EH-100/ Recording King Model 1022 Model Tube Amplifier, made by Gibson (1938), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, tan fabric with stenciled striping finish.
In the mid-30s the Gibson company offered professional electric players (of whom there were not yet many!) the EH-150 electric Hawaiian or Spanish amp & guitar set priced at $150. Meanwhile, in 1936, National-Dobro had already released its entry level Supro electric line and mail-order catalogs like Montgomery Ward offered beginner-grade electric sets for under $100. Gibson soon joined the competition, adding a tone control to its lower-priced instrument, the EH-100 guitar, making the EH-100 set comparable to the EH-150 sets from earlier (neither of the initial amplifiers had volume or tone controls). Gibson not only changed the EH-100 amplifier's look annually, but the engineering department was continually upgrading the circuitry.
Soon after, Gibson, too, started selling electric sets under several different brand lesser names including Kalamazoo, Mastertone and Recording King, which was exclusive to Montgomery Ward. This particular EH-100-style amplifier was sold by the latter, accompanying both the top-of-the-line Roy Smeck lap steel and electric Spanish guitar. The amplifier is listed in Ward's catalogs as model #1022 and features Gibson's classic "aeroplane cloth" covering in a unique livery with stripes running horizontally accenting the light colored fabric.
Unlike their more expensive Gibson-branded sibling, these lower-budget amps lacked deluxe touches like a snap on back cover, front logo and even the graphic dial indicator around the volume control. This version of the EH-100 circuit features a single on/off volume control, three inputs for two instruments and a mic and a pair of 6V6 power tubes yielding around 10-12 watts into a single 12" field coil speaker.
Height is 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) width, and 8 in. (20.3 cm.) deep.
Externally this particular amp is stunningly well-preserved for being nearly 85 years old. The fragile airline-style covering is virtually unscathed with only minimal wear and some scuffing around the lower edges and corners. The black metal grille cover is very clean with no dents and even the original handle has wear but still has plenty of life left in it!
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. It had seen a fair amount of minor circuitry modifications probably best described as "amateur tinkering", which nearly all of it had to be removed and the circuit restored to its original design. The amp still retains the original transformers and field coil speaker, which has been professionally reconed and the amp sounds phenomenal. It has seen our standard servicing and maintenance otherwise, including replacement of all electrolytic caps, cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks, a grounded 3-prong power cord and biased to spec.
This is an obscure but very cool piece, a truly excellent sounding and fairly rare amp to find today, especially considering its stellar condition. Excellent Condition.
