Question about V4's

tk4207 · #1 11-18-2010, 07:50 PM

So, I just picked up a 70's Ampeg V4 4x12 cab from a guy on craigslist (only $180, and in good shape too!

), and I was hoping you guys could help me out with a few questions

1. I'd like to know what year it is (serial number 718627); should I pull out the speakers and check for a date, or can I figure it out using the serial #?

2. I'd also like to know the wattage rating. I know the cab is 8 omhs, but not much else. Can I figure this out by checking the speakers?

Thanks in advance!

banikek · #2 11-18-2010, 08:27 PM

Ha! I think I got the head he was selling with that cab. I was tempted and I think he will regret selling his vintage Ampeg gear.

JimmyM · #3 11-18-2010, 08:32 PM

1. speakers. the serial records are long gone for unimusic and magnavox so dating is impossible with the serial.

2. i believe they handle around 120w.

throbgod13 · #4 11-18-2010, 08:38 PM

the speakers are usually CTS speakers (square magnets), i'd guess that the cab is good for around 120-150 watts.. i've had three V4 4x12 cabs in the past..

tk4207 · #5 11-18-2010, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banikek

Ha! I think I got the head he was selling with that cab. I was tempted and I think he will regret selling his vintage Ampeg gear.

I don't think he was selling a head with it; it was on the Eau Claire WI list...

tk4207 · #6 11-18-2010, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

1. speakers. the serial records are long gone for unimusic and magnavox so dating is impossible with the serial.

2. i believe they handle around 120w.

Thanks! That helps a lot!

tk4207 · #7 11-18-2010, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by throbgod13

the speakers are usually CTS speakers (square magnets), i'd guess that the cab is good for around 120-150 watts.. i've had three V4 4x12 cabs in the past..

Since you've owned them before, is $180 a good price for one that's not in bad shape (very small grille cloth tear, small nicks all around, kind of rusty, some tolex peeling off around edges)? I'd just like to know if I got ripped off or not

JimmyM · #8 11-18-2010, 09:19 PM

you didn't get a deal but you didn't get ripped off. it's a very nice cab for its day.

tk4207 · #9 11-18-2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

you didn't get a deal but you didn't get ripped off. it's a very nice cab for its day.

Cool, that's always good to know!

Honestly, I was looking into buying a new Avatar 210 Neo for $300-ish, but as soon as I saw this, I immediately knew it was a better choice!

throbgod13 · #10 11-19-2010, 06:36 AM

180 isn't that bad.. i had my cabs about 15 years ago, when they were very cheap.. i gave about 100 bucks for the first of the three.. the others were something like 125 each, but were in excellent condition.. i bought a V4 (magnavox) from Daddy's for 245 shipped back then to go with the V4B i already had bought for 150.00 with the first cab..

you have a very, very well built cab.. the only thing that seems to be a problem is the plastic "velcro" that holds the speaker grille's frame.. Godlyke has a new tape that would hold the frame on (that is if yours has a problem) you'd just have to staple the strip in..

http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2010/07...mounting-tape/

they are great cabs, just really heavy.. lol..

coreyfyfe · #11 11-19-2010, 06:51 AM

That plastic velcro crap is a pain in the ass. I think one of the clips on my B40 is just completely mashed at this point, but I got a new grill from fliptops so at least one side of each connection is still good.

Good luck with the V4 cab, I always wanted to try one when I had my V4 just to compare with the 8x10.

tk4207 · #12 11-19-2010, 03:50 PM

Ok, so I just checked the speakers... and discovered that one's output is much lower than the others. What might this indicate?
I don't think that's it's blown (no tears in the cone, cone is still attached, not distorting), but I don't know much about speakers, so any advice is appreciated!

I was also able to see that they are CTS speakers, dated to '69.

tk4207 · #13 11-20-2010, 03:22 PM

Sorry, my mistake, they're CTS speakers dated to '73

dubstylee · #14 11-21-2010, 09:55 AM

I loaded my V4 Cab with four Eminence Basslite S2012's. It sounds freaking fantastic!! No lie, I love this cab and will never sell it. BTW, I use a V4 head that's been re-tubed and re-capped. It's tonal bliss to my ears, and it works for many gigs as it gets pretty loud.

tk4207 · #15 11-23-2010, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk4207

Ok, so I just checked the speakers... and discovered that one's output is much lower than the others. What might this indicate?
I don't think that's it's blown (no tears in the cone, cone is still attached, not distorting), but I don't know much about speakers, so any advice is appreciated!

I was also able to see that they are CTS speakers, dated to '69.

Bumping for a solution to my problem...

coreyfyfe · #16 11-24-2010, 10:19 AM

Assuming that you've checked the wiring and checked for rub when you press on the center of the speaker, have you tried pulling the speaker and throwing another 8 ohm speaker in there to see if it's just a problem with that one? Not really sure what else you could do. To me, barring some wiring issue, it sounds like you have a problem speaker that either needs to be replaced or repaired. There isn't really much else to these cabs (no crossovers, etc), so there isn't much else that could be going on that would make the speaker not work as well.

tk4207 · #17 11-24-2010, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

Assuming that you've checked the wiring and checked for rub when you press on the center of the speaker, have you tried pulling the speaker and throwing another 8 ohm speaker in there to see if it's just a problem with that one? Not really sure what else you could do. To me, barring some wiring issue, it sounds like you have a problem speaker that either needs to be replaced or repaired. There isn't really much else to these cabs (no crossovers, etc), so there isn't much else that could be going on that would make the speaker not work as well.

I can put any old 8 ohm speaker in there, right? If so, then I can test it, but it'll be more than a week until I have time.

If it does need to be replaced, can I just replace it with a similar sounding one, or should I change all of them? And if I can just change the one, what brand/model would you recommend to sound like the CTS?

Destructobot · #18 11-25-2010, 03:28 AM

I have one of those cabs. It's loaded with an Emi swamp thang, two Weber silver bell 30w ceramics, and one original Emi square back. It's super powerful sounding for guitar and has a nice bass tone at low to medium practice volume. I imagine it would be even better with something like EV's or Weber calis.

coreyfyfe · #19 11-25-2010, 06:07 AM

Yeah you should be able to put another 8 ohm speaker in for test purposes. If you need to replace it, usually you can find those CTS speakers for sale on ebay. Otherwise, the emience deltalite 2512s are frequently used to upgrade these cabs to be a little more "bass friendly." There have been some threads with people upgrading these cabs for bass usage, might be worth looking around a bit. It may be repairable as well, so something to consider.

tk4207 · #20 11-25-2010, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

Yeah you should be able to put another 8 ohm speaker in for test purposes. If you need to replace it, usually you can find those CTS speakers for sale on ebay. Otherwise, the emience deltalite 2512s are frequently used to upgrade these cabs to be a little more "bass friendly." There have been some threads with people upgrading these cabs for bass usage, might be worth looking around a bit. It may be repairable as well, so something to consider.

Yeah, although one of the reasons I bought this cab was that it would work nicely for guitar and bass, which saves me a bit of money for now, since I play both =D