Gibson Crest GA-20 1x10 Combo 1961, Tweed

The late 50s into the early 60s was a fantastic era for Gibson amplifiers. Many of these amps can rival or exceed the sound quality of comparable Tweed Fenders, and at a fraction of the price. This particular amp is a great example—the Gibson "Crest" is one of several similar configurations of the dual 6V6 layout, labeled as a GA-20 or GA-18. The amp shows signs of prolonged storage, and the tweed on the upper back panel has been stripped.

Despite the wear, it has held up very well. Internally, the power cord has been replaced, along with the electrolytic caps. The coupling caps have all been swapped for modern TAD "Mustard" types, as the original yellow Astrons are notorious for leaking DC. Otherwise, it has retained most of its original resistors and sounds excellent! This amp has a lot of gain when pushed and sounds great through the replacement speaker—an old JBL 10" that has been re-coned.

The cabinet construction on older Gibsons can sometimes lead to a bit of cabinet rattle, but thankfully, this isn't audible in front of the speaker where a microphone would be placed.