So I've been looking for an amp that will fill my needs better then my current setup, which is pretty non existent since my last two amps broke on me! I play jazz both on upright and electric, big band and not so big. A guy locally made a deal where I would trade a cheap Chinese electric and $50 for an ampeg b100r. It is fully functional but it's a little beat up, he bought it used in that condition for $300. The letters are broken on the front and the material covering the speaker is sort of beat up, nothing to seriouse. Do you think I would be happy with this deal? I feel like I can't really go wrong with that but then again, maybe you guys know something I don't! Do you think this would work well with upright?
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Double Bass ampeg b100r for upright?
- Thread starter chris1125
- Start date
Greg Clinkingbeard
Commercial User
Regardless of condition it sounds like you got a nice deal on good sounding amp, especially on electric. I owned one for awhile and still think it is a great amp but I didn't care for it on DB because it sounds warm and fuzzy like a vintage tube amp. I prefer clean and clear. You really just have to try it and see what you think.
Should be loud enough. Bass for big band is not allways about being loud, but being "present". Felt as much as being heard. This amp is 100 watts right? I've played in big bands with less on both electric and upright and been fine. As far as using it with double bass goes if it has an effects loop or 'line in" you could bypass it's pre-amp and plug your bass into an F-Deck or one of the Fishman pre's or something similar and get a good clean sound that's uncolored by the "tubelike" sound the Ampeg is known for and still use the Ampeg's power amp and speaker. That way you get two very different voices from the amp and still don't have to invest a lot of money to get it. If I were you and the amp works fine as is I'd go for it, you could start using it now and allways invest 50 bucks or so in an F-Deck down the road if you don't like your upright's sound with the Ampeg's preamp.
Cool, that's a good idea! I think i'm going to pick this up assuming it works. I have a barcis berry pickup which runs through some kind of pre from that company, the bb booster or something? This couldn't as as a preamp could it? There are no controls on it, just an input and an output. Sorry, I am a very low tech musician to this point!
I was going to buy the b100r years ago, but went with the BA115 instead. Sounds like the amp has been used in a heavy schedule over the years, but as long as the electronics, and speaker work well, you can probably change out the emblem and any other cosmetic issues later. Should be loud enough for what you need, and a good deal.
Stop talking and get that amp!
I recently got a replacement for the B100R I sold a few years ago. With DB it's nowhere near the "your bass, only louder" thing, but its by no means unpleasant. Even with my midrange-heavy K&K it sounds good.
I like the idea of bypassing the preamp. Gotta try that myself. EDIT: No line in, only line out and phones.
I recently got a replacement for the B100R I sold a few years ago. With DB it's nowhere near the "your bass, only louder" thing, but its by no means unpleasant. Even with my midrange-heavy K&K it sounds good.
I like the idea of bypassing the preamp. Gotta try that myself. EDIT: No line in, only line out and phones.
Greg Clinkingbeard
Commercial User
Congratulations! You should be up and running in no time because these amps are pretty easy to understand and use.
Start by plugging into the left input (the right input "pads" or cuts the signal significantly, and is intended for electric basses with built-in preamplifiers) and setting the input gain and all four EQ knobs at twelve o'clock, halfway up, and master volume on 2. Then turn up the input gain a little at a time. There are signal lights that tell you when your signal level is OK and when it's too hot. If the red light flashes, then you have it up too high.
When your input gain is set appropriately, experiment with the EQ preset buttons. My bass and pickup are both strong in the midrange so I activate the mid cut button. If that cuts too much midrange for my taste that day I add those frequencies back in with the rotary knobs. Pretty simple.
If this is your first amp, expect to experiment for a while before all this feels natural. Do not try to play loud right in front of the amp, because it may start to feed back, which in extreme cases can damage the amp. Stand off to the side. Your bass will not sound like itself, but an acceptable sound can usually be had. Have fun, and again, congratulations.
Start by plugging into the left input (the right input "pads" or cuts the signal significantly, and is intended for electric basses with built-in preamplifiers) and setting the input gain and all four EQ knobs at twelve o'clock, halfway up, and master volume on 2. Then turn up the input gain a little at a time. There are signal lights that tell you when your signal level is OK and when it's too hot. If the red light flashes, then you have it up too high.
When your input gain is set appropriately, experiment with the EQ preset buttons. My bass and pickup are both strong in the midrange so I activate the mid cut button. If that cuts too much midrange for my taste that day I add those frequencies back in with the rotary knobs. Pretty simple.
If this is your first amp, expect to experiment for a while before all this feels natural. Do not try to play loud right in front of the amp, because it may start to feed back, which in extreme cases can damage the amp. Stand off to the side. Your bass will not sound like itself, but an acceptable sound can usually be had. Have fun, and again, congratulations.
Thanks kungfu! Yeah, I will definately try that. I put it in the input to the right and it was perfectly fine so I think I had the gain up a bit to high. I played around with it a little bit and got it sounding pretty good with an electric, still working on the upright settings. It's not my first amp, I had a peavey and a fender, both of which broke on me! From what I'm reading this seems to be a very reliable amp.
I've had one these things in my parents basement in Jersey for years. There was something wrong with the power supply, and I pretty much stopped playing BG, so I haven't used it since halfway through college when it broke down.
For DB amplification, I moved on to the little GK 150 combos. I had a 150E I could never get a good sound out of without totally bypassing the pre-amp with an external unit like the Fishman pro platinum. I got a GK 150S after, and while it was better voiced for DB, it still had some major twang, finger noise, and brittleness issues, even with an Fdeck in front and guts and/or Velvets on the bass. My pickup is a (middy) bassmax, which may have something to do with it. When I bypassed the internal preamp and ran an outboard, it sounded great but lacked some headroom. I was also very frustrated with having to lug around a 5 pound preamp to get my "compact" GK usable. Maybe I just don't dig that sound? Sold them both and have been living off of backline for about a year now, just going DI or using backline amps (everywhere in NYC) with my Fishman.
Last weekend, I had a loud gig featuring a drumset where I arrived to find that I forgot my preamp. Crap. On top of that, the sound guy wants me to just plug into the house amp, which is pretty much a nightmare situation. What amp do they have there? My old buddy the Ampeg B100R. I plugged straight in, hit the mid cut, and held my breath.
The amp performed just wonderfully. No, it doesn't sound much like my acoustic DB but it gave a warm, usable sound I liked a lot! No rumble, no boom, and no feedback. On an amp with 500kOhm imput, no high pass filter, and a 15 inch speaker! I think the combination of the bassmax, mid cut button, and Ampeg B100R is a winner for a nice (though no exactly neutral) bass tone. I bet with an Fdeck in the chain, it could get really loud without any feedback. Much more pleasant than the GK stuff, with my bass and pickup anyway. For the rootsy, old school sound I dig, I'd rather have it warm than brittle. Straight-Ahead jazzers going for "my bass, louder" will want a little bit more string noise and transparency. Also, its huge and somewhat underpowered by today's standards. 70 pounds and 100 watts.
Needless to say, I'm picking up mine from the repair shop tomorrow. I don't know if I would recommend someone specifically seeking out this setup, but I'm sure glad I fell into this rig.
For DB amplification, I moved on to the little GK 150 combos. I had a 150E I could never get a good sound out of without totally bypassing the pre-amp with an external unit like the Fishman pro platinum. I got a GK 150S after, and while it was better voiced for DB, it still had some major twang, finger noise, and brittleness issues, even with an Fdeck in front and guts and/or Velvets on the bass. My pickup is a (middy) bassmax, which may have something to do with it. When I bypassed the internal preamp and ran an outboard, it sounded great but lacked some headroom. I was also very frustrated with having to lug around a 5 pound preamp to get my "compact" GK usable. Maybe I just don't dig that sound? Sold them both and have been living off of backline for about a year now, just going DI or using backline amps (everywhere in NYC) with my Fishman.
Last weekend, I had a loud gig featuring a drumset where I arrived to find that I forgot my preamp. Crap. On top of that, the sound guy wants me to just plug into the house amp, which is pretty much a nightmare situation. What amp do they have there? My old buddy the Ampeg B100R. I plugged straight in, hit the mid cut, and held my breath.
The amp performed just wonderfully. No, it doesn't sound much like my acoustic DB but it gave a warm, usable sound I liked a lot! No rumble, no boom, and no feedback. On an amp with 500kOhm imput, no high pass filter, and a 15 inch speaker! I think the combination of the bassmax, mid cut button, and Ampeg B100R is a winner for a nice (though no exactly neutral) bass tone. I bet with an Fdeck in the chain, it could get really loud without any feedback. Much more pleasant than the GK stuff, with my bass and pickup anyway. For the rootsy, old school sound I dig, I'd rather have it warm than brittle. Straight-Ahead jazzers going for "my bass, louder" will want a little bit more string noise and transparency. Also, its huge and somewhat underpowered by today's standards. 70 pounds and 100 watts.
Needless to say, I'm picking up mine from the repair shop tomorrow. I don't know if I would recommend someone specifically seeking out this setup, but I'm sure glad I fell into this rig.
Here's the owner's guide to the amp:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Brief, but describes how to use it.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Brief, but describes how to use it.
I starting using my b100r about 6 months ago on gigs with either no pa support or crappy pa. I really like it. I use a fishman pro plat. preamp in front of it. I usually just use it as a buffer and leave it in pre eq mode.
I have and have had amps that are geared for upright bass. EA micro, EA iamp800, acoustic image. Those are all great amps but believe it or not I like the Ampeg b100r just as much. Like others have said it wont give you "your bass only louder" but it has a really nice warm tone to it.
I dont care for it as much just plugged straight in as I do with a preamp buffer for my full circle pickup.
I have and have had amps that are geared for upright bass. EA micro, EA iamp800, acoustic image. Those are all great amps but believe it or not I like the Ampeg b100r just as much. Like others have said it wont give you "your bass only louder" but it has a really nice warm tone to it.
I dont care for it as much just plugged straight in as I do with a preamp buffer for my full circle pickup.
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