1965 GIBSON FALCON MODS - FACE MELTING Tone! 

BrIlliant on You for this video 2 fill years before big return of the Falcon amps

Good to see youre back brad. I mean that with love.

Hi Brad, I've never commented on any of your videos, but over time I always spend time in your videos, I learned a lot from you and I ended up finding out about your situation, I'm from Portugal. I hope you get well as soon as possible.

Lol... Man Brad, I love that you leave in the little moments that many of us have shared, like letting the reverb tank get sucked into the magnet. You actually jumped a little on that one. Classic! Still wishing you well. Thx for the new repair video!

Whoa! Bubba got a haircut! Looking sharp. Ready to charm that lady judge 😘

Bro', I am glad the Brad I started watching years ago is back on your channel. You look great, stay positive, keep safe!

Brad, great point on the annual budget. Reminds me of my county and our "city"... Road projects will fall by the wayside til November... when they rush to spend all the budget before years end. One November they started placing road signs EVERYWHERE... Redundant signs, flashing lights to warn of an upcoming stop sign on BOTH SIDES of the small streets, and a bunch of redundant "turn ahead" "wrong way" "traffic light ahead, etc, all on both sides of the highway. In one 100 yard section I counted 14 signs... so many in the median it blocked the view from the turning lanes of oncoming traffic... Turns out that the county needed to burn a bunch of budget money, so they ordered thousands of signs and started putting them anywhere they could, needed or not... Then there was the time they let the main road through town turn into a cratered mess before finally paving it, then a month later cut it all up to replace water lines, patched it, leaving it full of ruts and craters again... all based on budget timing... Good ole government funds hard at work

Glad to see you back in action, Brad!

This may not have been the case with this Falcon but I thought I’d put this out there. I’ve been through a bunch of these early 60’s to ‘66 Gibson & Epiphone’s and a few had weak reverb. I found heavy corrosion on the inside of the ground lugs on the RCA jacks - weak ground weak signal. This stuff had to be scraped off with a very small flat blade screwdriver & brushed with a stainless brush, then sprayed with deoxit. It was tedious, the lugs needed to be pinched back down and I coated the grounds on the tank with a conductive grease. I also gently cleaned the inside of the signal inputs on the tank with a small torch tip cleaning tool, then sprayed it with deoxit. This brought that awesome Gibson ‘Verb back to life. Thanks for all you do! Great channel, you’re my go to amp channel & even more so with your fight for America.

54 minutes of digging into a 1960s amplifier? Ohhh yes! Great content :D Unrelated, but you're looking very sharp, too :)

Someone’s been practicing. Sounds great! Hope all is well!!

Damn Brad, you clean up pretty good when you fight for justice. Keep up the good work.

I did this mod to my 1964 Falcon because of this video. My amp sounds waaaaaaay better than it did previously.

Hey Brad love your podcast don't stop believing.

@The Guitologist: CADL also stands for California Drivers License. It's quite common to mark belongings in Calif. with your license number. Just sayin'

I traded a Marshall MG half stack for a falcon a few years ago. I only gave 200 for the Marshall. He bought it from a trash man who saved it from being thrown away. 1963 in excellent condition, all original except I put new caps in it. It sounds perfect.

I have a early 70's Rickenbacker 4001 Bass with my NCDL# on the output jack out there somewhere.

I’ve started this videos 3 times already but haven’t been able to finish it because I’m at work lol I used to have a 1968 Gibson Lancer GA35 RVT. I loved that amp, especially the reverb sound. But man, I know what you mean about their wiring being a mess. It looked like someone dumped spaghetti inside. I wish I still had that amp. I was 16-17 when I had it and was lost when it came to wiring so I traded it off because it was so staticky and would randomly just make god awful VAAAAAP sounds lol Watching your videos on old Gibson’s makes me want another one so bad

CADL that's the library system in my home town, I never knew they offered that service. Crazy Got the hell out of the Mitten though!

If Gibson cared so much about the musician, they'd reissue this amp, you did a great job unleashing the sounds of the little beast, Bradley. Even Nashville amp gurus burn on guitar! 🎸 👈 👍

Dude, the trick with shaving is you gotta keep doing it!

You brought that lovely amp back to life. It sounds awesome!

My Dad used to check-out a VCR from the state library back in the 80's. They were still relatively new at the time. A very strange looking "commercial grade" VCR. He thought very highly of himself for discovering this "loophole" in the VCR market.

Out here in California, CADL stands for "California Driver's License". The numbers following CADL on the speaker magnet also fit the California license number format. Did a prior owner carve his driver's license number on that magnet to ID the amp if stolen?

That’s some saucy playing my friend.

After watching this video, makes me want to fiddle with my old Unicord amp.

The Library find was cool, but i think this is actually a California Driver's License. A lot of people used to carve their DL#, or worse their SSN, into things that were likely to get stolen back in the 80's. Letter is first letter of last name, then jumbled DOB. The "-3" means two other people have this license number

Sounds great Brad. Somehow these obscure amps have the mojo or a little bit of magic that kicks ass. Same can be said of your mods. Very cool!

Got your video on whilst replacing 4 blown speakers in a Blues Deville (WTF!). Looking 10 years younger there with the haircut and shave!

I’m shocked, you look normal again! Welcome back!

Has that J Winter byte/punch thang. Hang in there brother!

yaay! back to amps!!

Awesome vid bro and that sounded sick in the demo

Brad, we love your work Buddy! Would you consider working on a Gibson G-20 solid state amp from early 70's? Still has a tube like tone! Thanks, BluesFully, DW🎶🎵🎷😎

Was born in the 90s but that doesn’t stop me from feeling nostalgic about old Gibson amps.

The Guitologist: [Uses DuckDuckGo in video] Computer guys: Why are you using Bing?

I may not like this demo, but i really enjoy this channel, i have learned a lot.

sounds great brad great playing

How many ohms is this amp/speaker? A friend has one and I'd like to try it thru another cab. Thanks!

Glad to see the old Brad back thank goodness you look KOOL

Wow Brad you sure have got that combo sounding great.

Glad to see you looking good and in fighting shape, Brad. You have support out here.

I live within that Library District. Believe it. They ooze money.

In many US cities, public libraries have morphed into quasi homeless shelters (ex. SF, MSP). Whether is benefits the community is up for debate however...

Hey Brad, I have the same amp, and did the same mod. Afterward my reverb was weak as well. I even tried moving that green wire to different points in the chain and still no love. I can tell you before the mod this thing had swamp written all over the reverb circuit. Could it be that .02 replacement? I hope you can figure out this anomaly one day..

I have two of these and Skip Simmons did his series of fixes to them - they both have this amazing tone you did in the video. BTWI this CADL # is likely a California Drivers License number. In the 60's /70's we did operation identification in California and the ID number was your CA DL # ! Obviously before identity theft....

I consider my Maestro GA 2RVT sort of a Deluxe killer with a little less watts. The Falcon sounds good.

I thought you were done servicing Mesa/Boogie amps @brad

do libraries take amps guitars what not for donation?

I've seen that amp around Lansing before. I remember it because a buddy of mine has one in Nebraska. This one had been checked out from the library.

That spruag tone shaping cap could you wire it in such a way where you could take it in or out of the circuit depending if you want or need more gain?

CADL = Calif Drivers License - was super common in 60's here to engrave your license number on everything. Thats an old Calif DL #

Hi Brad, did you check the wires from the reverb transformer to the tank? Maybe its cracked

Lansing is the State Capital of Michigan and it's in Ingham County, so that library must be in Lansing somewhere. I live 35 mns south of there so this amp was exciting to see.

I'm a old Hifi guy and found your description on using a second amp with these amps humorous ( sorry not laughing at you as your very talented at playing and repairing )....i got instantly what was the connections ( i believe lol ) and what they would do....the monitor would always be the final output source ( that goes to the speaker ) to listen to or use to output for recording or in front of you on stage? ..so when that is sent to the second amp...you will get the reverb/tremelo effects ( or whatever your first amp is sending into the speaker ).... Now i believe? If you use the Second input to send to the second amp? Won't that just send what the Guitar ( or Mic etc ..) Is feeding to both amps?? ( not a amp user ).. This would just send the unamplified output of your guitar/mic to both amps equally.... And your Reverb/Vibrato would not go to the second amp....

The Reverb kind of sounded intermittent during the demo. Some points in the take it seemed to be strong, other times not there at all. If I was your customer I would definitely replace the tank.

So a friend bought one of these for me in another state after trying it out, and shipped it to me. After I put the tubes in... it now sounds super quiet (low volume) and thin. Any ideas what this might be... before I take it to a shop? Thanks

Well done!

Hey Brad hey where can I get a knob for a champion 110 Fender amp? I got the amp for $20 and all it needed was a input jack so I installed an input jack in it and I just realized that the headphone jack isn't working either and it's probably just the Jack itself needs to be replaced as well, and I have one of those to replace it but I need a knob for the Reverb and I can't find one have any idea where I can get one? Thank you sir,

I couldn't disagree more with your politics, but I sure enjoy your amp videos. Thanks for the knowledge!

A close cousin is the Epiphone Pacemaker. I sold it. Dumb mistake. They can still be found in used shops, and arent a grand like an old Champ. Its has 6AQ5s x 2 power tubes that sing when cranked.

Hi Brad. Appreciate the content on the vintage Gibson amps! Wound you be able to suggest a tubeset (source/manufacturer) for a 1964 Gibson Hawk? All the valves are missing from the one I grabbed off eBay... :-((

Did you ever try hooking up another amp through the monitor out to see how the reverb sounded that way maybe a lil more spacey Love ❤️ the tone of those old Gibbys Especially with your chops coming through ✌️

So….speaking of Maestro products…. What’s your opinion on them? Once in a while, I’ll see a Maestro guitar pop up for sale.

It could be that the CADL # is a California Driver's License number to show identification of the person who owned it. Some people will inscribe their drivers license on property so if it is lost or stolen, it can be traced back if located. Just a thought. John Jackson

Great and informative videos thanks for posting and helping educate. I have a question I'm currently recapping my 65 Falcon and was wondering if you can tell me if you cover the portion where you install the 10uf 450v caps on the tone and volume and what that is achieving in the circuit? Is it in another video I have missed? Cheers keep up the good work!

I have a Ga-6 cab I bought with no chassis. I am going to build my own. Which gibson amp should i clone? GA20? FALCON? Which preamp is your fave?

Wow!!! Brad took a shower this year!

Imagine running a Digitech Death Metal pedal through that.

I have one of these amps. It would be cool to have a switch to bypass the “tonesuckcurcuit” and also turn it back on?

Great Video Brad! I love the way you show your work and share your resources ( Books, Schematics) with your viewers. Are you aware of the "Truth about Vintage Amps podcast " ? It's put out by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal and Skip Simmons an old School Amp Guru based in northern California. You both have made the public aware of the potential of the once cast aside Gibson Falcon. I would love a Gibson Falcon summit between my 2 favorite sources of Amp repair knowledge.

I bought a 63' in the early 2000's. Came with an old weber feromax speaker, sounded too clean. Swapped in a weber 12a125-A/30watt. It is such a sweat amp. Came with tone-suck circuit already removed.

I agree Brad...the reverb isnt all that on this one. I played on one years ago and like you say.. it seems like it should be a little richer with more depth. Here and there in the demo it sounds like its trying to come out more but then it chokes a bit. Still a playable amp though.

Hello Brad. Hope you’re doing well. Thank you for your channel I have a question. Are you going to do ask an amp tech again? How do I size ma choke in a circuit for a Geetar Amp. Can I with a multimeter? Thanks again for your contact. It’s good to see you growing. Thanks again, JM

I have one just like this one. same gray tolex, knobs on mine are round . mine is missing the gibson logo, and the footswitch is missing.

Who are you and what have you done with Brad !?

I had a Gibson model called an 'Explorer' that looked exactly like this amp!

Nice to see that you let your twin brother do the show now!!!!!! The beard look is gone. lol

I know this is off subject but is it possible to turn a solid state amp into a full tube amp I got a cheap 10 watt practice amp I mean very cheap one just to tinker with . I modified it and got it sounding like a small 10 watt Marshall mg 10cd sp would like to make it tube so it will sound like a small 10 watt marshall tube amp and maybe have a cable port on the back to run to a 2x12 cab for a louder and brighter tone and help would be great. The amp in using to learn modifications and amp wiring is a small 10watt no name brand at all amp that I got sounding like the marshall mg10cd with tubes would be one hell of a practice amp I would think especially on a 2x12 cab thanks guys

I was gifted a free Falcon and a Harmony Rocket guitar by a neighbor when I was a kid. I loaned the Falcon to a friend and his mom sold it in a garage sale while he was in the army because she was moving didn't know it was mine and thought it was just old junk...

Seems to me either the reverb driver cable is intermittent, or, more likely, there is a fault in the tank.

You look so much nicer now.

Hey did you ever think that it mite be a C.A.lifornia D.rivers L.icense#.......?

I had one...... and sold it while in college....... and now I think about it often. :( playing it at the end dosnt help.... now to reverb to find one........

Nice Job Brad. Strange and weird mystery going on with the reverb. Think you're right about someone messing with it in the past. Nice amp. Not my favorite, judging on the sound that came through in this video. 😉 Love the Cello in the back. Looking for an affordable one quite some time. Success placing the soundpost. Delicate job. 🧐😘

Maybe someone changed a faulty transducer at some point and replaced it with the wrong one. The output coil should read much higher than the input. For example on the Fender Reverb 4AB3C1C Tank, the input impedance is 8ohms and the output is 2.25kohms. This is at 1kHz of course, but the dc resistance would show a similar difference between the two.

Good day I have a gibson hawk of the same era how do you feel it stacks against the Falcon

Hey I had a Gibson Hawk amp it Sounded like AC/DC Straight from the Guitar 🎸 wish I still had it 🎶🎶🎶☮️

I must say I'm sad to see how the threat of court can cause people to have on the turn of a dime have to care about things like shaving and hair cuts... my heart goes out to u buddy keep the dream alive...

Thanks

No more Moses.

Point 022 capacitors they're black with the Orange striped black beauties were used up in to the 72 Gibson guitars I have seen them in a 1968 std 56 les Paul

So the Gibson logo conceptually has the same weakness as the Gibson Les Paul and SG model headstock design flaw debilities.

I think libraries are the only valid social safety net. Helluva lot better than public school

Hi Brad. My experience with this era Gibson is so wet, I would call unusable. 1 is wet, 3 is way wet,4 is Dick Dale. Just my opinion.

Hey whos the new guy?

Wouldn't CADL just mean "California Drivers License"?

maybe that number on the back of the speaker is someone's driver's license number?

Man that things a little screamer

Fan of slash?