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Ampeg BA-210 v2 Update

iagtrplyr

iagtrplyr

Apr 1, 2013
6,153
23,654
66
Clinton, IA
#1
To anyone considering picking up a BA-210 v2...STOP! This, from my local Ampeg dealer, who I have been working with since March trying to get a combo that works or figure out another deal. I've had two of the flagship models the past two months and have had issues with both of them; the second one doing a slow electrical death within the first 30 days.

Last week I offered to pony up to a Micro VR rig, but he needed to talk to Ampeg first because a third BA-210 was supposedly on its way. This week went by and I finally received a call Friday telling me that it will be July before any more 210's will be released. This, from the Ampeg rep himself. My dealer said in his experiences when that happens there's a problem within a particular model or even the entire line and it'll need to be addressed before the stores receive any new ones. He said he won;t be seeing any more until July at the earliest.

I know this probably happens all the time, but I wanted to warn my bass brethren that the BA-210 v2 you're looking at right this minute, whether in a store or online, may be the future headache for this summer. My advice would be to wait and see what comes out in July. I realize there are a number of happy owners, as I've read here their comments, but there also have been those who have returned their combo amps, citing one problem or another. It doesn't sound like it's the entire series from what I gather, but being I bought while Ampeg had their attractive rebate offer going and I haven't had the opportunity to play out even once with it is quite disappointing. His opinion was that companies, due to the competition out there, hurry up and get a new line out before they've had to work out all the bugs. In reply to that, I said that this particular model was the last to come out and has had little to no fanfare or discussion except for maybe here at TB. Interestingly, it's also the only model Dino hasn't showcased on AmpegTV, and if you don't believe me take a look on YouTube. No BA-210 v2.

So my dealer said he would agree with my offer to move up, but after all this I just asked for my $429 to go on credit and I plan on checking to see what else he has in the store. So from this point on buyer beware concerning the BA-210 v2 combo...and play more bass!
 
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#3
See this just really annoys me till no end why a company like Ampeg pulls this crap, just make a good quality product-plain and simple.
I was considering buying a Ampeg 410he cabinet but it makes me wonder if the quality is good on this particular cabinet or not.
Is it really hard for Ampeg to make excellent quality stuff instead of cutting corners and getting the fast cash in.
 
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#4
If you noticed, I did absolutely no bashing of Ampeg, the company, or of its many other fine products. Unlike TalkBass's favorite Fender fanboy, Linnin, who I'm sure was salivating after reading my post and made sure he took a stab with his steely knife, I'm one judges a product by what each product can do for me.

For those who have not heard the 210 amp, it has wonderful tone to go with its robust power. It offered a nice alternative to my Rumble 500/115 rig's tone and would've been a keeper had it been reliable. That said, I'm sure Ampeg will solve the problem in time, but I'm choosing not to wait until then.

I still may still pick up the Micro VR rig for low-powered playing or the BA-112 v2 combo which has had no problems that I'm aware.

Heck, I may decide to spend all my inheritance, buy the company, and call it "LinninPeg!"
 
#7
Yes, when I'm looking for accurate information about a possible purchase, I always trust everything the dealer tells me and I never contact the company before spreading what the dealer tells me all over the internet.
 
#7
Yes, when I'm looking for accurate information about a possible purchase, I always trust everything the dealer tells me and I never contact the company before spreading what the dealer tells me all over the internet.
 
#10
JimmyM said:
Yes, when I'm looking for accurate information about a possible purchase, I always trust everything the dealer tells me and I never contact the company before spreading what the dealer tells me all over the internet.
Click to expand...

Sorry to respectfully disagree with ya Jimmy, but as a someone who represented numerous home/car audio companies for five years at the retail level, as a customer, I don't feel obligated to have to go to the top of the food chain in order to know what's going on with my purchased equipment; that's the obligation of the retailer who took my money under the guise of selling me something they believe in and then back it up. It comes down to chain of command. If every consumer was forced to email Loud, Inc. each time they had a question, complaint, or request, nothing would ever get done. That's why there are dealers. They're the middle men who serve the consumer. Heck, I could have bought it from MF or GC if I just wanted a shipping service with little personal attention. No, I bought locally so I'd have someone advocating for me to the higher-ups so when he tells me something, even if it's his opinion, which I stated it was, I feel the words have some meaning.

As for passing this onto the rest of the world, I can see your point, but at the same time, it's probably information that sooner or later would've come out, unless someone's trying to hide something. The fine readers of this website can make their own decision whether they wish to believe what I wrote or not. I've posted info about this particular amp since purchasing it, praising its upside and grumbling about its problems. For those interested in buying the product I gave a word of warning and it was done in good faith. I leave it at that.
 
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#11
JimmyM said:
Yes, when I'm looking for accurate information about a possible purchase, I always trust everything the dealer tells me and I never contact the company before spreading what the dealer tells me all over the internet.
Click to expand...

Sorry to respectfully disagree with ya Jimmy, but as a someone who represented numerous home/car audio companies for five years at the retail level, as a customer, I don't feel obligated to have to go to the top of the food chain in order to know what's going on with my purchased equipment; that's the obligation of the retailer who took my money under the guise of selling me something they believe in and then back it up. It comes down to chain of command. If every consumer was forced to email Loud, Inc. each time they had a question, complaint, or request, nothing would ever get done. That's why there are dealers. They're the middle men who serve the consumer. Heck, I could have bought it from MF or GC if I just wanted a shipping service with little personal attention. No, I bought locally so I'd have someone advocating for me to the higher-ups so when he tells me something, even if it's his opinion, which I stated it was, I feel the words have some meaning.

As for passing this onto the rest of the world, I can see your point, but at the same time, it's probably information that sooner or later would've come out, unless someone's trying to hide something. The fine readers of this website can make their own decision whether they wish to believe what I wrote or not. I've posted info about this particular amp since purchasing it, praising its upside and grumbling about its problems. For those interested in buying the product I gave a word of warning and it was done in good faith. I leave it at that.
 
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#14
RRDieselbass said:
I bought mine just over 30 days ago and have had very little time to play it. This thread certainly makes me nervous however I personally have had zero issues in the few hours that I did initially play through it.
They can't ALL be troublesome... (Can they?)
Click to expand...

No, as I mentioned, some have written on here saying how they were enjoying the amp, even playing live with it. I could not tell, though, how long they have owned them.

My first combo had a crackling speaker upon first play, and my dealer, after pushing it in harder than I would have, seemed to free it up, but Ampeg wanted it back (which I agreed). No biggie.

#2 amp showed up, played fine at home for abou three weeks and then started cutting out when I would stick the headphone jack in. No sound at all in the phones or through the speaker after pulling the plug out.

So I returned it to my local dealer and they kept it in the bench for a week where it finally got to the point that there'd be no sound after initially powering it up; something that did not happen when I had it. The boss called Anpeg to see what they wanted to do about it, explaining that I'd been very patient and still wanted to work something out. I did confess to my sales guy that I was losing faith in that particular product, and would be open to other ideas with what I had in it. He had to discuss it with Ampeg.

So another week goes by (around two months so far) and I get a message that he's talked to their rep and the rep mentioned it would be until July before his store would get a replacement from me. Take away my "hunch," and do the math yourself. Something seems to be wrong.

And as I keep asking though no one has replied as of yet, why does the 210 v2 seem to be invisible when compared to the rest of the BA line? If they want to sell this, the flagship model, the sales dept sure has a funny way of showing it, except for the generous rebate offer earlier this spring, which of course included the entire line.

Unlike those on here who make their living playing bass and maybe have nice endorsement deals available to them, I'm just an elementary school teacher living in Iowa whose kid just graduated from college this spring leaving me with a chunky tab to help pay. $400 is $400 and I want my money's worth. That was my one and only reason to start this thread.

There might be someone else just like me looking to make an amp purchase right now and I just want to make sure they know what they might be getting into. Otherwise, have at it and if the amp works well for you congratulations. As for me, I'll keep looking.

Sorry for the long post.
 
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#16
OldCityBassman said:
How about going for the ba-112 or 115? I've heard good reviews on both.
Click to expand...

Hey there, OCB. I currently have a Fender Rumble 500 head and 115 cabinet so I thought I'd add something different in flavor. The 210 v2 seemed like a solid choice at the time and the price couldn't be beat either. I truly wish it'd worked, but I'm not waiting until Juky to see if the bugs get taken out.

Thanks for your suggestion though. I may indeed look at the BA-112, but it's a competitive field and they sell Hartke and Peavey as well.
 
#18
My BA112 v2 has been extremely solid, and it's fallen off my cart 4 or 5 times and taken a couple good long rolls across the pavement in the process. Scratched the metal corners, hardly even touched the tolex, and still works fine. Sure, it's one amp out of a few thousand, but they don't send me anything special that anyone else can't get. Except for my Heritage SVT-CL that Hodgy installed a Heyboer output transformer in. That's something not everyone can get direct from Ampeg.

I know...that was very gratuitous of me to mention that. I don't care!!! BWAHAHAHA!!! But seriously, the BA amps are definitely not the most shining examples of the greatest bass amps the world has to offer, but they're solid and well-built little amps for their price range, if my BA112's pavement surfing is any indication.
 
#19
I tried a BA210 combo at a local dealer.I was very excited about the $429 price tag and the fact that my JC bass sounds great through an Ampeg. I set the volume at 1/2 and was very disappointed by the buzzing I heard from the speakers. They could not handle the open E, which I use a lot. Nor could it handle the F and G on the E string. Like I said I was very disappointed as I have played through Ampegs before and liked the sound. I ended up paying more and getting a GK MB210 II combo. This little beauty handles my bass just fine at half volume. No problem. I think the strike at the port of LA is still going on and is having an effect on the availability of any components, guitar or amp coming in from overseas. :):cool::bassist:
 
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