GK 800RB into a Ampeg B15 Fliptop...

[shoot-r]

With all the talk here at T.B. recently about Ampeg's Fliptops/Portaflexs I thought this might bring a smile, or a look of horror, to some here at the forum.

I met recently a older gentleman blues player. He's set out the past 15 or so years.
He is now back into music and working with a 5 pcs. blues group.
His rig is a Fender MIM Jazz, old GK 800RB head driving what he remembers as a 60ish Fliptop that he now uses as just a cabinet.


Several years ago when his original fliptop tube head went down it also took out the original square back speaker.
He felt it was cheaper to pick-up another head rather than fix the tube head and he wanted alittle more power anyway.
The band he was working with at that time had a old 15" E.V. PA speaker lying around, (don't remember what it was), it went in the cab.
He found a used GK 800 and never looked back.


Now the horror......
He tossed the original tube head and square magnet speaker.......literally tossed it.......in a Memphis landfill!!!


Bottom line, the GK 800 and Ampeg B-15 cabinet sounds AMAZING!
His outfront, no FOH, sound is great!

[snowblinder]

If that EV speaker he put in the cabinet was an EV-15L, then I will vouch from personal experience: 800RB through one of those sounds incredible.

[JimmyM]

i can hear the baby jesus crying...or is that me?



nope, it's me.

[shoot-r]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

i can hear the baby jesus crying...or is that me?



nope, it's me.

That makes two of us!!!

[shoot-r]

I recently popped open the lid on this old fliptop cabinet.
The cabinet measures roughfully 21" x 21" x 14", and from what I could see it's a infinite baffle, (closed box).
Anyone have an idea what year Ampeg produced this version of the B-15?

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by shoot-r

Now the horror......
He tossed the original tube head and square magnet speaker.......literally tossed it.......in a Memphis landfill!!!

Somewhere in a massachusetts landfill is a friend's early 70s V4. There are some actions I'll just never understand.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by shoot-r

I recently popped open the lid on this old fliptop cabinet.
The cabinet measures roughfully 21" x 21" x 14", and from what I could see it's a infinite baffel, (closed box).
Anyone have an idea what year Ampeg produced this version of the B-15?

ampeg never produced an infinite baffle b-15 until the late 90's. it should either be a double baffle or single baffle, both ported. double baffles were from 60-65, single from 65-69.

[shoot-r]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

ampeg never produced an infinite baffle b-15 until the late 90's. it should either be a double baffle or single baffle, both ported. double baffles were from 60-65, single from 65-69.

When looking into the cabinet from the top opening, shouldn't the port holes be visible?

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by shoot-r

When looking into the cabinet from the top opening, shouldn't the port holes be visible?

yep. so if they're not, sounds to me like you have a single baffle ported cab, but maybe you don't have the baffle spacers installed anymore. not exactly sure how the single baffle works, but there should be spacers that set it off from the front of the frame, which act as a de facto port.

[danomite64]

I built a single baffle 15" cab based on my '69-70 Portaflex and put an EV 15L in it, and use it with an 800RB head. Fortunately, it didn't occur to me to throw away the Portaflex; I traded it for a '93 SWR Redhead, then sold it and bought a Portabass 250 head and 2-10 cabinet, and was left with $250, which was more than I paid for the Portaflex.

[shoot-r]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

yep. so if they're not, sounds to me like you have a single baffle ported cab, but maybe you don't have the baffle spacers installed anymore. not exactly sure how the single baffle works, but there should be spacers that set it off from the front of the frame, which act as a de facto port.

Now I'm confused. I couldn't find any ports in the front baffle.
If the owner of the cab will let me I'll poke around the insides some more.
He says he bought this amp new back in the 60's.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by shoot-r

Now I'm confused. I couldn't find any ports in the front baffle.
If the owner of the cab will let me I'll poke around the insides some more.
He says he bought this amp new back in the 60's.

you won't find ports in the front baffle if it's a single baffle cab. the baffle creates the port by way of the spacers. there is probably pics of it on here somewhere, maybe in one of the portaflex club threads.

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

ampeg never produced an infinite baffle b-15 until the late 90's. it should either be a double baffle or single baffle, both ported. double baffles were from 60-65, single from 65-69.

You've aroused my curiosity. Mine's a '65; guess I'll have to take a closer look as see exactly what I've got.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

you won't find ports in the front baffle if it's a single baffle cab. the baffle creates the port by way of the spacers. there is probably pics of it on here somewhere, maybe in one of the portaflex club threads.

I posted this in the club thread recently in reference to a similar question:

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

For comparison's sake, this was my single baffle, speaker date was early 67:



This is my double baffle, pot codes date to late 64/early 65:



Definitely hard to see where the internal baffle in the single separates from the front.

[shoot-r]

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

I posted this in the club thread recently in reference to a similar question:

The top picture is what I'm saw on my friends old cabinet.