Gibson GA-6 Lancer Tube Amplifier (1959)
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Item # 11576
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Gibson GA-6 Lancer Model Tube Amplifier (1959), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, lacquered tweed finish.
This fairly rare Gibson GA-6 Lancer is in a spectacularly preserved, close to near-mint state with minimal signs of use and remains beautifully original. In the middle years of the 1950s the GA-6 was Gibson's mid-line amplifier offering, intended to directly compete with the classic wide panel 5C3 Fender Deluxe, which in fact, the circuit of the GA-6 resembles quite a bit. The GA-6 has long been referred to as the "poor man's tweed Deluxe", although at the time it was not actually any less expensive!
Around the turn of the decade, Gibson revamped their line-up cosmetics to more closely resemble the slender and boxy look of "narrow-panel" tweed amps made by Fender, who had risen to become the industry-leading amp manufacturer by the late 50s. As sales numbers were unfortunately dwindling, Gibson soon moved on to continue competing with their own front-facing panel design by 1962-63. This short-lived 'tweed-era' of Gibson's bore some of our favorite amplifiers, both in sound and in design, offering 'tweed' tone in a really well-made package.
The GA-6 circuit followed the competitor's 5E3 Deluxe rather closely, both in layout (though reversed visually) and in tone, albeit slightly darker and somewhat more saturated when really pushed. The GA-6 Lancer sports two channels, each with two inputs, a volume control and a shared master tone control. Two cathode-biased 6V6 output tubes running in push-pull put out roughly 15 watts into a single Jensen 12" speaker.
Height is 16 in. (40.6 cm.), 20 in. (50.8 cm.) width, and 9 in. (22.9 cm.) in depth at deepest point.
Cosmetically, this GA-6 is truly stellar. The lacquered tweed covering is beautifully preserved showing only VERY minor signs of wear; just a handful of scuffs and dents towards the lower corners and edges. The oxblood grille cloth is in impeccable condition, taut and with no notable tearing or fraying. The plastic Gibson logo is fully intact as well. The faceplate is mirror clean and retains all the stenciled lettering and no visible scratches or wear. The original handle is still in great shape, sporting the Gibson logo over a piece of tweed encased in acrylic.
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. The original Jensen P12R, marked 220-913 (dating to the 13th week of 1959) is in fantastic shape. Both power and output transformers are original to the amp and marked GA-23P and Z-3560/220-916, respectively, with the latter dating to the 16th week of 1959. The Centralab pots all date to the 30th week of 1959. The amp has received typical maintenance to ensure reliable and safe operation for years to come, including the replacement of all electrolytic capacitors and any coupling capacitors that are too far degraded. All sockets, pots and jacks have been cleaned and the power tubes have been biased to spec. The amp also has been outfitted with a 3-prong grounded power cord.
A relatively powerful and rich sounding Gibson amp for its size, the GA-6 is one of Kalamazoo's best offerings from this period. It makes a great recording amp with a sonic kinship to the Fender Deluxe with the highest frequencies smoothed out a bit, sweet and warm with gorgeous musical distortion when pushed. This is one of the nicest preserved late 1950's Gibson amps we have ever had. Excellent Condition.
This fairly rare Gibson GA-6 Lancer is in a spectacularly preserved, close to near-mint state with minimal signs of use and remains beautifully original. In the middle years of the 1950s the GA-6 was Gibson's mid-line amplifier offering, intended to directly compete with the classic wide panel 5C3 Fender Deluxe, which in fact, the circuit of the GA-6 resembles quite a bit. The GA-6 has long been referred to as the "poor man's tweed Deluxe", although at the time it was not actually any less expensive!
Around the turn of the decade, Gibson revamped their line-up cosmetics to more closely resemble the slender and boxy look of "narrow-panel" tweed amps made by Fender, who had risen to become the industry-leading amp manufacturer by the late 50s. As sales numbers were unfortunately dwindling, Gibson soon moved on to continue competing with their own front-facing panel design by 1962-63. This short-lived 'tweed-era' of Gibson's bore some of our favorite amplifiers, both in sound and in design, offering 'tweed' tone in a really well-made package.
The GA-6 circuit followed the competitor's 5E3 Deluxe rather closely, both in layout (though reversed visually) and in tone, albeit slightly darker and somewhat more saturated when really pushed. The GA-6 Lancer sports two channels, each with two inputs, a volume control and a shared master tone control. Two cathode-biased 6V6 output tubes running in push-pull put out roughly 15 watts into a single Jensen 12" speaker.
Height is 16 in. (40.6 cm.), 20 in. (50.8 cm.) width, and 9 in. (22.9 cm.) in depth at deepest point.
Cosmetically, this GA-6 is truly stellar. The lacquered tweed covering is beautifully preserved showing only VERY minor signs of wear; just a handful of scuffs and dents towards the lower corners and edges. The oxblood grille cloth is in impeccable condition, taut and with no notable tearing or fraying. The plastic Gibson logo is fully intact as well. The faceplate is mirror clean and retains all the stenciled lettering and no visible scratches or wear. The original handle is still in great shape, sporting the Gibson logo over a piece of tweed encased in acrylic.
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. The original Jensen P12R, marked 220-913 (dating to the 13th week of 1959) is in fantastic shape. Both power and output transformers are original to the amp and marked GA-23P and Z-3560/220-916, respectively, with the latter dating to the 16th week of 1959. The Centralab pots all date to the 30th week of 1959. The amp has received typical maintenance to ensure reliable and safe operation for years to come, including the replacement of all electrolytic capacitors and any coupling capacitors that are too far degraded. All sockets, pots and jacks have been cleaned and the power tubes have been biased to spec. The amp also has been outfitted with a 3-prong grounded power cord.
A relatively powerful and rich sounding Gibson amp for its size, the GA-6 is one of Kalamazoo's best offerings from this period. It makes a great recording amp with a sonic kinship to the Fender Deluxe with the highest frequencies smoothed out a bit, sweet and warm with gorgeous musical distortion when pushed. This is one of the nicest preserved late 1950's Gibson amps we have ever had. Excellent Condition.