"Heavier" Tone from Ampeg B-100R?

Charley Umbria · #1 10-31-2011, 05:10 PM

So, I've had my B-100R for about a year now and I really like it. The amp nails that classic B-15 vibe, if not 100% of the tone. With LaBella 760FL flats on my P-bass, the B-100R puts out some serious thump and a great classic sound.

However, there are times when I'd really like to be able to get a more modern, round, and heavier tone. Sort of that "no attack, almost all boom" sound. To my ears, the B-100R has a somewhat open, almost vocal character. For some applications, that's a great thing! However, I'm trying to get a little thicker sound.

I've tried a few different basses, with both round and flatwound strings. I've also spent some time messing with the EQ. I can get close, but not quite to the tone I'm hearing in my head. Any suggestions? Or am I just trying to put a square amp into a round hole...?

Gearhead17 · #2 10-31-2011, 05:16 PM

The B-100R is only going to go so far. Better off getting a 410 and some modern day solid state head. Almost anything out there can be manipulated to get the tone you desire.

Lync · #3 10-31-2011, 06:15 PM

I use a Hartke Bass Attack DI into mine. It has some deeper eq and gives the B100r more depth and attack. It also has a drive feature for some more grit. Works very well with the Ampeg.

will33 · #4 10-31-2011, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gearhead17

The B-100R is only going to go so far. Better off getting a 410 and some modern day solid state head. Almost anything out there can be manipulated to get the tone you desire.

+1

I've heard these things and they can sound pretty good but it's still a 100 watt combo amp with a 15" speaker in a somewhat undersized box (although not as bad as some), it can only get so "heavy".

"No attack and almost all boom" is going to do absolutely nothing but get you buried in a band mix anyway.

Charley Umbria · #5 10-31-2011, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will33

"No attack and almost all boom" is going to do absolutely nothing but get you buried in a band mix anyway.

Very true. I don't actually, literally want NO attack, high end, or string/fret noise. I'm just trying to contrast the tone I'm looking for with the B-100R's usual sound.

PunkRocker33133 · #6 10-31-2011, 10:06 PM

Change to roundwounds on the P and crank the gain. I used to use that amp in my punk/hardcore band all the time at lower volume practices and it gets that tone pretty well. another trick is to cut the bass back more than normal and boost the low and high mids

stiles72 · #7 11-01-2011, 02:00 PM

Just a starting point, you can try by engaging the Ultra Lo and Ultra Mid, Boost your bass knob to 3:00, cut the low mid to 9:00, and set your high mid and treble at 1:00. Also make sure the amp is not up against a wall - you want those rear ports to breathe.

hifibass · #8 11-01-2011, 02:17 PM

I gigged one of these for a couple of years and had a strange relationship with it. I HATED the sound of it in my rehearsal room but on a gig in a larger room it sounded GREAT! I found that with the rear porting it was very sensitive to placement from a back wall, sometimes I had to angle it a bit to get some whoommppp........

Lync · #9 11-01-2011, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hifibass

I gigged one of these for a couple of years and had a strange relationship with it. I HATED the sound of it in my rehearsal room but on a gig in a larger room it sounded GREAT! I found that with the rear porting it was very sensitive to placement from a back wall, sometimes I had to angle it a bit to get some whoommppp........

I agree...walls really help it out. It is strange where as sometimes you don't seem very loud with it, but I have done gigs where people in the audience said it sounded great out front. Who knew?

blastjv · #10 11-02-2011, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stiles72

Just a starting point, you can try by engaging the Ultra Lo and Ultra Mid, Boost your bass knob to 3:00, cut the low mid to 9:00, and set your high mid and treble at 1:00. Also make sure the amp is not up against a wall - you want those rear ports to breathe.

Funny, I did a whole 'start from scratch' thing with mine recently and put everything a noon and tweaked from there and your suggestions are almost exactly where I landed. I play in drop C and it doesn't really do the lowest notes as much justice as it does the rest of the range, but it has a great overall tone, though.

-JV

PS - The amp is deffinitely closer to the wall than it should be, but it's really just my practice amp in the basement with the little kids running around, so I do what I can...

Lync · #11 11-02-2011, 11:11 AM

There is definitely some limiting/eq trickery going on in the low end to get the most out of the amp. That is where an external eq does help.