Ampeg combo question

[birminghambass]

Played 2 Ampeg combos side by side today at GC. First up was the BA 15 100watt combo. Master and gain at noon it sounded warm and full, loved it. Next up was the BA220 hp (i think). Twice the wattage, half the tone? I had to crank the master all the way up to match the 100 in volume. And the tone was awful, reminded me of the old B series junk from the 90s. Is this just a characteristic of these models or did I test a lemon?

 

[afiaowo]

Faulty amp? I've always found the tone between Ampeg combos to be quite consistent.

GC isn't the best place to find demo gear in good condition. Bad cables, rusty strings, guitars that need serious neck adjustments, etc. Try a smaller Ampeg dealer if you have one. Or see if GC will open another amp for you.

 

[JimmyM]

I'd have to say lemon, or you plugged into the -15db input by mistake I'm not too familiar with the BA115hp but it should be at least a little louder than the BA115, and I thought they sounded pretty similar otherwise.

 

[birminghambass]

I read some reviews on Musicians Friend, seems this is a common issue with that model. I really hope Ampeg gets their QC together soon, love that tone but it seems a lot of the new stuff is hit or miss concerning reliability.