opinions on ampeg b15n?

**bassistjoe93** · #1 10-14-2011, 01:05 AM

I was entertaining the idea of saving up my money and buying an ampeg b15n (not sure vintage or new)... I wanted to know what other people thought of the amp. People generally seem to love them, and the YouTube clips sound pretty good but none fully go through what it can do (kind of hard to get a good feel of their sound when most recordings look and sound like a camera phone sitting 4 feet away from the amp!) I know ampeg made a limited reissue of these amps, how do they stack up to the old ones? I just wanna know what players/owners/knowledgeable people of the amp think about them!

Thanks,
Joseph

spaz21387 · #2 10-14-2011, 01:31 AM

you can find an original with matching cab for 800 to 1200 in decent condition... in perfect condition they have gone for 2500 plus. I have seen a non working on on craigslist go for 300 but it was pretty trashed. I have heard the heritage one is great but for 4000$ I wouldnt know. I have tried an original i think it was a 67' or so. It was great I would get one for practice or recording. But in a band it probably wont keep up unless you have a quiet guitarist.

**bassistjoe93** · #3 10-14-2011, 10:08 AM

Thanks for the info, I was wondering how loud 30 tube watts really got, I know you get more volume out of tube amps vs solid state, but 30w just seems kind of under-powered (for a live situation) to me. Is there any way to increase the output of the amp itself or am I just barking up the wrong tree?

BagelBruin · #4 10-14-2011, 10:16 AM

They are surprising loud. At least my neighbors 1970 something is.

stiles72 · #5 10-14-2011, 10:22 AM

I would start by checking out this thread (and the four prior ones):
Jess Oliver's legacy goes on: Official Ampeg Portaflex Club Part V

It's a ton of reading but there's a lot of knowledgeable folks on there regarding B15's. The short answer is that you can't go wrong with any of the B15's, and there have been different incarnations over the years. Your best bet will be to find a vintage one, since the current Heritage B-15 was limited to only 50 units and is fairly pricey (if you can still find one available).

I use a '63 B15 with an oldies group, and sometimes on bigger stages I'll run a B-100R alongside of it split off my tuner pedal.

Alex1984 · #6 10-14-2011, 10:26 AM

They can get loud, and can be enough for live use for some people. It's damn close to the holy grail of tube tone and very suitable for studio use. You can try to add an extension cab or use something like the B25B. Not as practical as some portable rigs out there nowadays, but definitely worth owning.

Jim Carr · #7 10-14-2011, 11:06 AM

Unlike most folks here, I find the B15 to be useless for live performance. They have some lovely sounds, and work nicely in the studio when mic'd. A little under powered...for your living room, LOL!

anonymous02282011 · #8 10-14-2011, 11:11 AM

At one time I owned two B15s, three V4Bs and two 70s SVTs.

The B15 is a bit of a one-trick pony, but it does that trick REALLY REALLY well. It's a really fun amp. Great sound.

As far as volume goes, you can gig with them (heck, Jamerson did) but it depends on how loud the band is, how big the room is and of course PA support. If your band is even sorta loud and doesn't typically have PA support I'd probably consider a more powerful amp.

Also, they're surprisingly on the heavy side.

I ended up selling all my vintage ampegs except for an early 1970 SVT. It was fun to have all those amps sitting in my living room for a while.

beans-on-toast · #9 10-14-2011, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassistjoe93

I was wondering how loud 30 tube watts really got, I know you get more volume out of tube amps vs solid state, but 30w just seems kind of under-powered (for a live situation) to me. Is there any way to increase the output of the amp itself or am I just barking up the wrong tree?

Depending on which B-15 model, you either have 25W or 30W. The best way to increase volume is to add a second cab. More speaker cabs provide more volume.

Is it loud enough? That depends.

What type of music and style do you play?
Will a B-15 provide the tone are you looking for?
What size of rooms do you play?
Do you mic the cabinet and run it into a PA?
Do you rely on stage volume to monitor your playing?
Is the band loud?

Answering these questions will help determine what type of amp and level of power you will need.

sanderic · #10 10-14-2011, 12:04 PM

a B15N was my first amp back in the 1970s. I used it in high school jazz band and it did the job very well. When I started auditioning for rock bands, the amp simply couldnt cut it. It is a great sounding amp, but must be kept within its limitations. Even James Jamerson used a Kustom 200 when he played live gigs.

coreyfyfe · #11 10-14-2011, 12:08 PM

I gig mine (an earlier 25 watt model no less) with one of my groups but we tend to have a low enough stage volume and PA support for most rooms. There was one gig where I used it and could barely hear myself but we were running stage volume only with just vocals in the PA in a little jazz club. The sound was good in the room though, and the B15 sat very nicely in the mix.

Definitely if you need more volume with a B15 a second cab is the way to go.

**bassistjoe93** · #12 10-14-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beans-on-toast

Depending on which B-15 model, you either have 25W or 30W. The best way to increase volume is to add a second cab. More speaker cabs provide more volume.

Is it loud enough? That depends.

What type of music and style do you play?
Will a B-15 provide the tone are you looking for?
What size of rooms do you play?
Do you mic the cabinet and run it into a PA?
Do you rely on stage volume to monitor your playing?
Is the band is loud?

Answering these questions will help determine what type of amp and level of power you will need.

Good point! We tend to play smaller clubs, though we play at larger venues on occasion. Our music is funk, fusion jazz, r&b, jazz... in that kind of vein. None of us play too much louder than each other, but we can get loud when it feels right or as the room dictates. My cabinet (thunderfunk 420 through Aguilar 2x12) isn't usually mic'd but it can be. We do use monitors but I usually just use it to hear the keyboardist/vocalist. That being said I also play at a church of 800-1000 people so Im used to using monitors to hear myself.

beans-on-toast · #13 10-14-2011, 04:34 PM

No question that the B-15 is known for delivering deep rich tones. Classic sounds. Some people might prefer something else if a modern sound with more high end is required. The B15 and the 12" version, the B12, have traditionally been favored by east coast jazz musicians since the early 60's. The tone is also well suited to funk, soul, and R&B. It has an unobtrusive but really cool profile which works well on small stages and church settings. It is well suited to small venues, especially with an extension speaker. Mic'ed, it does a good job.

To answer one of your earlier questions, the reissue HB-15 is a fantastic amp. It offers the best features of the most popular revisions from 1964 and 1966 and the sound is spot on. It also features a couple of improvements.

One big advantage of a new amp is that it is reliable out of the box. First you buy a vintage amp. Then you have to spend money beyond your initial investment to have the amp restored to original spec and to make it reliable. This can be expensive.

Somehow I think that in going from a 400W Thunderfunk to a 25-30W amp is going to be a letdown for you. A B-15 won't deliver a lot of loud and clean on its own. Nor is it going to work in a 1000 seat church without a mic. I use an SVT when I want loud.

The only way to know if it is for you is to try one and get to know it. Unfortunately, finding one to try can be difficult.

jsbarber · #14 10-14-2011, 04:39 PM

Has anyone tried using the B-15N on stage and then using a mic/pre/di and running it through PA?

Just wondering.

Jim

JimmyM · #15 10-14-2011, 05:04 PM

I do it all the time.

BTW, re: the one trick pony thing...I don't have a problem finding any sound I need with one, with the possible exception of the really bright tweeter tone that the cab just doesn't have. But I'm so not looking for it.

**nutdog** · #16 10-14-2011, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stiles72

What kind of gig was this? Mic'd combos in front of Marshall stacks and a huge pan of jiffy pop?

stiles72 · #17 10-16-2011, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nutdog

What kind of gig was this? Mic'd combos in front of Marshall stacks and a huge pan of jiffy pop?

My oldies/classic rock group opened for Gretchen Wilson last summer. The Marshalls on my side of the stage were in fact dummies, and I was surprised to see they were micing the horn on that 610HLF.