Top of my head the V4B is a more open ("transparent") tone than the Orange which has more low end heft to it.
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2013 Ampeg V-4B 100W Reissue Pt2
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
Thru an efficient cab/s the V4B will get plenty of volume. For BIG stages etc. ... with LOUD stage volumes . .. I'd expect it to give you some power tube drive tho. .. even thru my 2 Fender Bassman Pro Neo 115 cabs it'll get loud as feck. ...and a fair bit cleaner,louder than thru my SVT810E . BUT still, at those volumes . ..you'll get into power tube drive territory
If you have a bit of time, there are some decent reviews on YouTube of the v4b.
A good set of speakers or headphones will capture most of that grindy grit that it delivers.
True. And the Berg NV215 with its adjustable mid driver allows that grit n grind to really shine . So would a NV115 I s'pose . ...tho I've not used one.
It sounds great thru my Fender Bassman Pro Neo cabs too.... It's a great amp. I think it'd sound darn good thru any quality cab.
And (imo) that lovely mid driver control.
I've played indoor gigs with a heavy handed drummer, doing Allman Brother-ish jam band stuff. Two guitarists with smaller (22w) amps cranked up pretty good. It was almost uncomfortably loud for me. I had both of my 212s and the V4B kept up easily with room to spare. With my 55P, it was one of the best bass tones I've ever heard.
If I was outdoors or I was up against a couple of half stacks playing metal, I'd bring the SVT...
If I was outdoors or I was up against a couple of half stacks playing metal, I'd bring the SVT...
Actually, if you want a bit of grind at lower volumes the NV115 is marvellous as it seems to be relatively insensitive. I sold my NV115 because I like a clean tone and at the time it overdrove my Bassman 100T very early on in the volume scale. Sounded fabulous with my Ric
but it did not suit the band I was with.
Exactly . Why I use just a one Bassman Pro Neo 115 with my Super Bassman sometimes. The cab handles a ton of power and let's the toobs be punished. ...just a bit. But. ..seriously. ..who can honestly say that a good lil bit of punishment wasn't fun at times
Brought my V4B down to a local open mic I'm a regular at last night... the house bass player and I are friends so we are always trying different gear combos out. He has a US made SVT610HLF that he brought down last night. I don't think I even got the V4B halfway up on the master.. with that cab the sound guy pulled the bass out of the PA and it carried the house all night. My Spectors are hot so it would break up just a hair (I like running into the 0dB input with the input gain just barely on, probably at 9 o'clock) when I dig in and stay clean if I wanted it to. It made for an awesome night.
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My rule of thumb with the V4b reissue. I prefer to run the gain and master at about noon, not absolute but round about variations preferred for tonal reasons not volume. I have tended to choose my cabinet and input based on what I expect from a gig. I generally don't like to run both below 10 or past 2 o'clock without a specific tonal reason.
So if I can do a gig with 2x 210avs with gain and master at noon that's my choice. If it's going to be a bit louder then that I will use the 810 but I may run similar settings with the -15db input and run the gain hot. Few gigs require me to run an 810 with the 0db input with gain and master at noon, occasional acoustic gig with a single 210AV with both at noon.
On that basis I've brought less cab to gigs where I want a little more fuzz and more cab where I want clean clear headroom. It seems to be an ideal and affordable assortment of cabs...
* I also updated the youtube link I posted a few pages back. Carried the room with two 210AVs no DI
So if I can do a gig with 2x 210avs with gain and master at noon that's my choice. If it's going to be a bit louder then that I will use the 810 but I may run similar settings with the -15db input and run the gain hot. Few gigs require me to run an 810 with the 0db input with gain and master at noon, occasional acoustic gig with a single 210AV with both at noon.
On that basis I've brought less cab to gigs where I want a little more fuzz and more cab where I want clean clear headroom. It seems to be an ideal and affordable assortment of cabs...
* I also updated the youtube link I posted a few pages back. Carried the room with two 210AVs no DI
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You get enough low end out of the 210AV's and V4b combination?...i'm liking the idea of this for portability and classic tone
I posted a video a few pages back where I use a pair on a gig without PA support and I do that most of the time. It works for me most of the time I do have an 810 when I really need to be loud. There is certainly a bit of a gap between the two, let's say an Eden 410XLT will go much louder then a pair of 210AVs. I hope that makes sense.
They go slightly less deep than an 810e, but I just boost the lows on the amp a little to compensate, and it brings them right in line with the 810e IMHO. They're not the cabs to get if you want big deep 410hlf lows, but they go low enough for me.
Cool...am liking the sound of that!
By more "transparent" do you mean it sounds like a more flatter response than the Orange?
I think it is very easy to distinguish between the two. The Orange has a natural "weight" to each note whereas the Ampeg does start from a more neutral point than the Orange. So yes, I suppose I do mean that it sounds flatter than the Orange - but the Orange eq is more versatile than some recognise and you can dial the bass back and boost treble to get quite a different tone. I normally gig the Orange with bass about 11 0'clock, and boost trebles and mids a bit to suit the room. The V4B I can start flat and normally leave it there.
EDIT: I am a huge fan of the Orange. Can't imagine being without it (or the V4b).
Any difference between the two in how loud they go before they get pushed into tube OD? I know the Orange has more watts so should in theory go cleaner for higher volume, but is there much difference in practice?
My gear is packed away at the moment so this is not based on a direct AB but the Orange has a nice "fuzz" around it which I enjoy. Bear in mind that I play with a clean tone and I have found I can get plenty of this with the Orange before it goes into an obvious overdrive. I normally plug it into a Bergantino NV215, the V4B tends to get used with a Barefaced Four 10 or Ampeg 212av or Ampeg 210avs. As I said, the Orange has a natural weight to each note which if you crank the bass will develop into some early (but very euphonious) dirt. The Ampeg is an Ampeg and thank goodness for that
, it has that Ampeg mid punch and growl if you want it but it is also more versatile tonally than the Orange. As I said, I don't look for dirt/overdrive in my sound but my gut tells me that the Ampeg will overdrive at a lower volume than the Orange and to answer your question, yes IMO there is a clear difference.I don't pretend to be an expert, just based on my real world experience and obviously YMMV.
Does anyone know if rotary-relaunch is still making aluminum knobs for the V-4BR? I tried contacting them but haven't gotten a response.
After picking up Pete's 810E resto, and reading some of these posts, looks like a V4B is in the near future.
