Ampeg BA210v2 Availability?

[Felix1776]

I recently bought one of these or should I say preordered. Between trade-in and a $100 GC credit, I only paid $340. They told me at the time that they wouldn't be available until January 5th. I just checked their website and now it's saying January 30th!? Does anybody know what the deal is with these? Every other amp in the new BA line is available except these. I'm really excited to get this amp but the wait is going to be brutal. Thanks.

 

[JimmyM]

You'll forget about it when they get there. Don't know why the holdup, but just try to remember that a company can only launch a new product once, and once it's out there, it's out there, so better they take their time and get it right than rush it out.

 

[Felix1776]

I have confidence they'll get it right. I've just been wondering what the actual hold up was. I hope I'm not still waiting on this thing in 3 months.

 

[edencab]

be aware & I find it a little deceptive in the marketing/web site etc. that the 450 watt claim is only if you add an 8ohm ext. cab.....you have to DL the manual from the Ampeg site to get a glimpse at the 283 watts at 8ohms the unit will put out on its own, 450 with a ext cab.....on its own it will be a powerful beast I am sure, and with an ext cab huge volume
However, all the retail web sites & Ampeg's sites boast 450watts! ....yes I am aware most combos work this way but lots o' folks don't

...all this is IMHO

 

[JimmyM]

How much can you expect to put through a single 115 anyway? Rare are the ones that can take more than 200w without farting out.

 

[edencab]

How much can you expect to put through a single 115 anyway? Rare are the ones that can take more than 200w without farting out.

you mean the 210?....oh sure, but a better line would be. ." ...puts out 300W or 450w when you add a 2nd cab!"......sounds impressive too and a lot closer to the truth

 

[JimmyM]

you mean the 210?....oh sure, but a better line would be. ." ...puts out 300W or 450w when you add a 2nd cab!"......sounds impressive too and a lot closer to the truth

Sorry, I did mean a 210, but really, most heavy duty 210's are about equal to a heavy duty 115, and they all start farting out around the 200-250w mark. But while I probably wouldn't argue with you about the description, I have no pull with the marketing department at LOUD.

 

[edencab]

Sorry, I did mean a 210, but really, most heavy duty 210's are about equal to a heavy duty 115, and they all start farting out around the 200-250w mark. But while I probably wouldn't argue with you about the description, I have no pull with the marketing department at LOUD.

 

[Felix1776]

be aware & I find it a little deceptive in the marketing/web site etc. that the 450 watt claim is only if you add an 8ohm ext. cab.....you have to DL the manual from the Ampeg site to get a glimpse at the 283 watts at 8ohms the unit will put out on its own, 450 with a ext cab.....on its own it will be a powerful beast I am sure, and with an ext cab huge volume
However, all the retail web sites & Ampeg's sites boast 450watts! ....yes I am aware most combos work this way but lots o' folks don't

...all this is IMHO

I found that out while I was researching it. A little misleading no doubt but not a deal breaker for me. I wanted an amp with great bedroom features but also had the capability/power to gig. I think this amp will be it. I was impressed with the ba115v2 that I was able to try out. We'll see.

 

[edencab]

I found that out while I was researching it. A little misleading no doubt but not a deal breaker for me. I wanted an amp with great bedroom features but also had the capability/power to gig. I think this amp will be it. I was impressed with the ba115v2 that I was able to try out. We'll see.

ok good.....just wanted it out there....I went looking at it on-line when I saw your original post and wanted to clarify for anyone out there, is all
I'm sure it will be killer

 

[JimmyM]

I found that out while I was researching it. A little misleading no doubt but not a deal breaker for me. I wanted an amp with great bedroom features but also had the capability/power to gig. I think this amp will be it. I was impressed with the ba115v2 that I was able to try out. We'll see.

Actually, I think the BA115 v2 is enough for most people to gig with provided they either have PA or aren't trying to be stupid loud. I admit to preferring bigger rigs, but I've gigged my BA112 v2 and BA110 v1 with my regular band, which does 50's-60's-70's rock and roll and R&B and would be considered medium loud. The BA110 was getting pushed a little hard at times, but the BA112 coasts right along. Most of my gigs we have PA so it becomes a stage monitor at that point, but I've gigged them in small rooms without PA before. But still, having extra wattage does give you a little insurance as well as more clean headroom, and that never hurts.

 

[Felix1776]

Well, the word is now that they won't be shipping until end of January.

 

[Felix1776]

Good news guys.

I swung into my local GC to check on my order and guess what? They had a brand new one in the bass room. Of course, they never notified me that one was in. I was planning to get mine for a couple more weeks. They hooked me up and I brought it home.

I'll let you know how to goes.

 

[Felix1776]

OK guys. Here's the scoop. I've had this thing for a few weeks and have been able to get acquainted with it for the most part. I'm a fairly new bass player. This is the first bass amp I've owned but I played almost everything I could get my hands on prior over the course of about six months prior to purchasing this. My bass is an active Ibanez SR500. I'm a very heavy handed, aggressive player. Think Geezer and Cliff. I also play some old school country stuff.

Pros:
-Build: Seems well built with an almost rhino-liner covering.
-Tone: it has a clean classic ampeg tone. Very nice. If I solo the neck pup, this puts out a nice vintage-ish tone. Sounds like a P bass. I've mostly kept the EQ at 12 or 1 o'clock. There are a lot of usable sounds in this thing.
-Eq: has a very useable range.
-Power: this thing has a lot of power. I've had the volume up to 5 and it rattles the whole house. I haven't played out with it but I think it has more than enough juice to play in a hard rock setting and keep up with a drummer. I can't imagine what this thing will do with an extension cab attached so that it pumps out the full 450w.
-The headphone feature is great and works as it should.
-The Aux-In is probably one of my favorite features. It's so cool being able to plug my ipod into it and jam to some of my old favorites. If you engage the horn, this thing will play your music through the speaker and sounds great doing it. Without the horn, it sounds a little muffled but still pretty good. I can play for hours with this thing. The Aux volume knob is SOOOO nice to have. You can play at bedroom levels and blend the Aux and instrument volume perfectly.
-Ultra Lo: this is great for a thumpy old school country sound.

Cons:
-I'm not sold on the Scrambler. With the drive between 9-12 and the blend at 12, it sounds pretty good. Just a touch of OD. However, with the drive really pushed, it causes the low end to all but disappear. It really thins the sound out and just sort of fizzes. No punch at all.
-Ultra High: I don't hear much difference with this. I don't play slap so it might work great for that. But it doesn't seem to do much with how I play.

I haven't really tried the effects loop or XLR out so I can't comment on that. This amp turned out to be exactly what I wanted. It's a portable amp with bedroom practice features but with the tone and power to play out when necessary. I highly recommend it.

Any feedback or questions, let me know.

 

[iagtrplyr]

I purchased a new 210 this afternoon that is on it's way and should be here in a day or two. I've been looking around for a larger combo for weeks and must admit the BA-series rebate made my choice easier.

I've always loved the tone this line has given its listeners over the years and am excited about my purchase. The amp will be a great addition to my Rumble v3 head and cab.

 

[JimmyM]

Hope you enjoy it! Haven't played one yet but looks like it'll be another good'un.

Felix, I was on a business trip with my band on our yearly cruises when you posted your review, so if you're still checking in, I have a word or two about the Scrambler...since I've had a BA112 v2 since it came out last week and just got a SCR-DI last week, I've gotten to know the new Scrambler circuit pretty well. It was designed to be butt-simple to operate instead of being the most versatile distortion circuit on the planet, but you can still get some harder distortion tones out of it with solid lows if you use the tone controls. When you increase drive, you're increasing highs and high mids by a very large amount, and the net result is a loss of low end. This is why distortion pedals for bass either have blends or tone knobs that let you add bass response to your tastes. Blend is great and tons of bass players blend clean and dirty signals, but it dulls the intensity of the overdrive the more you increase the clean signal. So when you want hard distortion out of the Scrambler, you'll need to dial up some more bass response. You'll likely lose the ability to switch it in and out instantly because it will likely end up being too overwhelming for your clean sound, but it will work and it sounds good to me.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Hope you enjoy it! Haven't played one yet but looks like it'll be another good'un.

Thanks a lot. It made it to the store late this afternoon, but I didn't get a chance to pick it up before closing. I've been buying online for so long that it felt good to make a purchase at a brick 'n mortar for a change.

JummyM, let's keep this on the down-low so as not to cause a certain Fender fanatic we both know to burn my Rumble Club membership card!

 

[JimmyM]

No comment

 

[conan8]

Just picked up a Ampeg Ba 210v2 I am really digging it but for one thing and I dont know if I should be worried or not? The issue is when I play the 9th fret on the E string I get a noticeable vibration/buzz from the amp? This occurs mainly on the 9th Fret on the E string it is less on the 8th fret and 10th fret on E String; non-exitant on the other strings. I have checked to make sure where the vibration/buzz was coming from and it is for sure coming from inside the amp somewhere. When you turn volume up it gets worse. I tried different basses on the amp and still the same issue. I even tried different rooms and still same issue. Should I be concerned and take the amp back for a replacement? Is something broken inside the amp to cause this vibration/buzz sound? Bought it brand new.
Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Just picked up a Ampeg Ba 210v2 I am really digging it but for one thing and I dont know if I should be worried or not? The issue is when I play the 9th fret on the E string I get a noticeable vibration/buzz from the amp? This occurs mainly on the 9th Fret on the E string it is less on the 8th fret and 10th fret on E String; non-exitant on the other strings. I have checked to make sure where the vibration/buzz was coming from and it is for sure coming from inside the amp somewhere. When you turn volume up it gets worse. I tried different basses on the amp and still the same issue. I even tried different rooms and still same issue. Should I be concerned and take the amp back for a replacement? Is something broken inside the amp to cause this vibration/buzz sound? Bought it brand new.
Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.

conan8, first night with my BA-210 v2 and much the same problem as you occurred. I tracked it down to what seems to be a bad 10" driver. See my post in the "Availabilty" thread. I bought locally so she's going back this week. I'll see about maybe getting a replacement since this was the inaugural test tonight, but I may also keep my options open too.

I'm as disappointed as you. Pull your cover off and put your index fingers and thumbs around the speaker (not on the dust cap) and gently push in and out listening for anything scratchy sounding. It should be completely silent as you do that. I had one speaker work perfectly, but the other was clearly flawed. Then with the volume at 9:00 and hitting an open E string with emphasis, it made a noticeable distorted sound. There's no doubt the driver is bad.

Good luck figuring yours out. Keep us posted.