Gibson Goldtone GA-15RV Tube Amp Class A 1x12, UK Made Trace Elliot

Up for sale, a Gibson Goldtone GA-15RV Class A tube amp in near-mint condition and in perfect working order. A short-lived model, this amp is a product of Gibson's acquisition of Trace Elliot, and is a rebranded version of Trace's revered Velocette model. Made in the UK, this amp is a single channel affair driven by a pair of EL84 power tubes, with two 12AX7s in the preamp. The compact GA-15RV features the simplest of controls: Volume, Tone, and Reverb knobs and a Bright Switch. A single input jack is high impedance and allows for perfect matching to both passive and active guitar pickups. With Class A cathode bias, the GA-15RV has the widest possible signal swing before the tubes are driven to cut-off or saturation. This produces a tone that is progressively rich in harmonics and very touch-sensitive to picking dynamics.

Further features include an external speaker output which allows one to connect to an external 16 Ohm speaker cabinet for a bigger sound than the amp's 12" speaker can provide. When a plug is inserted into this jack, the 12" internal speaker is disconnected.

The amp is loaded with the original Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, and the tube complement includes a pair of Ruby EL-84 power tubes and a pair of Sovtek-branded 12AX7s in the preamp. Cosmetically, this example is exceedingly clean, with the Gibson badge fully intact, and flush seams on the edges of the brown leather-esque wrap.