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Ampeg Rocket Bass Combos
- Thread starter kranahan
- Start date
The 110 is feather light, but I think it's quite a bit larger than the OC50 in terms of dimensions. Just checked and it isn't. OC50 is 19x17x10 @ 32lbs and the RB110 is 16x19x13 @ 22lbs.
Place it in 4th because, IMHO, it sounds like ya tossed a wool blanket over it while playing. In fact, my R100 was sent to the showers when the RB112 moved in.
To me, it’s not even a close comparison; the Ampeg’s miss to my ears are more open and it’s less boxy as a whole. Plus, it sounds like an Ampeg which is my tone, and many others too!
That's good to hear! I only have two combos and the OC50 is by far the heaviest, it's heavier than my 115 cabinet.
Who wants to look inside the new Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-210?
Postscript: - I found that the screws mounting the amp to the enclosure weren't as tight as i would expect. considering this is going to be a high vibration environment I suggest people go over their amp and just tweak all the screws on the amp up a little bit - they don't have to be super-tight - but tight enough to stop them loosening under vibration.
My verdict on the 210. - compared to my gig rig (SVT 7 Pro /HLF 410 H)
Its loud enough for practice/rehearsal with guitarist and drummer etc - it doesn't have the same heft and bottom end as my gig gear but its not bad - I'd be tempted to use it in small-room gigs, ie with a vocal PA and acoustic drums.
The tone is great and the amp is clean (ie no hum, buzz, or crackles)
The SGT circuit is great - it sounds *so* much better than the scrambler circuit in the SCR-DI - I actually might use the SGT circuit, whereas the scrambler is a joke.
The weight - at 17KG it weighs only a third ( 33%) of my gig rig. for most people the RB-210 is the allrounder you can use for home practice, rehearsal and small gigs and its only the bigger gigs where you might want a bigger rig.
My verdict on the 210. - compared to my gig rig (SVT 7 Pro /HLF 410 H)
Its loud enough for practice/rehearsal with guitarist and drummer etc - it doesn't have the same heft and bottom end as my gig gear but its not bad - I'd be tempted to use it in small-room gigs, ie with a vocal PA and acoustic drums.
The tone is great and the amp is clean (ie no hum, buzz, or crackles)
The SGT circuit is great - it sounds *so* much better than the scrambler circuit in the SCR-DI - I actually might use the SGT circuit, whereas the scrambler is a joke.
The weight - at 17KG it weighs only a third ( 33%) of my gig rig. for most people the RB-210 is the allrounder you can use for home practice, rehearsal and small gigs and its only the bigger gigs where you might want a bigger rig.
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Thanks for this -- I always enjoyed peering inside my amps, tho I really don't know what the heck is going on in there or how to service anything.
I mainly get a thrill out of the fact that amp guts look like mini science-fiction cities.
Hey guys!! Just bought a RB210 a week ago.
at first I was blown by the tone! Plenty of thump and that typical Ampeg tone. Sits well when playing with a friend guitarist or small band reheasals.
but today The honey moon ended.
i just figured out the tweeter is really noisy (hiss in the background all the time)
and if the volume is cranked past 1 oclock I get input clipping + speaker farting.
very disappointed since i dont think it will actually handle full band practice nor live gigs in small to medium bars (without PA support).
I plugged in my Mesa Subway 115 cab as an extension and didnt really helped with volume nor headroom.
is my amp factory defect? Or is it just the way its meant to be?
otherwise I really love the tone and the SGT is killer with no lowend loss at all
i use a passive American original 60s jazz bass
thanks guys!
at first I was blown by the tone! Plenty of thump and that typical Ampeg tone. Sits well when playing with a friend guitarist or small band reheasals.
but today The honey moon ended.
i just figured out the tweeter is really noisy (hiss in the background all the time)
and if the volume is cranked past 1 oclock I get input clipping + speaker farting.
very disappointed since i dont think it will actually handle full band practice nor live gigs in small to medium bars (without PA support).
I plugged in my Mesa Subway 115 cab as an extension and didnt really helped with volume nor headroom.
is my amp factory defect? Or is it just the way its meant to be?
otherwise I really love the tone and the SGT is killer with no lowend loss at all
i use a passive American original 60s jazz bass
thanks guys!
If adding an extension speaker didn't add any volume as you say than I would imagine there is indeed a defect ... because this is unimaginable otherwise unless you are using a faulty speaker cable.
Guessing you did put your ear to the Mesa 115 to see if there was any sound coming out, yes?
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i sure did.
but since i put the Ampeg on top of the 115, when you playing standing up you hear mainly the 210. But I didnt felt any low end add up, and in fact the 210 speaks louder than the 115.
maybe I should get a PF210 (if it exists) as an extension cab. Maybe it would be a better match.
I don't think it should fart out at 1 O'Clock, that's for sure. I tried running my RB-210 on top of a 212 and there was a noticeable increase in volume. I wonder if your amp is faulty.
My tweeter is noisy too.
My tweeter is noisy too.
Just because a knob goes up to 5:30 doesn’t make it a good idea. Most as amps I’ve used, including others, won’t let you turn them up all the way without distortion happening.
sure lol. But ImO it should clip/fart out at 1 oclock for sure.
Anyhow, My bass has a wide dynamic range though, going through a compressor should help me out.
I just tried out the amp and the 115 cab side by side instead of one on top of the other and the volume seemed to be twice as loud. So everything is fine now.
maybe im just used to the tremendous clean headroom my Mesa rig gives me.
thanks for the advices!
Just curious: Is your bass active? Which input are you using? 0 db or -15 db?
So I run my RB210 with a Fender Rumble 210 cab or an Ampeg 410HE cab, and either extension cab adds major boost. The amp thumps! Not sure what's up with yours.
Yeah its alright now. Like I said earlier, i found out putting the cab besides the amp instead of under helped me notice the added boost. And I agree its major. No need to crank it past 10-11 now.
And my Mesa cabs are louder than the Ampeg . So no problem whatsoever.
Just figured out you get what you pay for. And Mesa just has unbeatable quality, which I was used to before buying the Ampeg
CosmicRay
Supporting Member
