NCD!! Ampeg 1969 Squareback Pics!

**sleepy_monkey** · #1 01-17-2011, 05:54 PM

So, I found this on CL in Atlanta...I have been going back and forth trying to figure out what cabinet I wanted to go with for my V4B. I have had SVT810s and almost every other newer Ampeg cab (HE, HLF, etc)...but when I saw this and got the pics from the seller, I definitely wanted to check it out....so I made the 2.5 hour trip to ATL to check it out...pull up to this super nice house and the guy that comes out has long hair.

So we go inside the house and start talking...he tells me that the year before his band trailer had been stolen. I asked him what was his band's name was...his response: "Drivin' and Cryin'". Holy crap!!

Anyway, he let me play his 1969 SVT through the cabinet and it sounded great. Tolex is in great shape, speakers are all original with 1 recone it looks like. The only thing is the grill cover has been spray painted black...which I will solve with a quick order from Fliptops for the head and the cab.

Plugged it in when I got back home...sounds great...good tone and a nice, warm, vintage feel.

There is also "Quest: Atlanta, GA" stencil sprayed on the back...I will have to research those guys to find out who it was.

So without further ado:

**sleepy_monkey** · #2 01-17-2011, 05:55 PM

A few more

**sleepy_monkey** · #3 01-17-2011, 05:56 PM

And the final one...

Special shoutout to JimmyM, coreyfyfe, lowend1, and the other guys that helped me make the decision in my earlier thread!!

Oh yeah, my wife put 'vintage' setting in Photoshop when she was editing the pics to give a more vintage feel..haha

LuvMusic · #4 01-17-2011, 06:06 PM

Congrats! Looks like that cab has helped you realize the "rig of you dreams"........for now!

I love Drivin' and Cryin'! I'll have to dig out the cd I have.

GregC · #5 01-17-2011, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepy_monkey

So we go inside the house and start talking...he tells me that the year before his band trailer had been stolen. I asked him what was his band's name was...his response: "Drivin' and Cryin'". Holy crap!!

Very cool! I really liked those guys back in the late '80s/early '90s, they rocked. A good friend of mine from those days lives in Atlanta, and her daughter is friends with the bass player's daughter. Also, congrats on a great cab!

**sleepy_monkey** · #6 01-17-2011, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregC

Very cool! I really liked those guys back in the late '80s/early '90s, they rocked. A good friend of mine from those days lives in Atlanta, and her daughter is friends with the bass player's daughter. Also, congrats on a great cab!

Funny...his daughter was running around when we were talking about the cab and music...haha. He has some nice bass gear that is for sure.

fu22ba55 · #7 01-17-2011, 06:16 PM

Congrats, man.

The "vintage" photoshop filter is hilarious. The focus gag on the 'peg logo is nice too.

Grillcloth is small potatoes.

That thing looks gorgeous for it's age. Could have been much worse:

(This is how the cab looked when I got it. I didn't do all the breaking-in myself.)

**sleepy_monkey** · #8 01-17-2011, 06:22 PM

fu22ba55, have you redone the tolex?

I am wondering why someone would have sprayed the grill cloth black...there are bright blue specs throughout and I bet the grill cloth was in very clean condition before they did that....I see a fliptops order in my future. I bet it is a pain in the butt to put on there and get tight.

I do like the contact holders for the grill frame...not sure why they don't still do that.

And I like the dolly better than the slantbacks (I have had 3 slantbacks with the towel bar)....with the dolly you can go in a door sideways, and adjust it however you want since 2 of the wheels are omnipolar.

derridiandrift · #9 01-17-2011, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepy_monkey

I bet it is a pain in the butt to put on there and get tight.

Yes, it is, but I have seen some done very well by people who have more skill than me :-)

I just redid my 810e to match my SVT-VR. It looks fine from a distance, but up close you can see the waves in the pattern. I might redo it.

A furniture upholsterer will do a great job probably not charge a crazy amount. I wish I had thought of that before I did mine. If you do it yourself, be careful not to pull too hard because that's what gets the lines wavy. If you put it on too loose, it sags. You want the happy medium.

Great find, by the way!

**sleepy_monkey** · #10 01-17-2011, 06:34 PM

I will definitely take it to an upholsterer...I want it to look right...and while I am an ok bassist, I am a terrible upholsterererererer

fu22ba55 · #11 01-17-2011, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepy_monkey

fu22ba55, have you redone the tolex?

Heavens no. (Have you seen my bass?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepy_monkey

I am wondering why someone would have sprayed the grill cloth black...

Maybe to match an MTI-era or CL head at one point.

My grillcloth is original, and it gets pretty discolored after a while. They probably wanted a more uniform look.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepy_monkey

I bet it is a pain in the butt to put on there and get tight.

Not too bad. You just need a lot of those little orange finger clamps from your local big box hardware store to hold it taught while you staple.

My flatback grillcloth frame is all cracked (the wood shrank after 40 years), so I'd probably make a new one from one piece of plywood if I were going to make a new grill, but if yours isn't cracked, you should be able to re-use it.

**sleepy_monkey** · #12 01-17-2011, 06:43 PM

Haha. I see your point!

MikeyThrottler · #13 01-17-2011, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

That thing looks gorgeous for it's age. Could have been much worse:

I agree! This is what mine looked like when I sold it!

**sleepy_monkey** · #14 01-17-2011, 07:05 PM

I have seen an Ampeg cab actually sanded down and stained and it looked great.

JimmyM · #15 01-17-2011, 07:07 PM

i'm actually sad now. my v4b/810 looked exactly like that when i got it, except for the silly black spraypaint on the grillcloth. today it sits in some landfill. stupid bar fire!

**sleepy_monkey** · #16 01-17-2011, 09:12 PM

Did your amp burn up too???

JimmyM · #17 01-17-2011, 10:18 PM

yep, the whole rig. otoh, if it hadn't happened, i never would have gotten my iron butterfly svt, but i really did miss that v4b for a long time.

**sleepy_monkey** · #18 01-18-2011, 08:06 AM

Anyone know where I could get a tool to take the speakers out?

rmkesler · #19 01-18-2011, 08:14 AM

Very cool score.

sleepy_monkey, did he mention if DNC got their stuff back? One of the items they listed as stolen was a 69 SVT.

coreyfyfe · #20 01-18-2011, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepy_monkey

Anyone know where I could get a tool to take the speakers out?

Fliptops sells one for like $8 but you can probably find it at a hardware store. It's called a clutch-head screw driver I believe. If you're really careful about it, a wide flathead will work, but I'd be nervous about slippage near the speaker cones.