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Ampeg bassamp. What is this?

TemplesOfSyrinx

TemplesOfSyrinx

Sep 8, 2013
1,222
3,138
Florida
kingslevel1.bandcamp.com
#1
Trolling through the local music repository and stumbled on this. Couldn't really get to it to take better pictures. But it looked like a 15 inch speaker, definitely tubes because I could see them. Sovtek tubes. 35 watt Ampeg bassamp. I'll go back tomorrow with my bass to play it.

Any thoughts of what year this could be? Model? The control panel was on the back.
IMG_20190227_124508.jpg

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#3
Model 835. The 835 lasted from 59 till 61, when it got left behind by the B-15. The middle of 1958 is when they switched to the navy random flair tolex it's covered in, and they ran out in 62 and went to blue diamond. Word on the street is that while the B-15 is clearly a superior amp, the 835 was pretty darn decent for its day, with a sound that was pretty hefty considering the limitations of the cab's design, and more full range with the single 15" than you'd expect. I've heard recordings of those old Ampegs from the 50's on Youtube, and they're pretty good. They came with Jensen P-15s back then, which were very low power handling. You'll want to check what's in it now. The historical value of it is high, but I'd be hard pressed to pay collector's prices for one unless it was mint or at least vg.
 
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#4
@JimM
JimmyM said:
Model 835. The 835 lasted from 59 till 61, when it got left behind by the B-15. The middle of 1958 is when they switched to the navy random flair tolex it's covered in, and they ran out in 62 and went to blue diamond. Word on the street is that while the B-15 is clearly a superior amp, the 835 was pretty darn decent for its day, with a sound that was pretty hefty considering the limitations of the cab's design, and more full range with the single 15" than you'd expect. I've heard recordings of those old Ampegs from the 50's on Youtube, and they're pretty good. They came with Jensen P-15s back then, which were very low power handling. You'll want to check what's in it now. The historical value of it is high, but I'd be hard pressed to pay collector's prices for one unless it was mint or at least vg.
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Thank you @JimmyM you are a fountain of Ampeg knowledge
 
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#9
TemplesOfSyrinx said:
Asking $800. Very intriguing amp. Sounds great. January 1960 from the serial number. Could that be the original speaker and tubes?View attachment 3348649
View attachment 3348640 View attachment 3348642 View attachment 3348643 View attachment 3348644 View attachment 3348645 View attachment 3348640 View attachment 3348642 View attachment 3348643 View attachment 3348644 View attachment 3348645
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Man, that looks like the real business. I can't find an exact pic of that in my Ampeg book, but it sure looks like to me from my own made up knowledge, what they had after the Bassamp, or the 800 etc, and before the B15. If you have $800. for a tidy amp like that, that looks quite original, or easily brought back or repaired, as a perfect stranger and a bass player, I'd say get it. You can always decide later you don't need it, and sell it to one of your buddies. There can't be much stuff like this left out there.
 
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#10
There are a few of them up on reverb, I think there were more last time I checked but looks like two right now. One is priced very high, was restored by Gregg Hopkins, the other more realistic. They don't fetch B15 prices, but pretty similar sound. I was trying to sell mine a little lower than the model you're looking at and didn't have any takers but it's a bit rougher shape and kind of an oddball model.

The speaker, I'm not sure - the date code 220644 would be either 56 or 66, though the design says 56 to me, which might be a little old for the amp. Or the amp is older than 1960. The navy random tolex was 58-62?

The power tubes clearly not, but maybe the OC3 and rectifier.
 
#11
coreyfyfe said:
There are a few of them up on reverb, I think there were more last time I checked but looks like two right now. One is priced very high, was restored by Gregg Hopkins, the other more realistic. They don't fetch B15 prices, but pretty similar sound. I was trying to sell mine a little lower than the model you're looking at and didn't have any takers but it's a bit rougher shape and kind of an oddball model.

The speaker, I'm not sure - the date code 220644 would be either 56 or 66, though the design says 56 to me, which might be a little old for the amp. Or the amp is older than 1960. The navy random tolex was 58-62?

The power tubes clearly not, but maybe the OC3 and rectifier.
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Screenshot_20190307-165153.jpg

The date code from Jensen makes it seem that the speaker was made in the 4th week of 1964, so that would be a replacement.

Edit- oops, just read where they say that in older speakers the year is only 1 digit, so it can be the 44th week of 1956 possibly, making it original.
 
#12
One thing that's kind of important, it's really mostly designed to be an amplifier for Double Bass. While I'm sure it will work with 4 String Electric, I wouldn't be plugging a modern 5 String into it. “Magenetic/Crystal” refers to the type of

Double Bass pickups and microphones, they were using at the time the amp was built. About the only thing around then was the Ampeg endpin pickup and the DeArmond magnetic. Belive it or not there was a time when there were more DB players than EB players. :)

P.S. it's an open backed amplifier, so bass response is limited.
 
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#13
For $800 I would expect it to be cleaner.
I don't think it would sound nearly as good as a B-12 or B-15 based on the giant hole in the back that sure doesn't look like a tuned cabinet.
 
#14
Jim C said:
For $800 I would expect it to be cleaner.
I don't think it would sound nearly as good as a B-12 or B-15 based on the giant hole in the back that sure doesn't look like a tuned cabinet.
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Not the same no, but pretty close. I sold my B15 but still have the bass amp, but I also sold the B15 for three times the price I could get for the bassamp and was using the proceeds for a new upright which certainly played a role.

I have a fliptops repro back panel on mine, they're definitely not tuned and don't do high volume well, but it's not bad for low volumes/home playing. The issue I've been having is with rattles, either the back panel or the upper chassis mounting. It's on my to do list of things to fix but I haven't put the time into it.
 
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#15
coreyfyfe said:
Not the same no, but pretty close. I sold my B15 but still have the bass amp, but I also sold the B15 for three times the price I could get for the bassamp and was using the proceeds for a new upright which certainly played a role.

I have a fliptops repro back panel on mine, they're definitely not tuned and don't do high volume well, but it's not bad for low volumes/home playing. The issue I've been having is with rattles, either the back panel or the upper chassis mounting. It's on my to do list of things to fix but I haven't put the time into it.
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This is why you don't need to play guitar. Guitar doesn't have near the mysteries as anything bass.
 
#16
Ric Vice said:
One thing that's kind of important, it's really mostly designed to be an amplifier for Double Bass. While I'm sure it will work with 4 String Electric, I wouldn't be plugging a modern 5 String into it. “Magenetic/Crystal” refers to the type of

Double Bass pickups and microphones, they were using at the time the amp was built. About the only thing around then was the Ampeg endpin pickup and the DeArmond magnetic. Belive it or not there was a time when there were more DB players than EB players. :)

P.S. it's an open backed amplifier, so bass response is limited.
Click to expand...

It actually has an input for string bass, electric bass and guitar. Magnetic/Crystal marking seemed to only apply to the pickup knob. When I plugged an electric bass into the electric bass input, the pickup knob didn't do anything. The volume knob along with the bass and treble knobs worked fine.
 
#18
If you look at Ampeg's history, they were ahead of, or at least considering different perfectly good signal paths out of each of their amps, using not only different channels, but differently buffered and pre-amp driven sections, that you could mix or match. I have a beaten down old B15N, that has three totally cool independently sounding inputs, that sound related, but have slightly different ideas of gain, much like an old home hi-fi, that sounds different with every input, because it's suppose to.
 
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#19
I love my 820, it has the original EL 87 power tubes. I have a original design handle on the way and after I got it, I discovered that the speaker needs re-coned. I also have a 1959 835N on the way. Have not found out what the N stands for. I have become addicted to these!
 

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