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Ampeg B15N - Gigging with the Grail

C

crecords

Aug 6, 2013
7
0
#1
I have finally found a great 1968 B15n and it has delivered everything I expected and more.

I practiced with the full band and mic'ed it with a beta 58 and got great live, toneful and loud (which I was worried about) sound out of this baby!!!

I'm still worried about bringing it into to our usual large outside venues and maintaining the impeccable, unique sound. Should I DI prior to the amp (which would be a disappointment for the B15), just mic it and hope for the best, or have the sound man try to blend it.

Questions....questions....and Yes while I'm new to the forum I think I have read every thread on the subject.

Thanks in advance,
crecords...a Proud new vintage Ampeg owner!!! :bassist:
 
#3
crecords said:
I have finally found a great 1968 B15n and it has delivered everything I expected and more.

I practiced with the full band and mic'ed it with a beta 58 and got great live, toneful and loud (which I was worried about) sound out of this baby!!!

I'm still worried about bringing it into to our usual large outside venues and maintaining the impeccable, unique sound. Should I DI prior to the amp (which would be a disappointment for the B15), just mic it and hope for the best, or have the sound man try to blend it.

Questions....questions....and Yes while I'm new to the forum I think I have read every thread on the subject.

Thanks in advance,
crecords...a Proud new vintage Ampeg owner!!! :bassist:
Click to expand...

Mic it!
 
#7
While you can mic it with a 58, I might recommend something with more low end. A good budget mic to use on bass is an AKG P2. When I was micing I used a Heil PR40. Also had great luck micing a bass cab with an EV RE20 and Sennheiser MD421, but those three are in the $350-450 range and the P2 is only a hundy.

Going DI with it is also cool, but you do have to watch making drastic volume and EQ changes because it comes across more drastic through the PA than the cab. Best way to DI it is to take a DI that does speaker level such as a Countryman or some Radial models (off the top of my head the JDI and JDV will do it), and run it between the speaker out and cab. Do NOT use the ext speaker by itself, and do NOT do it without a cab as you will fry your awesome amp. You may need a couple adapters for the 4 pin XLR, assuming it has one, which you can find at www.fliptops.net .
 
#9
Timmy, that all depends on whether the cab is a single baffle or a Thiele. For a single baffle I'd agree, but for a Thiele I'd be taking more of a look at Altecs.
 
#10
Thanks for the input! I fixed the photo links above.

A speaker level DI was what I was thinking but wasn't sure if they made them. I do have the 4pin speaker cable that goes into the cabinet.

Can you tell from the picture what baffle configuration I have?

JimmyM-Is it best to put DI between head and original cabinet (4-pin) or between external speaker out of head and an extension cabinet (1/4" jack). Or does it matter since the impedance is the same?

I didn't think you could use the external speaker by itself...because the amp goes into standby until the 4 pin cable is attached to the cabinet...at least that what I thought I read...didn't want to try and then damage something
 
#11
You have a Thiele cab B-15N. And regardless of Timmy's and my little speaker sidetrack, if you're happy with the sound as it is, keep it that way.

As long as you're using two cabs, you can put the DI between either speaker out. If you're only using one, you have to use the main speaker out. And yes, that's correct about the 4 pin speaker cable.
 

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