Ampeg V-4B question

[Wasnex]

I feel like I already know the answer here, with the amp being all tube, but i'll ask anyway - Is it normal for the Amp to get very hot too the touch? i usually have the gain 3/4 up or more.

I don't believe the Ampeg head case is really designed to create much of a natural air flow to draw the heat away, so the V4B may get a bit hotter than some other tube amps.

How hot the amp gets can also vary significantly with how the tubes are biased. AFAIK they are biased fairl cold from the factory. If some one as warmed up the bias, the amp will get hotter.

 

[rodl2005]

My 300w Fender Bassman Pro that I used to own has 6x6550 power tubes and it had no fan. I did mount a PC fan to it, but I don't have any added to my V4B. I've never had any problems with it

 

[rodl2005]

I had a Bassman Pro 300w with 6x6550 power tubes and it had no fan. I mounted a PC fan to it. But my V4B has no fan and I've had zero problems with it

 

[BassBeginer64]

Guess they are cheap enough if you need a fan
https://www.amazon.com/Wathai-Axial-110V-Brushless-Cooling/dp/B07SH42DCD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ONDS6UR633XK&keywords=computer+fan+120v&qid=1679361803&s=industrial&sprefix=computer+fan+120v,industrial,191&sr=1-1&th=1

 

[polokojo]

I just realized that a V4B has outputs for 2,4, and 8 Ohms so you're good.
(SVT doesn't have an 8 Ohm tap)

Question for the V4B owners and/or experts: does this mean that cabinets with 2, 4 or 8 ohms will perform equally well? (using the right output) Is there an ideal amount of ohms for a cabinet to be paired with this head? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jim C]

Question for the V4B owners and/or experts: does this mean that cabinets with 2, 4 or 8 ohms will perform equally well? (using the right output) Is there an ideal amount of ohms for a cabinet to be paired with this head? Thanks in advance.

Yes, this amp will support a 2, 4, or 8 Ohms cabinet.
With a tube amp, it is often times important to have a cabinet that will match the selectable output impedance of the amp. In other words, you would want to use a 4 Ohm cabinet with the selector switch set to 4 Ohms for optimum performance.
This is not always possible in that an SVT does not have an 8 Ohm tap although the designer has posted that it is OK for this particular mismatch.