Kalamazoo Model KEA Model Small Combo Tube Amplifier, c. 1948, made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Burgundy fabric finish.

Kalamazoo was a budget-brand produced by Gibson between the 1930s and late 1960s, named after the company's home town of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The first Kalamazoo amp was released shortly after Gibson introduced their EH-100 amplifier in the late 1930s. The KAH underwent many iterations, but later models were essentially clones of the EH-100 in a bare wood cabinet. In 1947, Gibson introduced a second Kalamazoo amp, the KEA. With a distinctive red leatherette covering and white metal grille the KEA was only produced in limited quantities, with production ending in 1949. The Kalamazoo brand name was then retired, only being revived by Gibson over a decade later in 1965 with the well-known Kalamazoo Models One and Two.

The KEA features a single 6SJ7 feeding two 6V6 power tubes for an output of roughly 6 watts. The 6SJ7 is a miniature sharp-cutoff pentode famous for its exceptional electromagnetic shielding and prized among enthusiasts for its high-gain, low noise performance as a preamplifier. Like many other small amps of the era, the 10" speaker in the KEA features an "Electro Magnetic Dynamic Loudspeaker", where in lieu of a heavy permanent magnet, a wire "field effect" coil around the central pole acts as an electromagnet, fed by the amps' power supply. This coil serves a dual purpose, both driving the speaker and acting as a choke as part of the power supply filter. Field coils are often praised for their musical dynamic response, especially as an amp get pushed.

This is a very rare and quite attractive amplifier, both visually and sonically. It did have a pilot light added to the top of the cabinet long ago, someone must have wanted to see when they were "on". The KEA may be a relatively lost footnote in Gibson's amplifier history but is a really cool piece, in some ways more so than the "main line" brand at the time. This lovely example is the first we have seen.

Height is 14 in. (35.6 cm.), 17 1/4 in. (43.8 cm.) width, and 7 in. (17.8 cm.) deep.

Externally, this amp remains in excellent shape. The thin red leatherette covering is remarkably well-preserved for an amp of this era, with no broad discoloration and only light scuffing around corners and edges. The white enamel coated steel grille is clean and undented and the baffle structurally sound. The backplate shows light signs of wear but the majority of the lettering (including the Kalamazoo logo) is still remarkably crisp, the power switch, jacks, and volume knob are all original to the amp. The white leather handle remains supple and shows no major cracks. In addition, on the top surface of the amp there is a small brass plate added by the original retailer back in the 40s, Pearson Piano Co. which proudly proclaims itself to be "Indiana's Largest Music House" - both a charming bit of history and a permanent record of the amp's provenance.

Electrically, this KEA is for the most part unaltered. The field coil speaker is original and is marked 7966; it has been professionally refurbished and reconed by our in-house specialists. A pilot light was added to the top of the cabinet, judging by the hardware used, this modification was made within the first decades of the amp's lifetime. Additionally, a speaker out jack was drilled in the right side panel of the amp; this has been removed and the hole plugged. The power and output transformers appear to be original. The amp has received our typical routine maintenance, including the replacement of all electrolytic caps, a three-prong power cord, all sockets, pots and jacks cleaned and power tubes biased to spec. It looks a d sounds great, remaining a serious bargain in a hand-wired Gibson-made tube amp of this type. Very Good + Condition.