Official AudioKarma G.A.S. Owner Club - The Great American Sound Company!

GaryM

G.A.S. man
Okay, here it is. The Great American Sound Company Club has now begun. Sign up and let's get to sharing info on this great gear. Do you own a Thaedra and an Ampzilla? How about a Sleeping Beauty cartridge? Have any info, photos or stories? Let us hear about it!

My system is built around my G.A.S. Thoebe preamp. It's the middle of the line of the three GAS preamps. Years ago, I owned a Thalia preamp and matching Grandson power amp, purchased when I worked for G.A.S.

I found my Thoebe in a pawn shop last year for $59. It is the "R" model, meaning "Rack mount" front panel. The R is marked on the end of the serial number on the rear sticker. In 1979, a Thoebe sold for $499. Fortunately, mine is completely stock. The time delay relay had poor contact due to some oxidation but, I got that sorted out in short order. Pretty good for being over 30 years old!

Thoebe is pushing a JBL 6260 power amp, JBL ARC30 monitors and a JBL PSW-100 sub. :music:
 
Count me in!

I'm the proud owner of a Son of Ampzilla amplifier and a Thalia preamp. Absolutely fantastic sounding duo! I have them pushing a pair of modified Allison CD7's in my den.
 
I purchased my Son of Ampzilla in 1978 if my memory serves me right. I picked up a Thalia in 1982. My Son seems different as it has 4 ohm calibrated meters, not the 8 ohm ones i have seen in photo's lately. It is an original rack model! I still am amazed at how good the GAS componets sound.

My original Thalia developed noise in one channel, only when changing the volume, so i found a second Thalia on the bay for a reasonable price. I then found Mike Bettinger who repairs GAS componets; my original Thalia is with him now getting fixed.

i am looking for the original rack handles for a Thalia though...

Thalia pushing Son of Amzilla amp, JBL 4312 monitors, sources: TX-9100, TD-160, CDP-C8ESD

pictures soon!
 
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If I recall, the Son with the 4 ohm meters is a later model, possessing an improved (more stable) front end.
 
I've been collecting GAS for some time. In preamps, I have a Thaedra, Thoebe, and Thalia (unfortunately the Thaedra isn't rack-mount; I've been looking for a rack mount faceplate for one). In amps, I have an Ampzilla II, Son, two Grandsons (with and without meters), a 500, a 120, a 240, and a Godzilla. For other ancillary stuff, I have a Bridge, a Goliath headphone amp, several Sleeping Beauty MC cartridges, and a Charlie tuner.

The 120, 240, and Charlie are at Mike Bettinger's right now getting tuned up. He does great work and I look forward to getting them.

David
 
If I recall, the Son with the 4 ohm meters is a later model, possessing an improved (more stable) front end.

did they add gold plated input jacks on the later models also?

Can i tell by the serial number when it was made?

thanks
 
David, you have a great collection of Gas gear. Is the Godzilla still working well? Could you post some photos of your GAS gear?

Art - Finding original Thalia handles may be impossible. Perhaps an ex-employee may have some parts. You may be better off having some made from aluminum bar stock and off the shelf mounting hardware.

Yes, in the last years gold plated jacks were used and 2% tolerance resistors were dropped and only 1% resistors were used throughout all product lines. (My Thoebe is a early model with some 2% resistors.) You cannot tell what year it was made by the serial number . You are better off going by the date codes on the electrolytic capacitors.
 
David, you have a great collection of Gas gear. Is the Godzilla still working well? Could you post some photos of your GAS gear?

Art - Finding original Thalia handles may be impossible. Perhaps an ex-employee may have some parts. You may be better off having some made from aluminum bar stock and off the shelf mounting hardware.

Yes, in the last years gold plated jacks were used and 2% tolerance resistors were dropped and only 1% resistors were used throughout all product lines. (My Thoebe is a early model with some 2% resistors.) You cannot tell what year it was made by the serial number . You are better off going by the date codes on the electrolytic capacitors.

not knowing much about resistors, are 2% better than 1%? Or does it matter?
 
A 1K ohm 2% resistor's actual value will measure within 2% of it's marked value. A 1% will measure within 1% of it's marked value, etc. The tighter the tolerance, the more precise the value.
 
David, you have a great collection of Gas gear. Is the Godzilla still working well? Could you post some photos of your GAS gear?

Gary,

The Godzilla is (now) in tip top shape. Just spent about 4 months with Mike Bettinger to fix an intermittent channel. Tough to work on, as there are no schematics and the design has some unusual aspects, so Mike basically had to reverse engineer it. I'll try to get some pics of it later today. The thing's a beast to move around.

David
 
Last year I bought a Thaedra and a Sleeping Beauty cart for my best friend's main system. We've been working on the Thaedra (recap and clean) but can't get the head unit right. It's going to Mike B. on Monday. Gotta say, it is one incredible pre. Once we can use it with the MC cart, this system will really cook!
 
OK, here are some pics of GAS products you don't see every day. The first two are the front and back of my GAS Godzilla. 90 watts Class A or 350 watts Class A/B. The pictures don't do justice to the size of the thing - it weighs in right at 100 pounds. Legend has it that GAS engineers tested it by using it as an arc welder - don't know if that's true or apocryphal, but it wouldn't surprise me. They only produced 20, and about half of those were sold to the Grateful Dead. Mine is serial number 13, and if you look closely in the top corner of the center section on the back, you can see it was signed by Andy Hefley.

The last two pictures are of the 120 and the 240 (sorry for the lousy quality, I'll try to get better pictures when they get back from Mike's). At the end of GAS' lifetime, they were planning replacements for the Ampzilla, the Son, and the Grandson. The Ampzilla replacement actually made it to market (as the 500), while the 120 (Grandson replacement) and 240 (Son replacement) never made it past the prototyping stage. As far as I know, these are the only 120 and 240 ever made.

David
 

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wow! That Godzilla is amazing. I am not sure about the looks of the power meters on the 120 and 240 as I like the look of the classic analog meters better. Any idea on the specifications of the 240?
 
wow! That Godzilla is amazing. I am not sure about the looks of the power meters on the 120 and 240 as I like the look of the classic analog meters better. Any idea on the specifications of the 240?

Yes, I like analog meters better myself. I assume they switched to the LEDs for price and reliability reasons. Still, they do look sort of cool. Another collector has the matching 500; someday I may get it out of his hands.

I have no idea on the specs on the 240, except it's rated at 120 watts/channel. I assume the performance is comparable or superior to a Son, else why replace the Son? Anyway, it sounds very nice, so it can't be too shabby.

David
 
Good Day - I am new to the forum - was wondering if you have any contact information for Mike Bettinger? I have four 401s that I would love to have re-done. You have some fantastic units too! I appreciate any help. Thanks - Mark
 
Got a Thaedra as part of a trade back in the late 80s. After a cursory listen, was a tube dude at that time, had no problem moving it down the highway.

Thought Son was their best sounding amp, of course YMMV. Have occasional fought down the urge to buy one. Going to the bay right after this.

From Tuner Information Center: The GAS Charlie's existence other than as a prototype is vehemently denied by James Bongiorno. ("The product was NEVER made. It didn't happen.")
 
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