Gibson back in the amp business

[MAJackson]

Two new amps from Gibson - Falcon 5 and Falcon 20. Made in Petaluma, California by the MESA/Boogie team.

[callouscallus]

Nice! It's be cool if they did the Ga20

[Gitfiddler]

Gibson dipped their toe into selling amps back in 2008 with the GA5 Reissue. In truth however, that little fire breathing 5 watt amp was built by MojoTone and sold by Gibson. The limited run of tolex covered amps sold very well and they also made 250 of them with blue-tinted plexiglass.




This latest move by Gibson appears to be a more serious re-entry into selling their own branded amps. With so many boutique tube builders and digital/solid state amps on the market, it remains to be seen how these new Falcon tube amps will sell.

[omphalopsychos]

Interesting choice since amps were never Gibson's strength. Seems like Mesa Boogie is making these. IMO if that's the case, then they'll be way better than the originals.

Gibson amps have great circuits, but most of their amps in the late 40s and 50s would have benefitted from better made cabinets and higher rated speakers.

[omphalopsychos]

Nice! It's be cool if they did the Ga20

Dunno if you missed it but one of these IS the GA 20 (60s generation).

[Litterick]

The Falcons are new MESA/Boogie amps with old Gibson styling. The copy gives it away:

It pays homage to Gibson’s legendary past as one of the world’s first manufacturers of electric guitar amplifiers. While inspired by the iconic Gibson Skylark amps from the 1950s and 1960s, this all-new design from renowned amp pioneer Randall Smith and the MESA/Boogie Design Team is handcrafted in Petaluma, California, and delivers vintage tone, reimagined and sets a new bar in tiny amp tone.

Gibson bought MESA/Boogie, very much a going concern as a manufacturer of modern amplifiers. Gibson does not do modern any more — it is a retro brand, which manufactures variations of guitar types introduced in the 1950s (as well as the Theodore, a new guitar based on an old idea). MESA/Boogie continues to make modern kit, while Gibson wallows in its past.

[icr]

Gibson was in innovator in guitar amplification and made the best amplifiers before anyone else. In fact, Leo had not yet met Doc Kauffman when Gibson was already the king of the ampifier hill. Jim Marshall was just out of grade school, hadn't even started drumming yet.

[omphalopsychos]

ICR you are correct. I should correct my statement that amps were never Gibson's strength. They were very successful and the premier amp builder until they were surpassed by competition. By the 60s (the era that this mesa amp is attempting to recreate) Gibson was no longer the amp king. I do think the cabinets are the limiting factors of Gibson amps going all the way back though. My old GA 25 felt like cardboard. Great circuit but felt severely limited.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Gibson does not do modern any more — it is a retro brand, which manufactures variations of guitar types introduced in the 1950s (as well as the Theodore, a new guitar based on an old idea).

Hmmm... <google>Gibson Theodore</google>

[Litterick]

A long history of outsourcing:

'The first Gibson amplifiers were built in Chicago by Lyon & Healy Company and were sold as companions to the early electric Hawaiian guitars. Later Gibson amplifiers were constructed in their Kalamazoo plant in Michigan, featuring all tube (valve) construction, as was the technology of the day.'

'Post WWII – War-time restrictions of components and hardware forced Gibson to halt manufacturing of electric guitars and amplifiers during World War II. Gibson began production again in 1946, employing Chicago-based electronic design company Barnes & Reinecke to design a new amplifier line.'

[Brian859]

I was really impressed by the second video. Checked the price.

[st.bede]

I heard him say class a.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Well, Fender's hand-wired '57 Champ goes for $USD 1,200, with a 8" speaker, and that's been out since 2009.

[zephyrregent]

Too bad it's impossible to tell what they sound like, there's too much distortion and effects. I wonder what they would sound like for jazz? Will watch for the inevitable Youtube video.

[Gitfiddler]

Too bad it's impossible to tell what they sound like, there's too much distortion and effects. I wonder what they would sound like for jazz? Will watch for the inevitable Youtube video.

There's a tiny bit of clean playing in the embedded link.

Gibson | Falcon 5 1x10 Combo

[zephyrregent]

Thanks, but I couldn't find the clean demo. There is one point when he says something about clean but it all sounds distorted to me. All the YouTube videos I could find are this way. Seems it is marketed to people who like distortion, reverb and effects.

[Litterick]

Grace Bowers plays it clean:

[ruger9]

Nice! It's be cool if they did the Ga20

GA-50 please!! With the "suitcase"!

[ruger9]

BTW, these say "hand wired" on the chassis... if they really are, those prices are incredible. (the Fender reissues are mostly NOT).

[John A.]

Gibson’s history of ancquiring other prominent companies has often ended badly for those companies (e.g., Moog/Lab Series, Trace Elliot, Opcode, etc.). Let’s hope this time it’s different.

[Gitterbug]

Wow! I've last seen a Gibson amp in action in 1962. At least these new ones house excellent speakers, 10" and 12" Jensen Blackbird AlNiCos, with 40W power handling.

[floatingpickup]

I think the larger one looks like a really nice amp. It all depends on how well it will produce a clean sound with an archtop though.
Keith

[DawgBone]

ICR you are correct. I should correct my statement that amps were never Gibson's strength. They were very successful and the premier amp builder until they were surpassed by competition. By the 60s (the era that this mesa amp is attempting to recreate) Gibson was no longer the amp king. I do think the cabinets are the limiting factors of Gibson amps going all the way back though. My old GA 25 felt like cardboard. Great circuit but felt severely limited.

They are definitely not Fender tough. Leo really beat them soundly in the tour ready ruggedness department. The chassis on mine is also pretty thin steel and a real headache to get in and out of the cabinet. You have to blindly put your finger in there to keep the nut from turning while you unscrew it from the cab.

I think a bunch of the circuits were Seth Lover designed. Mine sounds really good. I can't really get a clean sound out of it so I wouldn't expect a jazzer to like it very much. Listening to some of the Charlie Christian recordings though, his tone isn't really that clean either, at least to my ears.

[icr]

Most all amps are hand wired. I don't see any robots doing the wiring at fender in 2015 in this picture. Does any one know of any robot wired amps?

[John A.]

Most all amps are hand wired. I don't see any robots doing the wiring at fender in 2015 in this picture. Does any one know of any robot wired amps?

When people talk about hand-wired vs machine-made amps, they're usually talking about amps that use P-t-P or turret boards assembled fully manually vs amps that have PCB's for the main circuitry. There's always at least some degree of hand assembly, wiring, and component installation with a PCB amp (though I guess some people might not realize that).