New to me Gibson GA8 Gibsonette:
Not rare in total produced; but a rare Class A, 'student'-grade commercial amplifier. Without wearing anyone out, Class A amps are typically single-ended amps; like a Fender Champ, Silvertone 1471, early Kalamazoos, and others. Single preamp tube and single output tube which means that the output tube handles the positive and negative halves of the signal - it never cuts off. But the distinguishing feature of Class A operation is that when it's overloaded to the point of distortion, it generates even-order harmonics as opposed to odd-order from transistors and, to a lesser extent, cathode-biased, Class A/B push/pull amplifiers which is nearly every twin output, non-Fender amp made before 1965.
Schematic below; most unusual parallel 6V6 output sections; essentially each tube sees and amplifies the same signal; for reasons of physics that it would take Neils Bohr to explain, the output of parallel 6V6s is closer to 8 watts while in A/B-Push-pull, twin 6V6s are good for closer to 15 watts. The amp is widely recognized for its lush, warm sound. It needs some work but already has the sweet, crunchy distortion thing going very well!
Not rare in total produced; but a rare Class A, 'student'-grade commercial amplifier. Without wearing anyone out, Class A amps are typically single-ended amps; like a Fender Champ, Silvertone 1471, early Kalamazoos, and others. Single preamp tube and single output tube which means that the output tube handles the positive and negative halves of the signal - it never cuts off. But the distinguishing feature of Class A operation is that when it's overloaded to the point of distortion, it generates even-order harmonics as opposed to odd-order from transistors and, to a lesser extent, cathode-biased, Class A/B push/pull amplifiers which is nearly every twin output, non-Fender amp made before 1965.
Schematic below; most unusual parallel 6V6 output sections; essentially each tube sees and amplifies the same signal; for reasons of physics that it would take Neils Bohr to explain, the output of parallel 6V6s is closer to 8 watts while in A/B-Push-pull, twin 6V6s are good for closer to 15 watts. The amp is widely recognized for its lush, warm sound. It needs some work but already has the sweet, crunchy distortion thing going very well!