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2013 Ampeg V-4B 100W Reissue Pt2

#1,521
Burwabit said:
I noticed there's a 112AV in the classifieds. Anyone pair up a 212AV and 112AV with their V4B?
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I played the V4B through 2- 112AV's I also tried a 212AV and both those combinations sounded amazing. Great tone with plenty of lows and a sweet upper tone. These 12's made me realize that I didn't miss the 15's that I'm usually partial to. I ended up buying 2- 112 AV's and I currently use them with a PF-800 head and it's been a wonderful lightweight small stack but I'm lusting for a V4B to use on gigs where I have some help hauling the gear or using it in the studio for that wonderful Ampeg tube tone. Weight is an issue with me and I've even been tempted to try replacing the speakers with Neo Faital's to knock about six pounds off the weight of each cab but I sure wouldn't want to give up the great tone I'm getting with the ceramic Ampeg/Eminence speakers in there now.
 
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#1,525
A little confused on the set up here.

Amp is dead quiet until I run my bass thru a DI. With a countryman it hums a lot when I lift the ground it is silent. The REDDI hums, but not like the countryman but the ground lift provides no silence. When I unplug the REDDIs power it hums as loud as the grounded Countryman.

Power in the house is good. Dedicated line from the box. Any ideas?
 
#1,527
peterpalmieri said:
A little confused on the set up here.

Amp is dead quiet until I run my bass thru a DI. With a countryman it hums a lot when I lift the ground it is silent. The REDDI hums, but not like the countryman but the ground lift provides no silence. When I unplug the REDDIs power it hums as loud as the grounded Countryman.

Power in the house is good. Dedicated line from the box. Any ideas?
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Odd isn't it. It seems like the ground lift on the REDDI isn't working but there are other possibilities.

I assume that you tested the REDDI somewhere else and it works as it is supposed to. A bad tube can create a hum. I think that the best approach to try to figure this out is to break down the problem.

First, try inserting a ground pin-3 lifter between the REDDI and the cable to the board. A product like this, a Whirlwind Lifter, can be used. The lifter is inexpensive and handy to have on hand. It is worth getting one. If you have a short XLR cable you can clip off pin-3 on one end to make the equivalent. Inside the connector, there are label beside each pin, 1, 2, and 3. If you disconnect the wire on pin-3, cut the wire short so that it can't short to anything. Even though the ground switch on the REDDI is supposed to do this, try what I am suggesting anyway.

Second, try plugging the REDDI into the same power outlet as the V4B. Hopefully that will eliminate the possibility of a ground loop between those units. See if there is still a hum issue.

If yes, it is possible that the XLR cable from the REDDI to the board has a problem or is too long. Try changing that cable.

Let's see if any of this resolves the issue.
 
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#1,528
Thanks for the input.

Let me make sure I'm clear on this. The hum is coming through the amp not either DI or the board.

There is no change when there is no XLR plugged into the DI. Also when both units are plugged into the same outlet. When I plug the REDDI into a different outlet the hum is as bad as the countryman. The ground lift has no effect.
 
#1,529
peterpalmieri said:
Thanks for the input.

Let me make sure I'm clear on this. The hum is coming through the amp not either DI or the board.

There is no change when there is no XLR plugged into the DI. Also when both units are plugged into the same outlet. When I plug the REDDI into a different outlet the hum is as bad as the countryman. The ground lift has no effect.
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The ground lift is for getting hums in the PA due to the REDDI, not your amp. For that, you need the Lifter. Yes, I know it's counter-intuitive to think putting the lifter on the XLR line will make your amp quieter when using the REDDI. Do it anyway...it works.
 
#1,531
The important thing to keep in mind is that the grounds on outlets can be at different levels. For example, one might read zero volts, another, ever a short distance away, could be one volt. When you plug equipment into the different outlets, the different grounds can cause what they call a ground loop.

As a start, it is important that you plug the V4B and the REDDI into the same outlet. That will hopefully ensure that those grounds are the same. Now when you connect a cable to the board, you are connecting the boards ground to the that of your gear. If those grounds are at a different potential, you have a second source of hum.
 
#1,533
Yep. I really like the way my passive J5 and P5 sound thru my V4B+212AV vs my two other modern, active 5ers. I had it dialed in so nicely at a new club while sitting in with a band past Fri nite. 5pc, blues, r&b, soul group I've helped out before.
Just some extra digging in on the J5 w/nickels gave me as much grind as I wanted on certain tunes then back to thick, gooey, smoothness via right hand. :smug: Fun gig with fun rig. And band liked my new rigs' tone as well.

Wooden stage was so hollow while just walking softly on it. I kept my rig on my 4 wheeled, 4" rubber-casters cart and had no issues. Sound was huge, tight n clean.
 
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#1,535
ErnieD said:
Dang, I may have to flag my own post above. :rollno: A lot of "perceived innuendo" in those words I've written. :bored:
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Haha, I get it. Speaking of…

I recently acquired a SVT 2 (non pro) a little while ago and lately it's been getting most the sets and reps. It sounds phenomenal and my V4B has been, sorta, sidelined due to my honeymoon with the SVT 2. Anywho's, had practice yesterday and decided to give the V4B a whirl again with my Dually. Man oh man, I cannot get over how damn good this amp sounds. Just sits right in the sweet spot and my playing is so ALIVE with it especially when pushed just a tad and the mids (at 800) brought up some from flat. It just gets those power tubes howling amazingly well to my ears. All this while being dead quiet and super light. It's my new micro amp. ;)
 
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#1,538
husky123 said:
Speaking of the V4B, I'm getting another cabinet built and am going to go with a vintage grill cloth. I'm color blind as a mofo….the V4B uses the blue/silver style correct? Not the silver/black?

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Man, those are nice examples of the different cloth colors on that site. I read about silver/black vs silver/blue in another thread. When I went searching for comparison, I couldn't find any good samples of the two different colors. That site shows it nicely. I was thinking the sliver/black was correct; I may be abit color blind as well. But YES, I'm pretty sure the V4B uses the sliver/blue cloth. It's easier to tell from looking at the AV cab grill cloth as there's more fabric to look at than on the V4B.

When I first got my first 212AV cab, I ran my GB 12.2 amp thru it and a passive JoBo5er at a gig. That amp sounded very nice thru that cab. The AV cabs are give me quite a different tone with my amps than my other cabs do. Then the V4B came along and it was even nicer. I then bought a new 112AV and tried 3x12's with the V4B. But after playing one gig with twox212AV's I was hooked. Sent the second 212AV back to lighten my load. But was missing it after gitards ganged up on me volume-wise at last gig. I was about to order a new 112AV to get back to 4x12's. Found a 6 month old 112AV here in the classifieds for a nice price which arrived here Friday.

Haven't hooked em all up yet but I'm ready for my summer, outdoor gigs with this rig. And with one particular band I think the GB 12.2 amp with these 4x12's is gona work great for a more modular-ish, modern-toned rig for the music that group performs. Looking forward to that.

Sorry did I go OT here. Halfway thru third cup of coffee, so I'm rambling on. Better go hit the gym now and work it off. Then back home to see what all these AV cabs+amp(s) will sound like. Woo-hoo!
 
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