1959 Gibson Maestro GA-16 Viscount 1x10 Vintage Tube Amp w/ Jensen P10R, Serviced

Up for sale, a 1959 Maestro-branded (Gibson-made) GA-16 Viscount 1x10” combo amplifier in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original footswitch. Manufactured by Gibson in their Kalamazoo, MI factory, this Maestro-branded combo amp features a single-channel, three-input design with footswitchable tube-powered Tremolo.

Similar to Fender’s Tweed era Vibrolux in its form factor, features and tonal intent, this 14 watt GA-16 yields just the right amount of smooth treble push and spongy, warm low-mid fullness. It stays clean slightly longer than its West Coast counterpart, a little beyond noon on the dial, but the real star of the show here is the rowdy, raucous breakup tone; just the perfect amount of rough-and-tumble, this combo pushes into ripping overdriven glory at the upper limits of the Volume control. The Tremolo is musical and pulsing, with solid sweeps at the Depth and Frequency knobs.

The circuit retains the original transformer pair, dating to the 39th and 40th weeks of 1959, and the small tag board is populated with largely original components. Two of the original Centralab potentiometers are present, while the Depth and Frequency pots include modern CTS replacements. The power supply has also been professionally recapped, and the original two-prong power cable is also present. The tube set includes a matched pair of properly biased Electro-Harmonix 6V6GT power tubes, a Raytheon 5Y3GT rectifier, and a pair of 12AX7s in the preamp. The cabinet is loaded with the original Jensen P10R Alnico magnet speaker, with a date stamp translating to the 19th week of 1959.

The original Blonde tolex shows light wear on the enclosure edges, and cosmetic touches include a raised Maestro badge, clean oxblood grillcloth, luggage-style handle, and original chickenhead knobs. The control plate exhibits some patina, and a majority of the graphics are present.

The original “doorstop” footswitch is included.