1965 GIBSON FALCON MODS - FACE MELTING Tone!
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- In this video we'll follow the service of a vintage 1965 Gibson GA19-RVT Falcon tube guitar amplifier. The owner wanted a full service and a check of the non-working reverb. He also wanted me to modify the amp by removing the "tone-sucking network" also known as the Sprague couplet. This is a tone-shaping R/C network that shapes the tone in these amps to keep them clean with Gibson style humbuckers, but also robs the amp of gain and tone. We'll remove this network and work on beefing up the weak reverb as much as we can. At the end, we'll demo the amp and show why these are some of the most RIPPING sleeper amps of the 1960s.
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BrIlliant on You for this video 2 fill years before big return of the Falcon amps
If Gibson really wanted to reissue these properly, they would have called me.
@@TheGuitologist Gibson's real modo is we want your money and we don't care how shitty our stuff is you paid for it oh well
Good to see youre back brad. I mean that with love.
Hi Brad, I've never commented on any of your videos, but over time I always spend time in your videos, I learned a lot from you and I ended up finding out about your situation, I'm from Portugal. I hope you get well as soon as possible.
Thanks for that, Paulo. I appreciate the well wishes and any prayers you care to send my way. All the best to you and yours.
@@TheGuitologist Thank you Brad
Lol... Man Brad, I love that you leave in the little moments that many of us have shared, like letting the reverb tank get sucked into the magnet. You actually jumped a little on that one. Classic! Still wishing you well. Thx for the new repair video!
Whoa! Bubba got a haircut! Looking sharp. Ready to charm that lady judge 😘
Bro', I am glad the Brad I started watching years ago is back on your channel.
You look great, stay positive, keep safe!
Brad, great point on the annual budget. Reminds me of my county and our "city"... Road projects will fall by the wayside til November... when they rush to spend all the budget before years end.
One November they started placing road signs EVERYWHERE... Redundant signs, flashing lights to warn of an upcoming stop sign on BOTH SIDES of the small streets, and a bunch of redundant "turn ahead" "wrong way" "traffic light ahead, etc, all on both sides of the highway. In one 100 yard section I counted 14 signs... so many in the median it blocked the view from the turning lanes of oncoming traffic...
Turns out that the county needed to burn a bunch of budget money, so they ordered thousands of signs and started putting them anywhere they could, needed or not...
Then there was the time they let the main road through town turn into a cratered mess before finally paving it, then a month later cut it all up to replace water lines, patched it, leaving it full of ruts and craters again... all based on budget timing...
Good ole government funds hard at work
One of our main highways here has been under construction for 20 years.
Libraries have been in operation since Mesopotamia. I honestly think these large budgets are slush funds for friends & fam of the politicians. Fun fact, where I grew up, they had a highway they built between OKC & Tulsa. (Turner Turnpike) they made it a toll road, to "pay for the road"(the other alternative was old Route 66, which is a fun drive, but it winds through every small town between the 2 cities.) Well I was a young child when it opened the toll was 25c one way. After decades of hundreds of thousands, of people taking the road, it was nearly paid off. The politicians in OKC (knowing a cash cows udders were about to dry up) decided that, until ALL the toll roads in the state were paid for, they'd continue to charge a toll (A lot more than 25c). Guess what? They started building more toll roads, all over the state. Some are under construction right now. I left there in 1975, so glad I did. They're a crooked bunch, IMO
Glad to see you back in action, Brad!
Someone’s been practicing. Sounds great! Hope all is well!!
Damn Brad, you clean up pretty good when you fight for justice. Keep up the good work.
I did this mod to my 1964 Falcon because of this video. My amp sounds waaaaaaay better than it did previously.
Hey Brad love your podcast don't stop believing.
Getting harder, but I'm still here.
@The Guitologist: CADL also stands for California Drivers License. It's quite common to mark belongings in Calif. with your license number. Just sayin'
Good point. The library angle might be a red herring. But it was a fun tangent anyway.
@@TheGuitologist I'm going to agree with Robert W. The CADL looks like the number for a California Drivers license. In the 70s and 80s (at least in California) there was a push by law enforcement to etch your DL# on valuables, so you'd have a better chance of recovering them, if they were stolen, especially for electronics.
I’m curious….
Would there be any way to look up that old DL number? That is, if it is from the 70/80’s. I mean, there might an interesting story behind the amp.
@@TheGuitologist Very interesting actually.
@@KevinBingham Yep. 100%
I traded a Marshall MG half stack for a falcon a few years ago. I only gave 200 for the Marshall. He bought it from a trash man who saved it from being thrown away. 1963 in excellent condition, all original except I put new caps in it. It sounds perfect.
I have a early 70's Rickenbacker 4001 Bass with my NCDL# on the output jack out there somewhere.
I’ve started this videos 3 times already but haven’t been able to finish it because I’m at work lol I used to have a 1968 Gibson Lancer GA35 RVT. I loved that amp, especially the reverb sound. But man, I know what you mean about their wiring being a mess. It looked like someone dumped spaghetti inside. I wish I still had that amp. I was 16-17 when I had it and was lost when it came to wiring so I traded it off because it was so staticky and would randomly just make god awful VAAAAAP sounds lol Watching your videos on old Gibson’s makes me want another one so bad
If it was the black tolex one with trapezoidal top, those were poorly wired. Lots of good bones there though.
@@TheGuitologist you nailed it, that’s the one I had. The board inside was warped from the heat of the tubes and it had lots of cold solder joints. That’s where I think all the hisses and buzzes came from. Not to mention bad caps. I still miss the trem and reverb it had though.
CADL that's the library system in my home town, I never knew they offered that service. Crazy Got the hell out of the Mitten though!
If Gibson cared so much about the musician, they'd reissue this amp, you did a great job unleashing the sounds of the little beast, Bradley. Even Nashville amp gurus burn on guitar! 🎸 👈 👍
Didn’t they just buy Mesa Boogie
@@codystrader7594 yes, Gibson bought Mesa Engineering and Bradley hates working on those rats nests, simpler is better.... 😁 AKA, the old Gibby Falcon
@gearmeister - +1. Your average Mesa tech could knock one off in their lunch break, as therapy for dealing with those super-dense Boogie circuit boards the rest of the time.
I’d be very interested in having one of these, and I bet a whole load of other folk would, too. Fingers crossed for a NAMM announcement. I’d love a point-to-point version like the oldies, but I don’t need a second mortgage right now. Just had to sell a chunk of gear as it is. ☹️
Well Gibson listened cause they are putting out new Falcons. Lol
@@jasonulrich3818 nice!!!
Dude, the trick with shaving is you gotta keep doing it!
You brought that lovely amp back to life. It sounds awesome!
My Dad used to check-out a VCR from the state library back in the 80's. They were still relatively new at the time. A very strange looking "commercial grade" VCR. He thought very highly of himself for discovering this "loophole" in the VCR market.
That’s some saucy playing my friend.
After watching this video, makes me want to fiddle with my old Unicord amp.
The Library find was cool, but i think this is actually a California Driver's License. A lot of people used to carve their DL#, or worse their SSN, into things that were likely to get stolen back in the 80's. Letter is first letter of last name, then jumbled DOB. The "-3" means two other people have this license number
Got your video on whilst replacing 4 blown speakers in a Blues Deville (WTF!). Looking 10 years younger there with the haircut and shave!
Has that J Winter byte/punch thang. Hang in there brother!
yaay! back to amps!!
Brad, we love your work Buddy! Would you consider working on a Gibson G-20 solid state amp from early 70's? Still has a tube like tone! Thanks, BluesFully, DW🎶🎵🎷😎
Was born in the 90s but that doesn’t stop me from feeling nostalgic about old Gibson amps.
True
I was born in 98, and these old gibsons are some of my favorite amps.
sounds great brad great playing
Glad to see the old Brad back thank goodness you look KOOL
Wow Brad you sure have got that combo sounding great.
Glad to see you looking good and in fighting shape, Brad. You have support out here.
In many US cities, public libraries have morphed into quasi homeless shelters (ex. SF, MSP). Whether is benefits the community is up for debate however...
Correct.
Interesting. I'm not from the US so forgive any ignorance into the intricacies of societal function over there. What would you say any potential positives or negatives would be for this, and how do you believe this affects the wider local community?
Also feel free to tell me to bugger off if you so desire, too :D
@@nicwilson89 You don't have any videos posted...
@@savvysymbiont Nah, they're all set to private. I used to make and share videos on electronics projects, high voltage stuff, etc, with some other people dong the same in that 'circle' back in the day. These days they're not of anywhere near the quality I'd want to leave them there. I'll take it that it's a 'bugger off' then. Message received :)
I wasn't taking one side or the other on the library matter. I'm not a US citizen and don't live in these communities so I can't take a position of support behind either approach.
Hey Brad, I have the same amp, and did the same mod. Afterward my reverb was weak as well. I even tried moving that green wire to different points in the chain and still no love. I can tell you before the mod this thing had swamp written all over the reverb circuit. Could it be that .02 replacement? I hope you can figure out this anomaly one day..
I have two of these and Skip Simmons did his series of fixes to them - they both have this amazing tone you did in the video. BTWI this CADL # is likely a California Drivers License number. In the 60's /70's we did operation identification in California and the ID number was your CA DL # ! Obviously before identity theft....
I consider my Maestro GA 2RVT sort of a Deluxe killer with a little less watts. The Falcon sounds good.
I thought you were done servicing Mesa/Boogie amps @brad
I've seen that amp around Lansing before. I remember it because a buddy of mine has one in Nebraska. This one had been checked out from the library.
CADL = Calif Drivers License - was super common in 60's here to engrave your license number on everything. Thats an old Calif DL #
Lansing is the State Capital of Michigan and it's in Ingham County, so that library must be in Lansing somewhere. I live 35 mns south of there so this amp was exciting to see.
I'm a old Hifi guy and found your description on using a second amp with these amps humorous ( sorry not laughing at you as your very talented at playing and repairing )....i got instantly what was the connections ( i believe lol ) and what they would do....the monitor would always be the final output source ( that goes to the speaker ) to listen to or use to output for recording or in front of you on stage? ..so when that is sent to the second amp...you will get the reverb/tremelo effects ( or whatever your first amp is sending into the speaker )....
Now i believe? If you use the Second input to send to the second amp? Won't that just send what the Guitar ( or Mic etc ..) Is feeding to both amps?? ( not a amp user )..
This would just send the unamplified output of your guitar/mic to both amps equally.... And your Reverb/Vibrato would not go to the second amp....
The Reverb kind of sounded intermittent during the demo. Some points in the take it seemed to be strong, other times not there at all. If I was your customer I would definitely replace the tank.
The camera mic has compression. It sometimes cuts off the reverb trails, other times it raises them in volume.
@@TheGuitologist probably that. How did it sound in the room?
So a friend bought one of these for me in another state after trying it out, and shipped it to me. After I put the tubes in... it now sounds super quiet (low volume) and thin. Any ideas what this might be... before I take it to a shop? Thanks
Well done!
Hey Brad hey where can I get a knob for a champion 110 Fender amp? I got the amp for $20 and all it needed was a input jack so I installed an input jack in it and I just realized that the headphone jack isn't working either and it's probably just the Jack itself needs to be replaced as well, and I have one of those to replace it but I need a knob for the Reverb and I can't find one have any idea where I can get one? Thank you sir,
I couldn't disagree more with your politics, but I sure enjoy your amp videos. Thanks for the knowledge!
I doubt we'd get along very well in person then. I've lost all tolerance for socialists.
Nah, I bet we’d get along. I live in Oklahoma. I’ve got loads of conservative friends. Cheers, bro!
What do you disagree with?
A close cousin is the Epiphone Pacemaker. I sold it. Dumb mistake. They can still be found in used shops, and arent a grand like an old Champ. Its has 6AQ5s x 2 power tubes that sing when cranked.
Hi Brad. Appreciate the content on the vintage Gibson amps! Wound you be able to suggest a tubeset (source/manufacturer) for a 1964 Gibson Hawk? All the valves are missing from the one I grabbed off eBay... :-((
Did you ever try hooking up another amp through the monitor out to see how the reverb sounded that way maybe a lil more spacey
Love ❤️ the tone of those old Gibbys
Especially with your chops coming through ✌️
So….speaking of Maestro products….
What’s your opinion on them? Once in a while, I’ll see a Maestro guitar pop up for sale.
Any Maestro stuff made after the late 60s is something you should avoid. It was turned into a beginner brand by Gibson after a point.
@@TheGuitologist
Thanks!
That's what I was thinking. Looking at it, holding it gave me a "cheap" vibe. I hadn't realized that Brand had been around that long, so wasn't sure if I was missing out on anything, etc.
It could be that the CADL # is a California Driver's License number to show identification of the person who owned it. Some people will inscribe their drivers license on property so if it is lost or stolen, it can be traced back if located. Just a thought.
John Jackson
Great and informative videos thanks for posting and helping educate. I have a question I'm currently recapping my 65 Falcon and was wondering if you can tell me if you cover the portion where you install the 10uf 450v caps on the tone and volume and what that is achieving in the circuit? Is it in another video I have missed? Cheers keep up the good work!
I have a Ga-6 cab I bought with no chassis. I am going to build my own. Which gibson amp should i clone? GA20? FALCON? Which preamp is your fave?
GA20T Ranger. Clone just the pentode channel. Skip Channel 1 and simplify it down to Channel 2 only.
@@TheGuitologist Thanks! That was what I was thinking from watching your vids. Not many gibsons in my area to compare.
Wow!!! Brad took a shower this year!
I bought a 63' in the early 2000's. Came with an old weber feromax speaker, sounded too clean.
Swapped in a weber 12a125-A/30watt. It is such a sweat amp. Came with tone-suck circuit already removed.
I agree Brad...the reverb isnt all that on this one. I played on one years ago and like you say.. it seems like it should be a little richer with more depth. Here and there in the demo it sounds like its trying to come out more but then it chokes a bit. Still a playable amp though.
I had a Gibson model called an 'Explorer' that looked exactly like this amp!
I have one in my collection.
Nice to see that you let your twin brother do the show now!!!!!! The beard look is gone. lol
I know this is off subject but is it possible to turn a solid state amp into a full tube amp I got a cheap 10 watt practice amp I mean very cheap one just to tinker with . I modified it and got it sounding like a small 10 watt Marshall mg 10cd sp would like to make it tube so it will sound like a small 10 watt marshall tube amp and maybe have a cable port on the back to run to a 2x12 cab for a louder and brighter tone and help would be great. The amp in using to learn modifications and amp wiring is a small 10watt no name brand at all amp that I got sounding like the marshall mg10cd with tubes would be one hell of a practice amp I would think especially on a 2x12 cab thanks guys
Great Video Brad! I love the way you show your work and share your resources ( Books, Schematics) with your viewers.
Are you aware of the "Truth about Vintage Amps podcast " ? It's put out by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal and Skip Simmons an old School Amp Guru based in northern California. You both have made the public aware of the potential of the once cast aside Gibson Falcon. I would love a Gibson Falcon summit between my 2 favorite sources of Amp repair knowledge.
I’m not aware of the podcast, but I’ll look into it. Sound like my kinda guys.
I was gifted a free Falcon and a Harmony Rocket guitar by a neighbor when I was a kid. I loaned the Falcon to a friend and his mom sold it in a garage sale while he was in the army because she was moving didn't know it was mine and thought it was just old junk...
Seems to me either the reverb driver cable is intermittent, or, more likely, there is a fault in the tank.
Hey did you ever think that it mite be a C.A.lifornia D.rivers L.icense#.......?
I had one...... and sold it while in college....... and now I think about it often. :( playing it at the end dosnt help.... now to reverb to find one........
Maybe someone changed a faulty transducer at some point and replaced it with the wrong one. The output coil should read much higher than the input. For example on the Fender Reverb 4AB3C1C Tank, the input impedance is 8ohms and the output is 2.25kohms. This is at 1kHz of course, but the dc resistance would show a similar difference between the two.
Yeah the voltage needs to be stepped, but isn’t on the tank
You’re right. This was a factory error. I’m convinced now.
Yes, a large voltage signal drives the low impedance input transducer coil to create the vibration of the spring. The springs vibration on the other end creates vibration and thus a moving magnetic field in the output transducer coil. This induced voltage is very low and and needs to be recovered in the amp. You don't get a very efficient transfer of the signal if the output impedance of the amp doesn't closely match the input of the tank and same one the output of the tank to the return to the amp.
Good day I have a gibson hawk of the same era how do you feel it stacks against the Falcon
Hey I had a Gibson Hawk amp it Sounded like AC/DC Straight from the Guitar 🎸 wish I still had it 🎶🎶🎶☮️
I have a Hawk in my collection
I must say I'm sad to see how the threat of court can cause people to have on the turn of a dime have to care about things like shaving and hair cuts... my heart goes out to u buddy keep the dream alive...
One's appearance while in the courtroom can make a difference depending on what judge is presiding over one's case, so it is prudent to look your best. It shouldn't make a difference, in my opinion, but it does. During my divorce, which I did not want, I showed up wearing jeans to a hearing, and my lawyer read me the riot act. He was relieved that the hearing got postponed at the last minute. I never showed up wearing anything less than a sport coat, dress pants and a tie again.
Thanks
No more Moses.
Point 022 capacitors they're black with the Orange striped black beauties were used up in to the 72 Gibson guitars I have seen them in a 1968 std 56 les Paul
So the Gibson logo conceptually has the same weakness as the Gibson Les Paul and SG model headstock design flaw debilities.
I think libraries are the only valid social safety net. Helluva lot better than public school
Hi Brad. My experience with this era Gibson is so wet, I would call unusable. 1 is wet, 3 is way wet,4 is Dick Dale. Just my opinion.
Hey whos the new guy?
Wouldn't CADL just mean "California Drivers License"?
maybe that number on the back of the speaker is someone's driver's license number?
Man that things a little screamer
Fan of slash?
Yer crackin’ on public libraries? Learning how to LEARN, learning how to read makes you a better, more rounded person, more emphatic, a better American citizen, and usually makes you more financially successful in life. Jesus, Brad - Awareness and Art gives you a connection to the Divine...there might not be much short term financial profit in that but there’s a hell of a lot of long term profit..like learning how to help out the little guy as I was helped out - that’s the America Way! I’m a knucklehead, but a big piece of what’s good in me came from the Queens Village Library in Queens, NY. One of the places I learned to give a shit...
How could you possibly make the illogical leap that just because I want to apply a simple cost/benefit analysis to public library funding in the modern age that I'm anti-learning? That's an absurd leap. What I'm saying is, like all things, there is a time and place of maximum effectiveness. The proliferation of the internet has rendered our old reckoning of the efficacy of libraries in delivering on the promise of enlightening the people of a city or township moot. This isn't the 1970s anymore. Reading books is great, but books are antiquated. The vast majority of the reading and learning that gets done is done online. Video is replacing books in many categories, including how-tos, self-help, etc. There may come a time when libraries will once again be important in some respect or another, but I question the benefit is enough to justify the costs of maintaining huge buildings in city centers with tons of employees and parking and facilities and collections when everything is digital. As someone else pointed out in the comments, libraries in many places have become daytime hangouts for the local homeless population more than Meccas of learning or research.
Go to any University and you will see that all of them have revamped their libraries. Scientists no longer spend hours pulling printed journals and photcopying articles. Everything is online now and I haven't spent 2 hours in the library in the last 10 years. The libraries have been filled with computer terminals and all material available online is not duplicated in physical books in most cases. Librarians have retrained to function in the modern environment. A library system no longer needs to duplicate important volumes in order to give access at each location. The digital copy can be accessed by all. This trend is starting in public libraries but at a much slower pace because the budgets that are paid by tax dollars don't affect a bottom line. Tax money is seen as free money. That won't fly in a business with a bottom line. The times, they are a changing.
Nice to see you back on terra firma
Haircut and trim? Something big is happening!
Yes! An amp repair and no conspiracy theories or self-pitying paranoia. More, please.
If you are going to use electrolytic caps at least use F&T. I woud never use electrolytic on output, just film.
I thought you were going to play since I been loving you….
I do not detect any reverb in terrible tone.
I can’t for the life of me understand why Gibson doesn’t make these amps anymore or at least reissue them with some modern improvements 🤷🏽♂️ seems like a no brainer, they would sell a ton of them. But alas, cooperate Gibson doesn’t care… probably a great amp to build from a kit 🧐👍🏾
I miss the beard!
Everything sounds choked to me. No notes blooming, no low mids. I hate it.
I think its great fookin sounding amp, hot tamale, reverbs overrated in my book so I turn em off and or unplug em
⛄
You are aware that the US constitution is kept in a library.
I have photos of it on my hard drive somewhere too. ;)
What? The benefit of a public library is *_absolutely unknown_* to you, whereas the loss of CASH due to a stolen musical instrument (these beauties keep trading on despite human sinning) makes it surely a worthwhile investment in the future. Public libraries? You're crazy. Thumbs d o w n However, I'm still watching. . . .
Cost/benefit on modern public libraries doesn't add up. They are a waste of money.
They tossed all the good books at ours.
@@TheGuitologist _"doesn't add up"_ - So someone has analyzed the future 'benefit' of learning, have they? Don't be such a bloody fool. You are LYING IN YOUR MIND.
NOBODY CAN 'ANALYZE' EVENTS WHICH HAVEN'T OCCURRED YET. Your education was a waste of money.
CADL = CA Drivers license, bro. [letter] [7 digits] eg; F2345678
I can get that same tone out of my Quilter amp, no tubes to fuck with.
Was quite excited to start watching your movies but eugh. You’ve just started hating on homeless people (yes of course anyone who happens to end up homeless are drug addict thieves) and now libraries. Thought you might be cool but nope. Society is fucked when people think they can just casually start dropping shit like that.
WTF are you even talking about? Where did I "hate on homeless people"? And in case you didn't notice...society is fucked anyway.
They’re called public libraries because they serve the public interest.
As opposed to tax cuts that serve the top one tenth of one percent. But you didn’t crap on that, did you.
I would be interested in seeing an actual cost/benefit analysis of public libraries in 2021. My suspicion is they’re mostly a waste of money.
The public isnt interested in the worst selections of literature available and homeless people sleeping in study rooms.
@@multishit6664 I was t aware you spoke for the whole public. You sound like a selfish Republican.
@@TheGuitologist tax cuts are a waste of $$$
@@gimmemore204 So me keeping my hard earned money is a waste of $$$???
You like other people wasting the money you worked for?
Well good for you, but I prefer to choose where my money goes.
BTW, proven fact: Democrats are a lot more selfish than Republicans.
Not everyone has access to the internet or can afford books to buy. Libraries are the only form of a free education system that allows people to learn what they want to learn, for next to nothing and gives people the ability to pull themselves out from poverty. Your "analysis" is short-sighted and misinformed, just like most of your views of the world. They are wildly underfunded and doing more good in the world than you can comprehend.
I disagree. Without an actual cost/benefit analysis, it’s all platitudes and conjecture.
@@TheGuitologist You're the one making the assessment? Who are you to say what a library provides to a community and to individuals at what cost? You're the one generalizing the library's funding based on platitudes and conjecture. To quote "it seems less and less worth it to me" and that's just wrong but you have no factual knowledge about what a library needs to operate and/or what it's giving to the community. I have family that works in the library system where I live and I can tell you saying it's "less and less worth it" is wildly short-sighted.
that is some of the worst tone i have ever heard. less playing would be nice.