Blown horn on Ampeg Rocket Bass

[UKLee]

Hi, I'm new to this, so I don't know if I'm posting in the right place. I retired from playing live 20 years ago and have recently got itchy fingers again. So I went out and bought an Ampeg Rocket Bass B200R and have been practising at home every day for the last few weeks. Today I plugged in a guitar lead I hadn't used before which was faulty and it made a really loud noise for a second or so till I pulled it out quickly. I now suspect the horn has blown as I can't hear any high frequency "hiss" from it. How do I get at the horn to test it. Does the speaker grill come off? Any help and advice greatly appreciated.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Sometime the cloth covering is just "fitted" not screwed in. Try prying at a corner and I bet the covering will come off.

What happened and what is needed to fix it, only the Shadow knows...

 

[smeet]

The speaker grille is velcro'd on. Gently pry it off with a screwdriver, using something under the screwdriver to protect the vinyl covering from damage.

But I'm pretty sure the B200R (like the B100R which I have) has only a 15" driver - no horn/tweeter.

 

[UKLee]

Thanks for your advice. I had a sneaking suspicion that it was fixed with velcro, but my god it was well solid. Now I can check out the piezzo horn. Thanks again.

 

[smeet]

Wow, look at that. A tweeter. Sorry, I was misinformed...

 

[UKLee]

Yes, just a small dome tweeter (made in Brazil). And Good news, I removed the tweeter and only one wire connected. Had to take out the 15" speaker to find the other one and now it's "hissing" like a gud 'un. I don't think it's ever worked as the amp sounds totally different, brighter on the top end, especially when doing a bit of slap. Very pleased with the amp which I bought second hand off ebay but was unused and still in the packaging. I have an old Wal bass that sounds awesome through it and an old 80's Yamaha fretless which sends shivers down your back with every singing note. Why the hell have I waited so long to start playing again. Thanks for all your advice, all I need now is a band. Lol

 

[smeet]

You've been holding on to a Wal for 20 years???

You know those are worth absolutely nothing these days. I'll pay for shipping if you want to send it to me.

 

[UKLee]

I've had this Wal since 1983. It's dated 1979 serial number 1444. I bought it in Manchester for £215 with original case and an extra set of strings. I was having a look around a music shop called A1 music with a friend of mine when he spotted the headstock sticking out behind some speaker cabinets. I walked over and lifted it up, the shop assistant rushed over and said that it was reserved for a customer. It had a price tag of £215. I went to the manager and said I'd have it now for cash. Apparently the shop assistant was saving it for himself. At the time I had just heard about Wal basses and bought it without trying it out. I played it for the next 10 years in various bands from jazz (Yellow Jackets) to Soul (Tower of Power). I'll go into more detail later about the bass itself (modifications). Off to bed now. Night Night.