Ampeg BA300/210 rattle

[stanpz]

I have an Ampeg BA300/210 that is about 6 months old, but was rarely used. I recently purchased an Alembic 5 string bass. Upon playing the new bass I noticed a very obvious rattle, especially on the B string. I took it to an authorized repair outfit and they concluded it was merely the construction of the cabinet that was causing the rattle. In other words, it was not " broken" , but there was probably no real fix. He is going to contact Ampeg to see if they had come across the problem and whether I COULD RETURN OR EXCHANGE THE AMP. He tightned all the screws etc. I was even able to get a rattle on other strings. I was not using extremely high volumes either. Is this a known issue with these smaller units ? Thanks.

[billfitzmaurice]

Either the cab is insufficiently braced internally (if at all) or it's just too small to support use with a low B.

[jelwood]

I heard that the BA600s were even worse with this rattling thing. So yes, it's an issue with the model that I've heard a lot about.

[stanpz]

The repair person would hold his hand against certain components ( heat sink, back of cabinet ) and the rattle would diminish or dissapear. It tells me that I want another amplfier. Do you recommend the Gallien-Krueger Club #640 ? I am looking for a replacement in the under $1000 range for home use. I have an 1996 Alembic 5 string bass and 1974 Hagstrom 4 string bass.

Thanks for all the forum help. I'm new to bass amps and their issues. This seems to be a forgiving forum for newcomers and their newbie questions. I only use this at home to continue my own bass guitar education. I'm really just a 58 year old ex-hippie who enjoys collecting and playing all the guitars that I envied as I got older.