Gretsch Electromatic 6157 Amplifier (1963)

This 1963 Gretsch Electromatic 1657 is one of the rarest vintage production combos to date. Built by Valco and offered via Gretsch and Supro (1605R), this 1x10 combo packs some serious tone into a small package. Using the transformer pair found in the much larger Gretsch 6162 2x10 combo, the 6157 has a robust, punchy tone with fantastic breakup.

The circuit combines a unique top-mounted preamp chassis utilizing a 12AX7, 6DR7, and 6EU7 along with a separate power amp chassis using dual 6973 power tubes and a 5U4 rectifier. With simple but effective controls and Valco's quirky "shoebox" reverb circuit, you've got a great low-powered combo that excels in a small club gig setting or in the studio.
This particular amp is in great shape and has been very well maintained over the years. It was recently fully serviced, which included a recap, 3-prong power cord, installation of a modern speaker jack connection, and a Tone Tubby San Rafael 10" speaker. It sounds like nothing else in the shop - the breakup tones are rich and thick sounding with plenty of top end bite.

It's missing the original Gretsch logo on the baffle, but otherwise has a very clean original grill cloth, tolex, handle, and chassis faceplate. These very rarely come to market due to their low production numbers, so if you've been on the hunt for one, now's your chance!