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Monday December 4th, 2000
Joe Perrys guitar tech tests Goldtone amps
Jim Survis has been working as Joe Perrys tech since recording Aerosmiths Get A Grip (1993) album. Wrangling a slew of guitars, amps and assorted gear is no easy task and maintaining it all is a full-time job that keeps Mr. Survis extremely busy.
Gibson recently sent over samples of the new Goldtone amplifiers for a test drive by Survis and Perry , to see if they might appeal to their critical ears. Heres what Survis had to say about the amps and how they worked out in Perrys rig (Gibson also offers the Joe Perry Signature Les Paul):
"The first amp we received was a 30-watt Goldtone GA-30RVS 2x12 combo from Gibsons New York City showroom. We plugged it in and it was totally rockin - right out of the box. It was very easy to get a good sound out of it right away. There are just three knobs on it: volume, tone and reverb. The volume control also has a push/pull switch for changing between the clean and dirty channels, which share the same tone controls. Since there arent many control knobs, there isnt much to mess with, so you just crank it up and go.
"What we think the Goldtone GA-30RVS does best is that it doesnt homogenize the sound or take away the identity of the guitar youre playing and the instruments personality really seems to shine through. So, Joe can plug in any one of his many different guitars and each one maintains its distinct characteristics. With certain amplifiers, we find they tend to strip the personality of the guitar away, so whatever guitar you play, it sounds the same - it just sounds more like that amp and you cant really distinguish the characteristics of the guitar. The Goldtone amp doesnt do that. Since he got it, Joe has been using the Goldtone GA-30RVS a lot and its really working out well for both playing rhythm and lead.
"Because the GA-30RVS uses two EL84 power tubes, it reminds me of a Vox AC30. As far as the tone, its somewhat like a Vox, but with less boxy-sounding bark and a hotter preamp. Its a pretty versatile amp and the reverb sounds really good, too. It can also be run in either mono or stereo. When its used as a stereo amp, it runs at 15 watts per side. Weve run it in stereo when using stereo effects. Joes settings can really vary dramatically, depending on what kind of sound hes looking for on a particular song. Weve mostly been using the dirty channel cranked up, but we have used the clean channel for some stuff, too.
"Aside from plugging a guitar into it in and cranking it up, I havent had to do anything yet to it, as far as maintenance. Its been running great since we got it. The GA-30RVS is a fixed-bias amp, so whats nice about that is you just need to put in a set of good tubes and theres no other messing around that needs to be done. Weve mostly been using the 30-watt combo because we like it so much. But theres also a 30-watt head (GA-30RVH) and a 60-watt mono 2x12 combo (GA-60RV). The 60-watt amp has more knobs on it, since there are separate controls for each channels EQ and it uses two EL34 power tubes. I like the beauty of the little 30-watt combo because of its simplicity. Too many guys spend way too much time twisting knobs. With the Goldtone GA-30RVS, you just crank it up and go! Thats what this amp promotes - no messing around or over-analyzation.
"Gibson also makes a Super Goldtone cabinet with a four-speaker configuration that can be run in mono or stereo. The bottom part of the cabinet has two twelve-inch speakers, which are in a closed-back section, while the upper part of the cabinet has two ten-inch speakers in an open-back setting. Its a very good marriage of the two speaker configurations and its voiced really well. Ive used the preamp out from the 30-watt combo and run it into that cabinet, and the sound is awesome. Its been working out so well in the studio that theres a good chance well be using a big wall of Goldtone amps on the next Aerosmith tour."
Perry recently used his Goltone amp on the track "Back In Saddle Again" for the Jackie Chan movie Shanghai Noon.
For more information on the full range of Goldtone and Super Goldtone amps and speaker enclosures go here now. To find your nearest Goldtone amplifier dealer go here.
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