Gretsch 6165 Variety Plus

not sure when it was made. it was made by VALCO/SUPRO for Gretsch and I assume it is from the early 60's
two channels reverb and vibrato (not tremolo) no chan switch or overdrive just plug and play. The amp has 2 - 6L6's and is loud enough fo the the stuff I do. and has the feature I like GREAT SOUND!! one channel sounds very dull but the 'normal' chan is great and has the reverb and vibrato on that chan so it is way ok

amp sounds like a ventures record. it nails the early fender ampeg sound. the reverb is as good as I have ever had .. I like it way better than fender.. and as good as a good ampeg.. amp is clear and clean and has very complex harmonics and is just plain FUN to play.. I have yet to use any stomp boxes with it ( and i own a lot of them)
been using a Les Paul std and a tele sounds great with both.. bit more guts with the LP but I LOOOOVE it with the tele.. the old Jensens are still going and I suspect they are a big part of the sound.. amp makes a little noise..not much his but a little power supply hum/buzz... still quiet enough to record but you have to turn it up a bit for better s/n ratio... hum same at all volume levels.. hiss not a problem...

I would not gig with this one without a spare.. not had it that long and it was not running when I got it ..this one has had long hard use with a friends band ..so I am not confident in it to take out alone until I get to know it a bit better.

JEFF BAKOS IN ATLANTA .. best support a tube amp ever had

I would give this particular amp a 10 if it had now caps and was a bit quieter.. the VALCO stuff seemed to always make a little noise.. but the sound is great. I have been playing 41 years and still do the Les paul, strat and Marshall thing..this is not a 'rock' amp.. but it sounds soooo goood.. think james bond sound tracks and ventures..

2 channels , vibrato -reverb Ch. 1 , clear bass ch. 2 . Separate volume , bass , treble pots on each , vibe speed and intensity , reverb intensity , High/low gain toggle , standby toggle , off line / line reverse toggle . 2 X 12" Jensens C12 PS . Power tranny is not origional ( H5061-1 , 60652 ) . This has a solid state rectifier circuit .

Loud as f**k at 5 , I walk out of the room to crank it . Reverb is like a deep well . Tremelo ( vibrato ) is photo optically controlled . This amp has been modded . There is an old , yellowed business card stapled in it that says " Lord Byron " amp repair/custom construction . So I guess it was these guys that put the " Fury " in this 6165 .

They should have upgraded to concert Jensens . I go easy on those C12 PS . It would be a shame to blow them after they survived this long .

Vintage amp , you know the score .