Vintage Gibson Scout

Nola

Nola

Well-known member
Does anyone have experience with these amps? I got a relatively good price on one (1965 Crestline version) recently and went for it. The reverb unit seems to sound really nice based on youtube videos. The tone kind of sounds like a mellower silverface fender to me. I read online the build quality of Gibsons wasn't great, so I'm iffy about this buy.

But, I'd be curious to hear any opinions about the amp alone and how it sits in a mix, maint problems, etc.
 
Congrats on the buy!

Vintage Gibson amps are generally not sought after, nor are they pricey. Given that collectors haven't gone wild on them, I think they represent a very good value relative to other amps from that era (tweeds, showman, bandmaster, etc). I have a 1961 GA-77 Vanguard sitting in my basement. I like the tone - has tons of personality and sounds like classic tweed to me. I like the reverb as well although sometimes I have to pound on the amp to get it going haha. It's in terrible shape but it was given to me so I can't complain. There is a shop around here that recently fixed up a 1964 showman for me. They did a great job so I am considering doing the Gibson too.

I am coming to the realization that I am a sucker for vintage amps. I don't know what it is, but something about them just sounds more 'real' to me.
 
Thanks IBB. Yeah it's like 1/3 to 1/4th the price of a Fender. So if build quality is okay, I don't really understand why they're so cheap. Some people online wrote they have bad build quality, but others said that's a myth and the build is fine. I guess I will find out soon when I get it. But the youtube videos of Scouts I heard sound awesome. Reverb sounds great, and I like that it doesn't break up early because I can feed it all my distortion pedals. Seems like a great compliment to my princeton (brown) that breaks up early and has no reverb at like 1/3 the price.

Does your record nicely? Is the build quality decent?
 
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I haven't even tried recording it yet. It's in bad shape. It's a coin flip if the reverb is going to work. One of the pilot lights is missing. Some of the knobs are scratchy. The name and model of the amp was written right on the steel face plate, but it is completely scuffed off. Then again this amp is 56 years old so there is no telling what kind of hell it's been through. The guy who gave it to me got it from a pawn shop in Texas in 2001.

It also has some charming little touches. The handle is made out of hard plastic with a metal frame and inside the plastic is says Gibson. When you pick up the amp by its handle, it's really unbalanced. All the weight is in the front so the amp sways out at angle when being carried. All the corners are square. It screams 60s. It's a weird looking amp. Reminds me of my grandfather's house in Pittsburgh - lime green couches and floor lamps with built in tables that inevitably had an ash tray on them.
 
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