Gibson GA-8 Discoverer Model Tube Amplifier (1961), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 116101, off-white tolex finish.

This funky little Gibson amp from the dawn of the 1960s is a fairly simple design but in retrospect one of the company's best and most interesting period offerings. It is labeled "Discoverer", a name introduced in 1960; it was the space age after all! There is even a little rendering of the Discoverer satellite on the faceplate. While still using the old 1950s GA-8 model designation, it is actually a new design for the new decade. While a fairly compact 10 watt combo this Discoverer delivers more kick for the wattage than many similar small amps.

The cabinet is covered in textured cream Tolex, an unusual feature for this model. The faceplate has two inputs and controls for volume and tone. The amp puts out about 10 watts with a great breakup curve. Even the handle is extra cool, with a clear plastic center featuring an embedded "Gibson" logo. This was fairly successful for Gibson with 967 shipped in 1961; they seem fairly rare now however, as the model was not in production for that long. The list price for this amp was $95.00 in September 1961, that seems like a bargain even by period standards! In today's lower volume world this makes an excellent recording or even stage amp for lower powered gigging situations.

Height is 18 in. (45.7 cm.), 22 in. (55.9 cm.) width, and 10 in. (25.4 cm.) deep.

Overall this amp shows some general wear and tear but no heavy abuse or alterations. The light-colored Tolex shows general effects of aging and has minor wear and scuffing around the edges, including a couple small tears. There is also some scuffing and moderate amounts of pitting and corrosion on the faceplate, but nearly all the stenciled graphics remain intact. The fragile raised plastic Gibson nameplate on the grille is present in its entirety and the amp retains the original handle as well.

Electrically, the amp is nicely original: the original 12" Jensen speaker bearing the coded 220-116, dating to the 16th week of 1961. The speaker still has the original cone and sounds great. Both the power and output transformers are original and marked GA-23P and 549-6033, respectively, the latter dating to the 33rd week of 1960. The amp has seen our typical maintenance and servicing, including replacement of all electrolytic capacitors, a grounded 3-prong power cord, cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks and power tubes biased to spec.

The tube compliment consists of two 6V6 output tubes running in parallel single ended mode -- a rare output tube configuration, unique to these early non-tremolo GA-8s. Electrically, this is not unlike having two single ended Fender Champ power sections in parallel. This results in a rich and thick overdrive unlike any other low-wattage amp we've heard!

This is a really cool sounding little amp and still something of an unsung classic, with a lot of tone to offer in its big 10 watts! Overall Excellent - Condition.