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Ampeg B-100r Rocket Aficionados

#441
Has he actually done any troubleshooting and identified a defective component? That would be the first step.

If an obsolete part is found to be bad, you may still be able to find it even if the mainstream parts suppliers no longer have any. If that fails, the next thing to do would be to try to find a suitable substitute.
 
#442
Hoochie Coochie Man said:
Has he actually done any troubleshooting and identified a defective component? That would be the first step.

If an obsolete part is found to be bad, you may still be able to find it even if the mainstream parts suppliers no longer have any. If that fails, the next thing to do would be to try to find a suitable substitute.
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I'll try to talk to him again. If he doesn't want to look at it I know another repair guy but I have to travel to a distance to have him check it out. I really love this amp & don't want to give up on it just yet. I've had it for 20 years & always done a good job for me. Volume has never been a problem. Thanks for the advise.
 
#443
I don't believe there are any uncommon components in the amp, apart from the transformer, and that's probably not the problem. It's actually a fairly simple schematic, it seems odd that a tech would advise against repair.

If you were closer to me, I'd be happy to go through it and check for the obvious problems.
 
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#444
Bugeyed Earl said:
I don't believe there are any uncommon components in the amp, apart from the transformer, and that's probably not the problem. It's actually a fairly simple schematic, it seems odd that a tech would advise against repair.

If you were closer to me, I'd be happy to go through it and check for the obvious problems.
Click to expand...
I'm definitely going to try to get it fixed. Me & that amp have been through a lot together. It's old but not as old as me. We ain't done yet.
 
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#445
I got it to the repair guy. He's several weeks behind but his reputation is really good at repairing. So I'm just gonna be patient for a couple of weeks. If no luck with him I'll get in touch with you & maybe work things out so you can take a look at it. It is perfect for the band I'm playing with. So I'll haul around the GK 1001RB & GK NEO 410 for a while longer.
Thanks for your help Earl.
 
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#446
Good to hear. My bet is that he'll be able to tell you pretty quickly (once he gets to it) whether it is worth repairing or not. With any luck it will turn out to be something simple that is easy and cheap to fix, and you'll have your baby back -- or otherwise it will be clear that it isn't worth trying to repair and you can can just ditch it and move on. The former is obviously preferable, but even the latter is better than having it just sitting there and not knowing. Good luck, and please let us know how it goes!
 
#448
Bobby,

Here's a thought. There is a b-100r in the Charlotte CL - looks to be in fair to below average shape, it's missing the top handle, casters and a bit dirty from sitting "unused in my barn for 2 years". The guy is asking $150 OBO. It might be a dog, or a closet classic, especially if you can get a good price on it. Either way, it would be a potential source of replacement parts....

My 100r is working perfectly as it was a closet classic before I snagged it locally. Else, I would consider getting this one for when the day comes and it stops working.

Cheers!
 
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#450
Bobby Bass said:
If not repairable I'll just get one of those mini amp heads & use just the cabinet with out the amp. GK, Ampeg or maybe Fender Rumble head.
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That's what I did after my B200R electronics self-destructed. I removed the (heavy) chassis and added a $299 Ampeg PF-350 Class D head. Voila!, it's now a "B350R" and it rocks. Much more headroom now and the lighter cabinet is easier to transport. The head fits in a laptop bag for storage and transport.
DSCN1480_zpshjc3u2ag.jpg
 
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#452
Bobby Bass said:
Just got my amp back. A few resistors were bad & headphone jack was replaced. Cheap enough.:hyper:
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Very cool, I hoped it would be something simple!

Here's my accidental Ampeg collection - Superjet SJ-12T, B-1 Combo, and the B-100R. I didn't set out to collect them (except for the B-1,) it just kinda happened...

mUkqWvNgUklA8xaDJ4LegEtT_pZ5OdAWmFOnTCw5IJLdAXaVbrxm7zGbygxT7cNbeLV5NMHaRa0u_7Q-CtL=w724-h965-no.jpg
 
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#454
Bobby Bass said:
I don't know if this has been talked about yet. Has anyone else had trouble keeping the power cord from falling out when moving from gig to gig? Any solutions? HELP
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Bobby Bass, I've had that problem in the past. I keep it in check by folding the cord back and forth along the horizontal recess where the transformer is. What keeps it in is the vinyl amp cover I keep on the amp between gigs and rehearsals. The tight fit of the cover tends to hold the power cord. That, combined with my habit of loading my B-100R speaker-side-down, I've never had the cord unravel and fall out, even when wheeling across a sidewalk or bar area.
One thing I've considered but I've never tried: cutting the power cord short, maybe 4" or 5" from the spot it comes out of the cabinet, and mounting the female end of a locking AC connector. Then I could just keep the long part of the cord in my bag 'o' tricks. Or, just mount an IEC jack somewhere on the amp - no idea where that would be, but if you could find a handy spot it would solve the issue of the falling power cord!
 
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#457
Repair didn't last long. Still sounds good. Power is getting less & less each gig. What was too loud at 4 is now not very loud at 4. I think it is dying. This band doesn't play very loud. Settings are low button in, mid button up, high button in. Gain 4 / Bass 7 / Low Mid 6 / High Mid 5 / Treble 5 / Volume 8. Looking at just getting a small amp head & using B100R as a speaker cabinet. Suggestions?:help:
 
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#459
Bobby Bass said:
Repair didn't last long. Still sounds good. Power is getting less & less each gig. What was too loud at 4 is now not very loud at 4. I think it is dying. This band doesn't play very loud. Settings are low button in, mid button up, high button in. Gain 4 / Bass 7 / Low Mid 6 / High Mid 5 / Treble 5 / Volume 8. Looking at just getting a small amp head & using B100R as a speaker cabinet. Suggestions?:help:
Click to expand...

Your problem might just be a dirty headphone jack, it has a Shunt that mutes the speaker when headphones are plugged in. When your not using headphones, the contact points in that shunt pass the signal along to the speaker. If those contact points are dirty or corroded, it could cause high resistance or even no signal at all reaching the speaker. Your B100R headphone jack faces upward, so a lot of dust has probably drifted down into the jacks opening over the years...

You could try cleaning your headphone jack with Deoxit, but sometimes all you need to do is repeatedly insert a guitar plug (or headphone plug) in and out a few times to repair the problem.
 
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#460
Bobby Bass said:
Well it's still working sometimes. I added a speaker jack so I could use a small amp if it quits. Borrowed a GK MB200 for a while to try. Sounds really good with the speaker cab. Of course it is 200 watts into the 4 ohm speaker in the cabinet. So I'll just play on my friends. Thanks for all the response.
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I think it's been mentioned, but try to find one with beat-up cosmetics on CL, you may get lucky for $200. That's about as low as I've seen them. Swap the amp section.

Regarding the cord, I have two B100Rs, and both have power cords that are stiff as heck and are hard to get to stay in the little cubbie. They never uncoiled well or laid flat either. I cut it off just past where it hits the floor and put on an IEC connector. Now I have just a short section (approx 16" long) to stuff into the cubbie. Works fine. I have lots of other IEC extension cords that are nice and flexible to use with them.

I did the B100R line-in mod and run a full stack with my two. The top is my master and the bottom is the slave.
 
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