Electric guitar tone was born on a Gibson amp. Gibson was the first major manufacturer to introduce a standard-production electric guitar in the form of the ES-150 with a “Charlie Christian” pickup, and the EH-150 amp went right alongside it. In the intervening years Gibson has often been seen as an underdog in the amp world, even while the company’s guitars were king of the hill, but that perception is rapidly changing. Simultaneous to players and collectors coming to appreciate the soulful tone of classic vintage Gibson tube amps such as the GA-40T of the late 1950s, Gibson Pro Audio is today reclaiming its place with the new Handbuilt Series of vintage-voiced, all-tube guitar amplifiers. These are amps built with the tone of yesterday, but with added features and functions required by hard-gigging players of today.
I was excited to hear that Gibson was making hand-built amps once again, and even more excited when a box containing one of them—the new flagship GA-42RVT—landed on my doorstep last week. This is one giant leap for ampkind, as far as Gibson is concerned, and goes a long way toward reclaiming the maker’s golden years. The GA-20RVT that established the line had already set a precedent for boutique-style tube tone at Gibson, and now the GA-42RVT takes it to a bigger stage, in an equally sumptuous two-toned package ready to hit the larger clubs and halls that require a 2x12” configuration and 30+ tube watts to fill. It’s a classic format, with few bells and whistles to clog the signal path and suck your tone. More than enough—most great players will tell you—for a dynamic, full-voiced performance, without the superfluous gimmicks that just get in the way.
Channel 1 provides Volume, Bass, and Treble controls and a gainy, aggressive response, while Channel 2 is voiced differently, with Volume, Bass, Middle, and Treble controls, and has a little more headroom. Unlike the GA-20RVT, both channels on this amp (and its 1x12” sibling the GA-40RVT) run through the onboard reverb and tremolo effects, both of which are entirely tube-driven just like in the good old days. You can use your own A/B/Y selector footswitch to choose between channels or combine the two, or—and this is a simple but cool feature—plug into the Blend input and mix both channels together to taste.
Five 12AX7 dual-triode tubes perform preamp, effects, and phase inverter duties, while two 6L6GC output tubes, cathode biased (nominally class A), provide the 30+ watt output. Along with the 4 ohm, 8 ohm, and 16 ohm speaker outs, and a jack for the effects footswitch (included), the back panel carries a Pentode/Triode switch that reconfigures the amp’s output stage between full and half power. Pentode gives you the full 30+ watts and maximum volume and headroom. For recording, smaller gigs, or just to push the output section into overdrive a little earlier, switching to Triode cuts the power approximately in half, decreasing volume levels and the onset of breakup, and warming up the tone somewhat in the process. This isn’t a “master volume” or attenuator of any kind, but a means of actually reconfigurating the operation of the 6L6 output tubes, forcing them into faux-triode mode, which yields a less efficient but juicy performance that some players really dig. It’s a simple function, but gives this powerful amp a lot more versatility. Inside, it’s all hand-wired on a rugged turret board with quality components, and assembled in the USA just like in the glory days of tube amplification.
Plugged in and switched on—played with a Gibson 1954 Les Paul VOS and a Tom Anderson Hollow T Classic for testing—the GA-42RVT elicited surprisingly bold, punchy tones, and a lot more sonic flexibility than its simple layout might imply. First off, if your references go back to the days of arena rock, where the 100-watt stack ruled the stage, and “mere 50-watters” were considered kids’ amps, this new Gibson combo will force you to reassess your standards. In full Pentode mode this is a loud 30 watts, believe me. It makes for round, clean tones up to volumes beyond what the live room in my project studio is usually accustomed to, and pushed to breakup it’s positively roaring. (No problem, that’s what Triode is for … but more of that later.) Channel 1 has a balanced, snappy American tone that’s twangy down low, but stinging and hot when you get up past 12 o’clock or so. Channel 2 puts me in mind more of slightly scooped, muscular British stacks of the late 1960s and early ’70s, with gutsy lows and velvety highs, and a tone that’s thumping and bold in the clean zone, and crunchy and mean when cranked up. At full power, with channels used individually or blended to taste, I can see this amp excelling in clubs of 150 capacity or more, or of course filling any stage or hall with confidence in a miked-up situation.
Switching to Triode mode does mellow the sound somewhat, eliciting a warmer, slightly “browner” tone alongside the advertised cut in output. But this works great for plenty of styles, and to bring back the cut and twang you just need to adjust your EQs accordingly. This is the setting a lot of players will turn to for crunchy rhythm or wailing lead tones when recording, or to achieve anything other than pristine clean voices for pub or small-club gigs. With the two efficient Eminence Legend 12” speakers, Triode mode can still pump a lot of air, but the GA-42RVT achieves its bite and touch sensitivity at far more ear-friendly levels, and this makes the feature a real boon.
For many years players sought out great vintage amps of the late 1950s, ’60s, and early ’70s for their all-tube effects almost as much as for their tonal purity, and the GA-42RVT delights in this realm, too, with two lush, hypnotic, old-school effects. The reverb has great depth and breadth, but avoids washing out the tone badly at higher settings. The tremolo runs from subtle wobble to deep, chopping pulse without ticking and clicking, and will quickly remind you how addictive this simple vintage effect can be.
Between the two individual but blendable channels, effects that can be accessed on both, and the Pentode/Triode switch, the GA-42RVT is a lot of amp. Throw in a quality overdrive or distortion pedal of your choice, for instant lead leaps, and it’s all many players would ever need.
Dave Hunter tries out Gibson's GA-42RVT amplifier in these sound clips:
1. GA42 Ch2 Trem/Verb: Ch2 set clean at 10 o'clock, pentode output setting, heavy reverb and tremolo
2. GA42 Dirty Twang: Ch1, vol 10 o'clock, pentode output setting, light reverb
3. GA42 Crunch: Mix input, both channel volumes set to around 11 o'clock, triode output setting, no reverb
4. GA42 Blues Lead: Mix input, both channel volumes around 1 o'clock, pentode output setting, light reverb
Spec Check
• 30W Class A Pentode Mode, 15W Class A Triode Mode
• 5x12AX7, 2x6L6GC
• Hand Built
• 2 channels plus mix input
• Tube Reverb
• Tube Tremolo
• Pentode/Triode Switch
• Two 12” Eminence Legend Speakers (each 8 ohms, in series for 16 ohms)
• Metal Film Resistors
• DC Powered Filaments
• Hand-Wired Turret Board
• Two-Tone Vintage Brown and Tan Tolex
• 4 ohm, 8 ohm, and 16 ohm speaker outputs