• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Building an Ampeg Heritage

#41
The current LOUD adminstration inherited a crap situation from SLM and the previous head idiot of LOUD. SLM's American transformer supplier bailed on them, and then soon after, LOUD bought the company and the former head idiot just shut down the US operations. Moving an entire company to China and screwing it up for two years is easy. Getting it back on track and moving it back to America overnight is much tougher. I think they have good intentions, and while not ideal, the Heritage shop is a step in the right direction.

FWIW, though, about the only things not American made in the Heritage B-15 are a handful of resistors, the power and rectifier tubes, and maybe the wood. Everything else is American made.
 
#42
Jim Carr said:
Thanks for the tour. I dig Hodgy and the work they do in WA, but I am surprised by the video.

I used to build scanning electron microscopes. While we did not wind our own transformers or fabricate our own display screens and ICs, we did design, build, and test each and every printed circuit board, vacuum system, frame, cabinet, wiring harness, electron scan tube, and software system (firmware, OS, apps), etc. It strikes me that the Heritage builds are in effect final assembly operations. No problem with it, just surprised.

I don't think it is semantics. "Building" to me begins closer to the component bin and wave/hand soldering station than final assembly, and hands one greater responsibility, too. In my case, international competition from Germany and Japan made the pressure on us, the workers, very intense.

Again, I dug seeing and hearing about Hodgy's work, and have nothing but respect for him. I am just surprised how much of the component level work is done abroad, even on the Heritage line. :cool:
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure there are no differences in the components of the Asian and Heritage amps just the assembly is done in the US. The transformers could be made right here by a number of companies but not for nothing. It's widely known these Heritage amps are only assembled here.

It looked to me in the video that the preamps were already assembled else where.
 
#43
Red Planet said:
I'm pretty sure there are no differences in the components of the Asian and Heritage amps just the assembly is done in the US. The transformers could be made right here by a number of companies but not for nothing. It's widely known these Heritage amps are only assembled here.

It looked to me in the video that the preamps were already assembled else where.
Click to expand...

I thought I'd read some of the parts were different.
 
#44
Beans-on-Toast: I just use the bias pots on the back- the circuit is VERY forgiving in regards to mis-matched tubes (it's not the greatest design in the world, IMO, but it's cool enough for the average not-techie). Not much more we can do than re-match the tubes and then let them be adjusted using the same method as the customer.

andorbass- I know we sell tube sets, but they're the same 'matched' sets we get from our vendor. I like the idea of selling our re-matched tube sets as a value-added service.

aborgman- That's right! The quotes were written by marketing guys. Remember, this is all fairly new and we are making improvements as we are able.

Red Planet- we do get the preamp section in as a pre-built kit. I just add the 12AX7s.
We actually are looking at some different transformers. I personally would like to see Heyboers in the Heritage, but that would jack the price up quite a bit.
 
#45
I forget who it was, but I recently read in Bass Player Mag about someone who replaced the transformers in his CL with Mercurys and loved what it did for the mids. But I judge all SVT's by my Blue Line, and maybe there are tiny little changes in the tone that you'd notice if they were next to each other, but the VR sounds for all intents and purposes identical to my Blue Line and I'm not the only one who says it.
 
#46
Did Hammond make the original trannies? I know they made them for SUNN, Traynor and a few others, even the Dynaco Stereo 70.

And now that JimmyM is back...Is it time for me to change my av??

Mercury does make good transformers. How they compare to origionals I wish I knew more. I had a 76 svt but never had the right cabinet to go with it.
 
#47
hodgy said:
Beans-on-Toast: I just use the bias pots on the back- the circuit is VERY forgiving in regards to mis-matched tubes (it's not the greatest design in the world, IMO, but it's cool enough for the average not-techie). Not much more we can do than re-match the tubes and then let them be adjusted using the same method as the customer.
Click to expand...

Using the same approach that the customer does makes sense. Besides, one of the first things some folks do when they get the amp is start mucking with the bias settings.

When the Heritage blue line SVT is eventually offered, it would be nice if they went with the original bias and balance circuit rather than adopt the LED based one used in the VR. The concept of the LED system is interesting but also having the chassis test points to connect a meter would be nice.
 
#53
I only got to play it for a few minutes, but our AR guy put Heyboers in his Heritage and it really was significantly... I dunno- warmer? Bigger bottomed? I'd love to A/B it with our normal builds. It sounds good enough that both Pearl Jam and Soundgarden have borrowed it to record with in the past few months.
 
#54
Dang, really? I appreciate how straight up you're being with your info and opinions. Honestly, I don't have any complaints about the sound of the amps with the transformers you're using now, but when you use the word "significantly," I have to take notice.

WIFE: Another thousand dollars for special transformers?

ME: But Hodgy said "significantly," honey!
 
#60
George Metropolous had a run of Heyboer OT's built to his spec that are a drop in replacement. He started modding his VR after talking to the AR guy a couple years back (before the Heritage line launched). The initial mods were the replacement of the OT, winged =c= 6550's, and NOS preamp tubes. We soon did the same mods to my 2-pro, and the AR guys amp. I'm not good at putting percieved sound into terms, but i'd say the overall tonality is more "musical", and the bottom end seems to be more defined and have more punch to it.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back