The Falcon ( GA- 19RVT ) was a guitar amplifier made by Gibson in 1961. With the Falcon and a few other models, Gibson was ahead of Fender bringing an amplifier with reverb on the market. In addition, the Falcon also had tremolo.
The Falcon got 14 watts out of two 6v6 tubes, and had a Jensen 12" speaker. The pre-amp was powered by three 6EU7 tubes, and a 7199 for the reverb circuit. It also has a 5V3GT rectifier tube in the V7 socket. Unlike Fender's later reverb amps the Falcon had a fairly unusual placement of the reverb circuit: rather than being placed after the pre-amp section and having the wet signal mixed with the dry, the Falcon's reverb circuit taps the signal before the volume and tone control, and mixes it with the dry signal via independent volume controls. In addition, the Falcon had a separate monitor output at line level, to connect the amp to a separate "Regular Amplifier" (the Falcon being referred to in the brochures as "Reverb Amplifier") and create a stereo effect.
The Falcon's sound is described as "full, rich" and "sweet-sounding", with a "raw, gnarly, compressed tone" at higher volumes. It is relatively rare: according to Gibson's records 204 were sold in 1961
Year & Model | 1961 Gibson GA-19 Falcon Tweed |
Serial Number | 131105 |
Speaker Codes | Jensen C12R/220201 reconed in 2017 |
Finish | Tweed |
Knobs | Original |
Tubes | New EHX |
Pots & Codes | 1346147 |
Replaced Parts | Electrolytic Filters |
Additional Notes | A 3 prong power cord has been installed |
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