The Ampeg Family Reunion - Official Club Thread Part 4

[rust_preacher]

Got my full stack completed, a semi-blowout price on the bottom cab. (Why do they paste the price tags on the logo???)



Dress rehearsal for Saturday's gig today.

[JimmyM]

Is that just price tag goo on it? You could take it off and clean it off. If it's damaged, though, shouldn't cost you more than a few bucks to get another one. Pretty sure you can get it from Ampeg's parts dept. or maybe Fliptops.net .

[rust_preacher]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Is that just price tag goo on it? You could take it off and clean it off. If it's damaged, though, shouldn't cost you more than a few bucks to get another one. Pretty sure you can get it from Ampeg's parts dept. or maybe Fliptops.net .

Yes, it's no problem, it is just the price tag goo.

[JimmyM]

Well despite the goo, it looks killer and should sound really fat with the mudbucker Tele bass.

As for me, I continue to be pretty impressed at the capabilities of the BA110. Used it again tonight, and ended up being considerably louder than the last couple times I used it. But somehow or another it hung. Got just a tad nasty when I cranked it up enough to get dirty looks during the Sly that ends the second set, but in a good way. But otherwise it stayed pretty clean, certainly clean enough for my tastes and needs. I had that amp up as loud as I've had any other amp I've owned in that band, and though I'll always prefer bigger cabs if not bigger wattage, it was very much in line with what I'm used to hearing out of my bigger Ampeg rigs...within reason, of course.

So that means I could likely use it on some upcoming stage volume gigs! Ever since I realized that I could do fairly loud stage volume gigs with my main band using a B-15 and not run out of juice, I've had a fascination with seeing just how little an amp I could get away with. Used the BA108 on an "acoustic" gig we did and came pretty close to tapping it out so I'm pretty sure 25w and a single 8" won't be enough, though 25w and a 115 is. But it looks like the BA110's going to handle it with 35w and a 10. Got an upcoming reduced volume gig in a small bar on a casino ship that I know it'll handle for sure, and one in a 250 seater hall where everyone dances and drinks and gets loud. Might bring the Micro VR just in case it doesn't work out, but I'm going to try it at soundcheck at least. I bet I can get away with it.

Call me the worst raging tube snob in the world, and call me crazy for using a practice amp when I have small stuff that gets considerably louder, but I'm getting a perverse thrill out of gigging a practice amp when some folks on here can't even use a practice amp for practice.

[arai]

lol

[rust_preacher]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Well despite the goo, it looks killer and should sound really fat with the mudbucker Tele bass.

...some folks on here can't even use a practice amp for practice.

I used this at rehearsal last night, and I had to basically do the same EQ tweak as I do with the Markbass Tube (that's in the rack under the coffee cup in the picture): ease up on the lows and dial in more mids. So, I got a bit more punch out of the Tele bass than the low end it is capable of delivering. The compressor on top helps tame the attack. Otherwise the front end of the Micro VR just shuts down. I even used the pad and the limiter switch, just to be safe.

Anyway, the verdict of the golden-ear singer was that he liked this sound better than the LM sound, it is a bit hairier I guess.

When I used my G & L SB-2 that is tuned one step down I could get the low D nicely and also there was a bit more "bite" in the sound as well which works well for the couple of songs I use this bass on.

I am pretty confident this rig will carry us fine on the upcoming gig. The band before us will use this setup as well.


...I actually wanted to use the Micro VR as my home practice amp, but the fan is just too darned loud. I have a 1970s Dynacord with a modern TC RS112 cabinet for that purpose now.

[Newbie-Doo]

Question for you guys...

I have a PF350 that I'm running through an Acoustic B210 NEO. That gives me an 8 Ohm load and 250 Watts from the amp. That combo is just not giving me the volume I want/need for my band. If I push the gain past 3 O'clock with the Volume maxed it will start to cut out for half a sec here and there when I'm playing with extra gusto.

If I leave the amp at the same gain, volume and EQ settings, AND...
If I add an 8 Ohm 4x10 will the volume significantly increase, meaning I don't have to push the amp past the cutting out point?
If I add a 4 Ohm 4x10 (pushes amp to 350 watts) can I expect more volume than I'll get with an 8 Ohm 4x10?
If I add a 4 Ohm 8x10 will it further increase the volume?

Does the amp have the ability to deliver the same power to each of the 8 speakers as it does to the 2 or 4 speakers as long as the total Ohms go no lower than 4? I'm assuming if that is the case the amp, with more speakers at the same ohms should be much louder, yes??

The amp sounds great, so if I can get the volume I need by simply adding speakers I would be quite happy.

Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom.

[Bass 45]

Originally Posted by Newbie-Doo

Question for you guys...

I have a PF350 that I'm running through an Acoustic B210 NEO. That gives me an 8 Ohm load and 250 Watts from the amp. That combo is just not giving me the volume I want/need for my band. If I push the gain past 3 O'clock with the Volume maxed it will start to cut out for half a sec here and there when I'm playing with extra gusto.

If I leave the amp at the same gain, volume and EQ settings, AND...
If I add an 8 Ohm 4x10 will the volume significantly increase, meaning I don't have to push the amp past the cutting out point?
If I add a 4 Ohm 4x10 (pushes amp to 350 watts) can I expect more volume than I'll get with an 8 Ohm 4x10?
If I add a 4 Ohm 8x10 will it further increase the volume?

Does the amp have the ability to deliver the same power to each of the 8 speakers as it does to the 2 or 4 speakers as long as the total Ohms go no lower than 4? I'm assuming if that is the case the amp, with more speakers at the same ohms should be much louder, yes??

The amp sounds great, so if I can get the volume I need by simply adding speakers I would be quite happy.

Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom.

Have you experimented with turning the gain down a bit and the master up to achieve the same volume? I was able to get my PF500 to cut out by overloading the pre with a hot signal.

Of course more speakers help

[Newbie-Doo]

Originally Posted by Bass 45

Have you experimented with turning the gain down a bit and the master up to achieve the same volume? I was able to get my PF500 to cut out by overloading the pre with a hot signal.

Of course more speakers help

I have the Volume control maxed out and use the Gain Control to get the volume where I need it.

The Active EQ plays a part in this. I'm trying to get a smoother sound, and I lose a lot of volume when I cut the Mids (the grind) and cut the Bass to even out the frequencies. It sounds great, but just not enough overall volume. Trying to figure out which speaker configuration will give me the the best volume/tone/weight/cost for my $$.

[JimmyM]

Volume is a product of speaker area, speaker cone movement, and tuning of the cab, so it's a little hard to generalize these days, especially with some of the advancements in speaker technology in recent years. But if we're talking bang for the buck, used 410's are all over the place and will generally give you bang for the buck in a not-too-giant package. With a PF350 into a 410, you can get pretty loud, certainly louder than you can with a 210. But having two of them or a 4 ohm 810 will make a significant boost in volume capabilities more than swapping an 8 ohm 410 for a 4 ohm 410 and getting a wattage boost. The difference between 250w and 350w isn't very much in practical usage, but you'll notice a pretty good bump in volume with larger cabs.

[rust_preacher]

I used my VR Micro stack yesterday at a private party, largish low-ceilinged room with a bar area, about 80 people max in the room.

That...rig...SLAYED!

My SB-2 had a bit clank with the same settings as I had with my Tele bass which sounded very authoritative. It was nice to feel the hairs on my forearm move when I stood next to the cab.

Classic rock setlist, 1 hour plus 1:15 sets.

[Newbie-Doo]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Volume is a product of speaker area, speaker cone movement, and tuning of the cab, so it's a little hard to generalize these days, especially with some of the advancements in speaker technology in recent years. But if we're talking bang for the buck, used 410's are all over the place and will generally give you bang for the buck in a not-too-giant package. With a PF350 into a 410, you can get pretty loud, certainly louder than you can with a 210. But having two of them or a 4 ohm 810 will make a significant boost in volume capabilities more than swapping an 8 ohm 410 for a 4 ohm 410 and getting a wattage boost. The difference between 250w and 350w isn't very much in practical usage, but you'll notice a pretty good bump in volume with larger cabs.

Thank you Jimmy. That was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.

Guitar Center was clearing out their stock of older model Acoustic B810 cabs for $269.99. It took me a day to convince my wife I "needed it" but by then they were sold out.

[the dude]

Originally Posted by rust_preacher

Got my full stack completed, a semi-blowout price on the bottom cab. (Why do they paste the price tags on the logo???)

Pick of a can of "Goo Gone" from your local hardware store.

Works like a charm.

[JOE EDO]

(Why do they paste the price tags on the logo???)

WD-40 will also remove that goo. Just make sure you wear rubber gloves as WD is absorbed into the skin and then stored in the liver...nasty stuff. I prefer a single malt scotch to do my liver in.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Newbie-Doo

Thank you Jimmy. That was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.

Guitar Center was clearing out their stock of older model Acoustic B810 cabs for $269.99. It took me a day to convince my wife I "needed it" but by then they were sold out.

Your wife did you a favor IMHO Once tried out a B810 vs an Ampeg 810e and a Markbass CL108 at our local GC. The B810 came in a distant third. Meanwhile, you can find used 810e's all over the place for not much more.

[rust_preacher]

Originally Posted by JOE EDO

(Why do they paste the price tags on the logo???)

WD-40 will also remove that goo. Just make sure you wear rubber gloves as WD is absorbed into the skin and then stored in the liver...nasty stuff. I prefer a single malt scotch to do my liver in.

Thanks for the advice. I certainly will not use my Auchentoshan on teh sticker goo. Actually, a few load-ins (& outs) also help get rid of the stickers.

[Newbie-Doo]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Your wife did you a favor IMHO Once tried out a B810 vs an Ampeg 810e and a Markbass CL108 at our local GC. The B810 came in a distant third. Meanwhile, you can find used 810e's all over the place for not much more.

If I could pick up an Ampeg 810 for $300 I'd do it in a second. I can't recall seeing any for less than $500-$600 where I live.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Newbie-Doo

If I could pick up an Ampeg 810 for $300 I'd do it in a second. I can't recall seeing any for less than $500-$600 where I live.

Patience is needed.

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by Newbie-Doo

If I could pick up an Ampeg 810 for $300 I'd do it in a second. I can't recall seeing any for less than $500-$600 where I live.

Too bad you don't live in SoCal. There are lots of them on Craigslist for cheap. It seems like folks are downsizing or have wrapped up tours.

[Figjam]

svt cl usa 90s
210av (4)
'73 svt 810