years ago, which is actually fine for me, b/c I've found that my own sound is improved w/o the tremelo crutch.

Clean. Clean.

Crank it to 9-10 and play it with HumB. I've got a Gibson 333 (no, not 335, the ugly stepchild of the 335) that has totally mated with the Falcon. -So anyway, crank it to 9-10 and play it humbucked. Roll the tone down a little bit, and get your Neil Young on. Roll it down a lot and get your jazz on.

Deep, deep sound, rich and pure.

Not a lot of variety, but it delivers the pure sound of whatever guitar is played through it. I also play a strat sometimes, and despite its single-coil limitations, it sounds pure through the Falcon.

Distortion is limited but exceptional through the falcon - think early Neil Young/CSNY. ....Sound variety? Not so much. It is what it is.

It's over 40 years old - would never gig without backup - in fact, this'un stays in my studio.

That said, it's never broken down on me, has moved with me multiple times (owned since '92). OK, with the exception of the tremelo going out forever and the reverb always being on (only a question of "how much") which to be honest, is kind of endearing.

Don't know - this works good enough and my 333 has been perfect.

Went to the Gibson lounge once in MemTN, the bartender support was superb.

Been playing 20 years - as I said, play primarily through this amp and a Gibby 333. Sometimes my strat. Acoustic, got me a Martin (which actually sounds nice when I plug it into the Falcon).

Love everything -still a clean sound nearly half a century later.

It fits my sound. It's not versatile, but if you're even thinking about the falcon in the first place, I can say that it's the amp for you. Rich, deep - recommended highly, especially for a hollowbody electric.

Dreaming of the day I can play a big fat Gretsch through it, REALLY get my Neil Young on.

'64 model ...15 watts...tube everything ...Jensen 12" speaker
Simple amp... one channel, volume, tone, reverb (big-time reverb) and two to control the vibrato.

I wish it had more than one tone control.
It'll be used in my project studio... On rare occaision I might play it out.
It's Plenty loud... unless you play loud as hell, then it's not gonna loud enough... mic the cab and you'll be fine...
Interesting feature... it has a direct out dedicated to the reverb and vibrato effects, which means you can use it almost like a big-ass stompbox.
The lack of a second tone control brings the rating down.
The quality of the verb and vibrato bring it back up.

I've got a variety of guitars... a strat I put together, a Robin Medley, an LTD Superstrat, a black Turser LP clone and "the thing" (which stay's locked away in it's battered case most of the time). The Turser and the Gibson act as if they were made for one another... go figure. The amp doesn't like the Robin, which is unfortunate... but it's ok, because that one shines with my Boogie.
This amp has me thinking that I might want to explore more blusey stuff than I usually create... generally I focus on heavier stuff. Sweet clean tube tone up through 6 or 7, above that, it begins to grind a bit... The clean tone is a little on the dark side, but that's ok as far as I'm concerned...I like dark. I bought a Digitech Bad Monkey to drive it and tighten things up. If you crank the amp and then goose it real good with the Monkey, the tone is godly...deep and crunchy with a big round lead tone that cuts... Even then, this amp is amazingly responsive to picking dynamics. The vibrato and reverb are huge on this amp...
Bottom line is that, being driven with the right overdrive pedal, this amp will take you deep into the Warren Haynes vibe... Phenominal hard rock amp if you crank it and then push it hard with the Monkey. Great blues amp... good for country and jazz as well. Metal? ...nah, that's what the Boogie is for... besides, pushing metal type gain through this amp seems like bad karma to me... I do not wish to upset the music gods... they've been good to me thus far.

Hey, it's 40+ years old, anything could happen... that being said, it's given every indication that it's a rock.

I haven't the slightest idea.

My friends are calling me a rat-bastard. It was a gift from my oldest friend and his fiance'... It belonged to her father, who bought it brand new in '64, played around on it for awhile before storing it away in a nice place for the next 35+ years. It's in immaculate shape, the pots don't crackle and it's dead quiet, even when cranked... and the amp lives for being cranked. It's response to picking dynamics is something I've never experienced before. It's plenty loud by itself, for small venues.

I'm not a great guitarist, but I hold my own for the stuff that I choose to do... been tinkering with guitar for 20 years now... I've got the above mentioned guitars, a Boogie Subway Rocket, a J-Station and another tiny 40+ year old tube practice amp... a watt or two... Just a toy by amp standards, but it's cool.

If it were stolen, I'd hunt the bastard down and kill him.

I got nothing more to say than, this amp is completely incredible.

The Falcon has two channels & four inputs. Channel 1 has seperate Bass & Treble controls with Tremelo & Reverb. Channel 2 has seperate Bass & Treble controls. Of course, both channels have individual volume controls.

The power output is approximately 15-watts and fairly loud, but not for a larger club. Mike this amp into the PA & it will perform well. I tested this amp with a JB Player guitar having two single coil & one humbucker pickup.

Normally sonics rate barely a 7, but some tuning makes the amp a solid 8+. First, the junk CTS 12" speaker with the huge gap on the voice coil does not have a rich harmonic structure. CTS opened the voice coil gap to eliminate any rejects on the assembly line. A close tolorance voice coil speaker with an alnico magnet is what makes for a great speaker.

Enter a '60s vintage Rola black frame, non-doped ribbed cone with alinco magnet. This fixes the a large part of the ho-hum sonics. Rola was also installed in most older Supro 1624 dual tone amps & those amps sing sweet. Do note the later 1624 versions have the Jensen P12R that is also a crappy speaker. A P12N is a very different speaker over the P12R.

Next, time to roll some tubes. This Falcon likes a Telefunken 12AX7 for the first preamp tube. Next, I prefer an RCA 12AX7. Finally, a Sylvania 12AX7 rounds the amp out. Any vintage 12AT7 for the reverb driver is ok. I tried a few different 6BQ5 & I prefered Sovtek over some different vintage types. For real clean, I suggest GE 6BQ5 grey oval plate from the 1960s.

After the above changes, the amp sings. Plays clean up to about 8 on the volume & the amp goes into excellent mild distortion at 9 or 10 on the volume control. Great sonics for mild blues or country. The amp does respond ok with a single coil pickup, but is best with a humbucker. I did not have any issues with hum. In fact, a quiet amp.

I would guess reliable. Older amps should have new power electrolytic caps installed. Power transformer is husky enough & should late a long time.

Any tech should be able to repair the simple design.

If it was lost, I would not be pleased, but a Gibson Hawk is a better amp- read my mods to make the Hawk a killer amp that rates a 10 in sonics.

1960's Great Tube for Recording That Surf or Rockabilly and quite possibly some Rocked Up Bluegrass!! Once used with a 6 String Fender& 12 String Ibanez in the Studio, isolated, sounded Majestic. Channel Switching via Foot Pedal that packs nicely in it's own metal holder inside the amp. Fine underground Surf-Thrash-Rockabilly Potential!!!

I use it w/ a CMJ Madcity Chuck Custom Strat, although, I imagine it also w/ a 360 Rickenbacker, Mosrite or even a Hollow-Body Gibson. Also, fine Acoustic Amp, under certain circumstances. Nice Clean Tube at High Levels, if You begin at a Good Level. Crackle and Pop in the Pots, recommend cleaning and/or turning slowly. NOT MADE for Rockin' Distortion Guitar, then again, maybe You can Distort it to Rock, Depends. Reverb can be Nice and Tube Sweet! Tremelo is Crazy. Any Hum issues can be resolved with a good Ground Connection or Power Supply and a Rubber Mat.

Mostly Reliable if You're Freakin' Brian Setzer!!! Pull a Lemmy or a Sid Vicious and Look Out!

Never dealt w/ Gibson Directly, I imagine, They Rock!

It's a Good Amp for some things, a Fender Super Twin tube w/ Reverb would be like the only classic tube to give it a run for it's money.

1961 Gibson Falcon. 50 watt made in Kalamazoo. All tube construction makes it excellent for a variety of music. It was given in 1988 by my Uncle who purchaced it new. It has loudness, Tone, Reverb, Depth and Frequency. The Depth and Frequency are for the Trembelo footswitch that stores in the back when not in use.

I play Rock, Blues Rockabilly and outlaw country and this amp suits me perfectly. Recently it started making noise and I will have a tech fix it when I pay off the guitar Im buying. With a tubescreamer, this amp has killer tone. It breaks up nicely when played clean.

Bought new in 1961 and recently began to show minor noise problems. Thats pretty good in my book.

The Kalamazoo Gibson company in now closed.

I've been playing for 17 years. I primarily use a custom Strat through this amp but I ordered a Heritage H 535. Made in the same factory and by the same people as this amp!! I cant wait. I recently bought a mint condition Acoustic 124 amp as a backup and for more power.(I couldnt pass up the deal on the acousitc amp) The falcon is irreplacable althought I see them selling on ebay for about $400. My incle ted used to play a 1956 Les Paul Special throught this amp.

The person who sold me this amp thinks it's a 1961. Wattage is unknown, but it's definitely less than 20. It's sort of an odd construction--it's taller than it is wide. It's maybe 3' tall and 1.5' wide.

It's got two channels and four inputs. It comes with a footstomp with tremelo and reverb switches. On the main panel, the frequency knob works with the tremelo effect, but it will also modify the sounds a no-effect sustain makes. You can hear the undulation more with the tremelo though, obviously.

I play with a Danelectro Hodad w/ Vibrato. I wanted to play more surfy/rockabilly stuff, but when I turned it up, it broke up so nicely that I now play mostly classic rock power chord type stuff (AC/DC, Thin Lizzy). Really crunchy and throaty for such a small amp.

The problem with it though, is that it hums like a mofo. I didn't really notice it too much in my basement, but when I plugged in for a jam session at my friend's house, it was totally unplayable. Very disappointing. I'm not a techie, so I'll have to get that fixed somewhere.

Also, the reverb doesn't seem to work. Again, an experienced technician will probably be able to fix that.

Anyway, when I'm in my basement and I turn it up to 8 or so, it breaks up so beautifully. Like I said above, I don't notice the hum so much. I definitely appreciate loud, crunchy tones the way they were meant to be. No lame foot pedal distortion or whatever--just straight up vintage amp goodness. I pretend I'm Angus Young and rock out.

I haven't owned the amp long enough to notice any reliability issues. I plug it in, and it works.

I've been playing the guitar for about ten years, but this is the first time I've bought my own electric guitar and amp. I've played long enough to know what kinds of sound I like, and I really wanted a vintage amp. I probably should have done some more research--I think most experienced guitar players would consider this a "project amp". If it was in better condition, I'd love this thing.. I'd probably buy more vintage Gibson amps. As of now though, I'm buying a Marshall 1959SLP reissue w/ 4x12 cab. :)

I recently bought a '62 Falcon, model number GA 19RVT. It's a little bit different than the pictures I've seen of Falcons, since it's Tweed, with a Jensen Vibranto 12" in it, and the whole chassis is on the BACK instead of the front. It has all the same controls and tubes, though. It's a single channel amp with two inputs and a monitor output. It's a good sounding amp, but I wish it had some individual tone controls instead of one tone knob. It's got tube tremolo and reverb (tube and transformer on the reverb). I use this amp for practicing, although it has enough power for most small gigs. I tend to play a lot of solos, clean and distorted. I'm putting a Korg AX1000G through the front end, and I'm getting some unique squeals and howls off this thing. It's versatile, but a bit nasily, which is why I'd like more tone control. Its volume is on par with a Rolan JC50. One cool part about the amp is that the 2nd input can be used as an output to a second amp, as well as using the monitor jack. It's a weird design, but I have the book that came with it, and I know the people who owned it before me.

I'm using a '79 Guild S-60D with Carvin single coils, and it's got a full, rich, tube sound. It's got amazingly fast reacting circuitry, and picks up every nuance of speedmetal or shredding. It dirties up nicely around 6.5 or 7, and really starts sounding HOT around 10. The amp goes wild at full tilt, feeds back beautifully, and goes especially nuts with the reverb turned up a bit. Yet the amp remains articulate and very controllable. The amp's a little noisy, especially with the reverb on. I put a 3 prong cord on it to help with ground, but I think it's gonna need a cap job soon. Oh well. This thing

It's old, and has been gigged with for about 15 years. I figure it's going to need something eventually. I borrowed it for two years and used it almost on a daily basis, cranked. It never blew a tube on me then, and I never had a backup, so I would probably use this for a gig.

40 year warranty..........now that would be awesome to behold. Too bad Gibson doesn't do that. At least it's simple circuitry, as it can be serviced by any dummy who has some intuition about tube amps.

I've only been playing 5 years, so I probably don't know what good stuff sounds like, but I do like this particular sound. The only amp I'd say that beats this in tone is my Jackson 50 watt tube head, but it doesn't have any reverb or tremolo....time to use the line out. The main thing I love about this amp is how it howls on solos....better than my Jackson in fact. I just want three tone knobs! Is that too much to ask? I was in the market for a good, lower powered, combo amp, 50 watts or less, and I wanted tube. I couldn't find much to my liking, especially one without gain, and with two inputs. It beats a Peavey classic 30 for sure, as well as a Crate Club 50. The funny part is that I don't know how much this amp is rated for, yet it competes with a 50 watt Roland. I've heard it's only 15 watts, and judging from the size of the output transformer, I would agree. I mainly chose this one to help out a friend, and because I grew up on this amp, so to speak. If it were stolen, I'd go find the person and maul them, then go find it, since I doubt I'll find another tweed one that closely resembles an Ampeg Reverberocket.

This is about a 1964 Gibson Falcon, maybe 15 watts RMS. It is 21 7/8"W X 9 7/8"D X 18"H. This unit has a single channel with two inputs labeled "1" and "2" with mic or inst in between. It has a Gibson speaker in it behind a grayish or tannish (20 years use in bars and clubs) grillcloth which has a rubber Gibson logo over a black background silhouette. Pretty nice looking really, but the Gibson logo is now missing the "b". Can't fault Gibson for this, especially after almost 40 years. The exterior is gray vinyl or similar in woodgrain or maybe a brushstroke simulation, it has that old Fisher/Bogen grayish color.
There's an extra output marked monitor but I think this output is pretty high, it's really an extra speaker output.
The amp's tone is varied with the tone, loudness, reverberation, depth and frequency knobs with "tremelo" indicating between depth and frequency that depth refers to tremelo and not reverberation.
Power toggles on and off, there is no standby option.
There's a footswitch hardwired with buttons for reverb and tremelo and a little metal holster for it inside the cabinet.

I play fingerstyle electric blues and old rock n roll/jazzbilly with an Epiphone Sheraton II or Gibson SG with P-90's through it and get a great tone with some ability to cut through in the high end. The reverb actually adds to the volume directly for some reason, this may not be intentional but can be effective if you're aware of it and use the footswitch with some forethought. The volume increases corresponding increases in the reverberation knob setting, with 10 being a very deep reverb, very loose and the amp's overall volume up about 25% over its maximum without reverb on. Still, the reverb gets deep pretty quickly and is useful without the volume increase. This is a different feeling reverb than Fender's, I think it's maybe more even over a larger percentage of the tonal spectrum of any given note or chord. It doesn't achieve that poinky Venture's reverb attack that a Magnatone would give but I like the reverb's depth and control and the control over the tremelo is nice too. I like to put some on very slow and light sometimes. It can be deep enough and slow enough to satisfy the most trem-hungry gp or quick and tight. Good for some real classic old old style tones.
I've used this live in clubs or bars but it usually has had to be miked depending on the volume of the other guitar player and overall band sound. It doesn't put out much more than 15 watts but there's a lot of this concentrated in the high end. If you're screaming up at the 12th-15th frets it cuts through just about anything, think Mike Bloomfield tone on the early Butterfield Blues Band cuts or on Dylan's "Tombstone Blues". As a matter of fact...
There's a Michael Bloomfield interview where he talked about his Gibson Falcon and how he played it with everything turned up to ten. He also had some claims to input on the design. It really screams on the high end and distorts little, a twangy kind of sound with some backbone. It's not as if it has no bass or mids to its sound, and it it just has the original Gibson 12" speaker in it. This amp sounds great but it's output is low excepting for screaming leads which means rhythm has to be trebly to be heard in a rock and roll situation. It holds its own well for blues but isn't really mellow enough for jazz; I recheck those sounds every once in a while anyway but it's more Duane Eddy than Wes Montgomery every time.

I've replaced the tubes once on it, it's been very reliable but the reverb did go haywire during a production of "Grease". A ground wire had come loose, and there was a huge metallic buzz. I shouldn't have been without a backup but there I was without reverb for Grease. I just use it at home now, I have other dinosaurs to play out with, like the Ampeg B-18.
This is an old amp. It's worked well for me for years but I don't use it out any more, I just don't trust it. Still, tubes, caps, transformer could be replaced and I'd feel comfortable taking it out again.

I've never dealt with Gibson. The local library had the schematics for this amp in a repair book. I've seen the schematics available online but never contacted Gibson about anything. Local guys are usually faster and who has the time to find out otherwise?

I've been playing 35 years plus a couple days, own an Ampeg B-18, an Ampeg guitar amp whose model number escapes me,a Crate GX-20M and the Gibson Falcon. I like it, treasure it really, but it's old and it can stay at home or go to parties. It shines in small rooms best but I've had good success in louder situations if the band sound wasn't too busy. I got this and a Gretsch amp w/refrigerator handle for 35$ US about 22 years ago. A great value for me at a percentage of $35, if you can get one for a couple hundred it can be a good vintage amp.

Same as below...somehwere in the 1962-1965 range.

Although, somewhere in it's life one owner decided to remove the tolex and paint the box flat black, remove the speaker grille and replace it with one of those round metal grate-like speaker covers. It looks the the backing of the amp has been modded....should be an open cavity but is partially covered with aftermarket G1S 1/4" plywood.
The Hi-Z output is somewhat useful for patching direct for recording, but some the feeling is lost - the amp sounds much better mic'd - but I have been using a mix of the two on seperate tracks for recording.

Love the smoky, tubey tone. To me, it compares (perhaps not in volume) to the Fender Vibroverb reissue. Although you can get limited tone contral with the single knob, the amp basically sounds like your classic vintage reverb/tremolo tube amp and little variation is required. I play an MIM Strat and get all the tonal variation I need from the guitar.


I augment the sound with a Boss Blues Driver pedal and a Dunlop Wah pedal. I also have used my SansAmp Bass DI to experiment with controlling gain and tone, but I find that amp works well without it.

This is a practice amp that sits in my climate-controlled basement studio. It rarely moves. I would hesitate relying on it as a sole amp in a live situation.

That said, after playing it regularly for a year and a half, it still works like a charm. Given that it's as old as I am, it performs great!

NA

The last owner said if I ever plan on selling it, he would buy it back in an instant. For an inexpensive vintage tube amp for practice or recording, you really can't go wrong.

I was in the market for a newer Fender HotRod or something along those lines - this deal gave me what I wanted (although not very pretty) for a very reasonable cost.

Best little tube guitar amp I've ever owned - but then again, I'm a bass player by trade.

Bottom line: simple, sweet sounding, ugly, inexpensive vintage tube amp.