Gibson GA15RV Goldtone 112 Combo

REAL SIMPLE, BUT THE TONE CONTROL IS THE KEY

THIS THING IS GREAT WITH ANY GUITAR. MY NIGHTHAWK KICKS ASS, MY TELE WILL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF. RETUBED WITH JJs what a difference WOW!!I LOVE TO PIN THE VOLUME AND WORK TH GUITARS VOLUME. THE REVERB IS OK ANYTHING PAST 3 IS WEIRD.

A FEW PROBLEMS SOME CHEAP PARTS. THE CABINET IS ROCK SOLID.

MY FREIND IS A AMP TECH. NO NEED!

ONE OF THE BEST SOUNDING SMALL 15 WATT AMPS AROUND. I HAD THE FIRST VERSION OF THIS AMP, AND IT WAS BETTER THEN THE NEWER ONES

This is an update to a review I wrote about two years ago. In that review I complained that the Celestion Vintage 30 was too harsh and "honky" and that the amp sounded "boxey". Consequently I always played it through an external cabinet.

But recently I bought a Warehouse Guitar Speakers Veteran 30 speaker and I think it is a great match for the amp at gig volumes. The speaker has a similar punchy and tight bottom end like the Vintage 30, but it sounds less honky and the highs are much smoother. Even though the "honky" mids are tamed, it still cuts through the mix very well. I also use a Weber Beam Blocker to diffuse the highs. Now the amp doesn't sound quite so boxey.

Lately, at gigs, I've been using the 15-watt mode (which gives you more bass and highs), bright switch off, tone around 9:00, volume around 10:00. At this volume the amp starts to "open up". The bass is somewhat punchy (however, no Metallica-like thump, which is fine by me) and the highs are smooth. I mainly use an Xotic BB Preamp pedal for distortion.

You may find this speaker to be too bassy in 15-watt mode if you run the volume high enough to get overdrive. I think the 6-watt triode mode would be better when running the amp like that since there is less bass in that mode and the amp isn't as bright.

I had also tried the amp with some other speakers that I also liked better than the Celestion Vintage 30:

- Eminence Tonespotter: this is somewhat similar to the Veteran 30, except I think it had less bass, and, surprisingly, the highs weren't as smooth as the Veteran 30. However, the high end was smoother than a Vintage 30.

- Scumback H55 30-watt: this is a very "classic rock" sounding speaker that is a clone of a 60's "bass" version of the Celestion G12H-30. It has a big bottom end and creamy highs. It gets a crunch, but never sounds harsh. The veteran 30 sounds much more neutral and clean compared to this speaker which has a definite tonal coloring. But I found the speaker to be a little too inefficient. At gig volumes, you can't really get a clean sound in the 6-watt mode. It is also too dark in the 6-watt mode. It seems like their more efficient XH55 speaker would be a better match.

Lately I've been having trouble with the reverb tank. The wires running from the input jack of the tank to the spring assembly keep breaking. First one wire in the plastic connector broke, so I discarded the plastic connector and soldered the wire instead. Then the other wire broke. Then my first solder job broke. But now it's been holding up.

I noticed someone selling one of these amps on eBay said the reverb stopped working, I'm assuming that person had the same problem.

3 knobs, a bright switch, and full power / half power switch. They all work.

I've got 2 of these jobs, both Made in the USA. I personally like the made in USA versions better, as they are not quite as bright, and have a bit more low end. They are basically a clean amp, but break up much more than, say, any classic Fender amp, and much more smooth than a Marshall Plexi. Plenty loud to gig with.

They do not have quite as much low end as classic Fender amps, but have much more drive, and to me, a much better mid. Please see www.myspace.com/thejujubeans

No problems. Bought them through ebay, and they still work. Amazing!

They work perfect for what I do, which is boogie woogie blues.

Mine is a tan one. Still says Trace Elliott on the circuitboard. 2 inputs (hi/low), volume, tone, reverb, half power switch, 15 or 7 watts.

I use this amp for its portability. I just don't like lugging my half stack much anymore. This easily fits in the trunk of a small car or on the back seat. It's plenty loud enough to keep up with a band or for pretty much any club. It's actually almost too loud for practicing by yourself if you want any breakup.

The controls being on the bottom in the back is pretty inconvenient, but the amp is good enough to just set-it-and-forget-it. Which actually is good for me when I'm practicing because I focus more on my playing rather than tweaking knobs.

It has nice tone. A great clean, though not quite as rich as a Fender twin IMO. It breaks up pretty nicely, though it needs to be pretty loud to get there. The half power mode is useful for this, but it does reduce the bass a little.

It sounds great on its own, but sometimes I put a graphic EQ in front for a little more tonal control.

I don't really like the reverb. I'm a fan of reverb, but this is nowhere near as nice as the reverb on a twin -- not as 3-dimensional and washes out way to quickly. I never turn the reverb up even 1/4 of the way because after that it's useless to me.

It does have some cheaper components. The on/off switch is plastic, but hasn't broken on me yet.

The controls being in the back caused me to forget that I had left it in standby mode at one point and I ended up leaving it on all night. This melted the cheap plastic power valve sockets, so I had to have them replaced because they shorted out.

NA

Very useful for what I use it for -- practice and portability for clubs and rehearsal. Would be good for recording as well. An all around good basic amp.

Straight forward here: Volume, Tone, Reverb. Two inputs: Hi/Lo. There is a subtle bright/normal switch, the difference between the two is mild. And last but not least a pentode(15 watt)/Triode(6 watt) switch. That's what i was initially attracted to about the amp. I have experimented with Marshall, Fender, Orange and Vox amps which all had good qualities, but I was looking for a bedroom/studio rehearsal & recording amp. I needed something with low watts and this seemed to be the best bang for my buck.

I'd be far more happier with the amp if it had a 2nd channel or built in gain, but I knew what i was getting when i bought it.

Bought it used on ebay and was inredibly disappointed with the amp the first few days, but only because it clearly needed a good setup and a new pair of tubes. After that was all done I was really happy with the tone of the amp. I play an american telecaster with seymour duncan antiquity single coils, an epiphone sheraton with Gibson burstbuckers, and a gisbon SG with P-90s.

The amp i've found to be great at relatively clean settings. It's a one trick pony so you have to put pedals in front of it to dial in most kinds of tones. The reverb is good, but not overly strong compared to my fender hot rod. Sometimes i like to drown the tone in reverb when i'm practicing at home and it isn't possible with this amp.

I had my eyes on this amp for a long time and I still think it's good. But the amp alone isn't enough to get a great tone out of. I've found that it doesn't "break up" as it gets louder like some people say about tube amps, it just gets louder!! In order to really get more character out of this amp I'll need to invest in some higher quality overdrive and boost pedals and i'm just not interested in spending any more money on this. Some people prefer simple one channel amps and they use their pedals to color in various tones. If you're that kind of person, this is the amp for you. Personally I'm more interested in a simple guitar + amp combination that rocks all by itself. I'm going to sell this off and use the money to get a two channel amp with built in gain and a stronger reverb.

I can say that 6 watts is PLENTY loud! I pretty much never use the 15 watt setting but i have no doubt the 6 watt setting would be enough to keep up with a heavy hitting drummer on stage.

It was in need of a tune up when i got it. I've had it for about a month now with the fresh tubes and biasing and I've had no problems with it at all. Seeing as how they don't make these anymore though may be problematic down the road if something goes wrong with it.

I love the 6 watt setting. For the most part I play it with a Boss Blues Driver pedal with the volume around 3 and the gain between 4 and 8. It's a great amp to have in my bedroom, but I wouldn't gig with it unless I had a dual channel overdrive pedal, like a jekyll & hide, or SD twin tube classic pedal. Like i said before, too much of a one trick pony.

This is the most purist concept : Three knobs, one for Voloume, one for Tone and one for Reverb. Threre is a bright switch and and a normal and high Instrument input Jack. The Amp can be switched from Pentode to Triode, also lowering the Power from 15 to 5 Watts.
One 12 inch Speaker and a Grab to handle. The design is completly Retro, the 40??s of the past century.

The Amp covers everything from Jazz to Heavy 60??s Rock. With a distortion Pedal, Hendrix at Woodstock comes to Mind. This little Amp breathes Blues! Compared to my 66??Blackface Reverb Deluxe that Amp is not less sensationel! (It certainly blows my Hot Rod Deville 410) It Rocks very well in ZZTop and AC/DC Style as well. Lot??s of Highs, tight Bass. The Amp gives back what you put in it: when you hit a string stronger, it will always add something to the Sound. You really have to work to get into the Secrets of the Abilitys of this Amp, but when you play your stuff well, it??s a direct Ticket to Guitar Heaven. (Heavy Gauge strings highly recommanded) The Reverb is great. The Sound is sweeeeet. No Metal here. You can go from Jazz to Hard Rock just by using your Tone and Voloume Knobs at the Guitar. Didn??t try those very expensive Boutique Amps yet, only the Mesa Lonestar Special, against which the Goldtone holds up with ease, so I give it a 10.

I??m really addicted to the Sound putting the Amp to 5 Watts with the Voloume cranked all the way up. This will let the Tubes die fast! No other issues until now ( own this Amp two Years now)

Playing for more than 30 Years now. Several Years as a Professionel. I own a Studio and am very into Sound. Next to my Vintage Blackface Reverb Deluxe and my Hot Rod Deville I ??ve got a 60??s Plexi , an 76??2203 Marshall with Master Voloume, a Mesa Triaxis/2:90 Rack, an ADA MP 1 with Engl 2:35 Rack, etc....
I Play everything from Jazz , Blues to Punk and Metal. For heavy Music, this Amp is not made, but can be used with success. For Jazz it??s an 8 BECAUSE OF DISTORTION and for Blues certainly a Ten. Due to it??s Price ( I paid 800 EUR new) there is NO Way giving something different than a ten. You can spent 2000 EUR and won??t get a better Tone.

The amp is two years old. Purchased off ebay. 15watts/5 watts, (2) EL84 tubes, (2) 12AX7 tubes, 12" Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, reverb, Controls: Volume, Tone, reverb. This amp is simple feature-wise (which I like) and great sounding. I had been playing Fenders for the past 25 years (Super Reverb, Twin or Deluxe) I had never really ever played a Class A amp. I always assumed that my Fenders were the best amps around so I didn't bother. This is, however, the best sonding amp I've ever played through. I initially borrowed one of these from my brother and did 2 gigs with it..I was sold ! HAD to have one ! It's not what you would call a versatile amp but I don't need effects or channel switching...just a little reverb, a touch of analog delay and my Klon pedal.

I play in a classic rock cover band that does a lot of Allman Brothers tunes..(basically an Allman Bros. tribute band) The amp is great for any kind of music though. It's plenty loud: the other guitar player has a Twin and this amp hold it's own volume-wise. I also mic the amp with an SM57 and it cuts through the mix real well. I did buy this amp because I was tired of the volume on stage with my Super (I already wear a hearing aid in one ear because of years of BEING TOO LOUD) and I just wanted a smaller amp of high quality in this price range. I should have done this years ago. Believe me..this is a LOUD 15 watts...you could easily lose your hearing with this one also. The tone of this amp is so irresistable it makes me play my guitar at home more...it has a more immediate sound than a Fender..the notes seem to be more present and defined. My Clapton Strat definitely sounds better through this amp. I love it ! Here's something that works real well in regard to hearing yourself on stage: I have an amp stand (Ultimate AMP-150)...it angles the speaker up towards you...I can hear this much better...good idea for small amps.

I've only played 4 gigs with this...I've been told that the Class A amps are harder on power tubes so I have a spare set of those. I bring a '65 Deluxe Reissue as a back up. I would never to a job without a spare amp or guitar.

I've been playing professionally for 25 years...I recommend this amp simply because it sounds great and are available for between $4-$600 used. Quite a bargain. They are discontinued however. A very nice looking amp too ! I guess the controls in the back are kind of a pain but here's what's nice about this amp: You can put the volume at around 1 or 2 o'clock and it's gets a nice overdrive in this range but it REALLY cleans up well when I turn the volume knob down on my guitar...not much of a volume loss..just cleaner..I love this. Chords sound better on this amp than on my Fenders...real distinct. I always seemed to lose a little definition on the lower strings with Fender amps..not with this amp though. I like the lower power triode option..lowers the amp to 5 watts...fun to mess around at home and get good sound at reasonable volume. And I do not miss hauling that 70 Lb. Super Reverb around...it's retired ! Also an ideal amp for recording. I probably wouldn't use this amp at an outdoor gig...but I wish I could !

I don't know what year the amp was made in, only that it was made in Britian. For features the amp has a single channel, a pentode/triode switch, a bright switch, and a lo/link jack. The tone control is very effective and has a wide sweep. My favorite features are the pentode/triode switch and the lo/link jack. For gigs that really count I use two amps, this one and one I built. I use the Gibson in the pentode mode for clean and the other for a dirty amp. I link through the Gibson via the lo/link jack, and together the two amps have enough power for any gig that I've been called to play in the last several years. For causual jam sessions and the like I take this amp alone. It's a great pick up and go combo, the best I've ever owned.
I play blues based rock/roots stuff, and this amp has plenty of features for all that, since it's not loaded with other features it gets a 5.

This amp has a fine clean sound and a very articulate overdriven crunch. I really have to hand it to Gibson on this one. This is one sophisticated sounding amp for the money. I use the amp with single coils and humbuckers, and it works well with both. The amp is very quiet.

I always have two amps at paying gigs, but the amp has never broken down on me. I've heard stories about bad transformers and melting plastic sockets, and yeah, my sockets are looking a little shriveled and crumbly, but hey, I'll get 'em replaced some day. They looked shriveled when I got the amp and I've run it pretty hard since then, so maybe that's as shriveled as they'll get. In four years I've replaced the power tubes twice and it didn't seem to do the sockets any harm.

No contact. If it broke down I might call Gibson and see what they had to say, but I can't imagine that they would be any more helpful than directing me to an authorized repair center, and I already know where that is. I don't like working on PCBs, so I would take it to a local tech for repair. If the amp went down for the count, I would clone it.

I've been playing for 38 years. This is the only production amp I own now; I built the other 4 I use. If it were lost or stolen I would try and find another, but if I could not find one for the sort of price I paid for this one, I would build another.

This amp was made in the UK right after Gibson bought Trace Elliot.
It's a very basic amp and if you're reading this review, you know what it is.
I own another Gibson Goldtone with a 10" speaker. After listening to my son's Trace Elliot 12 I decided to buy a larger Goldtone.
You don't buy an amp like this for all the features, you buy and amp like this for sound.

For my ear this amp is perfect. It's clean, warm and great sounding. When you overdrive the amp it sounds absolutely awesome. It sounds great with a Strat and great with my PRS. I'm sure it will also sound great with my Gibson Howard Roberts.
I've played and owned many amps including vintage Fender black face amps back in the 60's, I own a Blin modified Blues Jr and have played through just about every boutique amp on the market.
For me this is the amp. This is the sound I want. Nothing sounds better.

It's built like a tank. It's a tube amp so I would always carry spare tubes but would not hesitate to gig out with it. I'd probably bring the smaller Goldtone as a spare.

Never broken down, doubt that it will.

Have never had to deal with customer support. I'd probably bring the amp to Savage Audio here locally if I ever had problems. By the way, Savage also builds great amps. They're just a little pricey for me and not as warm sounding as the Goldtone.

I've been playing for over 30 years but as a bass player, not a guitar player. I've just started playing guitar seriously a few years ago and have been searching for my perfect set up. Found the amp ;)

GA-15Rv, this is an update from a review I did approx. one year ago. The amp is a 15 watt class A style with minimal features, vol.,tone and reverb knob. Vintage 30 celestion speaker, mine is completely stock. I find that this 15 watt amp is more than loud enough for any gig I've played in the last year, it will give an surpising amount of clean headroom on the pentode mode and good early breakup on the triode mode. The amp is very quiet and is solidly built.

This amp has the sweetest tone in a small package that I have found. I am very picky about my tone, I like my clean to shimmer and my overdrive to be warm and fat. I have several gibson's, fender's and gretsch's and they are all take to this amp nicely. I bought this amp because the music store was blowing them out due to gibson discontinuing the line, I was going to use it as a practice amp only but as I began to explore the differents tones this thing has I find that it is quickly becoming my favorite amp. (I have a original 62 blone bassman and cab, 2 Sewell combo's, Deluxe reverb and a new Supersonic) Nothing beats the sound of the 62 Bassman when I'm in a large room, like the ballroom at the local Marriot, but I find that 75% of my playing is in much smaller places. In fact, sometimes the stage is so small that there isn't enough room for a large amp! The GA-15RV can go from jazz to blues to classic rock easily and loves every pedal I've tried through it. Lately I've become a minimalist and leave my pedal board at home and use a Fender custom shop Nocaster into a keeley moded Rat pedal into the Ga-15RV, this rig allows me to play a wide range of music (yes, I even do a few jazz numbers) with a 5 minute set-up time! My favorite tone is a Gary Moore like lead sound that I get with the Rat into the amp, the sustain is wonderful and amp is very touch sensitive to my playing. The reverb is more in the background than on a fender amp, but I find that it works better for overdrive that way. I have experimented with putting the amp up on a chair or stand but I really couldn't hear any significant difference. Tone-wise this is probably one of the best buys for a tube amp on ebay.

After one year there have been no problems, but on the internet forums it seems that the amps made in England have transformer problems and plastic tube sockets that melted. Mine is the black version that was made in America and has a bigger transformer and ceramic tube sockets, this version seems to hold up better because class A amps tend to run hot.

I've been playing for 30 years and have had one of every amp made at one time or another. For pure tone and ease of operation this amp is probably in my top three all time best along with the Deluxe Reverb and my 62 Blonde Bassman. Never thought I would get excited about a Gibson made amp but this is truly unique in it's ability to produce a great tone with adequate volume in a portable package. I can see why Eric Johnson is such a fan of these amps.

See the other reviews for features.

My Goldtone has tan tolex and a gold grillcloth. It came with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. The circuit board says Trace Elliot Velocette 12R.

As others have said, it only has one tone control. Sometimes I find myself wanting more tonal control. On the other hand, its nice not to be endlessly tweaking it like some Mesa/Boogie amps I've tried.

I almost always run it in triode mode (6 watts)so it breaks up earlier. At 6 watts, it keeps up with the rest of the band. At gigs, we always mike our amps, but this amp could cut it even without a microphone at bar gigs. I run it with an external cabinet and I always run at less than half volume.

I think the tone sounds "small", "boxy" and "honky" at higher volumes. I think a Fender Princeton Reverb sounds "bigger" even though that is a 1x10 combo. So I always plug the amp into a Mesa Boogie 1x12 3/4 back cab with a Vintage 30 speaker to get more bottom and a much bigger and richer sound. That cabinet makes a world of difference.

The amp came with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. I think the tone is way too punchy and "in your face" with that speaker. It has a real spike at about 800 Hz. It was difficult getting good "strat quack" sounds with that speaker. So I replaced it with a speaker from my Crate Vintage Club 50 combo (similar to an Eminence Legend GB12?) which has a more mellow response. I then moved the Vintage 30 to my Mesa cabinet. But no speaker seems to remedy the small, "boxey" tone, so that is why I always just use my Mesa cab.

Some have said the amp is too bright. Yes it can be. But I tend to play dark-sounding guitars (Gibson, Reverend) in the darker 6-watt triode mode with the tone at 9:00, so I always have the bright switch on. It can get quite bright in the 15-watt pentode mode with the bright switch on. I suppose playing with an external cab tames the brightness too.

In the 6-watt triode mode, it stays clean until about 11:00-12:00 on the volume. That is when it starts to distort a little. I don't remember where it breaks up in 15-watt mode.

To me, the clean sounds more Vox-like than Fender-like. It cuts through more than a Fender. It has more midrange punch.

The amp really crunches at about 3:00 on the volume in 6-watt triode mode. It has that nice 70's crunch, sort of an AC/DC crunch. But at that point, the amp is too loud for my band situation.

This amp is much more distortion-pedal friendly than my Fender Twin Reverb. Distortion pedals through my Fender Twin Reverb tend to sound like amplified distortion pedals, while distortion pedals through this amp sound more like real amp overdrive. In fact I can pretty much duplicate the cranked tone of this amp by using the amp at a lower volume with my Barber Burn Unit distortion pedal and a little low-EQ boost. Using the boost channel of the Fulltone FullDrive 2 pedal in uncompressed mode with this amp produces a fat, singing lead, that has little buzziness. Although that borders on being too loud.

This amp has good clarity and really cuts through the band mix.

The reverb is not bad, but I prefer Fender. It seems like I can detect the reverb on a Fender while playing a note. On the Gibson, I don't notice the reverb as much until AFTER I've stopped playing the note. The Gibson seems to have a longer decay time than the Fender.

Stock, I'll give it a rating of 7.
Using it with an external cab, I'd give it a rating of 9

Really no problems.

I've heard it crackle and "blat" a few times when hitting a power chord. This usually happened in the first few minutes of use and then it quickly disappeared.

The power switch snapped off. It was a plastic toggle switch. I replaced it with a metal toggle switch.

I contacted Gibson about replacing the switch. I was surprised that they didn't carry them. But they directed me to another company that sold them. It didn't take them long to respond.

Been playing since about 1985. I've been gigging on and off since 1996.

My other amps are a Fender Twin Reverb and a Crate Vintage Club 50.
I sold my Reverend Hellhound amp to get this one since it was too dark.

Actually, many of the positive qualities I've attributed to this amp can also be attributed to my Crate Vintage Club 50 amp. The clean channel of the Crate amp sounds very similar to the Gibson plugged into an external cabinet and it has an overdrive channel too. However, with the Crate I only use one of the two speakers and the one I use is not the stock speaker. I also changed the stock preamp tubes.

If it were stolen, I'd probably check out some other amps. I've never found an amp I've been completely satisfied with.

Just a volume, tone and reverb with LO/LINK and Hi inputs, 12'' Celestion in an nice gold cabinet.

DESIGNED and originally built (mine as well in 1998) by Trace-Elliott in southern England, where the genleman-designer really knows his trade !

Gibson bought it and this (originally named Velocette combo) became GA15RV Goldtone as we review them here.

It has ALL the feature true guitarist NEEDS; I have modelling amps and these have tons of buttons and presets but what's the use of that when all I need is TONE and here I get it !

So it is 10 = VERY VERSATILE.

Very balanced design by a chap who understands guitars and music, hence the fabulous sound of an almost class A tube 112 combo (not quite as it isn't single ended design like my THD UniValve or Epiphone Valve Jr; also it has a solid state rectifier which is fine in 15Watter, yet not quite the vintage tube-rectigfier 'squashing tone').

Still it is perfect small medium club amp and I did use it in open spaces with a microphone through the PA : always sounds fabulous and I nowadays mostly use the 6W triode sweet sounding option.

In short it excells in jazz, pop, rock, blues, latino and actually anything as it can play metal and sing for days, when I DRIVE the input with a THD Univalve used as a preamp !

It loves all guitars (including bassy Les Pauls) as the designer obviously knew how to get the right range of vintage guitar tones.

All pedals work fine, and if you are desperate you can always add a Vox Valvetronix preamp if you need those zillion presets (that no serious guitarist ever needs on stage ...

In short, as compared to any amp I used, and there were at least 30 since early '60s this is the best sounding combo together with a Fender Prosonic combo and several expensive small boutique amps like Cornell or Bad Cat. Of course, $650 THD Univalve is in a league on it's own, yet that is a REFERENCE amp by now :-)

So, 10 = Sounds Awsome!

Several years of regular gigging and I didn't even change the tubes !

I have a back-up but I never had to use it, so it's 100% reliable = 10.

I wouldn't trust Gibson much as they are too big and arogant to be useful, but somewhere in these reviews is the name of the TRUE DESIGNER who was with Trace Elliott and who is still around in England and is still playing with amps. I phoned him once and we had a great chat as he appreciated people who love his amps and GREAT sounds ... if anything ever goes wrong I would contact him or any usual technical guy who understands classic amp designs like original Vox AC30 or similar.

So the designer gets 10 while Gibson get 7 (a grace :-)

With $650 THD Univalve that is clearly the very best class A true single ended design amp, this is the second best with Fender Prosonic combo not counting several famous yet >$2000+ boutique designs (Cornford, Matamp, Dr.Z, Carr, Alessandro, Cornell, Kendrick, Zinky, Budda, Koch, Fargen, Klancir etc ...).

In short, this is the best stage gig combo there is, as Prosonic weighs 25kgs and this GA15RV is only 17 which is important for serious musicians without a crew.

As to the sound - perfect and if there is anything you need on top you can add any pedal as it likes them all (Tubescreamers and similar).

Finally, I have even linked it in a series with a Fender Cyber Champ (that is mimicing 6 Fender amps and vintage sounds and effects) and the combination gives me any sound that I can possibly imagine (except death-acid-metal). 6W triode feature is superb for bluesy songs.

If you can still find one - buy it as this is the best kept secret in the business; I know as I play since early '60s and that's >40 yrs ...

Oh yes, even Variax (500 and acoustic) and Roland VG-88 and GR-33 sound great through this amp ... so it is almost perfect = 9.5 as I reserve full 10 for Andy Marshall's Univalve (THE best tube amp :-)

Two things that bother me - controls and inputs are at the bottom in teh back and it's a pain in the ass to adjust. There is no light showing teh amp is on, and as a result I've left in on for the whole day on several occasions.

This amp is awesome. I previously owned a Velocette SE with a 10-inch speaker, which also sounded very good until the power transformer got fried. I had it rewound, but it didn't sound the same and I no longer trusted it. After Gibson took over Trace, I took my amp to a store and compared with the Gibson equivalent of my Velocette. The Gibson sounded better. The sound was rounder and fuller, as opposed to the Velocette, whose sound just a bit too aggresive.

The 12-inch Goldtone with reverb is even better. I've done two major things, however, that improved the amp tremendously. I replaced the stock Vintage 30 with a Celestion Century Vintage. The Vintage 30 was not bad, but it was a bit too heavy for my tastes. I should say that I play clean jazz. The Century Vintage has a quick response and very similar sound to teh Vintage 30, but it's lighter overall.

In addition to a new speaker, I've had a local carpenter build me a custom cabinet from spruce. The original cab is MDF, which is a mixture of who knows what - it most likely consists of whatever happens to fall into the bin where they're mixing the shit that it's made from. It's heavy, ugly, and doesn't hold screws too good. The new cab not only looks 1000 times nice, it also sounds better. I had to laugh about one reviewer's assumption that the cab is made of Baltic birch... The construction is very cheap and very sloppy too - it's outrageous how much Gibson asks for it.

Back to the sound - for my needs it's pretty much the ideal amp. I also have a Boogie Mark I, which is a great piece of equipment, totally reliable, and at last - after also I put in a Century Vintage as well - it is managable. It weighs 22 kilos, however, as opposed to 15 kilos my Goldtone has after the above mods. What I like about the Goldtone is that it only has volume and tone and doesn't allow you to fiddle with teh sound - you plug in and it sounds great. Different tubes change the sound dramatically. The Velocette SE was even better in this regard, because it had a single power tube (6L6, 6V6, EL34) as opposed to the EL84s in the Goldtone.

Velocettes were known to get fried, and teh Goldtone is basically a Velocette. I usually bring along my AER Compact 60, as I don't entirely trust the Gibson.

Gibson once sent me a custom L-4 CES archtop after I bought an ES 165 and received about three replacement guitars that all had the same problem - basically they were falling apart. Otherwisem, getting spare parts from Gibson is impossible or incredibly expensive. Since I'm living in an obscure European country, I'm sure I'd have to look for some unauthorized repairmen to fix this thing if it breaks.

I've been playing for 35 years. I have a degree in music and used to be a pro for many years. I'm in a different (much more lucrative) business now, but I still play concerts in clubs and at festivals and record CDs. This is an excellent sounding amplifier, the only amp I like better than the Boogie Mark I. The amp really works as an extension of my guitar (Mark Campellone custom archtop) and does justice to it. The sound is alive - it is very colorful, cuts through well, and fills up space in a very musical way. BTW, I also have an AER Compact 60, which is an awesome piece of gear considering its size and weight.

2004 GA-15RV, built in America, Black tolex vinyl, one channel, bright switch, Volume & Tone controls, reverb control. Two imputs (high & low) and extra speaker jack (16 ohms). The tone control is actually all you need because it is a double pot. that adjusts treble and mid-range as you change positions, some people haven't liked it but I find it to be excellent for dialing in your tone and is very simple to use. 15 watts from 2 X EL84 and two 12AX7 pre-amp tubes. Pentode/triode switch to cut the power to 6 watts. I bought this amp as a small pick-up and go amp for small gatherings and gigs but I now have to admit that it is one of my favorite amps. Even rated at 15 watts it is just as loud as my Vintage Super Reverb, in fact in small places I have played on just the 6 watt mode and it is simply wonderful. This amp doesn't have alot of "features" but it is obvious that it was designed by a working musician who wanted a great tube sound in a simple yet versatile package. It's the simplicity of the design yet amazing number of tones that has impressed me so much about this amp.

I play a Eric Johnson strat, Nocaster, 57 Goldtop, and Gretsch 6120 into this amp and they all have there own sound, if fact this amp is my easiest to get a great tone with amp. The headroom is surprising because I like my clean sound to be "really clean", the sound is very full and warm with a nice "chime" on the top end. With my 6120 I can get a great jazz sound on the front pick-up. The reverb is nice and deep sounding and is one of the best I've ever heard. With my strat I turn the Volume control to max (the amp is very quiet even at full volume) and use my guitar's vol control to go from clean to crunch to full distortion. The amp's distortion is warm and articulate, you can feel the tubes working as you play, the amp is very touch sensitive. Tone wise this amp puts many of my vintage amps to shame, it really has a great blues/60's rock&roll feel to it. It is more than loud enough to gig with.

I've only had the amp 3 months, but so far no problems. The models made in England had some problems with bad transformers and the tube sockets melting but the ones made in America are well built and the problems have been solved.

Gibson has always been helpful with my guitars but this is the first amp I've ever owned from them.

I've been playing 30 years and have had one of every amp ever made and still have the following amps: Sewell Texaplex, Sewell Texaverb, 66 Super Reverb, 62 Blonde Bassman. These are great amps but I find that the portability and great tones + the simplicity of the Goldtone 15RV really appeals to me. If it where lost or stolen I would immdiately buy another. This is my only class A amp and I'm beginning to understand all the interest people have in that type of design. It's nice to have an amp that was clearly designed by a guitarist not an engineer.

This is a follow-up to my original review for this amp. Now that I've had the amp for almost a year, I figured I'd revisit it.

Quickly on the features...

* 12" speaker (I have both a Celestion Vintage 30 *and* an Eminence RedCoat)
* single tone control that controls bass, mids, treble
* SS reverb with short tank
* black leatherette vinyl covering with gold-toned appointments
* 15WRMS, class A; dual EL84's, several 12AX7's
* goldtone metal speaker grill
* weighs about 40lbs
* heavy duty handle - looks and feels like leather, but assume vinyl
* rear mounted chassis on bottom of cabinet
* rear mounted controls and input
* regular guitar input
* additional lo-link input that can be used for several things:
- plug in a guitar with active electronics
- slave one GA15RV to another for bigger sound
- direct out to a PA
* low and high power switches
* included foot pedal to toggle reverb
* personal computer-like removable power cord

The amp is single channel, no effects loop or headphone jack (though the lo-link jack might work for that!)

I originaly gave the amp a "6" for features for a less-is-more thing, but after discovering the mutli-use of the lo-link input, I'll bump it to a 7.

OK this part is simple - great clean tone! Though I don't use it, this amp has excellent OD tone, too.

I play Gibson archtops - P90's & humbucks and use multi-FX pedals for a variety of tone. This amp loves pedals of any kind. And the amp is very quiet.

The reverb is decent but over the top like any Fender amp with tube reverb. Reverb is much bettert than typical SS-driven reverb and for jazz with jsut an archtop, it works fine. If I use the reverb, I use it in small measure. I typically use reverb on my MFX pedal for the sake of convenience.

This amp does everything a Deluxe Reverb RI does, having recently owned one of those... it can get bright and chimey and unlike the DRRI can get bassy if you need it. I do think the trad BF look of the DRRI is cooler, but there's something to be said for the GA15RV's use of gold on black.

I still think the amp "sounds awesome", but had a bad experience with it...

With the Eminence Redcoat, the GA15RV sounded thin and shrill at a house party we played. It sounded like an AM radio to me. Afterwards, however, when I watched the video, the doggone thing sounded fantastic in the mix. I mean bloomin' fanatastic. Well, I didn't see the video for a month and ended up putting back a Celestion Vintage 30. So now the amp has a V30 and I'm loving the sound.

This amp seems very dependable. I don't take a backup amp to gigs, assuming that I cna plug my MFX unit into a PA if my amp goes down.

I've had the amp for a year; never had a problem - not a rattle, glitch or anything else. Then again, I've not gigged but for 2 house parties with this band. Still, I'm very happy with the stability of the amp.

One thing before I go... getting the speaker out proved to be a pain. You really should take out the chassis, but I'll be darned if I could even get the chassis out. I unscrewed the 4 screws under the amp that I assume hold the chassis (not the screws for the feet), but I still couldn't budge the chassis. It's like it's glued down. With time and effort I was able to dismantle the speaker baffle from the inside - the way the amp is deigned you have to change out speakers fro the inside. By not being able to remove the chassis, what should have been a 10 minute job turned into 60 minutes.

Made in 2004. Celestion vintage 30 speaker. Vintage style, all tube, non-master volume, class A 15-watter. Covers blues, jazz and classic rock with excellence. The "pentode/triode" switch is very useful: use one for gigging, the other for practice. The "bright" switch is great for sparkling up the humbuckers at lower volumes. Very neat dual tone control: simultaneously works with high and mid frequencies withouth touching the bass. I wish the reverb was tube driven and had a larger tank. A point-to-point wiring, tube driven tremolo and fx loop would be nice additions, but that would mean a lot steeper price tag and not so vintage style anymore. For what it was designed, the amp has plenty of features.

The sound of this amp is complex and mature, if I may. Nice full cleans, creamy overdrive, singing distortion. Equally beautiful and versatile with both humbuckers and single coils. Sounds are usable in virtually any control setting. To find a bad sound, one needs to really, really try. To those experienced with long-tank all tube reverbs, this reverb may sound unnatural. Signal-to-noise ratio is superb. Some audible hiss with the bright switch on. Reverb is somewhat noisy when maxed out. Overall the amp's noise levels are very low compared to the amps in its league. It's big brothers, Super Goldtones are quieter, but they cost 3 times as much.

The unit is dependable. The cab is well built and the construction is very stable: the center of mass is low due to the amp placement. The handle is comfortable and sturdy. The speaker and tubes are protected by metal grills. The thing would survive a nuclear attack better than I would. Once it started producing some buzz on certain notes (a common resonance problem in any combo amp). Titening the transformer screws solved the problem.

Requested the schematics and got them the next day.

Been playing for 16 years. Own mostly American built amps and guitars. If it were stolen/lost, I'd try replacing it with the same amp, which would be difficult as they are not made anymore. This amp's greatest feature is its tone, which I love. I am not fund of its reverb, so it's always turned to a minimum. Compared to the closest competition, e.g. Fender Blues Junior or Ampeg J12T, GA-15RV wins hands down, especially for humbucker equipped guitars. I wish it had tube driven reverb and tremolo, and that is answered by the Gibson's new GA line.

Mine is a late model production with ceramic tube sockets and an Eminence Governor. Reverb, Volume and a dual ganged Tone control. All valve signal path. There are ICs and transitors in the circuit but they are for the reverb and tube power supply.

The sound of the amp is remarkable. It?s extremely chimey and quiet. The tube filaments are run on DC which contributes to the quietness of this amp. Set up stock it sounds wonderful. I have since replaced the speaker with a Celestion Blue and the preamp tubes with an RCA blackplate and a Sylvania 12AX7 in the phase inverter slot. I?d say it?s world class now.
It has a unique voice. I have a ?71 Marshall Superlead, a Marshall Bluesbreaker Combo Reissue, a Fender Super Reverb reissue and it fits in nicely. Funny how I?ve assembled a fleet of amps that require hotplates in the clubs I play in. So I decided 15 watts was plenty for practice and gigging. It?s plenty loud and no hot plate needed..
I typically run this amp in pentode mode, volume about ? up and tone about ? up (extremely mellow). The guitar volume controls the overdrive. No 1 x12 is going to have the shake and smack of a 4x12 but set up in a MF stand I have plenty of stage volume. When we play bigger shows I can shove a 57 in front of the amp and dial up a little bass on the mixer so it sounds even bigger. But even on it?s own it sounds big.
The combo has a complex and intriguing tone. I can get the milkshake drive or a VOX chime and that?s really cool with a strat bridge. My les pauls and my fenders both sound great in their own way.
I can?t recommend this amp enough. I don?t ever think you can have enough voices for your guitars so consider this for a little different vibe. Had I acquired this first, I might have fewer amps now. .

Well built

I emailed Gibson for a schematic and they emailed one back to me in 30 minutes!!!

I?ve had this amp for 3 weeks and have used it for a live show and several practices. Great, well built, attractive and a lot of guys have mesas, fenders, marshals, but how many guys show up to a gig with Gibson amps? Well, there?s one more now.

Well, as far as features, they are minimal. As has been said, less is more. Volume, tone, reverb..and the pentode/triode switch. An effects loop might be nice, but I suppose the retro vibe might be lost. I had the Ga30 and it had one, but it was noisy. I rewired my pedalboard to go straight into the front and my God, what a sound!

I play mostly Gibson's..Les Paul and 335, a Carvin CT6m (now there's a GREAT guitar ) and an American Deluxe 50th anniversary strat....this amp has it all covered. Very bright, somewhat voxy and responsive. I almost bought a Vox, but the build quality of this is excellent. Very spanky AND receptive to pedals...WOW!

Built like a tank. Solid and serious

Don't know, but the Gibson support for guitars is great

I prefer this on the 6 watt setting....The volume is simply incredible...I'm overdriving it with pedals and the tones are simply amazing...don't let the low wattages fool you...she's LOUD and then some. For more, put it through a cab...i can't wait to do that. I bought this as a backup and can't seem to quit it...almost a class A bad habit! Good work Gibson! This is a classic in the making.

Follow up to my review directly below. Wrote a letter to customer service say ing that I preferred the V30 speaker the GA15RV was advertised to come with. They wrote back that they were sticking with the original position - no replacement speaker allowed.

Granted, the Eminence RedCoat sounds very good, but I wanted the amp as advertised - Celestion V30. Of course, now with the V30's being made in China, it's probably no biggie that it worked out the way it did, but they wouldn't budge on this issue.

My amp was one of the last batch of GA-15RV's before they were discontinued; made in 2005, I think. The amp is very versatile, but without channel switching to switch between clean and overdrive, you have to manually adjust the amp. Obviously, this would be difficult to impossible in a live situation, which is why you need 2 of 'em :)-

The amp has one channel, a single 12" speaker, 2XEL84 power tubes running in or near Class A, 2X12AX7 preamp tubes, SS/IC-driven reverb, dual (lo and hi) inputs, volume knob, tone know, reverb knob, speaker out for hooking up to a larger cab, a switch for low power (6W) or hi power (15W), a bright switch, black leatherette covering, gold-colored metal grill, gold-colored metal corners and knobs, and a removeable power cord ala a PC.

There is no effects loop.

All controls are on the bottom back of the amp, which leads me to "set it and forget it" when using the amp. I use pedals for effects, volume control, and OD, so it works out well for me.

The amp has a cool look to it - unlike most amps out there; very distinctive.

The GA-15RV weighs as much as a Fedner Deluxe Reverb and is almost the same size; it's slightly narrower.

This amp is a true example of where less is more.

I am using humbucker-equipped and P90 archtops for rock/pop and dabbling in jazz. The amp is very quiet on its own. you get some noice when you go ito low power mnode and dime the amp for distortion, but its neglible.

The amp has a very clear, articulate, yet thick tone. The amp can be warm or bright depending on your use fo the tone control and the bright switch.

Pedals work very well with this amp and its loud enough to play gigs; just mic it up for larger gigs.

My amp shipped with an Eminence RedCoat series - The Governor model speaker instead of the stock Celection Vintage 30 I had expected. The Eminence is a nice speaker and made in the USA, but I was expecting a Celestion V30... more on that in the support section.

All in all, it's a great sounding amp.

From what I understand, Gibson used double-sided epoxy boards and other top notch electronic components for long-term reliabiltiy. The amp ships with JJ Tesla EL84's.

Well, usually I love Gibson customer support for my guitars, but trying to get Gibson to provide a Celestion V30 in place fo the Eminence has been nothing short of a disaster. While friendly, they certainly are not helpful.

You see, they ran out of V30's for their last run of these amps and sub'ed in the Emeneice RedCoat speaker. I suppose they have severed ties with Celection as their new hand-wired series of amps use Eminence speakers now.

After a volley of emails to their customer service dept (not an appropriate title, if you ask me), I now have to write a manual letter to their HQ to get the V30 the amp was designed to work with and for which it was advertised.

Great amp, looks cool, has a Vox-ey type of vibe to its tone, loud, clean, well built, sounds great... eh what else is there.

Two inputs, three knobs and two switches yet all you need !

Brilliant design by a true conoisseur.

DIVINE class A sound. I prefer a triode to pentode sound but both are very usable. Loves all good pedals too.

In short, the sound of this Gibson-Trace-Eliott combo is close to boutique sounds of custom amps that cost 4 times more.

This is true 100 for sound (and yes you can gig with this combo).

I play regularly - no problem.

Do not need it.

>45 years of guitar playing and I played just about any amp there is including custom built ones. This British made golden ''Gibson'' has THE sound for jazz, blues and classic rock.

I might even buy the second one anyway.
One of the best purchases I ever made.

This is a follow up to my original submission from 11-21-2003, which is a bit over a year ago. The features are as described in all the reviews. Class A pentode/triode amp with minimal controls, reverb, and a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker.

I use the amp for classic rock, blues, jazz/fusion, avante guard stuff and mainly use a 95 American Standard Telecaster with noiseless pickups installed. Some say this amp is too bright for single coils but I disagree. I can get my Tele sounding like a Gibson with this amp. If you could not see it was a Fender you would never know.

Even after breaking it in this amp has never produced any unwanted hum or extraneous noise other than rattle in the EL84s after extended usage.

Because of the tube rattle (I replaced the originals and that really took care of it) and the fact that even in the triode mode this amp is loud when you start to drive the tone, I run it through a THD HotPlate and a 1x12 Avatar Celestion Vintage 30 equipped cabinet.

The internal speaker is disabled when you connect to an external cabinet. At first I questioned the wisdom in this but now I really appreciate this feature. In fact, I really wish that Gibson sold this amp as a head only.

The external cabinet eliminates any tube rattle. The internal speaker simply pushes so much air and is so close to the tubes that it is inevitable that microphinics will eventually occur. The external cabinet is the perfect solution and the Avatar 1x12 does a great job preserving the similar speaker dynamics of the combo.

The THD HotPlate is a great way to drive this amp, get all the tone, and yet be able to play it at volumes that won't have your neighbors getting mad at you. Not to mention that it actually has been helpful in live performances too.

With the exception of the -16db setting where you loose too much of the speakers drive, this has proved to be an ideal solution to retaining tone while being able to lower volume. I am sure other attenuators such as Dr. Z or Marshall would work as well as the THD.

Even though it is small and of low wattage, this amp will cut through the room like a double edged sword. In a room the size of a basketball gym, in the 15 watt mode, I attenuate it down 8db with a THD Hot Plate and the leads easily power through the rest of the band.

I love this amp. It is all about tone and feel. Turn the volume knob past 12 and bring on the creamy overdriven tone. It is totally adjustable. Want a little; put it a little past 12. The further you turn it, the more it thickens. Yet it never becomes so distorted that note and chord definition is lost as it is in so many amps.

It is an amp that responds to your fingers. It is very expressive to your touch, your input. Perhaps that is why some don't like it, because it is ultra responsive and that sort of complexity takes some adjustment. But that is what I love most about it. Music is emotional and I can express my feelings through this amp.

Other guitarists I have jammed with love this amp for the same reasons. I simply can't tell you of all the comments I have gotten from peers who plugged in to it and expressed the same sentiments that I wrote in the above paragraph. They simply love the tone and response.

The reverb is above average for an amp this size but it could be better. It could use a little more depth.

One last thing, this really is two amps in one. The 6 & 15 watt modes do exhibit differing harmonic qualities. Personally, I prefer the 6 watt tone, but both are exceptional.

Also you can change the 12AX7 in the V1 position, which can be done any time without any need to worry about biasing. You can experiment with all kinds of tonal differences. I have used the GT Mullard reissue, Sovtek's, the latest Chinese, Ei's. . . You simply will be amazed at the changes they make, so again, it is easy to experiment and find other tones. Some tubes such as the Ei overdrive easier. Others, like the Mullard reissues have more head room. But the fact you can easily do this is just another bonus of this amp. That said, the JJs that come installed rock.

I have never had a problem with this amp. I see others have and I am sympathetic. All I can tell you is I have driven this thing hard and it has yet to fail in any respect.

It has a two year warranty and like anyone else I hope I don't have to use it.

Any time I have ever talked to Gibson they have been helpful and responded to all my questions in a timely manner. In that respect their support has been great but I will N/A it here only because I have never had to deal with a warranty issue and can't make a judgment there.

I have been playing for over 20 years. Unless you?re able to find a great deal on an AC-15, an old Ampeg Reverb-O-Rocket, or have the money for a Carr, Dr. Z or other boutique amp, do yourself a favor and spend some time with this amp. You won't get tone and feel like this in any other combo in this price range.

It is definitely old school in looks, function and tone, so if you?re into effects rather than getting your tone from only your guitar and amp, no need stop here. And that is fine if you are into all that. For me, I get all the tone I want with my guitar knobs dimed, a volume knob adjustment, and nothing in my signal path except a Boss TU-2 tuner.

I heard a rumor from the dealer where I bought this that Gibson is going to discontinue this model. If that is true my advice is get one while you still can.

see below or details. kinda wish the amp had a jewel light to remind me it is on, and I guess I'd like the controls on top, but honestly, I seldom adjust an amps actual tone settings once I set them. I do it at the guitar and eq through pedals. doesnt have sh*t for modern ammenities, really, which is fine cause it is a single channel amp...I thought maybe the lack of a tube rectifier would be an issue to me, but I've gotten to the point where I don't really see any advantage/disadvantage to the whole ss v. tube rectifier.

this is a very toneful amp. I dont know if it is TRULY 'class a' or just another one of those so-called 'class a' amps, but I do know it has a gorgeous tone that I'd describe as very articulate, depending on your guitar and what speaker you have installed. I put a weber blue in mine cause I think the greenback it came with was just too bright and tended to be kinda harsh on the high end when any volume was put forth. the alnico goes a real long ways to keeping the top spritely and controlled, especially when you are pushing some real air through this combo. the cab is real tight, and that is great. no rattles at all. feels real real solidly built. the ceramic sockets can handle the heat the el84's put out, and so I dont worry about that. it IS kinda two amps in one with the 1/2 power switch, which is really an excellent idea. If I want to do some recording but want an overdriven power tube tone at modest recording volumes -- not a problem; if I want some thick chunkiness, I can run it at 7 watts and just turn it up - really nice thicker break-up. Just great. Pretty voxy, ac-15ish with the alnico speaker. at 15 watts, it has decent legs for clean to be sure. 15 'class a' watts sound appreciably 'louder' than you might expect. the tone controls have a nice, effective sweep, and the reverb is fine, real fine. takes pedals REAL well and in fact, it is probably one of my fave sounding amps with any number of quality OD's pushing it in 15 watt mode (tim, banzai, keeley fuzzhead, ts9 - heck, even a nobles odr sounded real fine). I think it handles a compressor real well too - I hit it hard with a keeley and it just purrs. I cant stress enough how important a great speaker is to any amp, and having quality pu's in your guitar. I think it sounds better with HB's, but I am not really slagin' SC's. The amp sounds sweet. people who have good tone ears compliment it's sound, if not always my playin'...heh,heh,heh. Does a great neil young howl or an ac/dc snarl with a lp or gretsch and handles a brighter tele just great.

4 years, replace the power tubes as you should..otherwise, no problems at all.

dunno anything about this, bought it used.
I wouldn't send it to Gibson. HA! get real.

it is a 10 now, but remember I dropped a weber blue into it ($170). I find it likes jj's el84's. mine is the light tan model without the god awful gold grill - man that looks fugly, huh? Gibson, what were you thinking with those gold plated grills? HAHAHA! no, mine looks like a 50's blues amp with the dark brown speaker mesh, but understand it is so much cleaner and modern and TIGHTer in its EQ capabilities than some hissy and wool blanket covered, lower powered moldy crap fiddies amp. the 1/2 power switch is just so great. I love being able to open it up and letting it roar. gets a sweet tweed tone with some good pedals, and has no problem copin' a vox vibe. if you like that stuff, it's a great amp. qon't do metal but like any great amp, with some help, it can nail just about any genre. at 450 USD, sh*t...great tone amp. easy to fit into a trunk too.

One channel. Three knobs: Volume, Tone, and Reverb. I don't like the knobs being in the back of the amp. That's a hassle to get back there sometimes.

I had a Peavey Classic 50 410 that I had put new speakers in to try to get the tone I was looking for. It was clean and full...but way too heavy. So I got rid of it.
I took a chance on the Goldtone GA51RV, and to my ears it sounds almost identical to the Classic 50 410 I had after I put in the expensive speakers....only better.
For a small 40lb amp this thing really has a fat tone. It is very clean and clear. It's not as bright as some have stated, but it is bright if the Tone knob is turned all the way on.
It has one of the nicest clean tones I've heard.

It has a couple of minor problems.

They're pretty good.

If you're looking for a single channel amp with a great clean tone that works well with pedals, check this amp out.

This is a recent USA model with the black tolex/gold grill, bought 6 months ago. Celestion V30 speaker (sound nice). Two inputs, bright switch (useless). Basic controls: volume, tone, reverb, and the 15w/6w switch. Not a lot of controls, but plenty of versatility. As you've seen in other reviews, this thing has plenty of oomph-- I was surprised to see just how much power this little amp puts out. This little 40lb amp is loud. Class "A" tube power is fantastic. The one slightly annoying thing for me is that the controls are not on top of the amp.

I'm playing two guitars through this little gem: a Gibson ES-335 and a Fender American Deluxe Strat loaded with Lace Sensor Hot Gold pickups. The tone out of this amp brings a number of adjectives to mind: articulate, clear, bright, dynamic, nuanced. In my opinion I get the best sounds with the humbuckers, though the strat tones are nice too. Other reviewers have complained about thin or brittle tones. There's no question that this amp has "bright" trebly tone if you want it, but the tone control also lets you take out the highs and add more mids. I find myself rolling back on my guitar tone knobs too (especially with the strat). It is possible to make a *real* cutting, knife-edge tone with this amp, but I've also found a way to warm it up considerably. Also, the 6w setting on the amp is less bright than the 15w, so you have a number of options to shape tone. For the sake of comparison, my other amp is a 1995 Fender Twin. When the GA-15rv wasn't working for a couple of days(see below) I hauled out the 80lb beast to play. I couldn't believe how totally uninspired I was by the tone of the Fender-- the Gibson absolutely *buries* my Fender, and I didn't even realize it until I was forced to briefly go back to the Twin. Another thing I like about the amp is that I can put my Ts-9 in front of it or a Boss Ds-1 (both are modified Robert Keeley pedals (keeleyelectronics.com)) and the sound is great. You can also easily overdrive the amp on its own in the 6w setting. This amp sounds awesome, but like anything else, it takes a bit of tweaking to find your sweet spot tonally. It's got a unique voice, definitely not generic.

I had a crimp connector inside the amp get loose on me (a .99 cent part), causing me to be without it for a couple of days, but other than that, it's been perfect. The cabinet is very sturdy and I have gigged with this amp a coupld of times with no problems. The tubes that came in the amp (two 12ax7's and two el84's)are "JJ's"-- which are incredible tubes.

I haven't had to deal with Gibson a lot, but when I call they're always helpful and informative. My one complaint with regard to servicing this amp is that I live about 250 miles away from the nearest authorized Goldtone amp repair center. This means that if something goes really wrong I'll have to ship it out. I'm not worried (because it's a great, well-built amp), but it's not the most convenient thing. Gibson's website has a listing of Goldtone service centers if you're curious.

I have been playing guitar for 11 years and have gigged a bunch, playing mostly blues and classic rock-oriented music. I bought this amp before I played through it (a risky move for me), one of the reasons being its great reputation as one of the best amps your hard-earned dollars can buy for under $1000.00-- having had six months to play it I totally agree. I have yet to play an amp in this price range that sounds as nice to my ears. The tone is clear and articulate and very sweet, slightly favoring humbuckers over singles in my opinion. You would swoon if you heard my 335 through this amp-- fantastic jazz tone. The simplicity of the controls may be a liability to some, but I like this. I have no trouble getting the sounds I want. I will be holding on to this amp for years to come.