Ampeg B-100R Blue Diamond - Impressed!

[chaosMK]

I never thought I'd go the way of Ampeg (or a combo, ever) again, but this little retro-looking amp sounds awesome. Huge warmness, controls in just the right freqs, gentle detailed clarity. It responds well to the controls on my bass, even if I have huge fatnesses dialed in on it. I plugged in my Cirrus and it was instant urban contemporary gospel heaven.

Would I use this for modern machine sounding super low-tuned metal... no way. But for everything else it would be excellent. This is probably one of the finest SS (non-hybrid) designs I've ever run across. This is a keeper!

[JimmyM]

Dig. It's an impressive little amp. Has the whole B-15 vibe. One of the very few non-micro solid state amps I've truly liked.

[James Judson]

I'm not a big Ampeg fan. I grew out of that old school bass tone many years ago. But I have to say that RocketBass (B100R) is an awesome amp in a small package. Can't figure why Ampeg discontinued it.

[JimmyM]

When something gets discontinued, that almost always means it didn't sell enough to keep it going. Great amp, but quite a bit more than the BA115 and not a micro at a time when micro fever swept the country.

[JxBass]

One of my all time favorite combos. I liked it so much I bought two of them so that I could keep one in Maine and one in Mass. It made the carry a lot easier

[Turock]

B100R, best sounding combo out there. Looks good too.

[rayzak]

Yep, I bought mine about 12 years ago and it's still going strong. Still sounds gorgeous!!! Great combo!!!

[6jase5]

Love mine. I used to split them live with one getting the effects and the other clean, then mic'd both and mixed FOH. Always amazing.

[RC52]

I have had mine for going on 2 years. It has never failed to impress me ! Way loud for 100 ss watts , no matter how loud I play this amp, it does not fart out. I play my 68 P bass with string mute thru it with La Bella flats, Motown heaven !!!

Then my Classic Vibe 60's Jazz with Fender rounds, it rocks and exhibits enormous amounts of punch .

I love this amp.

[pbass2]

Originally Posted by rayzak

Yep, I bought mine about 12 years ago and it's still going strong. Still sounds gorgeous!!! Great combo!!!

Me too-and it's one of only a handful of pieces of gear I've kept since then! Crazy how room-filling that little sucker can be.

[P Town]

After not owning a bass since 1976, I decided to take it up again, so I bought a used Rocket, (made in USA!), and a used mim Jazz, and it sounds pretty good. I bought a PF500, and I have not decided on a speaker cab yet, so I cobbled it to the Rocket speaker temporarily, and it sounds very good. Until I decide on a cab, this works, and I will not be getting rid of the Rocket after I buy a cab for the PF, it is a real nice combo amp.

[countrybass007]

Great amp, I used one for several years and always got a good sound out of it. It just seemed a bit under powered for some applications. When i decided to replace it I had no trouble selling it, and the bassist who bought it is still using it. I never could figure out why this wasn't a more popular amp, as it delivered great bang for your buck.

[Jacob J]

I´ve played this combo on few rehreasals with my R´n´R/Punk band and I was really impresed with its sound. Even it couldn´t keep up volume-wise with guitarist´s stereo rig and pretty loud drummer, sound was there. Actually, I liked it much better than the SVT-3 Pro. I know there is 200W version out there as well, but haven´t had a chance to play it.

[Lync]

A not often discussed portion of the B100r is the line out and also headphone out. They sound absolutely wonderful. The speaker definitely adds to the overall tone, but try direct or through phones and you get a dynamic, warm, and clear tone that many preamps strive for.

[RickenBoogie]

Wish I hadn't sold mine way back when, but my BA112 is in the same league tonally. The bigger box and 15" driver does add a good amount of "fat" to the equasion compared to the smaller BA112, but I do agree, Ampeg's solid state combo's do have a very distinct retro vibe.

[main_sale]

I've had my B-100R since the late 90's and it has been 100% reliable. I thought about selling it a time or two but each time I fired it up, it just sounded too good to sell. I gave up on that idea and will have it until I die. There is definately some magic in this Ampeg design. Someday I'm going to treat myself and buy some casters for it.

[Mojo-Man]

Originally Posted by James Judson

I'm not a big Ampeg fan. I grew out of that old school bass tone many years ago. But I have to say that RocketBass (B100R) is an awesome amp in a small package. Can't figure why Ampeg discontinued it.

That's the million dollar question.
The B100R and the B50R are amazing sounding combo's.
Some of Ampeg's best ever.
The B100R is as close as a B15 tone you can get without tubes.
My favorite 100 watt combo ever.

[stiles72]

I've used one for my oldies / classic rock project and have to say it's one of my favorite Ampegs. I've gigged it alongside a '63 B15 and the new PF500/PF115. It's hard to beat the original B15, but the B100R is the best modern equivalent out there IMO. And compared to the PF500/PF115 for volume, tone, and ease of use- the B100R wins. Not to say the PF isn't a great option - the B100R just has more mojo working for it.

[Rob Martinez]

Yeah, the Ampeg B100R is an amazing combo. I will never sell mine! Sounds amazing with my Hofner Icon basses, old school thump all they way!

[999Brent]

Love mine too, would love to add a second, but they are really rare in New Zealand, have to be happy with just the one....