Gretsch made by Valco 1956 Blue

This amp looks and sounds amazing.

1956 Gretsch Guitar Combo Amp. This is a rare Gretsch by Valco amp that is believed to be the Supro Spectator schematic. I bought the amp from a studio owner who bought it in this pristine condition and kept it in his professional purpose built recording studio for the past 20 years.

I could not find a model number on this amp. It looks a lot like the Electromatic Artist from the mid 50's but has a different tube configuration.  Consensus from a panel of Gretsch fanatics on the Gretsch-Talk forum determined that this amp is a mid-50's Gretsch manufactured by Valco amp that looks exactly like the Supro Spectator schematic.

I estimate the amp to be approximately 5 watts driven by a single vintage Sylvania 6SL7GT preamp tube, RCA 6V6GT power tube and GE 5Y3 rectifier tube. All tubes tested above spec for strength, shorts and gas/grid leakage.

The speaker is an 8" Rola that dates to January 1956. Both transformers are Magnetic Components brand and date to October 1955.

This amp is in incredible condition, not just for a 65 year old amp, but for any amp. Please review all the photos and/or ask for additional photos to verify anything that you want to see.  There are only a handful of small rust spots on the chassis which is incredible.

Amp has been fully serviced including a recap of the power supply and other capacitors. Only the cathode bias resistor was out of spec and was changed. All other original Allen Bradley carbon resistors remain. Grounded power cord installed. Amp was biased and is dead quiet at idle.

The amp sounds fantastic. Super clean when played with single coils in all three inputs, a nice breakup in the two guitar inputs when played with humbuckers and a classic crunch from the microphone input when driven by humbuckers.

The amp sounds best and is designed to be played with the volume dimed and the tone control set to taste. Everything else should be controlled from your guitar.

I'm not ready to call this amp collector grade because that to me means perfect.  Many sellers would call this collector grade. Make your own decision and please independently verify everything.

PLEASE READ THE “ABOUT” SECTION OF MY REVERB STORE BEFORE MAKING A PURCHASE. I EXPLAIN HOW DAMAGE CLAIMS ARE HANDLED. WHILE THE VAST MAJORITY OF GUITARS AND AMPS ARRIVE IN THE EXACT CONDITION AS THE LISTING PHOTOS AND DESCRIPTION , THE SHIPPER CAN SOMETIMES DAMAGE AN ITEM WITHOUT DAMAGING THE PACKAGING. I BUY REVERB SAFE SHIPPING (AT MY EXPENSE) ON EVERY GUITAR OR AMP I SELL. THIS PROTECTS BOTH OF US!
INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SHIPPING PRICE LISTED IS A PLACEHOLDER AMOUNT. IF IT IS LESS THAN THE AMOUNT, I WILL REFUND YOU THE DIFFERENCE. IF IT IS MORE, I WILL SHARE THE DETAILS WITH YOU AND GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO AGREE TO THE AMOUNT OR CANCEL THE ORDER.