Looking at an USA Ampeg 810 tonight...what to check for?

[Engine207]

I'm thinking about buying this cab. Dude says he bought the fridge used, and the exterior cosmetics were kinda rough, so he sent away to Ampeg with the serial number, and they sent him all the tolex, corners, grill cloth, and emblems he needed to restore it. He is also throwing in an Ampeg cabinet cover.

I'm replacing my Marshall 410/115 cabs with the 810, running it with my Marshall MB450 head. I know...it will only be 300 watts at with the 4 ohm cab, but I'm good with it.

I was hoping to get a few tips on what to check out. I'll be bringing my my own head and my own bass, so I can hear it as it would truly sound. Any thoughts on what would be reasonable price? It's about an hour and a half drive, each way, so I want to make sure it's at least worth the drive.

Thanks in advance to all the Ampeg experts!!

Pics:

[Jim C]

Put your ear close to each speaker with a fair amount of low end and play an open E and open A as loud as reasonable while listening to each speaker individualy.
If the owner will let you, put one hand on each edgo of cone and gently push the driver in and out to check for chaffing or scuffing.
Obviously play at a loud over all volume for rattles, speaker issues, etc.
I'd check your local newspaper or guitar shop to get a ball park diea for used pricing; these things can sometimes be very hard to sell do to size.

[f64]

Here's a starting point: 810 musical instruments : craigslist eBay kijiji mash : United States
+1 on checking each speaker. You don't want any surprises later.

[waleross]

Great Cab Pictures, for sure !!! + 1 on the pricing, mine were in close cosmetic shape to that one and I got back $400 a piece. Good luck and turn it up !!!

[fenderhutz]

Make sure it's not a mid 90's early 2000 SLM version because the cab is basically glued together sawdust rather than real wood. Just my opinion but they sound half as good a "real" 810.

[Engine207]

Originally Posted by waleross

Great Cab Pictures, for sure !!! + 1 on the pricing, mine were in close cosmetic shape to that one and I got back $400 a piece. Good luck and turn it up !!!

I'm not sure what you mean $400 apiece. You had more than one? Is there a big difference between USA and Asian, from the perspective of price or quality?

[fenderhutz]

The newer Asian cabs are actually built better than the 90's SLM USA made ones, they are made from real wood. The later SLM US ones are not, JimmyM should pipe up on this.

I wouldn't say I am an expert but I have owned a literal ton of Ampeg gear. Some people like the darker sound of the MDF stuff, I didn't.

[JimmyM]

well since i should pipe up...

agreed. cabs made from 98-05 were made with osb, a type of strandboard, and in 2000, eminence changed cone suppliers and the speakers were unusually dark as a result until they moved to china in 2006. some people do like the dark tone, but i'm not one of them.

unfortunately, that looks like it might be one of the osb cabs.

[Engine207]

Bummer...so the OSB is an inferior construction issue and it effects the tone? Or is it just the cone manufacturer that darkens the sound? What range of serial numbers are best avoided? This guy wants $625 with the cover.

[JimmyM]

don't know how much it affects the tone...i imagine not by much. and really, they're not badly made cabs, but they're susceptible to puncture damage, and god forbid they get too wet or else they crumble. $625? even with a cover, i wouldn't pay it, if you're looking for honest opinions. not the best recover job i've ever seen.

[TheNightLife]

625? I wouldn't pay that. Id offer him 400 cash and see what he says.

[hyp.spec]

I paid $300 for an 810-EN which was early 90'ish in GREAT condition (only a few tolex tears).

I wouldn't pay more than $400 for that. Period.

[96tbird]

Jimmy osb is used to sheath house roofs and walls. It has a plastic resin impregnated into large wood chips. Now when I used to construction nailing it with a hammer was hard to start the nail. Thank God for air nailers.

So are you sure its osb? Or is it what we call in Canada (lumberland) k3 which is what cheap cabinets and entertainment centers are made of? Just sawdust with glue in it, excluded. If its really osb, say 5/8 it shouldn't puncture easily.

[96tbird]

Jimmy osb is used to sheath house roofs and walls. It has a plastic resin impregnated into large wood chips. Now when I used to construction nailing it with a hammer was hard to start the nail. Thank God for air nailers.

So are you sure its osb? Or is it what we call in Canada (lumberland) k3 which is what cheap cabinets and entertainment centers are made of? Just sawdust with glue in it, extruded. If its really osb, say 5/8 it shouldn't puncture easily.

Double post? Dam smartphone! Sorry.

[Engine207]

I tend to baby my important posessions, so puncture or water damage is not a biggie for me. And Jimmy, past differences aside, you clearly know your stuff and your take is valued. I am looking for honest opinions...not necessarily telling me what I wanted to hear, but a consensus nonetheless. I may look at it, just to have a basis for comparison.

Any other thoughts are encouraged, and thanks for the ones so far.

[JimmyM]

jerrold tiers said they used osb, and he was chief engineer at slm back then. i've seen pictures of puncture wounds and water damage on those cabs, and it ain't pretty. but as long as you don't bang them or expose them to excess water, i guess it's ok. i'm more down on the speakers from 2000-06, really.

[Fair Warning]

I learned an expensive lesson lately on a used 810 that I wanna pass along.....

First off, that cab looks like it is in great condition. As long as all 8 speakers work, it is worth $600. Anything less than that would be a better deal.

Anyway, I found that since the speakers are sealed into 4 separate chambers in that cab, it is almost impossible to detect if 1 or more speakers are dead by sight or by sound.

Best test is to bring along a 9 volt battery and a 1/4" patch cord and plug it into the 4ohm input. By touching the battery terminals to the plus and minus side of the patch cord terminal, you should see each speaker flex slightly. If not, you got a dead speaker.

If you know what to look for by sound, you might be able to detect a dead speaker by plugging in a bass guitar and plucking a high note on your G-string and putting your ear to each speaker. Hitting low notes like what was suggested earlier is good for finding a buzzing speaker, but impossible to find a dead speaker by listening to it, since the low frequencies spread so well, and you will swear that a speaker is producing sound, when in fact, it may just be going along for the ride.

Anyway good luck! The 810 cab is my heart and soul, with bass.....and you will never look back!

[Engine207]

Well, I figgered I'd do some more research before driving down. Here's what I came up with:

The serial number is QWDO30032. The current owner guessed it was an '01. Pretty dang close. Its' actually a March '02. That is said to be the era that they used OSB for the cabinet, rather than plywood. That shouldn't make a difference as far as the housing, as I don't puncture or submerge my gear much.

The bigger issue for me is the drivers. One of the drivers either reads 12-252-98 or 86-232-21, depending on which way you hold it. Neither of those match the numbers from unofficialampeg.com's decoder. The current owner confirmed the 86-032-01 number, and said there's a 18324R above the driver number and 67-0208A1213 G2. Then the ten digit number from the back of the cabinet is 4356510581. Then in the serial number it looks like D for Domestic.

[Fair Warning]

There are many OSB cabs out there......I would not turn my nose up at a clean one just for being OSB. However, I have seen my share of moldy rotten out bottoms of cabs that were left in a shed somewhere and exposed to moisture for years.

As for your speakers, they have the same model numbers as mine, which I am told are the Eminence 32 Ohm Model 86 -001, which are preferred. Again, when you go, make sure that the grill cover is off, and you got a stub cord with a 9 volt battery......look for aliveness in each of the 8 speakers.

FYI - Reconing on the SVT speakers are about $48 here in LA.

[jmattbassplaya]

Ampeg fridges go for pennies on the dollar used. They pop up on my local CL fairly often and never go for more than $450 (even in really nice condition).