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Gibson EH-150 Amplifier
The Gibson EH-150 amplifier was first introduced in 1935 by the Gibson Guitar Company to accompany the Gibson Hawiian style "slide" guitar. The pair sold for $150, hence the name. Noted guitarists, Charlie Christian and Django Rienhardt were users of the amplifier (but not the guitar) playing as solo acts and with ensembles, including full jazz and gypsy orchestras, respectively. The amplifier was a square-shouldered box, covered with a tweed finish, often called a "suitcase" amp. It had a carry handle on the top and a back that was removed for playing by opening the 4 snaps. However, the 5 watt output through the 10" speaker left much to be desired. At Christian's request, Gibson agreed to build a larger, more powerful amp and, in 1937, Gibson introduced the second generation of the amp.

The new amp looked similar, but was larger, had rounded corners, produced 15 watts and had a 12" speaker. Perhaps the most interesting part of the amp, historically speaking, was the microphone input. While the previous model had both an instrument input and mic input, Christian complained that the mic could not be heard through the amp over the guitar. In the 30's, microphones had a very weak signal, so this was no surprise.

To fix the problem, Gibson added a signal boost to the channel for the mic. In doing so, they had accidentally invented the first overdrive guitar amplifier in history.

There are various stories about how this was first discovered. One legend popular in blues circles is that Hubert Sumlin was backing Howling Wolf one night when he accidentally plugged his guitar cord into the mic channel. The resulting sustain and crunch both surprised and pleased many who heard it, including Wolf who loved the ability to distinguish himself from rival Muddy Waters. In any event,this new sound opened the door for musicians and, later, amplifier manufacturers, to consider utilizing overdrive/gain circuitry which is found on virtually all modern guitar amplifiers.

The second generation EH-150 amp is considered by many to be a highly attractive collectible amplifier. Quite a few guitarists still play the amplifier for its "greasy" tone and retro look. In fact, various musicians in rock and blues play the amp with only minor tweaks to the input sound (such as EQ).

Several movies, including "La Bamba" and "Cadillac Records" have featured the amplifier as being used by the actors portraying Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, and Ritchie Valens.

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The Gibson EH-150 amplifier was first introduced in 1935 by the Gibson Guitar Company to accompany the Gibson Hawiian style "slide" guitar. The pair sold for $150, hence the name. Noted guitarists, Charlie Christian and Django Rienhardt were users of the amplifier (but not the guitar) playing as solo acts and with ensembles, including full jazz and gypsy orchestras, respectively. The amplifier was a square-shouldered box, covered with a tweed finish, often called a "suitcase" amp. It had a carry handle on the top and a back that was removed for playing by opening the 4 snaps. However, the 5 watt output through the 10" speaker left much to be desired. At Christian's request, Gibson agreed to build a larger, more powerful amp and, in 1937, Gibson introduced the second generation of the amp.

The new amp looked similar, but was larger, had rounded corners, produced 15 watts and had a 12" speaker. Perhaps the most interesting part of the amp, historically speaking, was the microphone input. While the previous model had both an instrument input and mic input, Christian complained that the mic could not be heard through the amp over the guitar. In the 30's, microphones had a very weak signal, so this was no surprise.

To fix the problem, Gibson added a signal boost to the channel for the mic. In doing so, they had accidentally invented the first overdrive guitar amplifier in history.

There are various stories about how this was first discovered. One legend popular in blues circles is that Hubert Sumlin was backing Howling Wolf one night when he accidentally plugged his guitar cord into the mic channel. The resulting sustain and crunch both surprised and pleased many who heard it, including Wolf who loved the ability to distinguish himself from rival Muddy Waters. In any event,this new sound opened the door for musicians and, later, amplifier manufacturers, to consider utilizing overdrive/gain circuitry which is found on virtually all modern guitar amplifiers.

The second generation EH-150 amp is considered by many to be a highly attractive collectible amplifier. Quite a few guitarists still play the amplifier for its "greasy" tone and retro look. In fact, various musicians in rock and blues play the amp with only minor tweaks to the input sound (such as EQ).

Several movies, including "La Bamba" and "Cadillac Records" have featured the amplifier as being used by the actors portraying Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, and Ritchie Valens.