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ampeg outsourcing

F

frankenbass1

Oct 23, 2008
2
0
#1
so i'm an ampeg guy, some of us are. i'm looking for a rack head for around 500$, and i'm looking at the b2-re. i've seen some horrible reviews, but i've also seen alot of good reviews, and my current thinking is that no ampeg could be as bad as some people are saying the b2-re is. then i saw a post somewhere that said that the american b2-re's (pre-2007 loud tech take outsourcing) are good, reliable amps, just like most ampegs are, and it's just the post-sell-off chinese made amps that are so crappy. thoughts?
john

ps- and if it's just the chinese amps that are bad, what new ampeg amps can be trusted?
 
#2
I have owned some of the USA B-2R's and SVT-350H's, which are identical amps. I play a Chinese B-2RE every week at a rehearsal studio. I can honestly say all are horrible amps that are not worth half the money...regardless of where they are made. With a lot of tweeking you can make them sound okay, but for the money there are much, much better heads out there. YMMV.
 
#4
Jazzman said:
I have owned some of the USA B-2R's and SVT-350H's, which are identical amps. I play a Chinese B-2RE every week at a rehearsal studio. I can honestly say all are horrible amps that are not worth half the money...regardless of where they are made. With a lot of tweeking you can make them sound okay, but for the money there are much, much better heads out there. YMMV.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go quite as far as this but for the most part I do agree.

Legalese: YMMV. :hiding:
 
#6
If you absolutely have to have Ampeg, you're a lot better off getting a used SVT 3 Pro than a B2RE/SVT 450H (same amp, different boxes). The B2RE's bad reviews are correct, but the 3 Pro is a pretty good amp. But if you just want Ampeg tone and aren't worried about the name on the label, get a Markbass LMII. It's as close to a clean-running SVT tube head as you can get with solid state.
 
#8
rodl2005 said:
If U can get a Mark Bass LMII for near the same $$$$ go 4 that. I've owned both... still got the LMII B2R/E was OK & a nice sound, but NOT a lotta power- compared to the LMII chalk n cheese. LMII kills it in EVERY aspect. IMO- even getting the "Ampeg" sound... Ha ha!!!
Click to expand...

The B in B series stands for "branding"

the only way Ampeg sells these are by sticking a logo on them.
 
#11
Quest said:
I have an '06 B2RE, it sounds bland out of the box. Good reliability so far, no problems. However, to spice it up, I've added the Tech 21 Sans Amp RBI. I love my set up now.
Click to expand...
Ya, a couple weeks ago I had a couple gigs where they supplied me a B5R (discontinued model, same bland tone)instead of the SVT-CL or VR I request on my rider. I couldn't get a sound that was worth a crap until I plugged in my VT Bass pedal.
 
#14
Well, it WAS broke........ read it right here........

Lots of folks complain that Ampeg has 'a sound" and they don't like it.

Ampeg produced a number of units that had a more neutral sound, similar to other amps that are compared to Ampeg and liked better by many players........ not just the B series.

Then what happened was that 'nobody believed it"...... the other players wouldn't try it, and the die-hard Ampeg folks didn't like it.. Instant market failure......... just add money.

Kicked if you DO, kicked if you DON'T.....................
 
#16
I got a late 90's-maybe early 2000's B-2 combo , same head as the SVT350H, etc, in really clean condition for dirt cheap money. I'd describe it more as a generic sounding amp than anything else. Bland does indeed fit as a good description of it 's tone. I confess that when I do use it for smaller gigs I'm putting my Sansamp Bass Driver in the fx loop and getting it to sound pretty close to what most folks consider to be the classic Ampeg tone. There are better options for heads than this amp, but they are plentiful and cheap enough to be useful as a sturdy budget head. Also if you need a lot of wattage you better look elsewhere. To me they behave more like they are around 175-225 watts at 4 ohms than the overly optimistic and generous 350 that Ampeg claimed for them.
 
#17
Jerrold Tiers said:
Well, it WAS broke........ read it right here........

Lots of folks complain that Ampeg has 'a sound" and they don't like it.

Ampeg produced a number of units that had a more neutral sound, similar to other amps that are compared to Ampeg and liked better by many players........ not just the B series.

Then what happened was that 'nobody believed it"...... the other players wouldn't try it, and the die-hard Ampeg folks didn't like it.. Instant market failure......... just add money.

Kicked if you DO, kicked if you DON'T.....................
Click to expand...
Well, you can't please everyone, you know? But considering that by far the most popular rented backline amps and the most used amps by pros are Ampegs, you guys must have done a few things right along the way. And at the time, I actually liked the sound of my 3 Pro quite well, if it makes you feel better. Yeah, I like Markbass a little better for my solid state needs now, but at the time I thought the 3 Pro was quite a good amp. Still do. A company as large as Ampeg can't expect every amp they make to find a large market. Personally, I thought your batting average was pretty good. So go treat yourself to a nice dinner tonight and reflect on a job well done for the very largest part ;)
 
#18
I may be a bit persnickity but I feel in these times of no money that companies need to figure out who they are and what they are doing. Companies are real quick to have B or C grades of their products so they can be sold to the masses at cheaper $$$$. This has infested the amp market too.

My example is say... Fender. MIA, MIM, MIJ ... Squire made in MIBFE or whatever third world country is building guitars this week. I mean why? Lets build a quality American product that reflects our company name. Even if you absolutely have to have it manufactured in a thatch hut in asia somewhere, just have one quality line of product that customers can relate too. Junior, save up because that Fender is going to be $1500. They do not need to sell a cheap guitar to every tom, dick and harry. If you need an entry guitar, make ONE. GM pay heed.

Now with AMPEG. They have 10 different amp heads, some are "B Grade" and it even says so on the front panel. Don't go mad dog I know what the "B" means. A whole line of "B" cabinets with a downgraded line of speakers. WHY? If you want to be quality make your headline product. SVT and make them all worthy of the SVT moniker.

I know Henry Ford said, "I didnt become a millionaire selling Lincolns, I became a millionaire selling FORDS." But the music market is not selling to every teenager anymore. There's a much more dedicated and mature market now. However he also said, "People can have the Model T in any colour--so long as it's black."

Look now what has happened is the customer has screamed for the original product and hense the REISSUE market. When that part of your business is killing your modern product lines, you should start thinking maybe the way you're been putting your pants on in the morning is backwards. Maybe this drives companies to panic and look for a free place to get their amps assembled or even a "D Class" product with a rebadged sticker on the front.

This panic to be competitive is driving all these companies to outsource and eventually they will be GONE from the market.

Pretty soon we'll be back in the guitar department at SEARS buying a SILVERTONE. Heaven Forbid... But you know? In the 50's SILVERTONE was a respected name before Sears boogered it up.

AAAAH, buy what you want, but when you are not buying "A grade product" you're buying second or third grade stuff. In this defective modern world, even "A Product" could be a stinker. BOB
 
#19
rbonner said:
Now with AMPEG. They have 10 different amp heads, some are "B Grade" and it even says so on the front panel. Don't go mad dog I know what the "B" means. A whole line of "B" cabinets with a downgraded line of speakers. WHY? If you want to be quality make your headline product. SVT and make them all worthy of the SVT moniker.
Click to expand...
They do that, too ;)

Actually, the B is more of a harkening back to the days when the B-15 was the shizzy. Let's be fair and mention that "B stock" is just your interpretation of it. But I think the B100R is an excellent combo, so not all B-designated Ampeg products are on the level of a B2RE.
 

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