Gibson GA30RVS

* Hi/Lo inputs
* Bright switch
* Volume w/pull gain
* Tone - dual ganged control boosts treble while cutting mids.
* Reverb
* Stereo footswitch jack controlling gain boost/reverb
* Effects loop footswitch jack
* Effects loop in/out jacks
* Effects loop series/parallel switch
* Left and right external speaker jacks
* 8/16 ohm external speaker impedence selector
* Off/Standby/On switch
* Removeable power cable

I'm not sure when this amp was made...it has brown tolex with brown grill cloth over the speaker cutouts. It is solid like a tank - and heavy for its size. I really wasn't looking to buy this amp in particular, but I noticed it on ebay and the bid price was pretty low. It had a couple of tolex tears in the front and it was missing the rear metal grill. I ended up winning the auction and was the proud owner of a Goldtone GA30-RVS for the amount of $550 shipped. figured I could sell it if I didn't like it and turn a profit - Musician's Friend sells them for $1500 plus shipping.

This amp uses 4 EL84 tubes to produce 30 watts (2x15 stereo) in pure Class A operation. 4 12AX7 preamp tubes. One channel. A stereo reverb effect that pans from left to right...it is wild. I sometimes look around the room and over my shoulder wondering where the sound is coming from.

This amp rocks hard, but don't get one if you're into high gain. This amp is a natural for classic rock and blues. A Metal Zone in front of it doesn't do this amp justice - it wasn't designed for that, so don't bother.

This amp sounds great at low volumes, but its real beauty is unleashed when it's cranked...unbelieveably awesome tone. I have a Marshall 50 watt Master Mk2, a Mesa Boogie Mark III SimulClass and a 1966 Fender Showman...they all do their own thing pretty well, but the tone of the Goldtone puts them all to shame. When I play loud through this amp, I hear my guitars like I've never heard them before...as if my ears have finally been opened. Every note, every movement of finger over string is clearly pronounced...it is incredible. This amp has changed my appreciation and understanding of guitar amps forever.

I use Strats and Les Pauls...both sound awesome. My friend's Tele sounds incredible, too. The first time I played loud with a drummer, I was in HEAVEN! Thick, fat, rich, creamy, saturated tube tone...it was "that tone" that I always wished I could get from my other amps, and here it was...

The gain boost works best at higher output...it gets a bit sharp when engaged at lower volumes. The manual recommends "diming" the volume with the boost on and controlling the volume/overdrive with the guitar's volume control. This works well. The stereo reverb effect is incredible.

I run a few effects in front of the amp - I hav yet to try the effects loop, though. My AnalogMan 808 modded TS9 sounds fantastic in front of this amp...it's as if they were made to go together. This is great for achieving overdrive at lower volume situations. My Teese Picture Wah and Boss DM-2 sound great, also.

I am a converted believer...I now worship at the temple of Class A!

It seems pretty solid. I reglued the torn tolex...it looks fine now. The tolex does seem a bit fragile in general, though. I removed the chassis and disassembled the amp to get to the grill cloth - it was a bit loose, probably from the same "injury" that caused the tolex tears. Everything on the chassis was very neatly arranged and accessable, unlike the new Fender amps that require hours of disassembly to reach cheaply made input jacks and such. The plastic on/standby/off switch looks like it might need a metal replacement someday - looks a bit fragile and vulnerable back there.

I contacted Gibson and they sent me a back metal grill and screws for $32 shipped. Very helpful and painless.

I don't think I will be buying another amp that isn't Class A. If I were to replace this amp, I would look at the following: Bad Cat Black Cat, Matchless DC-30, Dr. Z Maz 38, Top Hat King Royale, Mesa Boogie Maverick. 2 footswitchable channels, higher gain and cleaner, would be nice...get the TS9 off the pedalboard and make room for something else. But, this amp will keep me satisfied for a long time...it is truly a great amp. Snag one if the price is right.

this was purchased as a 'blemished' unit- it has a big ding in the bottom where the fedex guy dropped it (so i was told). it's the same features already listed, tho mine unit is covered in the black material with the gold metal grill cover. beautiful! i was also told it was one of the last from the uk trace elliot factory, as the gibson bean-counters have moved the production to the us- well, i don't know if the us units will sound as good..... glad i got the 'original'!

i wasn't shopping for an amp the day i bought it- but i thought it was a really unique looking amp, so i tried it on a lark. within 20 minutes, i'd decided i couldn't live another day without it- very unusual thing for me to do.

i have a '61 tremolux and a '71 silverface bassman, as well as a delta blues 2x10. this amps sounds better than any of them- even the tremolux, which was my main stage/recording amp. i mean, the gibson amp just sounds perfect! i never thought i'd say that about a gibson amp!

i run a les paul deluxe, les paul special, '57 strat reissue, tele b-bender, epiphone casino, and danelectro baritone thru it- every one of my axes shines with it! it has the perfect 'jangle' at lower volumes, and the ultimate 'tres hombres' billy gibbons snarl at higher volumes. more than that tho, the sound it has really lets the guitar itself shine thru- some amps color the sound of a guitar so much, it takes away from the personality of the instrument- not this one!

well, i'm using it as my main stage amp now- tho i keep a 2x10 delta blues in the trunk 'just in case'. it's built like a tank, and weighs a ton- it seems to be a reliable unit, but you never know.
i can say i've used it on several dozen gigs, and four recording gigs without a hitch.

who knows?

i can see these amps becoming a holy grail in the future- like the supros or magnatones are (same thing i guess...)- or like a blodne bassman.

i don't think i could've paid the full $1350 street price for it- i would've wanted to tho... but at $750, i couldn't pass it up.

Made 1999,I have had a variety of valve and hybrid transistor amps, and up till now had settled for a fender hot rod deville.
This gibson amp has all the features i really wanted on the fender.
I won't repeat all of them as they are covered in other reviews.
A valve twin channel stereo power amp for clean reproduction of effects,switchable gain preamp, switchable reverb, series and parallel
connections for extension cabinets. This amp is rated at 30 watts, but i think it is louder than the 60 watt fender deville!!!

I use a synth equipped fender USA strat, through a Roland VG8, straight into the stereo power amp inputs, the tone/gain/volume controls somewhere around 12'0'clock. The VG8 has a dry guitar output which I route through a Mesa V Twin Pedal, and straight to the Gibson preamp input. This effectively gives me a five !!!! yes!!! channel amp including the use of the gibson reverb/gain switch.
Instead of now carrying two or three guitars to a gig, i have any guitar sound available, plus the good old overdriven valve tone. This covers blues/rock/jazz/ and even classical nylon which i'm sometimes asked for.

I give it an eight, because at first usage, i blew several 1 amp fuses from standby/on. Having the amp valves serviced and cleaned cured the problem. The amp chassis is mounted at the bottom of the cabinet, whether this improves/detracts from shocks while transporting
i have yet to find out.

Not Applicable, but I have a Trace Elliot acoustic amp, which has given years of trouble free service.

If this amp was stolen, i would seek out another used, the new price
the Americans pay is definitely exorbitant, however we've always paid
through the nose for their fenders.
I rate this amp better than the fender twin/deville/hotrod, it has the supreme tone i have found elusive in other amps

This is billed as a simple back to basics, pure tone, amp - with limited features. It's really a Trace Elliot Vellocete in disguise. There are actually a large number of features - just different from all the usual ones. No Base, Middle and Treble here - just a tone pot - but do you need more than that? The volume control has a push/pull function for gain (footswitchable). The Reverb is also footswitchable (and very impressive) - probably due to the stereo amp (it's actually two 15 watters - each with its own separate speaker - so the power can be cut to 15 watts by sticking a dummy jack in one of the two external speaker outputs). Using the external speakers cuts out the internal ones - I might get an amp repairer to fit a switch which could include optionally include the internal speakers. There's also a stereo effects loop (footswitchable). There are two inputs (high and low) one of which can be used to link it in a chain to my Peavey amp. All the controls are 'round the back of the combo at the bottom which really means that you need an amp stand if you want to change settings between songs. It looks great - very retro and a big change from the usual black tolex - some people don't even realise it's an amp.

Played clean with my main guitar, a late 90s Gibson SG standard, it's very Beach Boys - shimmering clean and impressive. Good headroom for a 30 watter (but you need to use the volume control). Played cranked it's just awesome. The crunch tones are very tight (a bit AC30 ish) with plenty of tonal spread - the footswitched lead tone barks just right. No pedals required - the Goldtone responds to your picking hand. Hooking up an extension cab gives a sound which fills the room - put it at the other end of the stage for great spread. This amp is a huge jump in quality compared to my Peavey Delta Blues 2x10 combo (and that's a great amp). Loses a point as every one of these I've heard (three of them) have a slight hiss at lower volumes.

Can't really comment on the reliabilty as I've only had it a few months and everything is well. The addition of a stand by mode is a comfort and everything seems solidly screwed together. This thing weighs a ton!

It's got a year's warranty - nothings gone wrong so I suppose that's a good thing.

I bought this guitar for an absolute bargain. I would have still purchased at twice the price. The best amp I've used or heard. As versatile as your playing is with a rich, rich sound. I tried an AC30 and a Fender Twin and bought the Gibson. I'd only swap it for two of the Gibson Goldtone 15 watters - I might buy one of them anyway.

Plug in and play simplicity!! Input jack followed by a volume (pull out for an extra stage of gain), tone knob and reverb. There is also a "bright" switch to bring out some extra to end.
There is also an effects loop.
This amp sounds amazing!! Lovely and warm with bags of crunch. Lovely creamy distortion that just makes you grin from ear to ear when you plug in and play.

I use this amp with :
Gibson Les Paul with P90's
Gibson Les Paul Custom with vintage PAF's
McIntyre Guitars custom built Strat with Kinman blues
Fender Telecaster with Seymour Duncan Broadcaster pickups

This is a real surprise! When I tried it out, it was the sound I had been looking for from numerous Fender, Mesa-Boogie, Vox amps.

The clean channel starts to get that Stevie Ray Vaughan breakup when you crank the volume, but that's no bad thing. What I tend to do is to crank the volume wuth the extra gain to get a warm drivey lead sound, and for cleaner sounds, simply turn the guitar's volume down, raising it when required.
The distortion is not in any way brittle sounding - just lovely and creamy. I replaced the original Ruby Tubes pre-amp valves (as used by Santana, aven though they sounded good). I replaced these with 4 Mullard pre-amp valves. VERY EXPENSIVE, but worth very penny. It was Billy Gibbons who recommended these and I just love the way they sound!!

Had it for 7 months now and used at least 3 times per week with no problems at all. The valves are all secured by spring loaded retainers which may help this situation.

Never needed any support so far, so I can't really comment.

I know I got it very cheaply - good to have friends who'll do these kinds of deals!! It's such a simple layout amp that some folk may be put off it. However, everyone who has tried mine has been raving about it.
If you get a good sound from your amp to start with, then you're laughing!! Also, Joe Perry used these amps on Aerosmith's album Just Press Play and plans to use them live - good enough endorsement?

New model amp, 3 knobs:volume (pull gain), tone, reverb, 2 12" speakers, "stereo" reverb, effects loop with stereo return & series / parallel switch, speaker out jacks 8 & 16ohm switch, footswitchable gain, reverb, and effects loop, Class A all tube power section, "pimp package" as some call it with gold grills knobs and hardware (I like it). 2 x 15 watts. Gets a 7 for the idiotic placement of the knobs on the back and not a lot of controls.

Now the good part, this thing sounds great with almost any guitar. It really lends itself to blues and jazz sounds as it takes full throttle to get the sweet power section clip, it is worth it if you have a place to do this (30 watts class A full blast is REAL loud, as loud as a 120 watt solid state Johnson). You can slap a good distortion pedal in front of it and use the gain footswitch as a solo boost. The real beauty of this thing is playing clean. It has the ability to produce the best full warm clean sound I've ever heard, it can do the shimmery bright sound but the warmth sold me on it. The reverb is awesome and sounds best at 1/2 or below, unless you're into playing surf music. Try one if you are looking at the $1000 range Fenders and such. Gets a 9 for doing what it is supposed to do extremely well. I finally got something that a strat sounds good through in the 2nd position.

Don't have a clue

Don't have a clue

Been playing 20 plus years, finally good enough to play clean, don't think I'd buy one new as the price is pretty steep for the features, but I traded a Marshall TSL 602 and have not regretted it.
Only gets an 8 for the silly list price of $1800

This is an addendum to the submission I made earlier.
Note: The cabinet is covered in a chinchy imitation leather(vinyl) with padding beneath. This is a big minus because when I got mine home I had already noticed a small tear on the bottom.(How do I prove I didn't do it.:<). Besides that, I still think this amp is just absolutely fantastic.
If you want to see how it looks, here is the URL:
http://www.harmony-central.com/Newp/1999/GA-15-15RV-30RVS.html

This amp just came out. All tube with Accutronics 3-spring reverb(controlled by Integrated Circuit), Bright switch, 2 - 12 inch Vintage Celestion 30 speakers each driven by 15 Watts(30 watts total, whatever that's supposed to mean), Stereo effects loop with switchable Series or Parallel, Stereo external speaker out with switchable 8/16 ohms, Footswitch to turn on or off gain boost and/or effects, 2 preamp stages. Main runs on EL84's and preamps runs on 12ax7's, Volume/Gain, Contour(Tone), and Reverb(Mix) controls. Two inputs, one for normal the other for Hi Gain inputs. All controls on this box are on the back at the bottom.

I have been looking for this sound and flexibility for what seems forever and I have found it in this amp. In my opinion, this amp delivers everything I expect a vintage amp to sound like. You can play it clean and you can play it dirty. Don't let the 15 watts per speaker fool you. This amp screams with full body. I own a Fender Dual Pro (100 clean watts) and this amp keeps up with it with no problem.
I don't know really how to quite describe the sound. Very clean if you want, very sparkly if you want, very Hendrix and Stevie Ray when you dirty it up. Very beautiful, natural distortion. You don't need any boxes to try and fake that vintage sound. The manual recommends setting the volume to the max (with gain turned on) and the controlling it from your axe. When you do this, backing off the volume cleans it up(as a good tube amp should do) but at the same time, laying into the strings will distort, the degree to which is controlled by your volume settings. I get that nice warm sustain with controlled feedback if I want. This is the amp that everyone is trying to make but screws up in one way or another. This is what the Fender Vibro-King and Dual Pro *could* have been. Vintage sound with up to date features and controls. The reverb sounds fantastic. Not a Fender reverb but a nice smooth warm reverb.
Here is the really cool stuff. Along with the "perfect" vintage sound, you have two 15 watt amps, one driving each speaker, in stereo if you are using a stereo effects box. So if you have a delay that pans, it really fills the room almost as if you have seperate cabinets. Though I really love the sound of just the amp without effects, I hooked up my stereo digital effects box and added my Marshall 4x12 on one of the sides of the stereo out jacks(which by the way, when you do this, it cuts out one of the built in speakers for the side you hook up). Though I have been playing stereo amps for a while I am impressed. With the effects switch in parallel and adjusting your wet to dry this thing cries, screams, sparkles.
Now what some may consider the bad part. I know this is supposed to be a re-issue but I really think they screwed up by putting the controls , on the back, at the bottom. What a pain in tha a.. to have to reach behind everytime you want to make an adjustment. But.... the more I play I am beginning to find that I dont need to make any adjustments. Just crank it to 10, set your reverb(if you want it), set you Contour(which by the way is not the same as a Tone control, it boosts or cuts your midrange, and in my opinion, I am finding I like this much, much more than a typical tone control), and that's it! Of course, if you have an effects box just plug it in.
I play a Custom Tele but have played a Strat and a Les Paul through it and they all sound wonderful.
At 10 on the volume there is some noise but I do not find it too objectionable.

Haven't had it long enough.

I've only had it two days but I am very close to calling it the amp of everyones dreams. When I first heard it I knew this was what I have been looking for. I started off going in to look at the Fender Blues Jr. because I wanted a tube amp that could deliver natural distortion and sustain. When I compared the two, the Fender was very thin sounding. As a matter of fact, in terms of sound, I compare this amp with the Dual Pro and the Vibro-King. The Fender amps have a tighter bottom end(which I absolutely love) than the Gibson but everything else matches.
Do yourself a favor and go listen to this amp before you make another purchase. This amp is not a heavy metal shredder but is perfect for everything else.
Even though the controls have been placed in an awkard location I still give this amp a Ten.