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Ampeg V4 Club

#385
astack said:
After following this thread for months and reading a bunch of other threads, I'm officially on the hunt. ATM, the TH500 is working great for a bit (or a lot) of wool with just enough bite, but the allure of iron is strong in this one. I think it'll be juuuust right for me.
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I would say that it would pair very nicely with Your Faital cab. Mine did, and would get stupid loud. It was a great sounding combo, but the V-4 went back to it's home on top of My 810 at the rehearsal space. Had I not been so lazy (just didn't feel like moving the 810 up the stairs), it would've replaced the 810. That said, I recently sold My Faital cab to a friend of mine, so the two will probably never meet again.
 
#386
JMac4strngr said:
I would say that it would pair very nicely with Your Faital cab. Mine did, and would get stupid loud. It was a great sounding combo, but the V-4 went back to it's home on top of My 810 at the rehearsal space. Had I not been so lazy (just didn't feel like moving the 810 up the stairs), it would've replaced the 810. That said, I recently sold My Faital cab to a friend of mine, so the two will probably never meet again.
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My Faital actually needs to see the doctor... :atoz:

The plan is to pair the V4 with a sealed 2x12 with one of the 4 I've been eying. The V4 would be twice as wide as the cab if on top, so thinking setting it on it's side next to the cab would work well, and of course improve the tube dispersion... :ninja:
 
#389
astack said:
My Faital actually needs to see the doctor... :atoz:

The plan is to pair the V4 with a sealed 2x12 with one of the 4 I've been eying. The V4 would be twice as wide as the cab if on top, so thinking setting it on it's side next to the cab would work well, and of course improve the tube dispersion... :ninja:
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That sound like a cool idea. At one point, I had a similar type of idea, with the Faital 12PR300 loaded in a ported cab.
Hey, come to think of it, I was reading Your sealed cab 12" driver thread and thought about the old V-4 412 guitar cabs. I would be willing to bet that some of those would be great retrofits for those cabs, to get them were they are more suitable for bass guitar duty. The lower cost speakers, like the Fanes, would be a primo deal. The dispersion would suck, but it would keep with the vintage vibe, and totally match the head, widthwise.
FWIW- The cabs I am talking about were built like tanks, and well braced beyond belief. However, they were pretty heavey. Oh yea, there are a few of them on this thread, that were loaded with Eminence neo's (S2012, 2512), which is really cool, but may be priced a bit out of reach for some folk. That is where I think the Fanes would be a great option.

Oh yea, what is with Your Faital cab?
 
#390
StuartV said:
And then maybe a Devo Energy Dome on top of that...
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The ol' DED alignment. Works wonders!

Reading back, I wasn't too clear. I meant vertical 2x12, vertical V4 for anyone confused.

Jmac, the Faital's all scratchy now probably because I put that chair leg through the cone. I'm that rock n roll...

Yeah, I have a Fane 12-200 and 12-500LF arriving today. I have high hopes. Very similar to those Emi's, so just a matter of top end flavor I think.

I know I've seen 2512 and S2012's used as drop ins for the V4 cab, too, and work very well. Anyone know the internal volume of those cabs? At 1cf per, those 12's model the same as an SVT. They're good with more though, too.

As for dispersion, they could be ran in a .5 alignment by low passing one side. For me though, 4x12 is overkill and we travel with small cars...
 
#391
astack, On the Faital: Ah, that sucks! You going for a recone, or full on replacement?

Regarding the old Ampeg cabs: If My memory serves Me correctly, the V-4 412 cab total internal volume was a bit under 5 cubic feet (I'm thinking 4.7 cubic feet. However, I could be wrong). For some Guys though, the vintage vibe (even with it's flaws) is the way they want to go. Typically, the cabs can be found in decent shape for under $200. I would think, that it would be really cool for someone to be able rehab/reload one of these old cabs to use, without spending a too much cash. FWIW- I am a complete sucker for the look of these cabs restored as they look great with the V-4 amps, but there's no way I would gig with one (form factor, and weight).
 
#392
Here's my V4.
Got it on craigslist earlier this year for a cool $500.

Late 70s model (76-79) with master volume, white rocker switches, and treble boost/cut. Love that analog reverb.

Great shape too. I heard that the original owner played keyboard out of it in his house for most of its lifetime.

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#396
Hello,

I just wanted to see if I could get an expert opinion before I take this to a tech. My V4 just started having a hum for no reason. I checked to make sure all the tubes are firmly in there sockets. I also turned the amp on and ran a cable out of the preamp to a mixing board and I could still hear the hum in the mixing board. I adjusted the hum balance but it does not do anything. Something that I noticed if I change the OHMs it stops for a second and then comes back in. I had a tech look at it when I bought it about a year and a half ago and he said everything is fine besides the reverb tank does not work. I am wondering if it is something simple (somebody mentioned in another thread about something having to be grounded to the plate) or if I need a whole cap job. :bawl: Thank you for your help!

Here is a video of the hum. It is louder than the normal tube hum but not super loud as it sounds in the video.




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#398
Didnt get around to rerecording but heres the one clip. Sounds thin through my macbook pro 13" speakers but doesn't at all through the cab or my desktop monitors. 2 very slightly different settings on the sb-2 pickups, didnt actually make a good one of what is known as the sound of the sb2 (p pickup fully open, bridge down to about 7/10 gives you a highly aggressive and extremely hot signal), but you get a basic idea. Apparently my attack changed for the 2nd clip too....cool to see the waveforms. Making it at 830am I didnt play nearly as heavy handed as I'd like. Theres some other clips on there if anyone wants to listen too! Lots of short loops, some of me in a band scenario, nothing professionally recorded. Anyway Im loving the combination of the v4b and diesel 1x15 still.

http://soundcloud.com/tussinbot/v4b-sb2
 
#399
JMac4strngr said:
astack, On the Faital: Ah, that sucks! You going for a recone, or full on replacement?

Regarding the old Ampeg cabs: If My memory serves Me correctly, the V-4 412 cab total internal volume was a bit under 5 cubic feet (I'm thinking 4.7 cubic feet. However, I could be wrong).
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Yeah, IDK. I'll see what the guy says when I get around to taking it in.

I think you're close (enough) on the volume.

Also, patience is hard guys. I'm done being on the outside looking in. I wanna join your club! Just missed out on a couple CL postings. Got the RSS feeds going, so just a matter of time...
 
#400
I saw a couple on craigslist in LA a week or two ago. Ill keep a look out if youd be willing to drive down to the LA area (or maybe I could ship it up on your dime?). On a side note - ive been looking for another diesel 115 to have a 2x15 stack, which I still plan to do...but just got a line on a berg nv610 for a good price from a tber. I think I am going to have to take the plunge and see what they are all about.
 

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