Ampeg B-15 thread... first ever?

[ehiunno]

What was the reissue doing or not doing that was different?

IMO the reissue sounded very brittle, and lacked the smoothness the b15 is known for. for having a 15" speaker it was lacking in the low end by far it seemed, though im sure you could dial it in if needed. it completly lacked usable good growl which IMO is due to the solid state rectifier. it was very cutting, but not in a tubey warm smooth lots of mids cutting, a brittle high kind of cutting, sort of like if you cut the bass knob on a regular b-15N and boosted the treble while having the ultra high switch pressed in. i may be a little more extreme than what it really did sound like but this is the impression i walked away with after playing it.

 

[KingOfAmps]

...it was very cutting, but not in a tubey warm smooth lots of mids cutting, a brittle high kind of cutting, sort of like if you cut the bass knob on a regular b-15N and boosted the treble while having the ultra high switch pressed in...

What you describe here sounds a lot like the way I describe the main distinction between new and old SVTs. Something very unique (woolly & smooth) going on in the mids and it occurs even at very low volume.

 

[zombywoof5050]

IMO the reissue sounded very brittle, and lacked the smoothness the b15 is known for. for having a 15" speaker it was lacking in the low end by far it seemed, though im sure you could dial it in if needed. it completly lacked usable good growl which IMO is due to the solid state rectifier. it was very cutting, but not in a tubey warm smooth lots of mids cutting, a brittle high kind of cutting, sort of like if you cut the bass knob on a regular b-15N and boosted the treble while having the ultra high switch pressed in. i may be a little more extreme than what it really did sound like but this is the impression i walked away with after playing it.

Could it be partly because it was new and the speaker wasn't broken in? New speakers often sound better after they've been played a lot and broken in.

 

[main_sale]

My B-15R is well broken in, but still does not approach the wonderful, buttery tone of my '67 B-15-N. There are huge differences in them like the B-15R has a solid state rectifier, 40 more watts, a tweeter, different output tubes and so on.....

 

[ehiunno]

Could it be partly because it was new and the speaker wasn't broken in? New speakers often sound better after they've been played a lot and broken in.

it was a used amp

i see what your saying but this one was on consignment

 

[ehiunno]

My B-15R is well broken in, but still does not approach the wonderful, buttery tone of my '67 B-15-N. There are huge differences in them like the B-15R has a solid state rectifier, 40 more watts, a tweeter, different output tubes and so on.....

IMO the B-15R shouldnt carry the B-15 name, im sure its a great sounding amp for some people, but its nothing like the real thing and it costs 4 times as much. if they were to release the B-15R with a different name and with different looks im sure it would be much more well recieved by people that have played the real thing

 

[FenderP]

IMO the B-15R shouldnt carry the B-15 name, im sure its a great sounding amp for some people, but its nothing like the real thing and it costs 4 times as much. if they were to release the B-15R with a different name and with different looks im sure it would be much more well recieved by people that have played the real thing

Well, there's a reason I'm selling the B-15R I got as a gigging amp. I just couldn't coax that vintage sound out of it ... not even close. Although it sounded great as a DI box and with more modern basses.

Shame really as Ampeg could have really cornered a market.

 

[Funkster]

This one of the best threads in a long time. I'm learning a lot about my amp and it's history from hands on users

 

[Ben Clarke]

So... I've got an unexpected gig Saturday, and my Bassman 135 is still in the shop. Looks like the Ampeg is going to have to try to deal w/ a "no bass in the PA" gig. I swore I'd never do one again, but such is life.

We'll see how the horns cabs I've been using with it do in a bigger room than our practice space.. I actually think I'll be OK.

 

[mas]

i'm a little late to this party...but here we go.

I've got a B-15-S that an old girlfriend gave me as a birthday present one year. still have the amp, not the girl. anyway, i always loved the sound of it. though it was never enough power for the bands i was in. i did use it heavily in an alt. country thing for awhile but it started eating tubes for some reason. the tech always said it was fine. but after about 20 hours it was just a distorted mess. so i quit playing it and stuck it in the corner. over the last few years i've swiped tubes out of it for my V4 and Vt-22. well last night i was bored and spied the old girl in the corner. scrounged through my tube box for the right ones. popped them in. fired it up. grabbed my j-bass. i think i played on the couch for about three hours last night. at low volume it's the bass tone i always go for on my big rigs. love that amp.

now i just need a p-bass and a Stax era soul/R&B band to jam with.

 

[FenderP]

IMO the reissue sounded very brittle, and lacked the smoothness the b15 is known for. for having a 15" speaker it was lacking in the low end by far it seemed, though im sure you could dial it in if needed. it completly lacked usable good growl which IMO is due to the solid state rectifier. it was very cutting, but not in a tubey warm smooth lots of mids cutting, a brittle high kind of cutting, sort of like if you cut the bass knob on a regular b-15N and boosted the treble while having the ultra high switch pressed in. i may be a little more extreme than what it really did sound like but this is the impression i walked away with after playing it.

It's funny - I have nearly the same impression. I own one (as well as a vintage B-15N), and the sounds are night & day. The new one just didn't have "the sound". The B-15R while all tube is a very modern sounding amp. It's much more agressive (if that's the right word), while the old B-15 amps are much more smooth and just sit right. It's hard to explain if you haven't heard both.

It's a good amp for those not looking for the vintage Ampeg sound, but want an all tube sound. I've had better luck emulating a B-15N sound with a Mesa Walkabout Scout 1x15.

 

[FenderP]

I used my 66/67 minty B-15N for the first time in ages last night in the studio. My B-25B rig is nice but a bit big and overkill, the B-15R - bzzzt, and the Mesa Walkabout - just for gigging.

Anyway, my passive 70s Music Man, Fender Bass V, and P bass all sounded just right. My Bass V (the original 5-string strung E-C with a full size but less fret neck) amazed me. Through my B-25B it sounds OK and it's so-so through the Mesa. Not bad, but not what I want. Through the B-15N, wow. I did one tune with that one "just because".

I forgot how much I miss using this amp on a regular basis, as it was my main amp (even gigging) for about 7 years. At the time I did mainly jazz, so I didn't need a lot of volume.

I'm so lucky I got my amp when I did. Original dolly, original tolex cover, mint tolex ... people are amazed when I tell them it's nearly 40 years old (!), and older than me.

I can't wait to record my big band album and use my custom Rob Allen Deep 4 through my B-15N.

 

[ehiunno]

I've had better luck emulating a B-15N sound with a Mesa Walkabout Scout 1x15.

to be honest, the walkabout/m-pulse amps do an old school ampeg tube tone better than almost any amp on the market today, even though it doesnt have power tubes.

kinda wierd...

 

[Mr. voodoobass]

Believe it or not I have been on the hunt for a nice V4B and/or B25B, I almost had a sweet V4B someone was looking to trade here at TB but we couldn't get the deal together..
Sooner or later I'll have the whole family of Ampegs
I would love a V4B for gigging!!!

the whole family...
a friend of mine used to have a VT-40, VT-22 and a V4. i had(have) a V4B and another guy had an SVT in the same house.
it was quite nice looking at all those amps.
those b-15´s can´t be common here in sweden as i have never seen one in real life. you lucky bastards!

 

[metron]

Well I have had thoughts on getting a B-15 for a while. Im going to look around for a nice one but wanted some users opinions on which is the one to get since there were variations on the circuit and cabinet over the years. Some say the 70s is close but not quite as good as the 60s versions? Im thinking about trying to score one of the mid 60s models with the solid state rectifier.

 

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Well I have had thoughts on getting a B-15 for a while. Im going to look around for a nice one but wanted some users opinions on which is the one to get since there were variations on the circuit and cabinet over the years. Some say the 70s is close but not quite as good as the 60s versions? Im thinking about trying to score one of the mid 60s models with the solid state rectifier.

I greatly prefer the sound of the 70's B15N's. The larger Theile tuned cabinet sounds MUCH better unless you want the nasal midrange honk of the 60's models. There were NO 60's B15's with s/s rectifiers, but some of the early B15N's used a 5U4 rectifer tube instead of a 5AR4. A 5U4 has a greater voltage drop than a 5AR4, so the amps were lower powered, more compressed sounding, and IMO, not that nice.

 

[metron]

Thanks psycho! I thought I read in the ampeg book that they switched to ss rectifiers in the 60s for a short time then back to a tube rectifier before the change to black vinyl but my memory is good for very little. This could make it easier for me since 70s models seem to show up a little more often.

 

[TheSuzie]

My Baby - 1964 B15NC. Original CTS square magnet speaker. I love it. Tone for days.

Mine looks just like Waabs'. It has not left my living room since the 1980s. I can't even move it much with my messed up back and hands but doubt that I can bring myself to part with it. These things put out a sound that carries right on down the street. I think when you are standing close up, even though you can hear the great tone, most players don't realize just how much sound these amps project. This is one amp that can get those singing piano tones out of almost any bass. *sigh*

Peace,
S

 

[metron]

There were NO 60's B15's with s/s rectifiers

Well ok I did remember something correctly! The book does say when they switched from navy random flair to blue check in the early 60s they also switched to ss diode rectification, the B-15B. That was changed within a year so they are probably pretty rare. Either way Im still going to look for a 70s model, or whatever I can find in decent condition I guess.

 

[mattvon]

I've got a '74 Ampeg B-15S which sounds fantastic...at 60 watts, it's a little more "useable" in a live setting than my old B-15N...in order to get even more mileage out of it, I had Bruce at Fliptops.net make me a custom B-15S extension cabinet which clips on like a full stack. I'll post up pics--it's pretty cool looking!

The place a Portaflex really shines is a relatively low volumes, with a passive P-style bass. Best recording tone I could imagine.