From david_harri–(at)–oteserv.dodge.com Mon Aug 5 23:25:42 CDT 1996
Article: 20191 of alt.guitar.amps
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From: david_harri–(at)–oteserv.dodge.com
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.amps
Subject: Re: Gibson Minuteman
Date: Tue, 06 Aug 1996 02:25:12 GMT
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I’ve restored and sold several of the GA-20 RVT Minuteman
amps and currently own one as well. To my ear they sound
great. I like them cranked all the way up with my PRS Custom 24.
As you may already know, the amp features two channels, reverb, and
tremolo. The B+ rectification is solid-state. The Minuteman uses
6EU7’s (also used in the tube Echoplex and numerous Gibson amps),
12AU7’s, and EL84/6BQ5’s. The Minuteman is cathode-biased.
I think the GA-20 RVT Minuteman is an excellent alternative to the
very pricey black-face Fenders. I’ve watched the prices for this amp
rise over the past couple of years, so I guess more and more people
are recognizing that it is a good value.
I also like the GA-15 RVT Explorer, which has a 10″ speaker, a single
channel, and a simpler tremolo circuit.
Here are some things you might want to consider:I’ve noticed on the
(1) The amp uses an interstage phase-splitting transformer
instead of tubes. This frequently has been replaced in
the amps I’ve seen, so i’st probably a problem area. I talked to a
tech who seemed to think so. You might want to ask if the amp has
the original transformer.
(2) The tremolo-reverb footswitch uses a hard-to-find
plug, so you might want to make surethat the amp includes the
original footswitch.
(3) The amp uses quite a bit of filtering between the preamp stages,
which can load down your signal. This is a place for possible
modification.
(4) Ask if the cover is included (if you care).
See page 403 of Gerald Weber’s A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage
Guitar Amps for a schematic. Note, however, that that schematic
indicates a 12AU7 instead of a 6EU7 for V4. Also see the 1966 Gibson
full-line guitar and amp catalog (with the green cover and the
silhouetted tree branches as I recall) for a picture of and
specifications for this amp. There is a reprint of this catalog in
the book Guitar History Volume #3.
