Ampeg Rocket Bass Combos

[iagtrplyr]

Im very glad I went for it.
The HPF performs differently depending on the cab/amp combo.
On my GK amp/cab it was a game changer.
I havent had to drive the RB112 hard yet .... to me that's where the HPF saves a cone/pays off.

The trio was a spinoff of an 8 piece rock band, which was a spinoff of a 7 piece horn band.
Two acoustic guitar players who have performed as a duo for some time presents their own challenges.


covers for the rocketbass cabs seems like they will available in a couple of weeks.

to get even close to the ampeg tone on a GK I had to use a tech 21 VT bass pedal and an EQ pedal.

Enough volume to spare? On a small stage with
pa support YES! even withouth PA it might have been enough for a small/medium indoor venue.

I like a P bass in a GK amp rig ... its just a different sounding beast from a P bass into any ampeg rig.
They dont cross sounds line anywhere close. imho


Next gig july 6th film at 11!

Thank you, WB, for the added info and good luck on the 6th. Maybe you callus get a photo or two of the stage setup if you plan on using the Rocket Bsss amp again.

I found as well that if you gave any hopes of snagging the Ampeg tone, the VT pedal is a solid choice.

 

[jeff7bass]

View attachment 4315112

Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not an amp salesman! However I must agree with Spock on this one. Buying the amp is the only logical choice!

 

[butterfingers1]

 

[Hounddog409]

Should be both. Always start with the amp volume down low and the AUX device down low. Bring each up slowly. Maybe set the volume setting on the AUX device so it replicates the input of your bass. It's an active input so more care is needed.

I never plug anything into an aux. On any amp that is powered. Plug in aux. Turn on amp.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

112 ordered. Boom! Church rig!

That, and run around for quick jams. Should be perfect.

I'm really hoping it sounds like the pf112. Can't get out anywhere to try it, and no one anywhere I'm my vicinity has them.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

In side-by-side taste tests at the Lowbrow Lab, the RB112 is the way to go if you’ve got the extra $ and you want a great-sounding combo cut out for both bedroom and band room. It just sounds better. And, in my limited (store demo) experience with the RB115, the RB112 is the best sounding out of the 10, 12, 15.
View attachment 4306131

Figured. Just ordered mine

Got a demo vid to share? Or, even just a sound check?

 

[Hounddog409]

Little bit disappointed

There is ZERO excuse not to use a speakon for cab out. And the lack of a cab out on the 112 is perplexing.

You design a brand new amp and use ancient 1/4" jack? Makes zero sence.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Little bit disappointed

There is ZERO excuse not to use a speakon for cab out. And the lack of a cab out on the 112 is perplexing.

You design a brand new amp and use ancient 1/4" jack? Makes zero sence.

All of Ampeg’s cabs have 1/4" inputs. Not all of them have speakons

 

[butterfingers1]

The Fender Rumbles are like this if I’m not mistaken, and Ampeg sees the Rocket Bass as the Rumble’s competitor.

The Rumble 100 is also 100W 112 with no cab out. At 100W not worth making a stack.

 

[Hounddog409]

All of Ampeg’s cabs have 1/4" inputs. Not all of them have speakons

This is a brand new design. All those old designs are what they are.

Zero excuse for a brand new amp.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

This is a brand new design. All those old designs are what they are.

Zero excuse for a brand new amp.

Okay, let me reiterate

All of ampeg's cabinets have 1/4" inputs. Not all of them have speakon inputs. The rocket bass series are in a portaflex design. Their portaflex cabinets do not have speakon inputs. Not to mention, the power levels of this line of combo amps, do not necessate a speakon connection.

Regardless, I use 1/4" cables on my 500w 800w and 1000w amps. And, have never had a problem.

 

[P Cheen]

One excuse I can think of - to keep the price down.

 

[iagtrplyr]

One excuse I can think of - to keep the price down.

And yes, Speakons would be a nice touch, but it certainly isn’t going to prevent one from using the gear. If I have a Speakon connection available, I’ll use it, but if I have quarter out going to a quarter in, I’m fine with it.

As for why there’s not an ext on the 112, as what has been said, adding a second cab does away with the advantage of using the 112 on say a small gig.

Buy the 115 instead and have the option of using it alone or adding a second cabinet. 100 watts through each speaker won’t light up Yankee Stadium, but it’ll do plenty for most non-pro gigs.

If I were king of Ampeg I would’ve asked for a little more power in the 115 (maybe 250 into 8 ohms and 500 into 4 ohms), but I’m also happy to finally see an ext cab output available since the previous two series didn’t offer one.

Again, your purchase is determined by how you’re gonna use the amp. For me, no ext out is required since it’s never gonna carry a large venue unless it’s simply used as a monitor and being DI’d out.

 

[Lowbrow]

Good god how did we all survive for 60 years of amps without speakon connectors.

 

[iammr2]

Good god how did we all survive for 60 years of amps without speakon connectors.

The same way we survived walking to school barefoot in the snow,...uphill,...both ways.

 

[iammr2]

...

As for why there’s not an ext on the 112, as what has been said, adding a second cab does away with the advantage of using the 112 on say a small gig.

...

One thing I've read, is that the amp(the Rumble 100) is not configured to run at any other impedance than what the internal speaker is. Say, it's a 4ohm speaker, the amp is set to only run at 4ohms. That could be a configuration design or a cost-saving design... That's why there is no external speaker connector. Don't how true that is but that is how I read it.

 

[68Tele-Bass]

OK finally got to take the RB 115 for a test drive today. Nothing outrageous, kept volume in the 2-4 range snd the EQ bank flat

Drove the Jazz bass favoring neck pickup and tone about 5ish.

Sounds warm, and great- engaged the Ultra High- just adds a bit of definition to the highs that may be a nice trick with the 15” speaker in an acoustically “close” or dark room.
Tried the SGT cautiously- grit at 0, played with level knob as a pre boost gain function as mentioned in this thread already.

I can’t wait to really probe more settings- but I really like what I’m hearing so far- the volume at halfway was nice, powerful, and had some serious “booty” going on!
Also checked out the aux in with my iPhone- Max (9) wanted to hear Sweet, so we cranked “Little Willy” through it! Very cool- sounds great- have to control volume at the iPhone however, so as mentioned in a post above- be cautious when plugging into the aux.

As for looks- WOW!! Just love the diamond finish and the classic silver weave grille cloth!! Stunning and awesome!! Just great!!

More to follow- C-Note

 

[iagtrplyr]

One thing I've read, is that the amp(the Rumble 100) is not configured to run at any other impedance than what the internal speaker is. Say, it's a 4ohm speaker, the amp is set to only run at 4ohms. That could be a configuration design or a cost-saving design... That's why there is no external speaker connector. Don't how true that is but that is how I read it.

Good point, iammr2. If you check the Rocket Bass manual, you’ll find that the 108, 110, and 112 are all listed with a 4 ohm impedance, as are the power ratings of their respective amps. That means you’ll get full power in those speakers, but if you swapped out the 12, for example, and replaced it with an 8 ohm speaker, you’d be running only 50 watts of power through it.

The 115 is 8 ohms so the amp can double it’s wattage to accommodate the 8 ohm extension speaker, and the 210 runs 16 ohm speakers in parallel to being the impedance down to 8, which then drops it to 4 ohms if you add another 210. Confusing maybe, but it follows the same formula many big market makers do like Fender.

The nice thing is these speakers sound pretty good so I wouldn’t worry about it. Obviously, Fender isn’t worrying by the numbers of combos they’ve sold, and Ampeg wants a piece of that pie!

 

[iagtrplyr]

OK finally got to take the RB 115 for a test drive today. Nothing outrageous, kept volume in the 2-4 range snd the EQ bank flat

Drove the Jazz bass favoring neck pickup and tone about 5ish. View attachment 4316350
Sounds warm, and great- engaged the Ultra High- just adds a bit of definition to the highs that may be a nice trick with the 15” speaker in an acoustically “close” or dark room.
Tried the SGT cautiously- grit at 0, played with level knob as a pre boost gain function as mentioned in this thread already. View attachment 4316351
I can’t wait to really probe more settings- but I really like what I’m hearing so far- the volume at halfway was nice, powerful, and had some serious “booty” going on!
Also checked out the aux in with my iPhone- Max (9) wanted to hear Sweet, so we cranked “Little Willy” through it! Very cool- sounds great- have to control volume at the iPhone however, so as mentioned in a post above- be cautious when plugging into the aux.

As for looks- WOW!! Just love the diamond finish and the classic silver weave grille cloth!! Stunning and awesome!! Just great!!

More to follow- C-Note

Tele, get a good sleep and send the kids to Grandma’s tomorrow, you have some playing to do! That picture looks terrific, btw.

Yep, running the Ultra Hi helps me hear the D and G strings better and just opens up the sound more. I haven’t had to touch the tone controls at all. I’m also not bothered by a missing gain knob. I turn up the volume until I’m happy and let it rip.

The combo takes pedals well and that’s nice. I like the DI as well, though I still prefer to come out of the SCR-DI pedal to the interface.

Find a few of your favorite songs and just have some fun. Don’t forget to let the CC know about your exploits either.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Good point, iammr2. If you check the Rocket Bass manual, you’ll find that the 108, 110, and 112 are all listed with a 4 ohm impedance, as are the power ratings of their respective amps. That means you’ll get full power in those speakers, but if you swapped out the 12, for example, and replaced it with an 8 ohm speaker, you’d be running only 50 watts of power through it.

The 115 is 8 ohms so the amp can double it’s wattage to accommodate the 8 ohm extension speaker, and the 210 runs 16 ohm speakers in parallel to being the impedance down to 8, which then drops it to 4 ohms if you add another 210. Confusing maybe, but it follows the same formula many big market makers do like Fender.

The nice thing is these speakers sound pretty good so I wouldn’t worry about it. Obviously, Fender isn’t worrying by the numbers of combos they’ve sold, and Ampeg wants a piece of that pie!

Yeah, the 15 combo runs at about half the stated power. Add another cab, and you'll get the 200.

The 12, and below, are what they say they are.