Bad day for the b2-r?

[zon6c-f]

Got any better ideas?

The objective of bass amp makers is to make good sounding bass amps

So you take a 60s Flip Top ; give it enough watts to stand up to a Marshall

My 2c

 

[Foz]

...We've done this on a couple of models but this was not well received. It might be fine for you and me, but not the general player is appears.

I imagine it would confuse some folks [RTFM!] - and others would merely object to the "clutter" as Jimmy mentions. I aint never seen it done, but I wouldn't have minded a bit and might even have figured out why they did it.

 

[JimmyM]

Well I did thank everybody … not that I had to … your real thanks should be that you helped me solve the problem …

posted Friday at 11:14 pm

"Well thanks for all the help …

I learned a lot …

The old B2 will be my practice amp

I will try and clean it some more … but in the mean time I have a work around"

Also I don't really know most of the people here … I want to verify that people are giving me good advice before I try it … It is not that I don't trust you … but I don't trust hardly anybody. Sometimes people with good intentions give advice that doesn't work out.

I'd think after Andy chimed in, you'd realize what I was saying was legit. OK, well you're welcome

 

[JimmyM]

The objective of bass amp makers is to make good sounding bass amps

So you take a 60s Flip Top ; give it enough watts to stand up to a Marshall

My 2c

I believe they're called SVT's

 

[LHbassist]

Anyone who knows me here, and in my travels- knows I grew up in the home of Ampeg Amplifiers, Woodside, Queens, N.Y. I used to rehearse literally right across the street, under The 'El tracks, of the #7 line, in 1967. I've owned a LOT of Ampeg gear. In the 90's, I repaired guitars and basses at a Reno, Nevada music store that became an Ampeg dealer. I bought a B-248 combo after playing it in the store, and loving it. After taking it to a few gigs, I discovered why that was a mistake. The good- at low volume, it had a very nice tone, and the power was just fine. The first band gig I did with it, it ran out of steam FAST. And it was a 'legit' gig- well dressed players playing standards and pop/ dance music with a then typical PA. I was pretty surprised and disappointed that it didn't cut it. The next time, was several years later- in a Tahoe casino. It worked o.k. but I noticed one of the really flimsy, stupidly exposed EQ faders had broken off. Ampeg could've set that amp back in the cab a bit, but didn't. The deal breaker for me, was that the amp was a friggin' boat anchor. I'll bet it was close to a hundred pounds. I sold it. My Rumble 200 sounds a lot better, and weighs 35 pounds.

 

[TonH]

Anyone who knows me here, and in my travels- knows I grew up in the home of Ampeg Amplifiers, Woodside, Queens, N.Y. I used to rehearse literally right across the street, under The 'El tracks, of the #7 line, in 1967. I've owned a LOT of Ampeg gear. In the 90's, I repaired guitars and basses at a Reno, Nevada music store that became an Ampeg dealer. I bought a B-248 combo after playing it in the store, and loving it. After taking it to a few gigs, I discovered why that was a mistake. The good- at low volume, it had a very nice tone, and the power was just fine. The first band gig I did with it, it ran out of steam FAST. And it was a 'legit' gig- well dressed players playing standards and pop/ dance music with a then typical PA. I was pretty surprised and disappointed that it didn't cut it. The next time, was several years later- in a Tahoe casino. It worked o.k. but I noticed one of the really flimsy, stupidly exposed EQ faders had broken off. Ampeg could've set that amp back in the cab a bit, but didn't. The deal breaker for me, was that the amp was a friggin' boat anchor. I'll bet it was close to a hundred pounds. I sold it. My Rumble 200 sounds a lot better, and weighs 35 pounds.

The B2-48 combo and the SVT48He cab need a HPF at higher volume. The last couple of months I am experimenting with HPF's on different cabs and amps. The B2-48 and SVT48HE benefit the most.
I tried my Genz Benz GBE750 with the SVT48HE (without an external HPF) and it sounded great, but that's because the GBE750 has a built-in HPF.

 

[baxter_x]

I got an SVT4PRO and SVT7PRO.

How do you compare both? Do they sound the same?

 

[Raw N Low]

The B2-Re is a good amp. Basically just a 3 pro without a tube preamp. Solid and dependable U.S. made amp made to get you from gig to gig. Not the most glamorous amp Ampeg made but, there are far worse options out there.

 

[LHbassist]

The B2-Re is a good amp. Basically just a 3 pro without a tube preamp. Solid and dependable U.S. made amp made to get you from gig to gig. Not the most glamorous amp Ampeg made but, there are far worse options out there.

Agreed.. but it just wasn't for me... I have encountered those B2R heads on some supplied backline gigs, and they're always disappointing for me. I had a 1969 SVT and flatback cab. Reliable, and built like a tank. Weighed as much as one. And later, I had a Towel bar cab, too. No regrets selling that rig. I do kinda regret selling a few Ampegs, one being a mint as new 1966 B-15, in 1978, and a very good sounding 1977 era B410 combo. It used the same preamp as the V-6B head, and half the power. Heavy.. but for small to medium sized rooms, it sounded really good.

 

[zon6c-f]

I believe they're called SVT's

Hmmm... I only know that (S.V.T.) as a heart condition !

Yeah!! But Can’t argue with that!
SVTs fit that bill perfectly .

Last Studios I was in (1980s)had old 60s flip top amp at the ready.

However last year I almost bought a vintage ACC 361. Problem?
It was Too Loud!

 

[dave_p]

My direct experience with the B2Re is much the same as my direct experience with a Peavey Mark IV. Reliability was not the issue, it actually managed to sound uniformly mediocre day after day after day....

 

[Wisebass]

Hi folks

What a funny thread!

The more folks understand statistics, the more useful statistics become.

All b2-r owners don' t like cleaning contacts! Great statistic!

My mathematics professor always used to say: I never trust statistics, that I haven 't faked myself!

So you take a 60s Flip Top ; give it enough watts to stand up to a Marshall

I believe they're called SVT's

A 300W Flip Top needs the right cab…

Great idea for a new Ampeg product line: The "Portafridge" series!

greetings


Wise(b)ass

 

[JimmyM]

My direct experience with the B2Re is much the same as my direct experience with a Peavey Mark IV. Reliability was not the issue, it actually managed to sound uniformly mediocre day after day after day....

Well I can't argue with people who like them, but that's how I feel about it.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Well I can't argue with people who like them, but that's how I feel about it.

I found them to be perfectly usable if you want a clean solid state tone.

Frequently used one with a 4ohm Peavey 4x10, and it was entirely agreeable - if uninspiring.

Really, the only bad day was when we arrived at the rehearsal studio to find some a-hole had broken in and stolen everything that could quickly be thrown in the back of a van.

I did run my Trace Elliot head through that Peavey 4x10, and it was obvious that the cabinet was the main reason that the Ampeg seemed ok in the first place.

 

[FunkHead]

Why am I getting so much hostility?

Aren't you used to it by now?
Jk man, Sometime I feel like I am getting hassled for no reason too. It comes with the TB experience I guess.

 

[FunkHead]

This is what the effects return jack looks like. See the nipple between the bottom posts, this is what connects your signal with nothing plugged in. See the signal flow lines.

When a plug goes in the nipple is lifted, breaking that connection and the signal comes from the cable.

When you read on here that an amp is cutting out or the volume is good then suddenly goes and we give advice to check the effects loop to see if it still does it, this is why. If it clears up when inserting a plug then that little nipple had some oxidization on it interrupting the signal. It only takes a small film to interfere so you clean it with a wipe of Deoxit D5 and it's all good. No need to keep in the jumper cables.

Never just spray in the jack as you will get parts that you do not want sprayed and that little nipple is hidden under that post.

A little rant while on jack cleaning, NEVER file or sand to clean the contact points. The coating on them is thin and has a corrosive protected coating on it and when you scratch that off it will rust fast, making your problems come back faster and eventually killing the jack. Also your filings that come off could go somewhere you do not want.
A lite chemical wipe is all you need to clean and protect.

Great post!

 

[Ric5]

Aren't you used to it by now?
Jk man, Sometime I feel like I am getting hassled for no reason too. It comes with the TB experience I guess.

Ya … you are right …

 

[TolerancEJ]

I will probably upgrade to a Bergantino setup at some point, but I've had my Ampeg B2-R and SVT-1510HE since 1994. This setup served me extremely well and I received a lot of compliments over the years. And my bass was an Ibanez SR885.

 

[JimmyM]

I will probably upgrade to a Bergantino setup at some point, but I've had my Ampeg B2-R and SVT-1510HE since 1994. This setup served me extremely well and I received a lot of compliments over the years. And my bass was an Ibanez SR885.

Well hey, if you can't get a good sound out of anything you plug into, I'm not ever going to blame the amp I managed to get a good sound out them when they were supplied to me. They just aren't what I think of when I think of Ampeg, and I prefer Ampegs that sound like Ampegs. And that was the whole idea behind the B series...Ampegs that don't sound like Ampegs to attract Ampeg non-fans. Me, I'm a fan.

 

[FunkHead]

Well hey, if you can't get a good sound out of anything you plug into, I'm not ever going to blame the amp I managed to get a good sound out them when they were supplied to me. They just aren't what I think of when I think of Ampeg, and I prefer Ampegs that sound like Ampegs. And that was the whole idea behind the B series...Ampegs that don't sound like Ampegs to attract Ampeg non-fans. Me, I'm a fan.

I have always been happy enough with My Hartke Amps. They are solid Workhorses and I get a decent tone from them.
But I am blaming my Guitarists TC amp for sounding way better last night.
I also blame my Traynor YBA-300 for sounding better.
So, I do agree with the old sentiment "A poor Carpenter blames his tools"
But at some level we are all seeking a certain sound and different amps, basses, Picks, strings etc... all factor into the equation.