# 1957 Gibson GA6



## Budd (Mar 4, 2014)

I have 57 Gibby amp, has been rewired point to point . Sounds dark on its own but not bad with a pedal in front . I suppose this is why harp players like them . I'd like to use it for small gigs , or as backup . Anybody have a suggestion ? I'd rather not carry the pedal board all the time , but !! 
Budd


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

Just off the top of my head....would a different speaker help perhaps? If it's the original speaker in there, it might not do the best job of reproducing all available frequencies. I love vintage Jensens but find they can sound too "soft" sometimes. The other obvious fix is to use a different value cap off the single Tone control. I've experimented with this on Champs and it makes a big difference, especially at lower volumes, IME.


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## Brett Pearson (Apr 26, 2016)

This amp uses rather large (.05) coupling caps in the signal path and these will certainly give a darker/bassier tone. Swapping them out for smaller .02 or .01 caps would brighten up the amp. I would just do the input tube caps first and see if that does the trick. If you need a bit more then you could change the .05 caps that feed the power tubes to .02 as well.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

If it has a microphone input use that for your guitar.


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## Budd (Mar 4, 2014)

Thanks Stevie & Brett, Sneaky , I know very little about electronics ( I'm an old retired electrician ! ) Back in my day electronics were a whole separate field , & today it's part of electrician training. When I say old electrician , the emphasis is on old ( 73 ) yrs , but still playin! 
I put a new P12R Jensen in the amp just prior to upgrade , but they break up fast , as does the amp . So built a cab with vintage 30 celestion . This sounds super but as I said dark , & due to the shape of the Gibby cab , plus not being able to sell it , I cut the cab in half & it's now a 14 watt head ! ( you may cringe @ that ) . It's so loud I can use it as backup for my Orange th30 ! 
I may get my tech buddy to replace the caps you've mentioned , but he kept all components true to original values to achieve the vintage sound . I put a blues driver in front with hardly any gain , but more highs & its goin to have to do for now ! Thanks for all info guys ! If any changes are made I'll post updates ! The old guy. Budd


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## Budd (Mar 4, 2014)

Back with news re: 57 Gibby, I cosidered changing caps , but reconsidered , as it used to sound great with a blues driver in front. This wk has been amplifier hell ! The Gibby has died ! One 6v6 is cold & even with a new one in nothing ! 
I went back to my old Bogen CHB 35 watt PA amp to see if it could be a backup amp , now it's gone south ! The Orange Th30 has to go to Amplifers Plus to find out what's up with the effects loop ! When using the loop I get no sound ! but with the pedals in a chain all is ok , except for sound . In the loop the pedals have a lot more clarity ! 
Both Gibby & Bogen made some unpleasant noise before given up , they would work great for a few seconds & then to a low distorted noise . I've tried my box of used tubes just to find out if it was a tube , but nada ! 
Ideally the Bogen would replace the Orange wattage wise & even the Gibby if mic'd ! 
Looks like all three have to go to the techy dude , but we are gettin busy & I need an amp ! 
Our bass player has a 59 fender bassman reissue , so I'll likely use it 
I guess it could be caps , plate resistors , or a tube . The old sockets are maybe part of the problem as well ! Maybe just a solder joint ?
I'm not gonna mess with either of them , except to spend $ , which I don't have a lot of ! But the show must go on 
Gotta keep playin The old guy. Budd


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## Brett Pearson (Apr 26, 2016)

Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with the amps Budd. Hopefully it's something simple that won't end up costing you too much. One thing I forgot to mention regarding the dark tone of the Gibson is that a lot of times I will just add a bright cap on the volume control of an amp to add a bit of brightness, sparkle and punch to the tone. I keep the value low, around 100 pico farad so that it doesn't sound too bright but it adds a really nice dimension to the sound and might just be enough to solve your issue...once you have the amp working again. Its just a small cap soldered across the two ungrounded tabs on the volume pot, very simple and easily removed if you don't like it. You can use any value of cap depending on your taste but I wouldn't go much higher than 250 pico farad or it may get 'ice picky' and harsh sounding.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Probably tech time unless you're comfortable getting in there and looking at the heater circuit to start with. Hey, maybe you'll kill two birds with one stone. If the 6V6's are original that might be why it sounds so bad. They may be completely toast emission-wise.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Another easy solution, once it's up and running of course, would be to velcro an equalizer pedal to the inside of the head and stock up on 9V batteries.

Those old Gibson amps were known for being very dark. That is why they are not nearly as sought after as old Fenders


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## Budd (Mar 4, 2014)

The Orange TH 30 has gone south twice now & is in Montreal ( warranty ? I hope )'
I've modded the Bogen 35! & kicks ass ( it's now a fender tweed ) Amplifiers plus in Kitchener did the mod 
When the Orange come back I may deal . It's a head &'cab like new . Haven't played it much , it's always in repair !! 
The Bogen goes through a 65 celestial ( hard to beat other than only a tone &'volume , but a tubemeister pedal certainly helps . Have used it for the lastn3 gigs . I think I mentioned I'm 74 yrs old but gotta play , rock, blues etc ! I play a PRS , my home made telle with broadcaster in bridge & a gift of a Yamaha 120S. It has turned out to be a great guitar .
You can never have too many !! The old guy Thank for letting me on the site , I will returne 

I


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## Budd (Mar 4, 2014)

PS the old Gibby is a super harp amp


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

How about a parametric EQ? I've been playing around with my Boss PQ-3B, and it's been pretty amazing. 

I think that since it's a bass eq, it really helps control the bass in guitar amps.


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