Gibson GA-25 (1948)

1948 Gibson GA-25 tube amplifier just in via the open time portal we have that grants us access to New Old Stock post-war pieces like this ;)

Honestly, have you seen a cleaner example of one of the rarer Gibson combos made?! We certainly haven't. This one looks like it spent 75 years completely forgotten about in a concealed, temperature/humidity controlled environment.

All jokes aside, this is a fantastic post-war specimen of one of Gibson's mid-tier combos. With an all-octal preamp stage and powered by two 6V6 power tubes, it competes with some of the earliest Fender/K&F combos, primarily some of the early Deluxe circuits. Still, the Gibson amplifiers of this period had a distinguished look and great sound that still offer great vintage tone at a price point far below many Fender amplifiers from the 1950s. The amplifier was recently gone through for a typical service, replacing faulty electrolytic capacitors and resistors along with replacing the original two-prong cable with a ground 3-prong cord. The original Jensen speakers - a unique pairing of 8" and 12" drivers - function without issue and provide that bright, woody tonality many of these mid-century speakers are known for.

The amp puts out a friendly 15 watts of power with a nice glassy clean tone at low volumes. When pushed, the amp breaks up with a fat, chewy driven tone - a signature characteristic of an octal tube preamp. These amps are perfect for Jump Blues, Western Swing, low volume Jazz, and also excel as harmonica amps.

The dark brown leatherette covering and stitched grill cloth are in remarkable condition, and the amp even includes what appears to be at minimum a period slipcover similar to what Victoria was manufacturing during that period. The chassis is also very clean, with rare original control knobs.