Gibson GA-20 1951 amp

[luis]

Hello everybody.
Long time out of this forum but glad to be here again.

I just got a very old Gibson GA-20 with pentodes I got in nasty condition and I wanted to bring back to life. It works now but it seems faux leather is ripping off everywear and grille cloth is nasty so I guess it´s time to refurbised it. Here is a similar amp in good condition

http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/ ... uoi_so.jpg

http://www.gibson.com/Files/aaFeaturesI ... 20-018.jpg

I guess original lethearette was used in automotive and aircraft industry back in 40´s and it seems Gibson got a lot at good price and used to cover 50-55 amps with it. Grille cloths seems similar to the one used in old radios. I´m trying to find both leathearette and grille cloth in supply but I´m not able to find them. Would you let me know where to get them? I´m trying to get original or as accurate as possible simuilar to original.

Another question for you. It seems caps have been changed by previous owner to yellow IC 0.077 and we changed to Mallories the same readings.
As far as this amp had PIO capacitor, would you recomend changing Mallories to PIOs?If so,which ones would you recomend?

Thanks in advance,
Luis.

[Phil_S]

You might try bringing the cab to an auto upholstery shop and/or a furniture upholstery shop and see if they have something. I think, in that sort of place, you might actually find someone who will have a soft spot for what you want to do and that might propel them to go the extra mile for you.

Do any of these match the grill cloth?
http://tubesandmore.com/Catalog/page_096_097.php

[Prairie Dawg]

That covering is what they used to call "oilcloth". Typically found on the tablecloth mother had in the kitchen. Whether you can find it is problematic. I'd suggest a trip to a good textile shop to see what sort of vinyl or pleather they have that you can live with. I got some pretty nice imitation buffalo hide leather from a local textile shop when I recovered my National Sportsman amp

[IMG:640:480]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/ ... CN3684.jpg[/img]

[Structo]

As for the grill clote AES has quite a bit of old radio cloth.

http://www.tubesandmore.com/scripts/fox ... GRILLCLOTH

Tolex

http://www.tubesandmore.com/scripts/fox ... EE03=TOLEX

[luis]

Thank you all for your answers, I apreciate it!

I guess you are right, Phil, I will bring empty cab to locals auto upholstery shops and see what happens. I´ll take it to furniture upholstery also,maybe anybody have some leathereatte from old hidden, who knows?

Praire, good call, I´ll take it to textile shops. I just asked to a USA shop and found a kind of vinyl/leathereatte very thin on a textile it could works but I´m afraid of ripping off easily when moving it from the van.

Structo thanks for pointing me to AES. I just took a look but did not found a grille cloth similar. I also contacted Ben in Netherlands and couldn,t find any similar so I guess I have to live with another I like most.

I´ll keep looking. I´m also planning building a new cab, original one is very bland, made of redwood? I guess and a bit small and makes the sound abit boxy. I was thinking about building a 5e3 but a bit higher to give more hights(nor sure if would works). What do you think about it?


Also, what about replaing caps to russian PIOS; any experience here with any amp restored with those caps?

Thanks again.

[wyatt]

No one I know has been able to find it. It's actually "aircraft cotton", the exact same material they used to in the days of wood and cloth airplanes. Eventually it found a second home on cheap cardboard luggage (which is where the brown color came in)

It has been obsolete since the late '40's, which is probably why Gibson got such a great deal. Almost any textile company can make it, but none currently do, with the exception of some raw material for plane restoration. It would take a massive order to get the gears rolling.

Ultimately, you'll probably have to find an acceptable substitute.

[img:800:585]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... 943%29.png[/img]

[luis]

Thanks for your info Wyatt!
I just found an airplane supplier somewhere in UK but I got no reply to my request.I guess I would have to live with a substitute as similar as possible. It´s a shame as far as I think it´s worth to get this amop back to his old glory days. I´ll keep on searching.

[overtone]

Hi Luis,
last year I picked up a '54 GA-40 from Wales in Britain.
The covering had been completely stripped off at some point and I am keeping it that way.
It is certainly no chocolate box, but it does have charm and "Her Indoors" lets me keep it in the living room.
Guests are always itching to ask what on earth it is and that is when I get to demonstrate...
I can post a photo if you like,
best, tony

[luis]

Thanks Tony.
Please post a pic if you are so kind, I´d love to see it!.

[overtone]

Hello Luis,

here a couple of views of the stripped GA-40 which may give you an idea of what is underneath yours. As you can see, on the close up, the rounded edges are quite rough. Somebody replaced the handle with a tool box handle and the grille was painted silver long ago. All in all, it looks rather harmonic. The cleaner is not allowed to touch it!

I love old things. My concern with a restoration is that it is easy to loose the patina. How can you balance the contrast between old and new? Where do you draw the line? To me all those blemishes tell a story. There are songs right there even when the amp is not switched on...

good luck, tony

[surfsup]

that plane tells a story... that's fo shizzle!