1967 Ampeg B-15N JBL Speaker Upgrade

IIRC the upgrade driver for a B15 was an Altec not a JBL.

FWIW I tried both an Altec and a JBL 2225 in my unit but preferred the stock CTS driver which is in there now.

 

LOL If you already know everything why did you pose your question?

Why would Ampeg use an upgrade driver that was made for Fender D130F? Besides for bass a D140 would be more apprpriate.

One last question: Why do you consider Weber an authority?

 

I don't think that list is all that accurate IME.

 

... my two b15 cabs were loaded with crumbling Altec speakers ,
but when a friend gave me two freshly re-conned JBL D140F drivers ,
i couldn't resist ... they sound awesome .

... ...

 

Apparently, the JBL was an upgrade before the CTS. The original 15 was a Jensen, then an upgrade to a JBL, then the CTS.
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1956 Jess Oliver is hired by Ampeg; gets idea for B-15 circa 1958
1960 First B-15 Portaflex introduced (for $355), with single-channel 25-watt head; replaced within eight months by the B-15N (N for “new”), which features two channels and a Jensen speaker; B-12N (25 watts) also introduced
1961 A tilt-back rod (until 1964) and light-up Lucite logo (until 1968) are introduced on the B-15N
1962 Solid-state rectifier and blue check covering are introduced via the B-15NB
1963 B-15NL designates a JBL speaker upgrade; 50-watt B-18 introduced
1964 B-15NC returns to a tube rectifier; B-15X introduced, with horn tweeter and two 4" “echo” speakers
1965 B-15NF switches to CTS speaker, fixed-bias tubes, and single-baffle cabinet; 25-watt SB-12 (SB for “string bass”) introduced for use with Baby Bass

 

In 1963, the upgrade was a D130; after that I dunno.

 

To my knowledge the only time you would have had the option of a JBL D140F would have been circa 1967, when you could get either an Altec 421 or a D140 as a factory upgrade.

 

I believe D140F would have been the upgrade through the mid-late 60s, I have a 65 fixed bias/double baffle with a D140F which was listed as stock when I bought the amp, though who really knows.

The 1967 brochure in the portaflex wiki says the amps are available with JBL or Altec upgrades. I had a 421A in a prior double baffle, it got a bit farty in that cab. Across the various B15s I’ve had I’ve tried some modern eminence (beta and deltas), a K140, a reconed CTS, and this D140F in double baffle cabs, and I had a single baffle with the stock CTS.

I like the D140F and the CTS over the rest.

 

I put in a Eminence Beta 15 and I think it sounds fabulous!

 

This thread spotlights how little I know about amplification—me here, thinking a B-15N is itself a thing to aspire to.

"I won James Jamerson's bass in an auction. I can't wait to upgrade the pickup!"

 

i put a d140 in my 66. sounds great. its got a little sparkle

 

just to be clear , my B15NA is early to mid 60's , and came equipped with the Altec 421A speaker .
it was in pretty bad shape , with a loose voice coil , and needed to be replaced .
the JBL's sound pretty dang sweet ...

 

An NA would be early 60s. The product literature for 64-65 only shows the speaker upgrades as JBL, the 60 and 62-63 catalogs don’t list an option.

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The Altec options appear in the catalog in 67. Not sure when the 421A became available.

 

mine came stock with a d140 and I loved it. Friend had one with a 421 in it and I dunno, it sounded muffled.

 

Ampeg went out of their way to design amps and cabs that were different from the competition, Fender. They were loath to sell a speaker used by Fender. They wanted to be different. The D130F proved very popular and people were installing them in their amps of all makes. They sound very good in a B-15.

The D130F was intended as a guitar speaker, the D140F was offered as an option for bass by Fender. Despite that, many D130F’s are found in B-15’s. They are a little brighter sounding with the aluminum coil. When they would blow, D130F's were often reconed with D140 kits.