Howdy all, I’m the owner of the “Geils” Gibson GA-55v. Although the “story” would probably worth a good bit, I’m just trying to get back what I have in it. Sales price, shipping, plus a key factor is that the amp was serviced by the venerable Skip Simmons (so the buyer is guaranteed), and the cabinet restored by the great Uncle Doug (see Youtube). It’s actually a great deal, because it sounds SO good, had a famous owner, and the quality and integrity are guaranteed. As we know, usually buying things on the internet is quite a risk. Not so here. Anyone can feel free to contact me directly to discuss, purchase, etc. Matt (530) 400-3872. info@pleasantvalleymusic.com.
Heya Matt, thanks for letting us know. I had a longtime pal who would have killed for your amp (although not a Geils fan) but sadly he passed a few years ago. FWIW, people who came up on Chicago’s west side, especially around Lane Tech, and graduated in the mid to late sixties, freaking LOVE the vintage Gibby amps.
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I’ve seen his Gibby on reverb afore.
I don’t recall what it was I thought I needed to come back to, but what does come to mind right now after re-reading the thread is this:
The reason for high powered amps delivering a kilowatt of AC into 8 10" drivers, is primarily the large number of 5-string and 6-string basses you see in the hands of people who understand them differently than I do. Here’s how I understand them:
It was hundreds of years ago that instrument makers decided on E1 (41 Hz) as the practical bottom end for the bass viol. And even then, the fundamental on that E string is a bit weak compared to the other strings but the overtones (especially when bowed) are good enough to carry the fundamental. Basses have been made with D extensions and even C extensions but they are impractical physically to tote around. And IMHO the same is true of bass guitars except the D and C drops are done with trick tuners which are kind of a joke.
Now, let’s say you add a fifth string, a really fat one, and tune it down to B0 at 31 Hz. The problems you already have with poor fundamentals from the E string are duplicated and exaggerated because you really can’t get decent fundamentals of those freq’s from a 40 inch string on an upright, let alone a 34 inch scale on an electric.
The actual reason for the first 5-string bass with B at the bottom was so you could have your left hand further up the neck (say in 5th position) and still have access to notes down to E1. This was cool for jazz players, I guess. But no surprise to see that dumb ass kids of all races, presented with a bass like that, are gonna try to “go low.”
(I actually had an acoustic bass guitar for a while, fretless 5-string, that I bought specifically cause I was in a combo where it seemed desirable to get further up into the cello’s range because the music seemed to need it. Therefore my bass was strung not with a low B but with a high C3 on top and the regular E1 on bottom. And I felt if I was a jazzman, that would be helpful but I’m not one, so I sold that bass when I left the group.)
But I digress. Given a 5 or 6 string (low B) bass in the hands of someone who wants to go down to C1 and be heard at the back of the auditorium, he’ll need a bunch of smaller drivers to push the harmonics and color out there to try and shore up his weak ass fundamentals. So he’ll need a bunch of power too. And I think that’s my answer to your question, thanks for tuning in, … ~ yawn ~
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Fundamental Tracking, bitches love that shit.
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Great read, I think this helps me understand the bass just a little bit mo