Gibson GA30RVS

The one I have is a british one with a trace elliot circuit board stamped 1998. 3 knobs, etc. etc, as noted elsewhere. I set it with the tone and reverb at 12:00, the gain out and the volume at about 9:00. This is more than adequate for most bar gigs. Found the advise below about using a patch cord in a speaker out jack to use one amp very usefull, as this is a LOUD amp.

I use this amp mostly with a gibson es-335 and an es-339. It sounds excellent with a strat as well. With the 339 it produces the the nastiest hair raising R&R tone I've ever heard. The reverb is different from a fender, but is lush and full. The series/parallel switch affects the reverb sound. I mostly play blues and classic rock, and this amp is the best I've ever used. I also have an original '66 super reverb, a Genz-Benz Black Pearl, and a couple of Carvin amps. The GA-30RVS is the one I gig with. You can get a good clean sound out of this amp, but the overdrive is positively boneriffic. It takes pedals well. There is some unavoidable class "A" hiss, but once you start to play, it is not noticeable

This is the bad news. This amp has been in the shop 4 or 5 times. At an outdoor gig it 1/2 crapped out on me. The power was maybe 1/3 of what I started with. Got it fixed and was working intermittantly for a while. The preamp tubes would fire up, but the power tubes wouldn't.
If the amp was bumped, the tubes would sometimes fire up. Took it back to the shop and got it fixed again. Same problem shortly thereafter. Finally took the amp out of the box (3 screws, disconnect the speakers and reverb tank), turned it upside down, hooked dummy loads to the speakers and powered it up. Used a tooth pick to start pushing/pulling wires and found a bad connection on one wire to the circuit board from the output transformer. This had shrink wrap on it and outwardly looked solid, but after removing the wrap,(after unplugging the amp, of course) found a burnt loose connection. The wire was semicrimped to the jack. Checked the other ones and found one more. Soldered them and recrimped them, and so far so good. Seems to be solid. As has been noted here elsewhere, one of the speakers was wired out of phase at the board. This probably was one of the last ones Trace Elliot turned loose, but their QC sucks. Will use this amp in town, but am afraid to take it on the road. I bought the Black Pearl as a substitute EL-84 amp to road gig with. Doesn't sound as good, but it's a close second and solidly built.

Bought it used, no idea

Been playing 40+ years semi-pro, own more stuff than my skill level justifies, but still on an endless tone quest. Wish I had another one as a backup.

GA 30 RVS, somewhere from the 90's I guess. I HAVE WRITTEN GUSHING AMP REVIEWS BEFORE, BUT THIS IS THE BEST SOUNDING COMBO TUBE AMP ON EARTH. I WILL SAY IT NOW - IF LOST OR STOLEN I WOULD PLUCK YOUR MOTHERS EYES OUT, EAT THEM AND BEAT HER TO DEATH WITH A RUSTY TIRE IRON TO GET IT BACK. (The thief, of course). I traded a brand-new Orange Tiny Terror for this amp and guess who got the best part of that deal? ME, THAT'S WHO!!! I don't care that the controls are in the back, or that there is no power on light. I don't care that it weighs in something equivalent to a Cruise Ship either! When I get old and lame, I will hire an undocumented American to carry it for me.

I play all styles of rock, I need clean and crunch and now that I know what REAL tone is, this is the amp.

I recently bought a guitar snake so that I can wire up my delays and modulation effects to take advantage of the stereo effects loops. I can't wait. I'll let you know how that magic is.

The 'verb is really nice and musical.

15 watts times two? Why is this amp louder than my 6L6 based Marshall? Way friggin' louder. I can't believe this amp is 30 watts. No way Jose. (Put my amp down over there, please... Por favor.")

The main thing that occurs to me is that the RVS is somewhere between a Twin and an AC 30 tone-wise. Bright and a bit jangley, but not without some Fender bottom.

I play mostly Gibby style Hamers. Humbuckers and P-90's. Otherwise I play Fat Strats.

Never noisy. Doesn't present the ground-loop touchyness of my Marshall or Vox's.

This amp loves pedals, so if you can produce a sound with a pedal, this amp will make it shine. In that regard it makes every sound a hack like me needs.

Dude, the distortion is like, sooooo brutal. I mean, it's like insane brutal! It's like Satanic black flaming death brutal. Excellent! COME ON. I won't even go there. This is not an amp for metal heads.

Added crunch by pulling out the volume knob for higher gain. Cleans up nicely when you roll back the guitar volume.

I have gigged about 20 times so far with this amp. No problems. I'm picking up an Anvil ATA case tonight to keep it protected.

No breakage yet. But I'm going to be pro-active there.

Gibson is notoriously un-helpful. I won't rate them unless I get no help personally.

I have been playing on and off for 30 years.
I said my piece about "Lost or Stolen" in the first section.

I hate the fact that it is not a woman and can't cook me breakfast.

No comparison to anything similar. In a league of it's own. I chose this amp because I have tried everything else.

I wish it had breasts.

Anything else I would like to share? If you ever show up at one of my gigs, you will be priveledged just to be in the same room with my amp. Be sure to thank me.

You must be thinking, "How does an amp with only 3 knobs and a single channel get a 9 rating for Features?" It's because once you find out all the hidden treasures in this amp, you'll find some of the coolest features a Class A combo can have.

Cool Feature #1: Turn the 2x12" GA30RVS into a 1x12" GA15.
Why is this feature cool? Because both speakers on 30 Class A watts (2 x 12" x 15watts in stereo) is SUPER LOUD, too loud for bedroom jamming. The GA30RVS is like two GA15's in stereo with completely separate amp sections for Left and Right. You can actually put a dummy load on one side of the amp by plugging a patch cable into one of the preamp outs (left or right) and that turns off one of the stereo 15watt amps and speaker. This means you get a 1x12" 15-watt Class A amp for bedroom jamming and lower volume tube overdrive. I just alternate the patch cable from Left to Right every time I play so I can wear the tubes evenly. Just to clarify, you basically just plug a patch cable into a preamp-out and leave the other plug of the patch cable unplugged and dangling.

Cool Feature #2: Ernie Ball Volume Pedal in the FX Loop (on parallel).
I read this in a review by 'Karl' down below and found all new tonal landscapes using the Ernie Ball Volume Pedal in the FX loop in Parallel trick. Thanks, Karl. ANYONE WHO HAS THIS AMP SHOULD TRY THIS, IT'S GREAT. Basically, you crank the volume on the amp to 10 and adjust the overall volume using the Ernie Ball Volume Pedal in the FX loop set on parallel. It's like an attenuator and you get some amazing tube overdrive using the normal and boost channels AT BEDROOM JAMMING VOLUME! This is such an amazing feature and the tone is HUGE. I have a Keeley-modded TS9 Tubescreamer that sounded decent before this trick, but now when the TS9 is pushing the already overdriven amp, it sounds like tone heaven. Try it, you will not be disappointed. If you get the volume dialed in just right with the Ernie Ball Volume Pedal, then you can use the 'boost' channel as an actual overdrive channel on the amp. Took me a bit of tooling around where I would switch between volume pedal trick and straight into the amp. Now, I only use the volume pedal trick. Remember to lower the reverb to around 1, since it'll respond to your lesser-volume sound as if the sound is on 10 (because the amp's volume is set on 10).

The reason why I gave the Features a 9 and not a 10 is because you need external hardware (patch cable and volume pedal) to achieve these cool features. Not a big deal, everyone has patch cables around, but 9 is still a great rating.

I use 2 types of strats with this amp: a rosewood-neck American Std strat with low-output VanZandt Blues in the neck/middle with a coil-tapped Seymour Duncan JB jr in the bridge and a maple-neck Clapton signature strat with high-output Kinman AVn-62's in neck/middle and AVn-59 in the bridge with the 25db mid-boost that comes standard on the Clapton strats. I've never played a real vintage strat, but I feel I can get what I think is the entire strat-tone gambit with these 2 strats. I've tried almost every pickup there is and had about 12 different strats before landing on these two strats that are a culmination of all my tonal experimentation. The first strat sounds really dark and tight, definitely a more focused sound. The second strat sounds bright and clear with tons of output from the kinmans and active electronics. The second strat, with the 25db midboost can get some over-the-top distortion on the boost channel with the 25db boost on 10(with the volume pedal trick engaged).

My effects include a Keeley-modded Tubescreamer, Fulltone Clyde Wah Deluxe (on Whacked), Line6 EchoPark Delay, Ernie Ball Volume Pedal, and a Keeley Rat. My signal chain goes: Guitar -> Wah -> RAT -> TS9 -> Amp. I have the volume pedal and EchoPark in the FX Loop set on Parallel. The Keeley-modded TS9 Tubescreamer sounds awesome with this amp when the volume pedal is pushing the gain on the amp. I use the Line6 EchoPark in the FX Loop right after the volume pedal in stereo with two cables coming out of the EchoPark for stereo Left/Right to the FX loop's Left-in and Right-in. I can't get the RAT to sound that good with this setup so I barely use it, but everything else sounds KILLER in this setup.

I play blues, rock, and fusion. I used to play through Fender Twins, my favorite being a 'The Twin' and my last one being a 65 reissue Twin Reverb and I find this amp far more responsive and tonally superior. To be honest, before this GA30RVS amp, I felt like I sounded exactly the same with any guitar/amp combination. I really started to believe that tone was ALL in the fingers and had nothing to do with equipment. I know there's a lot of truth to this since I've felt it first-hand (had an ibanez through an old Peavey Bandit and it still sounded like me). But when you bust into the upper echelons of tone (boutique amps and such) where your pushing tubes hard on lower-wattage Class A amps, you start understanding what people talk about when talking about awesome tone. That's when I started to notice that my guitars started to sound different and have their own tonal character through this amp. Both of my strats sound completely different since the amp just lets the tone of the guitar through and represents it the best way possible with great, clear highs and focused lows. It sounds very contradictory, since I'm essentially paying more for 'less'! I'm over it, though.

I play hard and I really dig into my notes, heavy-gauge strings burning though jumbo frets, and I NEVER had an amp respond and urge me to dig in harder because of the enormous reward of great tone you get like this goldtone. "Chewey, spongey, woody" all made sense now when reading tone described this way.

These amps are based on the Trace Elliot Velocette amp which is a GREAT foundation to work up from as-is. Even though there is 1 tone knob, I get everything I want out of it. I'm not sure what a tone purist is, but I feel that the guitar has most of its sound in the pickups and the materials of the actual guitar and not via pedals/EQ settings. That could be an ignorant and almost idiotic statement, but I want it as transparent as possible. I set the tone on my amp at 4 and rarely ever touch it even when switching between very different guitars.

I give this amp a 9 without the volume pedal trick and a 11 with the volume pedal trick. I averaged it to a 10!

I don't gig with this, so I haven't 'road-tested' this amp. However, I left the amp on stand-by for 3 weeks while on a business trip by accident and it worked just fine when I returned. That was pretty cool. But it mostly sits unmolested and all the knobs still work and the amp works when I turn it on. Seems reliable to me, so I'll give it a 10, since these ratings are relative to the person rating them.

never dealt with Gibson customer support. Never had a need to.

I've been playing for 15 years and had what I thought were decent tube amps (marshall combos, fender twins/combos, mesa boogie studio caliber) and this amp is better for the tones I was looker for than the aforementioned. I got the amp as a trade for a Fender 65 Reissue Twin Reverb that I paid $500 for, so I felt I got an amazing deal for this amp. I was a pretty compulsive amp buyer and at one point came to the conclusion that they all sounded the same until I tried the Goldtone. This is IT for me, no complaints. I know there are some awesome boutique amps out there (two rock, bruno, Fuch's, Divided by 13, Victoria, Dr.Z, etc) but currently, I'm loving the tones I get from this one. I can't imagine wanting more out of an amp, but we'll see what the future holds. I definitely won't go back to the mass-produced 'decent tube amp' category. So, I may look at other high-end amps, but not because this amp is no-good, but because my curiosity may get the best of me.

I never thought to read reviews for equipment I ALREADY own, but I'm so glad I did, I learned a ton of cool stuff from these reviews. I gained a new appreciation for my amp.

I give this amp a 10 overall. I've never written a review for any music equipment, but I felt compelled to do so once I got my GA30RVS dialed-in and sounding amazing.

The amp is a 2003. It is the made in the U.S., black tolex, gold grill version. You tend to love or hate the appearance. I love it. It is basically a single channel with overdrive. The overdrive quality is surprisingly good, but a separate level control would be nice. Single tone knob but the control is more flexible than I would have thought. It is a true stereo amp with two separate pre and power sections but you do not have stereo inputs. You can only access the stereo functions through the effects loop. I use a Lexicon MPX1 and feed it with the mono send and then return on the stereo left and right returns. I have also used a Carl Martin stereo chorus pedal in the same way with great results. Tube pre and power sections, solid state rectifier. Tons of power. Most of the other features have been amply covered. Oh, it is surprisingly heavy. It looks rather sleek and the weight can surprise you. I also own a GA-15 and this is way heavier.

It is surprisingly versatile. I saw a video for the xotic effects pedals with Paul Jackson Jr. playing one and was surprised enough by the tone on clean/jazzy stuff to go check one out. I knew it could do rock and blues but it is surprisingly good clean. I use it with a variety of guitars and it is not terribly picky about pickup types and seems to get along with most pedals quite well. I picked up some NOS Tesla 12AX7's and EL84's and strongly recommend playing with tubes. JJ's sound good but these made me realize the amp was even better than I thought. I did stick a pair of early 70's Mullard EL84's in it. Wow. Almost $500.00 for tubes but again makes you realize how good the amp can be.

I have had no reliability issues other than a gassy tube. The UK version of these guys had some fairly serious issues, most relating to the tube sockets overheating and failing. I understand the mystique of a British amp compared to a Gibson but I have compared the two mono versions and hear no difference in sound quality and the US made ones fixed the tube socket issues. I own two versions of this and have been around a couple of other owners and the US version seems quite reliable. I wish their guitars were as consistent.

I don't like Gibson in general but I can't comment on this piece since I have had no issues.

It is no longer available but I consider it a bargain at its price point. I have a variety of amps but this, a Savage Rohr 15 and a 66 Fender Deluxe Reverb are among my favorites. This is an excellent value, especially with upgraded tubes. I like it enough that I have two versions of it. Guitars range from Grosh strats and tele styles to various archtops, serveral Hamers (great values, too) and a variety of others.

2001 Gibson stereo Class A amp. 2 12' speakers. Effects Loop(no overdrives here, only boosts volume) 2 Channels, clean and OD(both can be OD if cranked) Footswitch with channel and reverb buttons. only one tone, one reverb and one push/pull volume control. Used for small gigs, but good for large ones too. LOUD AMP!!! Holy crap its LOUD! 4 el84s 4 preamp tubes.(12ax87s?)

Here's where theres a LOT of Debate. OK LISTEN UP!!!!! LISTEN!! MY amp was set up "RIGHT" from the Factory, but apparently, the speakers were out of phase with each other. I dealt with an extremely CRAPPY, MID-RANGEY, Honky, SICK, UGLY sound for over a year and a half. I didn't even really play it that much the treble and mids were so ear piercing. I tried forever to warm it up, but I couldn't. Finally I contacted a repair company in Great Britain(smart guys, really willing to lend an ear, unlike Gibson) and they instantly suggested that I switch the speaker cables on one of the speakers. OMG! That did it. A completely new amp! Warm and round, and present. I can play my acoustic through it and it actually sounds good! It can do almost any sound now. The problem was that the speaker wires, + and - were set up wrong FROM THE FACTORY!!!! LISTEN HERE, its IMPORTANT. If you're having the same problems I did, as some reviewers here in this post apparently did, DONT chuck the amp!!!! Please try switching the speaker wires. Right now, my right speaker has the negative wire on the positive lead and the positive wire on the negative lead. It will change your world!!! I would have given this amp a 2 or 3 for sound, now it gets a 10. Its a GREAT amp!

Its a little on the weak side. The box its insanely heavy and sturdy, but the knobs and switches are REALLY delicate. I've broken my series parallel toggle switch, and the reverb pot shaft is now bent. The logo also ripped right off by a guitar cable i was picking up in front of it!! Sounds weird I know, but the cable hooked the bottom of the Gibson logo, and it completely bent it and ripped it off, beyond repair. Its only a logo, but come on! It honestly feels like its made of gold its so maleable.

Poor. They don't really listen to your questions. I told them what was going on, and they suggested I try things that I said I'd already tried, so either they didn't even read my email, or they have some kind of auto-bot trying to answer questions. Come on Gibson.

Aside from my troubles, I still give it a high score because it just sounds so dern good. I've finally won my battles and now I'll never get rid of this amp. Its awesome.

Bought new in 2003. This amp is too clean and ducky for what I wanted it for , I need more creamy gain. The only time I heard creamy gain is when I cranked it to ten with the OD pulled out and all I heard is the sound man CRY, TURN DOWN it's too LOUD. What a bummer. It sounded good in the store because it was cranked to ten, I was misinformed that the gain only rises when the volume rises. So 7 gain means 7 volume and thats about 150 decibels!!! too loud for a club, unless you want to never go back there!

Like I said, its like the mids on an EQ are full up, but I should have known better with class A, it's my own fault. If this amp had a master volume or seperate gain knob, i'd still own the 75 lb. beast. I traded it for an old Mesa Boogie, which is OK for now but I'm still looking for a replacement for the best amp of all time, Peavey Blues Classic.

NO it cut out on me during a BIGGG gig and it died, so I had to finish the gig through a stupid keyboard amp with a fuzz box. I was so pissed. This should NOT have happened for $1250 big ones.

Horrible, I waited for a month to get new Gibson tubes for this, and was told they can't get them anymore. Then they told me I messed up by having the wrong impeadence on the speakers and tried to blame me for it cutting out. When I swear the shop owner switched this switch to get more money and try to make me look stupid. I know better about impeadence switching thank you very much!

Good if you crank it to ten only and don't mind getting back pain and cramped hands before gigs from lifting the leather beast.

UK built, bought used about a year and a half ago. The guy was replacing it with Line 6, said he did a lot of teaching and needed much more variation of sounds (!). Brown with the gold metal speaker grilles - looks way cool, and I get very envious looks at the rehearsal studio, and occasional "WTF is that" type comments. Usual features as discussed here, great false-stereo reverb, push-pull boost volume control (I have the two button foot controller), and tone control. Effects loop is very very useful, (see sounds). All the controls and jacks are at the back at the bottom, which would be a bit of a pain if I ever wanted to adjust the amp mid gig, but I don't. You can plug in a separate extension cabinet, which makes stereo effects just wild (or just knock out one channel by just putting a lead into one of the speaker jacks if you needed to for any reason).

This is a very loud amp, and I didn't initially find Gibson's advice of "just turn it up to maximum and control volume from the guitar" very useful when trying to practise at home, or even rehearsal, so I used a Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal. Thought about using a THD Hotplate, but was told I'd need two because of the twin channels/speakers.BUT..I asked Gibson for help on this. At their suggestion (this was the Europe help centre in France) I bought an Ernie Ball volume pedal, put it into the effects loop, and now I can have maximum overdriven tone at controllable volumes; and I can control the tone/volume mix completely from the pedal and rolling off/on the guitar volume controls! Fantastic!! The tone is better than sex, and makes every classic rock riff sound like it was you playing on the record - I play Free, Cream, Peter Green etc covers. I use a Jum Dunlop Cry baby for some of the Cream/Hendrix stuff, but also like to leave it set at the bite for some solos, which gives fantastic controllable feedback and notes that last forever.This is the best amp I have ever played for classic rock sounds.

Great as the discovery of the volume pedal in the effects loop was, the reverb didn't like it much and seems to be stuck on maximum - I can have it on or off only at present, so I'm taking it to a tech for a repair. Nothing else has gone wrong since I've had it.

Like I said, the Gibson people were helpful and friendly, although I guess it must have been difficult for them in dealing with a product they don't make any more.

I play classic and blues rock, Les Paul Honeyburst Custom, and Les Paul 57 reissue Gold Top.Been playing for about 25 years, but very off and on. Main amps I have had before were some old Marshall half stack (years ago can't remember model) and more recently a Fender Blues Deluxe. I love this amp, and believe that it is utterly unbeatable at the price I paid for it. I would only replace it with something similar, possibly an Orange Rockerverb, which also has two Celestion Vintage speakers.I decided to look at a Super Gold Tone GA3RV to compare the two sounds, since the Super seems to have more features, including master volume and clean/dirty channel switching, and with the option of blending sounds on the two channels. But as I become more and more familiar with using my volume pedal set up, it doesn't seem so important. I don't think it looks quite as good either. I'll sell one of them to the other guitarist in the band, who has been complaining I sound too good/too loud using the Gold Tone.

I do not own this amp but I played it much in a local music store, the amp is simple you can read it in other reviews. A 9 because its very heavy

this is the amp for every thing. It sounds like you play.

No problems, only 1 time a tube got bad when I played it for a few hours in the shop but I think thats normal because everybody played that amp 24 hours a day

I thinks tis is the AMP I couldnt buy it because I dont have money and in the maenwhile its already sold

the hisses at low volume arent a big problem, its A CLASS REMEMBER ?

and a good thing what most poeple hate is the controls in the back, If I had this amp at a gig and the other guitarist coundt hear himself because I played to loud(this amp is loud = good thing) he would not found the controls so I could solo all night long ahahah

Volume, tone and reverb. Pull volume for gain channel. A footswitch to channel switch and reverb on and off. Left and right speaker outputs and a bright switch.
That's it, a stereo class A 2 x 12 combo. Not that common a combination but it works very well and is surprisngly flexible.

The best clean sound and a lovely harmonic break-up.
The reverb is amazingly good - as good as i ever encountered in either amps or sperate units.
It is great for sparkling cleans, but is very responsive if you dig in.
Got a bit of class A valve hiss, but nothing distracting. That is more marked on the gain channel, obviously, but nothing that gets in the way of strong lead sound.

Its tempting to assume this is a simple amp because of the lack of knobs and dials, but it is actually two seprate fifteen watt amps running together so it need to be well made.
This one of the Brown ones, made in England, and it is very robust.
Heavy.
Not had a problem.

not dealt with them

These went for big money when new. I paid what seems to be the going rate second hand, and at that price they are a true bargain. I have owned quality Boogie, Fender and Matchless amps and this the tone of this is as good as any of them, including the Matchless.
I like its strong retro look - and if these things matter to you it looks rather stylish in the bedroom or sitting room.
I will not be parting with mine. These amps are one of the strongest second hand buys out there for guitar players..

There are not a lot of feature on this amp. Honestly, there are NO features on it except TONE! Seriously, the tone of this amp is incredible. The chimey sounds just make you smile. I can't turn this up much past two or the sound guy goes nuts. We mic everything into a PA. The bright switch only work's well with my 335, other than that I don't use it.

The clean sounds are just beautiful, very full and satisying. I use primarily Fender's and Mesa's and bought this on a whim because the $ were right. There is a bit of Class A hiss which is expected and I seem to think the effects loop is a bit noisy when engaged which is too bad because the only other reason I bought this VS. the 15 watter was to get the effects loop. That said, the sound is incredible and the nitpick stuff goes away as soon as you start playing. One word of advice. This is a vintage style Class A amp. It takes very well to the pedals on my board which I use for overdrive etc. I also have plugged in a Boss GT-3 and that was great using the stereo outputs even though the Boss is junk to begin with. I honestly don't know how you could turn this thing up loud enough to saturate the tubes. This is the loudest amp I own, so be advised....I play strats, les paul's, 335's and a Carvin ct6m.....

I have had no problems, but time will tell.Built like a 'freakin' tank and heavier than one too. I will have to say that gibson's customer service, while very nice and attentive, didn't seem to have a handle on this beast when I called them regarding the footswitch replacment that I needed because mine didn't come with one.

I will have to say that gibson's customer service, while very nice and attentive, didn't seem to have a handle on this beast when I called them regarding the footswitch replacment that I needed because mine didn't come with one. I have had excellent luck with them on the few guitar related issued I've ever called them on.

This amp fills a need and for some reason these are being dumped on e-bay and everywhere else because a newer version is out I suppose. Not long ago, these were all the rage and Joe Perry uses them and I've seen them on many live stages....I have to say that my heavily modifed Fender amp is my go to amp, but this one has found it's way on stage more and more often. It's a VERY heavy 72 lbs and way more power than I need, but plug in a strat in the quack position and have a seat , you'll be there a while!

The GA-30RVS is a no nonsense, compact, purist tube guitar amplifier. I had heard that Class A tube amps have something special in the tone. So I started with a silverface Fender Champ a few years ago and I love it! When I found out about this amp I was keen to check it out. I wanted a 2x12 100% tube combo amp with enough power to play with a drummer that had some headroom and wasn't too heavy. This is a very versatile design because it is actually two amps in one cabinet. The controls are simple: one volume, one tone knob. Other features include a bright switch, a link jack for daisy-chaining amps together, an effects loop (serial or parallel), a 3-spring reverb tray, two external speaker outputs (one for each of the two power stages, switchable to 8 or 16 ohms impedance), a standby power switch, a two-button footswitch for gain boost and reverb. It weighs about 72 lbs.

The guitar I am favouring lately is a Tele, though I've owned a Gibson Les Paul and humbuckers sound great too. I play clean most of the time. I leave the amp's tone in the middle and adjust tone from the guitar. It is a single channel amp with a gain boost that is footswitchable. This adds just the right amount of boost for a solo. It's a stereo configuration Class A with 15 watts per side. It's just the right amount of power for any gig. For an amp with only 30 watts total power it has a lot of headroom.

This amp has never stopped working. (I play in the worship band at church - I can't afford a backup.) There was a microphonic tube when I first got it that caused a very loud noise when I switched on the gain boost and so the tubes had to be replaced. Mine is one of the later black models - made in 2003, I think. I would not have bought one of the earlier ones because of lower priced components and some quality control problems. It may be hard to get my money back if I decide to sell it because the amp seems to have a bad reputation. I think it's going to become collectable because it has been discontinued.

It's unfortunate that I have no warranty because of outdated trade laws in N America. It came to me in Canada from an eBay store in the US. We're supposed to have a Free Trade Agreement.

It would be nice to have a switch to turn off one of the 15 watt amps, to cut the power in half. One day I may look for a Gibson GA-15RV. The controls are hard to reach so I just set them and leave them. Changes in volume or tone come from my guitar. And I absolutely love the Class A tone of this amp! Others I tried, like Crate, were far too noisy. I'm a little concerned about other owners complaining about reliability but once I put new tubes in it's fine up to now. I started playing electric guitar in 1987 and I've owned a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb 40 watt combo and a Marshall 50 Watt 1x12 Silver Jubilee Combo. This amp does it for me.

There's something special about an amp that only has three knobs on it! Simply put, I can't mess up the sound on this thing. I give it an 7 of 10 in this category mainly b/c the the FX loop is a bit noisy (in addition to the Class A "hiss" the amp already has), so I never use it. Also, this amp would benefit from an "on" light. Nothing on the front (or top, or sides) lends itself to a paranoid owner. Constant concerns of "did I remember to reach around and turn it off?" plaque my mind.
As cool as it is to have such a unique, "bald-looking" amp behind me on stage, the knobs being on the bottom-rear can get a bit annoying. I used to play with the amp facing backward to give me access to the knobs, but soon realized that I never really need to touch them... Just turn it up and control everything from my guitar!!!

As I said before, I can't mess up the sound. Basically, I start with all three knobs at 12 o'clock and tweak it to fit the room. I always keep the bright switch on in live settings, but find the sound can easily get shrill in some rooms. I never bother with the footswitch, as I find this amp to be of the "set-it-and-leave-it" type. EVERY show leads to questions about my sound...particularly the amp. I suprised at the number of avid guitarist out there that don't know Gibson still produces amps!
This amp will most definitely show the nuances of your guitar!!! I use a PRS Hollowbody II. I've gotten so used to the sound that I get with this guitar, that switching to most anything else (especially solidbodies) is a totally different experience. Using the bright switch on a solid-body is WAY too thin-sounding, so I leave it off in those cases.
Many, many, many times I've had to explain to people that this amp is only a stereo 30-watt (15w per side). Preconceptions of low wattage = low volume are shatterred with this very loud and capable amp.
As someone else said, the stereo reverb most definitely "fills" the room.
It's just a great-sounding overdrive amp with plenty of low-end chunk. If you're interested in hearing me through this amp, check out the video and audio clips at www.westoffelix.com

This is where I've run into problems. My amp has simply quit on me mid-show... THREE TIMES! All my fears of stamped circuitry have been realized with this amp. The first was a melted chip on the circuit board (the smell filled the room). The second...same chip (same smell). Third, the reverb chip. I'm not an amp tech, but I get the impression the "reverb chip" is some sort of signal router to the actual reverb box. Instead of losing reverb, I lost all sound.
Also, the on/off switch snapped while the amp was in the shop for the third time. The repairman generously fixed it for free with a stainless steel switch (I guess all the business I had for him was appreciated).
Since that time, I still cringe everytime I turn it on at a show. My confidence is all but lost in this amp, but I'm starting to get more comfortable with it. I've had it over 2 years now. All the repairs came within a 2 month span, the last being about 10 months ago.
I expected to see more complaints like mine on this board, as many amp techs I've spoken to have seen these issues before in the Goldtone line.

During my 2 month rash of problems with this amp, we (myself and the amp tech) were unable to get help from ANYONE at Gibson. I hear this company is fabulous about backing their guitars, but this level of service is definitely not mirrored in their amp division. The only option I was given was to return the amp to the store from where I bought it and they'd get me a new one. Unfortunately, I bought the amp from a gibson dealer in Louisiana and have since moved far away. In addition, I have one of the early (and rare) English-built "trace elliot" models. Not wanting to trade it in for a US model, I wanted MY amp fixed. Gibson didn't seem interested in helping us with that.
On top of all this, Gibson was having trouble with one of their long-time amp guys. Their Goldtone expert had left to start his own business and Gibson just referred us to him. Upon calling him, he said he won't do warranty work (or consulation) for Gibson anymore b/c they owe him money. That's very interesting, but now I'm left with a broken amp that can't be fixed via warranty. Repair costs ultimately came out of my pocket.
I give them a 2 in this category since I was able to connect with a knowledgeable person... too bad he chose not to help.

The sound is perfect, the look is unique, however its reliablity issues urge me to consider another amp. I'm looking into an Orange AD30 combo. They get a very similar tone (minus the stereo) and have the Class A design I've grown to love. I won't be selling this amp...ever. I guess I don't have the heart to unload it's potential problems on anyone; and to sell it honestly would get me a measly $400-$500 (if I'm lucky). So, this amp will be my main amp until I can find something else. Then it will sit in the rehearsal room and/or studio where a meltdown can ruin no one's day but my own.
That said, I do not recommend buying this amp used. The amazing tone can fool you into thinking it's worth the above-average price tag. Buy one brand-new from a good local shop that will back their sale and help you if the need arises. That has always been my plan, unfortunately this purchase occurred shortly before my move to the northeast.
I urge others who have had problems like mine to share them with us ...I KNOW you're out there!

ps: You can check out my amp's sound at www.westoffelix.com, I use a modded tubescreamer a lot, so keep that in mind. Also, mind the quality of the camera audio recording in the videos.:

great effects loop to bad it pops when you engage it with a footswitch. channel switching feature is useless just consider it two modes because the volume change is too drastic. Reverb is good but not true stereo, I've heard much better reverb in other amps, but I didn't buy it bacause of reverb. Tube driven reverb would be better.

It's main feature is that it is like a stereo ac-30 or a couple ac-15. That allows you to do effect you would need two amps to create otherwise so it's a great amp for using stereo effects with.

Unlike many of the reviewers I think some more knobs would really improve this amp. I love the way it breaks up but damn I can't allways play that loud. A master volume would be the first thing I'd add, and then knobs to control the other gain stages input and output levels so you could actually use it. This amp would benifit from the pentode triode switch found on the ga-15rv. It would also be better if you could switch it to mono with only one power amp.

There is more of a 3-D soundstage to this amp than any other I've tried. It's very natural and detailed. There's more "there" there. It's like more realistic dude. No dude not the radio shack brand. Like going from black and white to color dude. Like tube television versus a plasma screen dude! Dude I'm not frickin kidding! You like gotta' check it out damn it!!!!!! Other amps sound flat or like something is missing after playing this. Class a/b not friend :(

On the down side it hums more than a class a/b amp and sometimes the tone can get over brite or has too much pressence.

I love the way it breaks up and that is why it is my main amp, but I wish it had enough versatility yo be my only amp. I hope gibson will continue and enhance this line. I hope gibson will not loss sight of the ultra smooth and transparent overdrive that is at the heart of this amp.I have heard that the usa made gibson stuff isn't as good, and won't break up as smoothly. I wouldn't be surprised since these were originally built by trace elliot and are very close to the vellocette line trace elliot used to make. These do offer better speakers than a vellocette however and if I remember the vellocette twin was only 2X10" not 2X12".

I just love these amps in spite of thier limitations because to my ear they have more harmonic content ,detail and dymamics than I hear from other amps.

I'd gig it with my goldtone ga-15rv as back up. The reverb gets screwed up in these because of how it's mounted, but it's easy to fix becuase the tank has solderless contections inside. the tube sockets can get kinda funky because the tube holder connects to all four power tubes together so if one gets a little of they all get a little off. They should each have their own retainer so that wouldn't happen. If you hear pops or squeals comming from the power amp check that the power tubes are lined up correctly. The cabinet can develop a buzz from time to time, but it's so damn loud you won't hear it.

I've only dealt with them about guitars but they were helpefull.

This is the best sounding valve amp I've ever heard but it has some faults so I can't give it a ten. I'm sure this could hold it's own againsts much more expensive amps like those by matchless ect...maybe not in construction but in tone. I have not heard a class a/b amp that even comes close. My other amps are goldtone ga-15rv, fender super six reverb, two groove tubes soul-o 45 1x12 combos, seymour duncan convertible, fender blues deville, crate vc5 and an old magnatone. This amp sounds more "alive" than any of the others. Plus it is as loud or louder than a 100 watt fender. Great amp for the discrimination player that needs to get loud sometimes. Bedroom players check out the ga-15rv. May these amp be the end of your tone quest.

This amp was made in early Februrary 2004, and shipped directly to my house from Gibson. (this was a replacement amp, as the first one was damaged in shipping. The Store {E.M. Shorts} arranged to have the replacement dropped shipped to my door, which saved about 7 days of transit time.)

I've had it for a week now, and I'm am just AMAZED by what this amp can do.

As previously documented, the amp has a very simple array of controls. Volume (pull Gain) Tone, and Reverb. The Gain/Reverb is footswitchable as is the FX look (handy) - note on the footswtiches. Gibson only shipped a single button switch, I'm working with them now on getting a two button - they (Gibson) have been very responsive to my EMail inquiries.

FX loop is switchable to Series and Paralell, depeding on what your putting in there, it will react differently, so some experimenting with this is in order.

Speaker outs that are also swtichable from 16 to 8 ohms.

The new amps feateure a dark brown tolex, a glossy coated back panel, and gold plated speaker grills. (Very Chic')
Since there are really not alot of "features" to discuss, this number
is low, but that's not a knock on the amp. just not a lot of bells and whistles. The layout of the amp itself, (Speaker outs, FX loops, etc.. all just too simple to get confused with. This amp doesn't NEED any features.

I own a LP Standard, ES137-LE, a Fender USA Strat Plus (w/Texas Specials) a Fender Custom Shop NOS Blonde '56, and a USA Tele Standard. The tones I get out of this amp with all these guitars is nothing short of perfection. The Humbukers are VERY reponsive and thick sounding. the single coils will tear your head off if you're not carefully with the bright switch and tone control.

Turning the amp up to about 10 or 11 oclock yeilds an impressive amount of volume and clean/crunchy tones. Let your fingers do the talking, and use your guitars volume control. (This is one of the most responsive amps you will ever play through.)

I've tired a other class "A" amps. (from the Create VC30, which is not a bad amp, just not in the same leauge as this, to a Tophat Club Royal) The GA30RV is just a great sounding unit.

The reverb is quite impressive, and it does "fill" the room, just as Gibson claims.

If you crank this amp up to say 3 '0Clock it's flat out the nastiest tone you could imagine, I can't imagine being in a situation where I'd need that much sound, but Good Lord does this thing RIP.

Typically, seting it around 10/11 oclock with humbuckers gives you more than you would ever need in a typical club band format. you almost have to front end it with something to offer gain tones at a managable rehersal volume. I use a Barber Burn unit, and a ToneBone Classic. There aint nothing you can't get out of that amp, and with these two pedals (when you need them) you *can* manage the volume.

Unless you play in an extreemly loud band, you'll need something
to harness this thing.

as for cutting into the mix, this is where the CLASS A tones comes in big time. This amp just doesn't get lost, no matter where you go in the room, no matter how hard your drummer is mashing his skins, or how punchy the bass player's tone is, this amps "carves out" it's own space.

There aint nothing like cutting for a solo with this thing set about half way up.. Notes just SIZZLE, feedback (the good kind) happens when ever you want it. This amp screams like a b-horror flick queen.

It's built like a tank, and it's HEAVY. Not something you'll
be carying around in one hand, with your guitar in the other unless
your hurcules.. it's about 70lbs. Can't rate reliability, but I don't see a lot of things could fail on this,, there's really not much beyond the tubes.

During the long 3 month wait for the replacement, the good folks at gibson were very eager to feed me information. The first batch of amps to be built this year were delayed due to a defect in the cabinets. so, it added a few weeks to my replacement. It was a long wait, (I ordered the first amp before thanksgiving, it arrived on February 11th.) BOth Gibson Customer Support, and the support from the Store (E.M. Shorts) was nothing but top notch.

I've been playing for over 35 years. I have three other amps (Two fenders, one marshall) if anything happened to this amp, I would replace it asap. The pure, raw tones this amp delivers is both rewarding and unforgiving, it responds to every nuance you play. The only think I think I need now, is another goldtone, anyone wanna buy a few slightly used fenders??

not a whole lot of features but this still gets high marks because you talking about the best platform to build from as far as i am concerned. it does have a footswitch that allows you to play both channels 1&2 at the same time. bright switch which is very very bright (i never use it), 6 spring reverb.

best amp i have ever played. the true class a tube tone is loud, sweet, warm & very very responsive to the smallest nuances, and playing characteristics. its like playing steel, while most other tube amps are alluminum, and modelers are foil. while i play mailny bluessy jazz stuff mostly, i am also actively involved in several bands/groups: a blues funk band, a classic rock band & a metal band. while tis amp was mainly designed to go about as hard as AC/DC, by adding the tonebone clasic pedal i can get any sound i want, and i use this amp for everything i do. poor fender reverb deluxe, vox ac30 re-issue & mesa road king gets no time anymore (i will probably be selling the road king on ebay soon for only $1300 mint).

i was asked to join the already existing metal band, and play split lead/rythym with the already existing guitarist. he has a engl powerball, and asked me to switch him amps, when i said no thanks he asked if he could play mine instead of his while we were playing.

built like a tank, and quality of construction even help to improve tone. heavy amp, not exactly mesa warship heavy, but it ain't no brian may special either. no problems yet.

i got mine throw a close friend who owns a shop. so if anything happened i would probably deal with him. i give him a ten, hes been giving me great deals for years. but i never spoke with gibson though i am sure the are reputable.

once again i say its the best amp out there. but its like raw clay, you will need to be willing to investigate to find the perfect combinations for your perfect tone. a tc electronics chorus/flange pedal, tonebone classic distortion pedal, dunlop crybaby are what i use when i wanna play dirty. but alot of the time i just play fingers, strings, guitar to amp and thats it.

ps- i have never given a ten for anything before, because anything i have ever given a review for i have never felt like its the best there is, except this. also you should always try something for yourself before buying, because i love this thing, and you may not.

good luck to everyone.

I won't go over the features, they've been covered ad nauseum...

Ok, now here is where I get to say what a great F&*kin amp this is. I mainly use Gibson archtops, les pauls and Fender strats. This amp has no problem letting each guitar sound exactly they way they should. This amp doesn't color the sound of a guitar at all! Clean headroom galore and a great nasty tube distortion that makes blues, jazz and classic rock sound just like it's supposed to. Don't let that 30W rating fool ya, this sucker is loud!!!! More then enough to gig with. The stereo separation is fantastic! Just put a stereo chorus in the stereo fx loop and forget about the rest of your day....you won't even notice the time going by. Now I have to add; forget it kids, this is a set it and forget it blues amp. Don't expect to get any high gain here. It just wasn't made for it.

Built like a tank. Should last forever treated properly

I've been playing for 34 years now. I've played all sorts of amps...from vintage to those monster gain machines. None of em ever made me as happy as this amp does. I've finally found the perfect sounding amp. There's no way I'll be without one of these again, if lost I'd replace that day.

One of the "Made in England" versions, about 5 years old. For blues and classic rock has what I was looking for. I prefer the non master volume style of amp for that cranked sound. This amp is stereo and puts out plenty of volume for the 2-15 watt amps it contains. I'm not sure if this equals 30 watts or not... there seems to be a variety of opions. What is clear is that it's quite a bit louder than a single 15 watt amp. Plenty loud for gigging.

Used with a Les Paul and a Strat. Sounds great on both. Has that million dollar clean sound, and sounds great cranked as well. I would say this thing can do anything from clean jazz to hard rock. Might not make it in the metal world. The beautiful sounds of this amp is tarnished by the rattles that come from the tubes and other areas of the amp. I replaced all of the tubes and still have tube rattle on certain notes. There is also a rattle that seems to come from the circuit board. I tried to take it apart, but it looks like I would break something in the process, so I just live with it. The tube rattle issue has plagued me with every type of tube amp including my Matchless Chieftain. A couple points off for the circuit board rattle.

Great looking from the outside, but under the hood, a little weak. Although it hasn't broke down, it looks like it could. The pots feel a little wimpy on the outside. Upon inspection, I found cheap junk pots that are mounted to the circuit board. The kind of set-up you would expect to find on an Emerson stereo system.

I'm very suprised that Gibson would agree to this type of construction. Maybe point-to-point would be too much to ask for a mass producer, but how about something like Mesa/Boogie does? As much that's been written by Les Paul owners about minute details like neck tennon length, lightweight tailpieces, bumblebee caps, correct pots, etc... didn't they think we'd notice the same thing with their amps? Gibson, read the message boards and try to learn. We do pay attention to what you do.

For 600 bucks used, I can't really expect a Matchless. But these things list for 1400 or something. Give us at least Mesa quality. If it were stolen, I would hunt down the perp and do the following: Bamboo shoot under the fingernails torture, followed by the hammer/hand crunch scene in Casino. I would then hire Lorena Bobbit to work her magic on the thief. I would follow it up with an identity theft where I would raid all existing accounts, followed by a complete credit history destruction. Although there are a few other things I would do, I'm sorry to say they are confidential at this point.

Anyway, this is a great amp for the money. If Gibson would have went the extra mile in quality, they would have a true winner on their hands.

I do not know exactly what year this amp was made, but it is the tan tolex and cloth grilled version, I believe made in the UK. I got this amp after hearing and seeing my idol Paul Jackson Jr. play and witnessing some of the most wonderful clean tones I had ever heard.

Yes, I believe this amp to be VERY versatile. I work primarily in blues, r&b, funk, soul, and contemporary jazz as an LA based professional guitarist. I find that my career requires much versatility, and this amp combined with good ears, good guitars, and good hands along with a few pedals does ANYTHING.

It is a single channel amp with a gain boost that is footswitchable, which adds a nicely natural crunch to the sound. I do not use this feature for no other reason that the amp just sounds so great without using it, and because I play primarily clean. The effects loop is really it's best feature however, with stereo returns and two sets of power tubes and two transformers (that respond very well to hand dynamics, by the way).

I don't have any complaints about the amp's features other than it's heavy and due to my busy schedule the tolex tears easy even with using a flight case. It's Class A 15 watts per side is plenty of power for any gig I do, and being the conscientious guitar player that I try to be, I keep my stage volume pretty low and bring the amp's wonderful sound through the wedges.

I use this amp with three guitars mainly, all Gibson: A Les Paul, An ES 335, and Les Paul DC Special with p90s. the other guitars have '57 classics. I only bring a strat and/or tele when they're asked for, and they seem to sound great as well although I don't prefer them. It suits my style(s) quite well and my cohorts and listeners think it to be nicely unique. I will say that being Class A this amp is HIGHLY dynamic, and one must put a lot of study into setting the amp where they deem it to be the best by itself so at the hardest one hits it, it breaks up just a smidge. The distortion is in no way brutal, so if you're looking for that buy something that one of the tattoed spikey haired fools on the cover of Guitar World are playing.

You know, I've had it for a year now and never had problem ONE with it. I will suggest buying a case for it if you can, jsut for safety's sake. It will be time for me retube soon, and I also am interested in getting another one for a true stereo setup for larger venues, possible one of the new black ones. It must be said that any amp at all needs regular service and doctor visits and must always be kept track of and taken care of nicely. All in all, this thing is built really tightly and simply and decidedly "no-frills". I think it's built like a tank, and surely is as heavy as one too.

It is unfair for me to answer, as I have a professional relationship with Gibson USA, but I can tell you that everyone I've ever met from that company is just the best, and they've been ever so gracious to me and many others.

I have been playing now for 16 years and I choose to make my living as a guitar player in the guitar player capital of the world and try to work at the highest and most demanding levels possible. Some of LA's brightest are some of my friends and the buzz for new gear is definitely always all around all of us. this amp and my use of it has definitely contributed to that and caused interest due to it's spectacular tone and look. I really don't likew how heavy it is, but whatever.... lifting an amp once or twice a day sure beats working a real job.

Ive noticed on many occaisons that when I crank nost everything on this amp it sounds pretty amazing for rock and blues, just liten to Joe's playing, right? He loves these things and this one actually used to be his.

I would suggest just going and trying it objectively and deciding for yourself whether it works for you. I was compelled to write this review because I believe that if an amp seems this "simpleton" on the surface and can work for a career as demanding as mine (sessions, touring, live television, pit orchestras, etc.), then it deserves my effort to review it well, because this amp really is my favorite I've ever owned or played.

I am reviewing the US made Black w/ Gold 30RVS. Their is a difference between the US & UK versions. The US version uses birch ply and better glues with the tolex than the UK will allow. This improvement prevents the tearing you read about with the brown ones. This amp does blues and classic rock tones perfectly. You could use this amp for jazz as well. It has one channel with a push/pull for another gain stage (footswitchable).
It has an effects loop and can be used as a power amp. I have used it with my Trademark 60 that way, sounds great. The best reverb you have ever heard is in this amp. It is made simple 1 volume knob/ 1tone knob / 1reverb knob. 1 killer tone.

I use this with Gibson gtrs equipped with humbuckers and minihumbuckers. It nails that blues/rock thang. Great for slide, very articulate. I tend to keep the bright switch off and keep the tone all the way on mellow (it can be bright). The clean is great and the clean crunch distortion is better. The manual recommends that you crank the amp and control it from the guitar, which I do. The amp cleans up well with the guitar knob. It distorts at high volumes so for praciticing in your home a pedal for gain will appreciated by neighbors. I owned a Dr.Z route 66 which I sold to get this amp, no regrets. The gibson has a birch cab, reverb, & vintage 30's for less than the Z head. A good value for less than boutique amp money.

Tube problems when shipped but Gibson took care of me right away. Hasn't let me down yet.

The best I have ever experienced! I talked with Scott when I was considering the amp and Shane about various other things, great guys, great service. (What's up gentlemen)

I have been playing since 15. I have a Tech 21 Trademark 60, which is a great practice amp. I am a Gibson Goldtone player period if lost/stolen I would own a goldtone again w/out hesitation.

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
Two Celestion 12" speakers
Left and right external speaker jacks
8/16 ohm external speaker impedence selector
Off/Standby/On switch
Removeable power cable

Im not sure of when this amp was made......

I use it for band practise and on live gigs...

There is only two thing that is getting on my nerws with this amp (and Im quit picky), and that is the fact that it has only one tone knob, and that the two channels dont have individual volume controls. kno

I use a Epiphone Les Paul Standard Purple Flake with Gibson 57 PAF humbuckers and a vintage Hofner jazzguitar.
The amp suits my music style just fine. I play a sort of a acid/70-heavy/prog-rock thingie, so I could use some more gain but witha a good distortion padal the problem is solved.
The clean on this amp is just fantastic, the tone is so enourmes that it makes the hairs on the back of your neck rise. But
The gain is superb to and reminds a lot of an Vox AC-30.
The reverb is fantstic.
Its just a f**king great amp.

I bought my self a Boss GE-7 Equalizer since the amp had only one tone knob and it works great, and gives me an even better tone.

It seems very solid, and weighs a ton.
But the Gibson sign is not as solid the n on my amp broke so now it says Gibsor, but who cares abouth a stupid sign.

Ive never had any problems with it this far.

I never use a back-up amp as long as this is my main amp, in fact I sold my other amp when I bought this.

Ive been plaing for 2,5 years and my gear is:
Guitars: Epiphone Les Paul Standard Purple Flake with Gibson 57 PAF Humbucers, vintage Hofner (jazzguitar), vitage Eko Studio L (acoustic steel-string guitar).
Effects: Vox V847 wah-wah, Boss GE-7 equalizer, Ibanez CF7 chorus/flanger and a Rochtron Chameleon on-line.

If it was stolen or lost, would I probably buy me a new one or a Vox AC-30 or an Orange, depends on wich I would get the best price on.

* 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.