Gibson EH-150 Tube Amplifier (1938)
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Item # 9158
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Gibson EH-150 Model Tube Amplifier (1938), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 8048, tweed fabric covering finish.
This is a well-used but still fine sounding example of the world's first great guitar amplifier, Gibson's EH-150. This amp is the 1938-9 variant, built into a larger slightly arched cabinet with rounded off upper corners. The gold/brown tweed cabinet cover has orange and black vertical stripes in the center, with a black script Gibson logo in the lower right hand corner. The square lower cabinet edges have leather corners and round hard rubber feet, with a leather-covered handle at the top. The round front speaker aperture is covered by a black metal grill.
The detachable latched-on back cover reveals the chassis mounted on the bottom with a deco-styled control panel. This lays out left-right with an on/off switch, fuse, "echo speaker" output jack, microphone volume, instruments volume, single mic and twin instrument inputs and a tone control switch (selecting bass and normal). The original field coil 12" speaker is still mounted. This era EH-150 was the most popular professional amplifier of its day, as used by Charlie Christian and a host of other 1940s greats, and is still a wonderful and unique-sounding amp today.
Height is 15 5/8 in. (39.7 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) width, and 8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm.) deep.
This is a well-used amp, a bit funky looking from the outside but still righteous inside. This old pre-war Gibson amp has taken its licks but is still ticking! The fabric covering on the cabinet has darkened (probably from decades in smoky clubs) and is scuffed and stained in spots. There are a LOT of old cigarette burns on the top, mostly along the back edge but not on the back cover indicated someone smoked a while playing in classic '40s noir style. These have been lightly lacquered over. It looks like someone once tried to "clean" the red-and-black stripe off the back panel, why we have no idea, and it is rather washed-out looking but still visible.
Other than this the cabinet covering is still original, down to the leather-covered handle (which is quite well worn) and leather corner covers. One of the four latches that hold the back on is broken but the panel is still secure for carrying. The inside of the box was painted white eons ago, for reasons unknown and has had a holding cradle for the power cord added, an interesting and actually useful idea! The lightly built cabinet remains solid with no structural damage; many of these have not survived as well when used as much as this one appears to have been!
Internally the amplifies itself is in good order and remains as original as is practical for modern use of this radio-age chassis. It has been recently serviced with adding a 3-prong grounded cord, new power tubes (the rest are still period), and a standard cap job with the leaky Electrolytics replaced. All sockets, jacks and pots have been cleaned and internally the chassis is much neater than the exterior of the amp.
The original detachable back panel and field coil speaker are still intact; the speaker has been neatly reconed. This EH-150 is super cool and vibey, and has probably played some great gigs over the last 80+ years from the look of it. It still sounds great with the classic prewar Gibson jazzy tone and progressive whisper-to-roar response the EH-150 is famous for! Very Good + Condition.
This is a well-used but still fine sounding example of the world's first great guitar amplifier, Gibson's EH-150. This amp is the 1938-9 variant, built into a larger slightly arched cabinet with rounded off upper corners. The gold/brown tweed cabinet cover has orange and black vertical stripes in the center, with a black script Gibson logo in the lower right hand corner. The square lower cabinet edges have leather corners and round hard rubber feet, with a leather-covered handle at the top. The round front speaker aperture is covered by a black metal grill.
The detachable latched-on back cover reveals the chassis mounted on the bottom with a deco-styled control panel. This lays out left-right with an on/off switch, fuse, "echo speaker" output jack, microphone volume, instruments volume, single mic and twin instrument inputs and a tone control switch (selecting bass and normal). The original field coil 12" speaker is still mounted. This era EH-150 was the most popular professional amplifier of its day, as used by Charlie Christian and a host of other 1940s greats, and is still a wonderful and unique-sounding amp today.
Height is 15 5/8 in. (39.7 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) width, and 8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm.) deep.
This is a well-used amp, a bit funky looking from the outside but still righteous inside. This old pre-war Gibson amp has taken its licks but is still ticking! The fabric covering on the cabinet has darkened (probably from decades in smoky clubs) and is scuffed and stained in spots. There are a LOT of old cigarette burns on the top, mostly along the back edge but not on the back cover indicated someone smoked a while playing in classic '40s noir style. These have been lightly lacquered over. It looks like someone once tried to "clean" the red-and-black stripe off the back panel, why we have no idea, and it is rather washed-out looking but still visible.
Other than this the cabinet covering is still original, down to the leather-covered handle (which is quite well worn) and leather corner covers. One of the four latches that hold the back on is broken but the panel is still secure for carrying. The inside of the box was painted white eons ago, for reasons unknown and has had a holding cradle for the power cord added, an interesting and actually useful idea! The lightly built cabinet remains solid with no structural damage; many of these have not survived as well when used as much as this one appears to have been!
Internally the amplifies itself is in good order and remains as original as is practical for modern use of this radio-age chassis. It has been recently serviced with adding a 3-prong grounded cord, new power tubes (the rest are still period), and a standard cap job with the leaky Electrolytics replaced. All sockets, jacks and pots have been cleaned and internally the chassis is much neater than the exterior of the amp.
The original detachable back panel and field coil speaker are still intact; the speaker has been neatly reconed. This EH-150 is super cool and vibey, and has probably played some great gigs over the last 80+ years from the look of it. It still sounds great with the classic prewar Gibson jazzy tone and progressive whisper-to-roar response the EH-150 is famous for! Very Good + Condition.