Gibson EH-150 Tube Amplifier, c. 1936

Gibson  EH-150 Tube Amplifier,  c. 1936
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Item # 4066
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Gibson EH-150 Model Tube Amplifier, c. 1936, made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, tweed fabric covering finish.

This is a well-used example of an early EH-150, the first and most important pre-war Gibson amplifier. This is the "second generation" model, still in the original square "small box' cabinet but with a volume control for each channel-the very first had none-and a tone switch. At the time this amp was made in mid-1936 Gibson was just getting into electric instruments , and this was the company's first truly professional amplifier. This one has seen a lot of use but is still a working amp, and cool as all get-out!
 
Height is 14 in. (35.6 cm.), 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm.) width, and 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) deep. This is a very well-worn but serviceable amp, with some predictable internal changes-the original circuitry was pretty crude even by later pre-war standards. The cabinet is solid and intact but has some fairly heavy water damage to the fabric on the bottom, and an extensive collection of cigarette burns to the top. The backplate is still present and somewhat amazingly the fragile paper-and-leather handle is still intact.

Internally there is a new power cord, speaker transformer and a lot of cap work. This early EH-150 is both less powerful and somewhat noisier than the re-designed versions from the later 1930's but hey, at this point just having a workable amplifier was a victory. This amp still delivers a dark but clear sound that rapidly rises to full-out raunch when cranked, especially the hotter Microphone channel. A super cool and playable piece of Gibson history. Very Good + Condition.