The last guy to work on it was an authorized Ampeg repair guy that had the correct part & replaced the headphone jack. Thanks for the reply.
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Ampeg B-100r Rocket Aficionados
- Thread starter barroso
- Start date
I know this discussed before but had anyone replaced the speaker in a B100R? What speaker did you get good results with. Been thinking about the Legend CA154(4 ohm).
Driver replacement and upgrades have been discussed earlier in this thread (and in a few others). A number of drivers will 'work', that is, produce loud bass. The question is, which driver(s) will produce the tone you want. If you don't have a particular tone in mind, your task is easy. If you have a particular tone in mind, then most likely only a few particular drivers will do the job well. An additional variable is the cab tuning. You can leave it stock, or tune for optimum performance for a particular driver. Keep in mind that the power difference into 4 and 8 ohm drivers is relatively unimportant. For drivers with the same sensitivity and response profiles, the difference in sound level is just under 2 db - a casual listener would likely not hear a difference. This is good because there are many more 8 ohm drivers to choose from, and some of them are significantly more sensitive than the stock driver.
Will the CA154 work? Yes it will, and very well, if the tone it produces is what you want.
If you would like some help, a good start is to post a description of what you want: tone important or not? Tone you like. How important maximum volume is, and what your budget is.
Will the CA154 work? Yes it will, and very well, if the tone it produces is what you want.
If you would like some help, a good start is to post a description of what you want: tone important or not? Tone you like. How important maximum volume is, and what your budget is.
If you want something that sounds Ampeg-correct and don't mind taking the slight hit on wattage using an 8 ohm speaker gives you, Delta 15a. If you don't care about Ampeg-correct, I don't know. I do know that while the CA154 would work, it would be too dark in the highs for my tastes. I need 4k at least in a cab and it only does 3.
Eminence does have a custom shop now. Maybe you could get a Delta done in 4 ohms.
I have read most of the threads about speakers for the B100R. What I am looking for is someone who has actually done the replacement & what the results was with which speaker. I do appreciate the suggestions.
I've used these 3 drivers in the B100R:
Faital 10FE200-4 (bass ports modified for 56 Hz tuning) Produces a smooth, hifi tone with bass that is deeper and tighter, and highs more extended than the stock driver. Maximum volume is similar to the stock driver.
Dayton PA255-8 produces a profoundly deeper, richer bass, and smooth mids, but not as loud as the stock driver (about 3 db less).
Eminence Delta 15A Produces a tone quite similar to the stock driver, but with significantly more volume (even though its an 8 ohm driver). Not a great bedroom tone, but works well with some genres, and really cuts through a mix. This puts out enough volume to be gig usable in small and medium size venues provided that the drummer is reasonably sane.
Eminence Delta 15A maybe the one. 2 votes I'm thinking. OK, any difference in volume 4 ohm or 8 ohm?
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There is no 4 ohm version of the Delta 15. There is a Delta 15A (8 ohms) and a Delta 15B (16 ohms). In any case, the difference in volume due to amplifier power (for 4 vs 8 ohms) would be just under 2 db - hardly noticeable.
If maximum power (4 ohm impedance) is a major concern and Ampeg-like tone and highs are not, the CA154 would be a good choice. Note that it would not be as loud as the 8 ohm Delta 15.
If maximum power (4 ohm impedance) is a major concern and Ampeg-like tone and highs are not, the CA154 would be a good choice. Note that it would not be as loud as the 8 ohm Delta 15.
My b-100r makes a loud pop about 2-3 seconds after powering down, even with the volume and gain turned all the way down (doesn't seem to have any effect). I'm used to amps making some noise when turning off (and sometimes on, but this one is quiet then) but this seems louder than I remember.
Anyone else have this with their 100r? Could it be a dirty switch? Bad cap? Everything else seems fine.
Anyone else have this with their 100r? Could it be a dirty switch? Bad cap? Everything else seems fine.
Thought you were kidding - then did a search and see that's a real thing - should have done that in the first place.It is the blue light bulb. The pop will go away when it burns out on you
Found a suggested fix and copying here for reference for others:
Note this is also suggesting replacing the incandescent bulb with a blue LED - I assume you could leave the incandescent bulb if you use a smaller resistor (like 440 ohms).
True. Hence my suggestion to contact the eminence custom shop if he wants a 4-ohm speaker.
Never noticed the custom shop before. It would be interesting to compare a 4 ohm version to the 8 ohm. There are usually tradeoffs like changes in the TS specs and frequency response. This does have me thinking about a 3015 with an aluminum dust cap...
My B100R (US-built) has always popped. From what I've been told by Ampeg, "They all do that." I know that the sound wasn't going to hurt the amp, but it bugged me nonetheless.
My solution was to have Nashville Amplifier Service install a timed relay in the amplifier. It opens the speaker circuit as soon as the power is cut, before the pop hits. It works beautifully.
I started using my B100r (US made) for band practice recently. Had it as my home practice amp before, where from time to time at low volume it would start to crackle and cut out. Give it a whack at high volume and it will return to normal. Never happened with headphones, only using the speaker.
At band volume this problem does not exist. The amp plays reliably and sounds amazing. But for some reason it appears to take some time to warm up. For the first 15 minutes or so it sounds a bit thin, until slowly the low end creeps up and the tone gets nice and punchy.
I've read quite a bit about the crackling problem. But I've never heard about that warmup phenomenon with solid state amps. Could these two things be related? Re crackling I tried the obvious things, cleaned the headphone jack, checked the speaker connections but no luck. Any ideas?
At band volume this problem does not exist. The amp plays reliably and sounds amazing. But for some reason it appears to take some time to warm up. For the first 15 minutes or so it sounds a bit thin, until slowly the low end creeps up and the tone gets nice and punchy.
I've read quite a bit about the crackling problem. But I've never heard about that warmup phenomenon with solid state amps. Could these two things be related? Re crackling I tried the obvious things, cleaned the headphone jack, checked the speaker connections but no luck. Any ideas?
Hi,
I have been offline for a while. I have a few B100R circuit boards. PM me if you want one.
Could be a bad or intermittently failing solder joint on the headphone jack. I found several bad joints when I picked up a used B-100R. They can be tricky to spot, but are easily fixed.
Yesterday I bought a used B-100r from GC. It is being shipped. I didn't ask whether it is MIA or an import because I thought all B100r's were MIA. So, now I'm wondering if there is any noticeable difference between the two? Any help appreciated.
