Gibson EH-150 Model Tube Guitar Amplifier, c. 1938, made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 6487, tweed finish.
A very fine example of the world's first great guitar amplifier, Gibson's EH-150. This is the ca. 1938 variant, built into a slightly arched cabinet with rounded off upper corners. The gold/brown tweed cabinet cover has orange and black vertical stripes in the center, with a black script Gibson logo in the lower right hand corner. The square lower cabinet edges have leather corners and four round hard rubber feet. The front speaker aperture is covered by a black metal grill.
The removable latched back reveals the deco-styled control panel which lays out left-right with an on/off switch, fuse, microphone volume, instruments volume, 1 mic and 2 instrument inputs a tone control switch (bass and normal) . The original field coil 12" speaker-is still in fine condition. This was the premier professional amplifier of its day, as used by Charlie Christian and a host of other 1940's greats, and is still a wonderful low-volume amp today.
Height is 15 5/8 in. (39.7 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) width, and 8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm.) deep. A fantastic original example of this seminal amp, with only minimal adaptations to our modern world-a new 3-prong cord, and some light cap work. All tubes are original, as is the speaker and practically everything else. The covering has darkened and has some scuffs, but overall is better preserved than most of these. The leather outer covering of the handle is mostly gone, and the wrapping-which is made of paper-is starting to disintegrate but the center wire structure is still fine. As nice an example as we have seen in a while of this much-requested item. Excellent Condition.
