Gibson "Brings Back" the Falcon Series of Amplifiers, redesigned by Mesa Boogie

[tbonesullivan]

Not sure I really have any interest in these, but they look almost like "toned down" versions of the Mesa California Tweed. I guess Gibson wants to hop on the vintage nostalgia train.

EDIT: So, I've now heard from "sources" that the entire reason why Gibson bought Mesa was to bring back Gibson amplifiers. Am I wrong, or have they not already tried SEVERAL times to bring back Gibson amplifiers? They bought trace elliot and had them make Gibson amps in the UK 1998-2002. Then they brought back the GA-20RVT in 2005, being made "somewhere" that I can't find out about.

I also.. really don't think many associate the Gibson name with amplifiers anymore. They were never THE amp to have, and Fender, Marshall, and others pretty much became THE classic amplifiers to have. Are they hoping to be the next Magnatone or Supro, when they weren't even as well-known as those companies in their original heyday?

https://www.gibson.com/en-US/amps

[DaveL]

They look kind of cool...     

[tbonesullivan]

39 minutes ago, DaveL said:

They look kind of cool...     

They definitely do look nice, and way more modern than the original Falcons. They also added some nice features, and while they are not cheap, neither are Magnatone amps. From the looks of it they seem to be positioning these amps against the Tone King and Magnatone line, as well as, of course, Fender. I know there are other smaller makers out there who make similar wattage amplifiers, but I don't think those are on mesa's radar.

I also apparently missed this as well, but Supro now has come out with a line made in the USA that uses "premium" components like Mallory caps and Mercury Mag transformers. Looks like the "new vintage" amp market is heating up.

[Jeff R]

$1500 for a 7-watt 1x10?

$1800 for a 12-watt 1x12?

For that money, I'd personally prefer to buy a Mesa/Boogie designed and built ... Mesa/Boogie.

At least I'd get a couple channels and one will breathe some fire.

[django49]

I guess I am getting old. All the prices seem high these days. My first reaction  was why get this when one can snag a Swart AST, which is one helluva amp (IMO) with great rev and trem......And designed off an older Gibson circuit as I understand it. But their price seems to have gone up at least 30% since I last looked, to $2665. Tone King is probably similar. Fortunately, I have my AST already.....

Def not like the good old days......

[tbonesullivan]

Prices on amps have been soaring over the past 2-3 years, across the market. I'm really kinda glad that I'm "mostly" out of the amp buying thing. I've also been watching way too much of Psionic Audio and Brad's Guitar garage on youtube, and it's amazing how much people are paying for some of these amps, like the $3K Fender "hand-wired" Deluxe that they make, which is supposed to be a "modified" Deluxe.

Except that it's modified kinda not in the best way and could easily be improved.

[crunchee]

DGS got in two of the Falcon 5 combos this week, and already managed to sell one (and yeah, they're $1500 a pop  ).  I'm still on a 'Great Recession' budget, so hard pass on those.

I found out about the VHT Special 6 and Special 6 Ultra amps (they're Chinese made handwired tube amps, made after Fryette sold off VHT) several years ago, I like 'em, and I have a couple of the Special 6 heads for when I want to use a small amp.  Even now, both those and the Ultra models are easily found on Reverb for cheap used, and can still be found new too, apparently.  They're handwired, and supposedly mod-friendly:

VHT Special 6 (soundonsound.com)

VHT Special 6 Ultra Amp Review - Premier Guitar

VHT Mods (robrobinette.com)

[Biz Prof]

On 1/16/2024 at 6:05 PM, tbonesullivan said:

Prices on amps have been soaring over the past 2-3 years, across the market.

Seems that way to me, as well, but then, I only ever buy (gently) used amps.   Somehow, I expect this kind of thing from a Gibson brand.  You know, many of the low wattage P2P circuits made by boutique builders are analogous IMHO to some of the Cobra kit cars that have been popular with gearheads for the last three decades. The kit cars that use Ford Windsor family (typically 302 CID) engines (carb fed), transmissions, and drivetrains are kind of like simple tube amp circuits.  They each perform a basic function, and there's nothing fancy or exotic about them.  Parts are relatively easy to source, configure, and install, yet are not at all what you'd find in modern designs on the dealer showroom floor.

Both the small-builder, low-wattage tube amp and the Shelby clone perform in a manner common to what the industry standard was ~60 years ago, and the build quality is what you'd expect from a small, privately owned manufacturer.  Based on some quick Google searches, a fully assembled Cobra kit car (a basic 289/302 version, not a 427 powered version, mind you) will likely run a bit north of $50,000.  A 2024 Ford Mustang GT with a 5.0L V-8 is roughly the same price out-the-door, but it has a shit-ton more features and daily driver conveniences than the retro rod.

Which brings me to Jeff's point.  If you're going to spend nearly $2k for an amp, you might expect something more than a simple 7-15 watt Class A circuit with minimal controls for tone shaping.  Alas, booteek is booteek, and as long as willing buyers fork over the dough, smart small-scale designers/builders will keep making them.

[Dutchman]

Build your own!

[RobB]

Sure, man. I’ll jump right in on that…

[scottcald]

To be honest, I’m waiting for them to have a model that the Murphy Lab dragged their keys over for double the price.  🤣

[cmatthes]

I am 1,000 times more interested in the prospect of a cool Epiphone FB V than whatever the hell those amps are all about.  THAT would get my attention far more these days.  
 

Awaiting the NAMM report…

 

[Cboss]

4 hours ago, scottcald said:

To be honest, I’m waiting for them to have a model that the Murphy Lab dragged their keys over for double the price.  🤣

Some dried malt liquor, some groupie stains.. maybe some mysterious white residue... what else are you going to plug your reliced new old masterpiece into?🤣

[velorush]

On 1/16/2024 at 5:05 PM, tbonesullivan said:

I've also been watching way too much of Psionic Audio...

Can't get enough of his videos.  So much know-how!  He is not complementary of Mesa construction techniques which I would assume holds over to these new Gibson amps.  The bottom line for me on these new offerings comes from the same philosophy I use buying cars: the price is $1,800.00?  Okay, what else is available at that price point?  The $1,800-ish subset of the amp market has some seriously nice members, especially when you (as @Biz Prof and I insist) include gently used amps.

Just a quick search on Reverb for used combo amps priced $1,700 to $1,900 gets a Bogner Duende, Carr Sportsman, Matchless Spitfire, Fuchs OD Classic, tons of Marshall JCM800 4010s, Freidman Runt, etc.  That's a tough price point to be pitching a bare-bones amp solely on the basis of a barely extant nostalgia (in that, I agree, Gibson amps were never really a "thing"). 

But hey, what I've seen coming out of Nashville in the past going-on-four years sure outdoes the latter-day Henry J offerings.  [/opinion]

[crunchee]

FWIW, found a photo of the innards of a new Falcon 20:

 

[Cboss]

59 minutes ago, crunchee said:

FWIW, found a photo of the innards of a new Falcon 20:

 

What a corporate pos..why the exuberance with a glue gun..or are those caterpillars?🤔

[JGale]

It's normally used to protect from vibration damage to components or connections or to hide component values from cloners. Residue from an early run to be fixed when the robot assembler gets updated? Fanbois residue (eww)?

[crunchee]

20 minutes ago, Cboss said:

What a corporate pos..why the exuberance with a glue gun..or are those caterpillars?🤔

Next thing you know, TGP will be calling the excess epoxy 'Dumble-style construction'.  

[HSB0531]

26 minutes ago, JGale said:

It's normally used to protect from vibration damage to components or connections or to hide component values from cloners. Residue from an early run to be fixed when the robot assembler gets updated? Fanbois residue (eww)?

Yes, I've seen this practice using silicone for a long time now.

So, they're using 5% and 10% tolerance resistors, and most are carbon type. None of the capacitors are anything high grade/high tolerance either.  Hopefully the circuit board is capable of withstanding the heat of the tubes.  It Does look like they're using a better grade of tube sockets though.

[Cboss]

21 minutes ago, crunchee said:

Next thing you know, TGP will be calling the excess epoxy 'Dumble-style construction'.  

That is hilarious that you said that, that actually crossed my mind.. they started out to glue up the whole board to make it dumble-esque as you said, but then the bean counters called and said that will put the PCB cost over $8, can't do it!

[HSB0531]

1 minute ago, Cboss said:

That is hilarious that you said that, that actually crossed my mind.. they started out to glue up the whole board to make it dumble-esque as you said, but then the bean counters called and said that will put the PCB cost over $8, can't do it!

I hate bean counters.  Many great designs in every field were ruined by bean counters.

[Cboss]

Just now, HSB0531 said:

I hate bean counters.  Many great designs in every field were ruined by bean counters.

Amen 1000%

[velorush]

17 hours ago, crunchee said:

FWIW, found a photo of the innards of a new Falcon 20:

 

I don't think the build quality of the above compares favorably with the alternatives at that price point (opinion).

19 hours ago, velorush said:

Just a quick search on Reverb for used combo amps priced $1,700 to $1,900 gets a Bogner Duende, Carr Sportsman, Matchless Spitfire, Fuchs OD Classic, tons of Marshall JCM800 4010s, Freidman Runt, etc.  

 

[tbonesullivan]

23 hours ago, crunchee said:

FWIW, found a photo of the innards of a new Falcon 20:

Looks pretty much the same as other Mesa Boogie stuff, which of course means that the component labels are UNDER the components. Yes I love my Boogies but that is one thing I will never like about how they build amps. There is no reason especially on an amp with so few components, that they can't put the component numbers next to where they go. I can see it being "necessary" on something like a Mark IV or V where there are enough components to blind people, but otherwise, NOPE.

[scottcald]

8 hours ago, tbonesullivan said:

Looks pretty much the same as other Mesa Boogie stuff, which of course means that the component labels are UNDER the components. Yes I love my Boogies but that is one thing I will never like about how they build amps. There is no reason especially on an amp with so few components, that they can't put the component numbers next to where they go. I can see it being "necessary" on something like a Mark IV or V where there are enough components to blind people, but otherwise, NOPE.

Or give you a diagram of what goes where.