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100 watt combos

#21
Yes, either the BA-115 or the B-100R would be my bets.

I have the B-100R and the BA-112, which is supposely pretty similar to the BA-115 but 50WRMS and without the tweeter and the larger speaker. It's quite a bit punchier than the B-100R, at least with my gear.

The new Ampegs from the Yellville plant seem quite a bit better built (they'd almost have to be) than the old stuff coming out of the SLM/Crate plant in St Louis.

The Ampeg gear seems to have obscenely high MSRPs, but the stuff turns up used or on sale at greatly reduced prices. My BA-112 cost $159.99 brand new (MSRP $499), and the B-100R was only $269.99 (MSRP $749) for a mint used one.

The deals are out there.
 
#22
As I was saying to Son of Bovril on MSN earlier, I'm going to start building my own amps, and I'll have combos. The smallest one being 1kW. Although that 700w combo pic - I like it :)

I'm new here btw, hi. I also have a Workingman's 15" - I bypass the EQ though. I plug my GT6 straight into the back as al my EQ is done on there.
 
#25
If you dig a more vintage tone, go with the B100R. When I played one I was disappointed by the sound (personally) I was expecting a bit more based on the raving it gets here, but if you are into a more modern hifi tone, definately go with the BA115, the only drawback on that is that the tweeter does hiss a little bit, but it's not noticable while playing, just when you aren't doing anything with it.
 
#27
I've had a GK MB150S for several years and I like it a lot. I bought it because it had the best "power-to-weight ratio" I could find -- 150Watts @ 24 pounds. I use it at gigs when I'm playing with acoustic bands. I've also used it with a 1x15 extension box for a few shows with electric guitars and a drummer. That was ok, too, although (for me) the power is marginal in that application.

But the tone is great and it's really easy to pack around. GK has been making this model for many years -- a lot of the acoustic bass folks use them.

Here's the link:

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#28
Another vote for the B100R, though with the stated caveat: Its tone is pretty one-dimensional, so you really need to like that old-school vibe if you're going to get it.

I've had mine for a few years and I've considered trading it for a punchier, more "modern" vibe, but why? My rack setups are all pretty "modern" in tone, thus this little baby allows me to change things up every once in a while. :D
 
#30
Big pluses +++ for the GK MB150S. Yes, the power to weight rario is remarkable, but sound is what it's all about. Lots and lots of variables depending on the gig you are working. Yea, it's pricey, but you get what you pay for. And when you find out you have to park over in that lot about a quarter mile from the gig, the amp bag (buy it) you carry on your shoulder seems to weigh very little.
 
#32
I'm also in the market for a combo, so here's my 2 cents:

I went to Guitar Center last night and was able to play a B-100R right next to a BA-115HP (220 watts with the 1" compression driver and a built-in tuner). While the BA-115HP sounded good, I thought the B-100R sounded GREAT. I also thought it was louder than the 220 watt BA-115HP (drive and master volumes both set at 50% on both amps). I just read in the user manual that the B-100R pushes 100 watts at 4 ohms, so maybe that explains it. I also tried a BA-115 (100 watts with the piezo tweeter), but I didn't like all the pink noise generated from the tweeter (even with the treble rolled off).

I also thought the B-100R was easier to move than either of the BA-115's, due to its slightly smaller footprint and nice soft handle. It's ALOT lighter than the BA-115HP - Ampeg claims the B-100R weighs 65 punds, while the BA-115HP is a pig at around 80 pounds! And...the B-100R looks really cool.

After listening to the B-100R and even the BA-115's, I've decided that I reaally want to go with a 15" speaker and at least 100 watts, so that rules out both the B-50R and the BA-112.

I've got a local lead on a used B-100R for $300, and I think I'm gonna pull the trigger.

If you're thinking of going with the BA-115 over the B-100R due to features (XLR out, RCA in), the Ampeg anniversary editions look pretty sweet. There's a BA-115AV on eBay that's already bid up to $330 - who knows how high it will go.

While at Guitar Center, I also plugged into the "LA Series" combos by SWR. Someone on this board had recommended those combos to me, and GC was knocking another 15% off SWR. All I can say is....SWR should be ashamed of themselves - they sounded terrible. I thought the speaker was going to explode - even on the 15" combo. Lots of rattling, hissing - all kinds of noise. And they don't even offer lots of features compared to their competition (Hartke, GK, Behringer). Just horrible. I assume the Workingman combos are better.

Hope this helps.

ray
 

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