That's what I was thinking Jimmy. If you look closely at it, the speaker grill cloth is closer to the front of the cab. Whereas, on a single baffle, it (grill cloth) appears to be more recessed. That cloth is much closer to the front of the cab than my 66 or 67 B15 cabs. Remember, the singles have a 1/2 inch spacer between the surround for the grill (cab frame) and the grill it self. Those spacers is what gives you that gap for the baffle. But to know for sure, it has to be opened and looked at. If you look at the schematic, it also says it's an B-15-NC. Another clue.
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Thanks guys, I'm glad you resurrected this thread. I have been mostly playing through the Jule Monique 700 lately. I'm going to switch the cable over to the Ampeg and have a go at it for this evening with my 57 P Reissue. That should be some fun. But then I'm going to also try it out with the brand new Dingwall ABZ I just got yesterday and see how the blend of old and new work together!
Double Baffle. No Doubt. If you at the pic of the speaker, which looks like a CTS, big square magnet, you can see two pieces of wood kind of shaped like a triangle on the end. Along side of them, you can see the slot for the baffle. So I'm convinced it's a double. NICE SCORE with that one as you really hit the jack pot.Howdy Beans - To address a few of your points:
What looked like rust under the power switch was actually just a reflection of a nearby speaker cabinet (my Kolbe 112 which is unfinished particle board.) There is no rust there and no finish damage at all, I'm happy to report. (See new photo attached.)
Thanks for the suggestion on the grille cloth! I will look into getting some just to keep it on hand.
I'll also attach a photo of the speaker - hopefully it's good enough and at the proper angle so you can tell what the speaker is. Whatever it is, it does sound great. When I went back to play the amp, I didn't bring my 112 cabinet, I listened to the Ampeg all by itself. Playing my passive basses, it stayed clean until past 12 o'clock, maybe about 12:30 or almost 1:00 before the distortion started to kick in. But the distortion was almost certainly the tubes, not the speaker. The speaker itself seems to be in perfect condition.
I see the amp was also listed on ebay. There are some more professional looking photos on there:
Ampeg B15-N Bass Amplifier 1960's USED | eBay
I read on your wiki that cycling it on and off a lot will shorten the life of the tubes. So I am probably not going to be using it for daily practicing. I will probably just use it for recording and for 'special occasions', when I am in the mood to let my tone put an ear-to-ear grin on my face.
Thanks again for the helpful info and especially for your incredible wiki page on the amp. I can't even imagine how many hours you must have put into building that. Thank you!
John
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Thank you very much - I have to agree!! The Fender was buried in the back of the pile so I went straight for the ABZ instead. As hard as I tried, I couldn't find a bad sound anywhere. But several of the setting combos sounded SO yummy I had to write everything down to make sure I can reproduce them on demand. I skipped the whole pedal board and just ran the bass straight into the amp. Now I am sitting here wondering if I need the pedalboard at all.
(And I just bought the actual pedal BOARD itself today and haven't even assembled it yet! Waiting for a SanAmp BDDI to arrive to fill the final empty space.)
Before plugging in, I wondered if the Darkglass preamp in the ABZ would be too much for the Ampeg, but it was totally fine. Passive mode was fantastic as well. (No surprise there!)
I am now going to have to publicly declare that I am out of G.A.S. There is nothing else I could possibly need except TIME TO PRACTICE! Not only that, I have started getting a ton of flak from my wife for spending all this money on "toys", which are "depreciating assets". I can't begin to convince her that many of these "toys", this amp for example, will probably be going up in value over time, not down. This amp reminds me of the lyrics to Red Barchetta...
I learned a little and was reminded of things I
thought I knew.
Mostly this thread put a smile on my face...
and created GAS!!!!!!!!!!
thought I knew.
Mostly this thread put a smile on my face...
and created GAS!!!!!!!!!!
For my part I’d like to add that practicing using my B15 is a true pleasure. 
You are absolutely right about that! My only hesitation is that I I'm a little bit nervous about putting miles on something that is already 51 years old, but I guess I should just enjoy it otherwise what is the point.For my part I’d like to add that practicing using my B15 is a true pleasure.
Dude, just play it. Even if just practicing you will be inspired by the sounds it makes. Get a pair of JJ power tubes for practicing if you don't want to put hours on your vintage tubes if you have them.
That is one of the nicest sounding bass amplifiers made Unfortunately not good for loud rock bands but for studio work its the best... I wish I hadn't sold mine.
My ‘63 B15 is better than new. The cabinet is solid. I fixed it up and made it look nice. The electronics don’t take much to bring up to spec.
I wouldn’t worry about using the amp. That’s what it was meant for.
I wouldn’t worry about using the amp. That’s what it was meant for.
Actually the less you use an amplifier the more trouble you’ll have with it.
Depends on the venue size. Cranked up this thing sounds really good for rock. I have a '66, single baffle and a little more power - maybe that would be better for rock than the earlier 60s ones.
Also - can someone explain the practical difference between the double and single baffle designs. I thought I read somewhere that the single baffle, in the way it's designed, produces the same sort of bass reflex porting effect that the double does, just with less material and complexity. Idk, can anyone explain this? Has anyone A/B'd a pair, and what impact did it have on the sound?
I started with the B15 then got a B18 because it had more wattage .. but it was too muddy...
There is that. A friend of mine said it best. A B-15 makes any bass you plug into it sound like you paid at least $200 more for it than you actually did.
When I was shopping for my PF50T, (I already have a B15), I got to the store and a guy was playing through the only one they had in stock, (I don't remember which PF cab), and he was taking his time. I hung around nearby, and after about a half an hour, when it seemed that he was about to unplug, I got a little closer. The guy looked at me and said "It sounds pretty good, doesn't it"? (He played very well too. We were not at Guitar Center
). I said it did. I assumed he was talking about the amp. He turned toward the sales guy, and said "I'll take it" and I thought, there goes my chance to try the PF.He bought the bass he was trying, not the amp.
Later I told the sales guy that when someone wants to try a bass, he should steer them to the PF50T because it just helped him sell a bass.
A B15 isn't the only Ampeg that brings out the best in an instrument.
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When I was shopping for my PF50T, (I already have a B15), I got to the store and a guy was playing through the only one they had in stock, (I don't remember which PF cab), and he was taking his time. I hung around nearby, and after about a half an hour, when it seemed that he was about to unplug, I got a little closer. The guy looked at me and said "It sounds pretty good, doesn't it"? (He played very well too. We were not at Guitar Center
He bought the bass he was trying, not the amp.
Later I told the sales guy that when someone wants to try a bass, he should steer them to the PF50T because it just helped him sell a bass.
A B15 isn't the only Ampeg that brings out the best in an instrument.
Nope! Not the only. Just the oldest.
I’ve got my eyes on a 50T. Maybe this year.
