Gibson GA17RVT Scout

The AMP is a 1963 product. It is a very basic practice amp with only Loudness, Reverb and Tremolo controls with one channel and a footswitch for reverb and tremolo. The amp is pretty bright so having at least bass and treble controls would have been nice, but it is only a basic no-fills practice amp. I played in rock bands in the 1970's, had a HIWATT 100 that I sold in 1980 when I got married -- used the money to buy living room furniture. I play rock, jazz, blues, folk. I have a '67 Gibson ES-335. I played without an amp until I broke down and bought myself a modest amp for playing by myself in my bedroom. My wife and kids would have died if I bought something loud. I shopped around for a few months and played new and old amps, tube and solid state. For my needs, the 17 watts of power is perfect (not much really) and the soft warm vintage tone is unmatched by anything else I tried. Even on low volumes (3 or 4) it still gives you that soft overdriven tube sound that just sounds great! Although this amp lacks in features, it makes it up in unmatched 1960's tube tone.

I play rock, jazz, blues, folk. I have a '67 Gibson ES-335 with Humbucking pickups. The amp is as versatile as my styles. It sounds very warm playing soft melody and chord jazz, but it can rock with distortion playing classic 60's and 70's rock tunes. I have a distorion + box, but I find I don't use it often. The warm overdriven tube sound sounds better than any box can produce. The amp is a bit noisy with the reverb on until it warms up after a half hour or so, but the reverb on this little amp is awesome. It also seems to boost the power output. When shopping for other amps, I'd plug in and play for a few mintues but never really "connected" with the amp. When I tried this little Scout, I played for almost 2 hours in the store. The warm tone drew me in. Cranked all the way up, this amp is incredible, but I don't want to abuse it.

This is simply a practice amp. You'd be crazy to use it for a gig, unless you could mic it real well. I don't think it would be industrial strength for regular road shows; it's too old and small. I've had it for a year now without incident. After 37 years (1963 amp), I'd say this little baby is as reliable as it gets if you use it as a practice amp in your bedroom like me. I hope to enjoy it for many years to come.

Not applicable here. Nonetheless, when buying an old vintage amp, make sure you buy it from a reputable vintage dealer with a good name and a good tech; someone you will trust if you need to take it back for repairs at some point! I bought it from a local vintage dealer who is good on his word.

I've been playing for 25 years. I have a '67 Gibson ES-335 and a '63 Martin D18. If my Gibson scout amp were lost or stolen, I'd search and find another one -- nothing can replace the 1963 warm tube sound this amp produces. After one year, I've really become attached to it. This is the best $300 practice amp you will ever own and the vintage tube spirit will always be alive in your soul.

Update of my first post.

Now that I've had it a while, I can better comment. I'm told the amp has 17 watts. I've retubed the whole thing. The hum in the reverb actually goes away if you leave the amp and reverb on for 20 minutes. Tube warming up thing. I don't use tremolo, and this one sounds kinda bad anyway. The amp is very quiet until about 7 or 8, where a bit of static pops up. The sound is clean, but not extremely. There is a very slight hiss when notes are diminishing. My tech says this is probably the old speaker. Still, with the volume around 6 and the reverb on, it gives that classic vintage sound that I love.

Tubes aren't easy to find, but they are out there.

As of now, I have about 225 bucks in this amp. I don't know where you can get this sound for that price. If you want some more features or power, save 200 more and buy an old Fender out of a pawnshop.

This model is late '63 or early '64. Has only volume, reverb, and tremolo. Tone would have been nice as this amp is very, very bright. Everything is tube driven. Foot pedal switches for reverb and tremolo. Original 10" speaker. Replaced the 12ax7 with a sovtek 12ax7wa. Channel 1 is noticeably louder now. Not sure of the power output. The remaining tubes are 2 6eu7's, 2 6aq5's and a 6ca4 which is a rectifier. From a loudness standpoint, I'd guess 20 - 30 watts.

Just got the amp, so I'm still fiddling. Playing through a Tele Special with a humbucker at neck and a texas single at the bridge, and a highly modified Kramer Pacer with 2 singles and a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails at the bottom. This amp plays clean all the way to max volume. Don't get any distortion that I read other similar models get at higher volumes. Very noticeable hiss when the reverb is on, which I'm looking into. Other than that, it is clean and very vintage sounding. The humbuckers are all warm. I use a Danelectro Daddy-O to switch to some distortion. The pedal also has treble, mid and bass, which helps dial in eq just right. This amps sound is really great, although a touch too bright sometimes. The sound has tons of character.

Amps is in real good shape. Checked all the connections and they are fine. Everything is original except for a few of the tubes, so I'm guessing it's very reliable. Built solid.

Not even gonna try calling Gibson. The tubes aren't too common. Wish me luck.

Been playing for several years. A close friend works at a guitar shop, so I've tried lots of amps. I wanted a vintage amp with a quality vintage sound and I got one. I like the brown cover, which is still in great shape. After I bought it and played it for several hours, I went to bed smiling. If I can get the reverb hiss down, they'll bury me with this guy. Unbelievable sound for the buck.