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Ampeg B-100r Rocket Aficionados
- Thread starter barroso
- Start date
Just reviving this thread to see if anyone has had a chance to A/B a B100R vs one of the new Rocketbass RB112 or RB115 amps?
I've gigged my USA B100R hard for the past 4+ years. I got it for free from my brother as an easier-to-transport alternative to the larger amps I had been using. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it sounds great, looks great and it's holds up well. It was more than loud enough unassisted for the bars, rooms and events my previous country band played. I still feel this way and plan to hold onto it until it dies.
However, now in it's third decade I wonder how long it will last. More to the point, I'm just about done with my third decade and the weight comparison between 65 pounds and 22 or 34 pounds is pretty stark in terms of gigging. My B100R is on castors which is great for most gigs but it was a BEAR hauling it up stairs for second-floor gigs. B100R's in good condition still pop up periodically on Craigslist for $300 or less, but considering the weight, I just don't think I'd buy another one.
I'm looking sideways at the Fender Rumble 100 and 200 amps with similar thoughts in mind. I haven't been paying much attention to bass amps for the past 5-10 years so the fact that entry level amps can be so cheap, light and loud and finally have nice vintage aesthetics kind of blows me away.
Additionally, in a rather niche use, Any of these 4 amps is light enough that I might even bring it along as a second amp for stereo setups with my Milkman when I eventually play out on pedal steel.
I've gigged my USA B100R hard for the past 4+ years. I got it for free from my brother as an easier-to-transport alternative to the larger amps I had been using. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it sounds great, looks great and it's holds up well. It was more than loud enough unassisted for the bars, rooms and events my previous country band played. I still feel this way and plan to hold onto it until it dies.
However, now in it's third decade I wonder how long it will last. More to the point, I'm just about done with my third decade and the weight comparison between 65 pounds and 22 or 34 pounds is pretty stark in terms of gigging. My B100R is on castors which is great for most gigs but it was a BEAR hauling it up stairs for second-floor gigs. B100R's in good condition still pop up periodically on Craigslist for $300 or less, but considering the weight, I just don't think I'd buy another one.
I'm looking sideways at the Fender Rumble 100 and 200 amps with similar thoughts in mind. I haven't been paying much attention to bass amps for the past 5-10 years so the fact that entry level amps can be so cheap, light and loud and finally have nice vintage aesthetics kind of blows me away.
Additionally, in a rather niche use, Any of these 4 amps is light enough that I might even bring it along as a second amp for stereo setups with my Milkman when I eventually play out on pedal steel.
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I’ve never owned but have played all the combos you mentioned and pretty sure you could use the new RBs for anything you are using your current B100R for.
I own a Rumble 200 and a B100r (also a number of other combos since I have bad habits). The Rumble will go louder/lower than the B100r at half the weight. There is a certain sweetness to the B100r tone that still wins the battle. For live use though, most won't care.
Thanks for that, I appreciate the information.
Bodes well for the Fender, as I've heard some pretty sweet steel sounds from a local PSG player coming out of what I'm pretty sure was a Rumble200. Volume and clarity of lows (and mids and highs for that matter) is an important factor with Pedal Steel.
Have you any comparison between the Rumble 200 and the RB115? For bass I still lean Ampeg, but I'm not sure if that's a logical choice or just my own limited experience.
I’m getting back into playing live again and with a traditional Jamaican rocksteady/reggae band playing a Gibson SG bass with Labella flats.
Scored a B100R. It’s currently being shipped. What should I look out for when it arrives?
Scored a B100R. It’s currently being shipped. What should I look out for when it arrives?
Congratulations. It’s a nice amp.
- Make sure the cardboard tubes inside are attached to the ports. You can glue or tape them to make sure they remain in place. Other than that, if it works it works.
- The blue power light might not work, but it doesn’t harm anything, and it’s probably more trouble than it’s worth to fix it, though someone here on TB has done it.
- Also, at 65 pounds, it could use casters. You can get a nice set inexpensively from Amazon; let me know if you need the info.
Thanks for the information. I’ll keep that checklist in mind.
This will be replacing a Reeves 115 and Orange AD200 (already sold the Orange)
I played a few B100R back in the 90s/00s and remember them sounding vintage. I was a kid then and it will be interesting to revisit this amp later in life with a different perspective.
This will be replacing a Reeves 115 and Orange AD200 (already sold the Orange)
I played a few B100R back in the 90s/00s and remember them sounding vintage. I was a kid then and it will be interesting to revisit this amp later in life with a different perspective.
Hi Guys! Looking forward to revive this thread!
I'm debating whether to buy a B-100R used for 500$ CAD or a brand new RB-112 for also 500$ +tax (15%) here in QC, Canada.
The main differences are the following I believe but love to know more
Both are 100W, one is made in the USA, the other one most probably Taiwan/China...
One is a 1x15 inch speaker the other 1x12
I heard the B100 would have a more vintage/tubes sound thant the RB
Which one would you go for and why?
The main use will solely be jamming at my own house for now.
Thanks in advance to all of you!!
I wouldn't pay $500 for a B100R. I love mine, but it's a 20 year old amp and I see them routinely for around $300. As you say, the B100R is a very tubey sounding amp and it definitely wins in the looks department. If you can find one for $300-$350 and are ONLY looking for home use I'd considering that route.Hi Guys! Looking forward to revive this thread!
I'm debating whether to buy a B-100R used for 500$ CAD or a brand new RB-112 for also 500$ +tax (15%) here in QC, Canada.
The main differences are the following I believe but love to know more
Both are 100W, one is made in the USA, the other one most probably Taiwan/China...
One is a 1x15 inch speaker the other 1x12
I heard the B100 would have a more vintage/tubes sound thant the RB
Which one would you go for and why?
The main use will solely be jamming at my own house for now.
Thanks in advance to all of you!!
However, I'd want to point out that the B100R is 60+ pounds. Even the RB115 is almost half that weight. If there's any chance you want to gig this amp (and 100 watts is more than enough to gig) I'd go with a current production amp. I've been gigging my B100R for 5 years and I love it, but with a shoulder that's no longer perfect, it lets me know how much it weighs on a regular basis. Castors highly recommended! Put another way, if it were to die, I couldn't justify buying another as a gigging amp.
If gigging is even a remote a possibility, I'd look strongly at the RB115 which is only a few pounds heavier than the 112 and doubles the watts with a 15" speaker. Despite the focus of this thread, I'd also look at the Fender Rumble 100 and 200. I did not do a straight-ahead comparison to my B100R, but comparing the two current production lines, I preferred the sound of the Fender to the Ampeg. Regardless, all 4 of these modern options are solid choices at about half the weight of a B100R.
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It doubles the wattage only if you add an external 8Ω cab. That’s the primary reason that I went with the RB-112.
I agree with the other things you mentioned re: price, weight. I like my B-100R, but I don’t take it out of the house. I had two of them and sold one to purchase the RB-112, which has worked very well for me.
Thanks for the tips guys!
Great to know that these b100R sell for less, I was about to give my money away so I can the taxes and the made in China stuff...
The fact is that there are no other b100 Ampeg for sale in my area in QC. CA.
I actually saw a b200 for sale in Tporonto for 350$ Cad. but who knows what shape its in and its 500Km away!
Gigging with is not a priority at the moment. I will solely use it at home and often times take it to my buddys place but not like I know I will have to be carrying it here and there...
The RB112 and 115 are both nice options! It seems like there is a 200$ difference between the 2.
Any remarkable differences with the previous BA line? Other than the Scrambler option?
Thanks !!
You're very welcome. If you like the B100R and aren't going to gig, maybe it's worth leveraging the going price to see if the seller would cut you a deal. Perhaps you could get it down to $400? That wouldn't be totally out of line if it's in great shape. They really are good sounding amps that look great. Mine is in my living room right now as I've been too lazy to bring it back to the garage and next to the semi-midcentury furniture we prefer it's just about the prettiest and least-obtrusive amp you could have in a living room.
As for mechanical similarities with previous BA or Rocketbass lines, I've no idea. I'd be equally unsurprised to find they're in a direct evolutionary line or to learn that they're almost entirely different inside.
Thanks for that! Good know...
No, the seller wanted 625$ initially. Saying he paid 1200$ Cad brand new years ago. So 500 is his last price. Then amps is in pristine shape never left the guys house! All it has going wrong for it is the master volume plastic button being broken...
His point is that this combo was made in the USA instead off the Chinese new ones, hence the weight.
From what I heard the sound of a B100R would a whole lot different than a newer BA or RB series... maybe someone could shime in on that?
Cheers!
This seller is either being slightly misleading or is just ignorant of the facts.
First of all, $1200?? I could be wrong, but that doesn't sound right at all. 2 decades ago $1200 would have bought you a much more powerful and higher-tier amp. Even with the CAD difference I bet. He'd have had to have paid top dollar for a marked-up amp to get anywhere near that. I bought a new Silverado Special for under a grand USD in 2002 and it was a top of the line SWR 2x12 Combo with more features and more than double the watts. No way the B100R would have been a more premium product than the Silverado.
Secondly, weight has nothing to do with USA manufacturing vs China. Weight is just a matter of the level of technological sophistication the industry has acquired over the past 20-25 years. It's true that back when domestic amp production was feasible amps were heavier, but amps got lighter because we learned how to make them lighter (especially in regards to speaker and power amps) not because China makes magically lighter amps. Ampegs first generation of "Portabass" lightweight heads was made in the USA before St. Louis Music sold the company and production was moved overseas.
It's your choice, but $500 is nutty money when you look at Reverb and see that in the past 3 years the most expensive B100R sold for $375 and the average is about $200.
Thanks Eilif!
What you're saying makes a lot of sense to me!
500$ didn't make sense to me either as the RB112 is getting sold for 499$ + 15% sales tax (thanks to our Govnt!). But I'd be getting a brand new combo that is much lighter and with a warranty.
The seller just wrote back to me and he's ready to let it go for 450$... (his initial price was 625$)
The amp looks and is apparently like brand new. hat was the most appealing to me in regards to the b100R was that the fact it was manufactured in the USA, and also; because of the more refined ''tubey'' sound it was capable to produce.
I might have to skip on this one and wait for another one to pop-up at a lesser price eventually and get an RB112 or 115 brand new right now.
After some research, I found 2 other drawbacks (correct me if I'm wrong) for the b100R that the RB series don't have:
1- You cannot plug any headphones in for late night quiet sesh.
2- No line out to plug in a cab for extra power.
