O great Portaflex Sages, I humbly beseech thy Wisdom

[NecroticImbecil]

Came across this one at a music store 2 hours away from home. Everything they take in used has to be on a 30 day hold per local police, so i put a deposit down to hold it so it doesn't get sold out from under me once it is good to go. Thought I'd see if I can get some opinions from the folks here who know more than "gee these amps look neat." That and "gee these amps sound good" is all I know. I didn't think my question belonged in the club thread since I'm just peeking in the windows of the club meeting at this point.







-May not be apparent from photos:
-Black Tolex
-2 prong power cord
-Magnavox tubes, except the 2 6L6 Sovteks
-1/4" speaker jack, plugs into side of cab
-No markings on rear jack panel, just a sticker for a NY music store
-Transformer above switches is smooth, gloss black paint (worn), one above inputs is flat black with a textured finish
-Missing light-up name plate, but a light shines from beneath where the plate would go.

So it would appear to have some replacement parts, or perhaps be a clone? But then the front is labeled "Ampeg Portaflex." Fliptops does not currently list a replacement chassis. The best replacement part is the speaker, a super awesome Pyle Driver! Surely worth the cost of the amp by itself, no?...No. I know.

Channel 2 sounds super, just like the B15 I played years ago that made that tone I instantly liked so much. However, it is only audible once the volume gets above 1/4, or 9:00. It gets quite loud for the little music store, but I'm wondering if this is normal for these amps.

Channel 1 has worse problems. Using the "guitar" input cuts the volume down so far the channel 1 volume needs to be above 1/2, or 12:00 to be audible - approaching usable with the volume knob at full. "bass" input fares slightly better, producing sound at just 1/2 (12:00) exactly and getting louder from there.

No idea what year it was made. I was unable to take it apart to examine pot codes, etc. Any guesses would be nice, but the real issue for me is should I buy it or keep looking? The good thing is the store will repair it free once it can be sold, and if they cannot repair it will refund my purchase. No cosmetics, but functional repairs. No risk of getting stuck with junk.

If I bought it I'd be able to choose between 2 15" speakers I already have. Could NOT afford to purchase a replacement at this point. I will have to sell something(s) to pay for the amp as it is, but I've wanted one for years and can stand to part with some unused gear. I am aware of all the speaker/cabinet parameters that should be taken into account; I could not afford to buy the "right" speaker for the box. I suppose I could keep the trashy woofer in there, but I have an EVM-15L and an Eminence Big Ben, both 8 Ohms ~200 Watts. IS 8 Ohms right for this amp? I'm not even sure of that.

They're asking $550. I've seen a nice old B-15 go for more than twice the price, and more battered ones (that the sellers swear work great) at about this price. But not often. And usually on the other side of country, adding $100+ to the cost in shipping. I like the "no risk" part, but if the price is too high for what it is, I'd rather wait and get one in better shape. Also wondering about the behavior of the volume knobs, if this is a problem or normal behavior for these amps. Any input would help while I ponder my dilemma.

Thanks in advance,
Your humble servant,
Necroticimbecil

[will33]

For $550, take it. Yes, it may have a couple issues and need a little work but for $550, take it. What you have there is what's needed for the Holy Grail of bass sound. There were a couple differnt models of B15 as well as a B-18 but at that price, with the store making it right/good/playable, you can't go wrong. If it turns out to not be your cup-o-tea, you can get at least that out of it if not 20%-50% more.

[johnk_10]

it looks like it's been retolexed, but that's about it. for $550 you can't go wrong (that's a deal!). have the preamp tubes checked and put your EV15L in it and you'll be really happy.

[nysbob]

I'd definitely grab it up at that price. It sounds like it just needs a little sorting.

[shakerattleroll]

For 550, take it and run man.

[brekfustuvluzer]

buy it and take it to a good tech to have it checked over and have that two prong plug replaced.even if you sink another 350 into it, youre still in good shape.

[JimmyM]

wish you'd have taken a pic of the front of the cab. yeah, it's got issues, but as long as it's not a transformer, it should be fine with a little tlc. btw, the power transformer (the shiny one) looks like a replacement. not a big deal at that price, though.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

wish you'd have taken a pic of the front of the cab. yeah, it's got issues, but as long as it's not a transformer, it should be fine with a little tlc. btw, the power transformer (the shiny one) looks like a replacement. not a big deal at that price, though.

Yup, but I've heard that's fairly common on the portaflexes because of how they potted them - not sure how much truth there is to that, though.

$550 is a good deal, even with some replacement parts it's probably now in decent running condition (minus the channel 1 issue), and could be spiffed up a little at a later date. Hopefully everything checks out and you can take it home!

[Vintage-Blue]

Originally Posted by NecroticImbecil

So it would appear to have some replacement parts, or perhaps be a clone?

The knobs are replacements and, has been mentioned, something has been done with the power transformer, although the can itself looks like it might be original. Someone may also have put new rubber edging on the tube cage, since there is no missing section where the light up logo would normally go.

It also looks like someone has replaced the metal sides, perhaps with wood? You can see the added screws in the lower rear corners, plus the screws in the lower front corners appear to have been replaced with clutch head screws. I believe these were normally a low profile hex head screw.

Originally Posted by NecroticImbecil

No idea what year it was made. I was unable to take it apart to examine pot codes, etc. Any guesses would be nice...

My guess is that it is a 1964 B15NC, since it has a tube rectifier and still has an eyelet board inside rather than a printed circuit board. Photos of the inside and outside of the cabinet could help with the dating although you can't guarantee that the head was always on this particular cabinet. If it's from around '64 the cabinet would be a double baffle style (8 oblong ports visible inside the cabinet) and it may have a chrome socket on the back for a tilt-back rod.

Originally Posted by NecroticImbecil

IS 8 Ohms right for this amp? I'm not even sure of that.

Yes, the B15N used an 8 ohm main speaker and had a jack for an 8 ohm extension speaker.

All in all $550 sounds like a good deal, especially if you don't mind putting a little work into it.

[beans-on-toast]

The jack plate on the speaker cabinet has also been changed.

Normally the metal sides have a vent in them to help the heat escape. If you are going to restore it, getting custom sides built will be a bit of an expense.

Despite the issues that have been raised by everybody, at that price, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

[NecroticImbecil]

Thanks for all the advice/info. The consensus being that the price is good, I'll be buying it once it is released from its 30-day hold. I liked that there's no risk of wasting my money, since the shop will either repair at no charge or refund if unrepairable, I just didn't want to buy it if it wasn't really a good deal, since I'd be unable to afford another.

I've looked at the B-15 threads I've found here, and plan to look for date codes once it's in my hands. The amp head sides are wood I believe, which should make it easy enough to ventilate them. Once I got back home and started researching, I found things like grille cloth and baffle type that in my ignorance I didn't think to check. Once it's mine I'll take better pics and put them up in the club thread. I'll follow johnk_10's suggestion and put the EV in there, it's my favorite speaker for old-school bass tone, and right now it's just used as a low volume monitor for my electronic drums, the Pyle should do fine in that capacity.

I will have the shop look into the volume knob behavior. Now the maddening part is the wait, can't buy it till the 29th, another 2 weeks to get it shipped, could be over a month in the repair queue, (I've dealt with their repair dept before, very long turnaround) but the shipping and service will be free.

Thanks again everyone!

[NecroticImbecil]

Picked it up today. Will post more pics and questions in "Club" thread. I'd close this one if I could, but I'll have to be content with letting it sink.

Official Ampeg Portaflex Club Part III: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough