Does anyone make a B15 in a pedal format?

[TonyP-]

Here is the press release from them

Tsunami Cables new Preamp the V-15

Dec. 5th 2018,
Tsunami Cables has stepped into the world of amplification with their new all tube, two channel
preamp the V-15. This all Tube design was inspired by the Ampeg B15 from the early 60’s and
70’s. This Bass Guitar focused preamp is in a Lunchbox style box measuring 6” wide 13” long
and only 3” tall.
In the world of Bass Amps the trend has been Class D amplification the smaller, lighter little
brother to the 50+ pound Tube heads of the past. Owner of Tsunami Cables Keith Stickney is a
fan of vintage amps as well as that warm “Tube” sound, he feels this is lacking in a lot of the
Class D amps that are out on the market now. So this was his goal, to create an all Tube
preamp that would give warmth to Class D and Solid State Amplifiers.
• Spec. On the preamp
• Name: V-15 (V stands for Vintage)
• Inspiration: Vintage Tube amps mostly the Ampeg B15.
• Two channel Preamp both have Volume “LOUD”, Treble “TOP”, and Bass “BOTTOM”
controls when Volume is turned up that preamp is engaged. So by putting them both up you
are blending the two.
• Preamp 1 is off the early 70’s B15 with 1 - 12AX7 Tube.
• Preamp 2 is off the early 60’s B15 with 1 - Octal Tube (6SL7)
• EQ: Two fixed EQ points as you roll the knob back it pulls those frequencies out, as you roll
the knob forward it gives you more of those frequencies.
• Bass Boost “THUNDER” switch 6+ dB of gain at 50 hertz when engaged. To give you that
extra kick in the low end.
• Input: 1/4” unbalanced
• Output: 1/4” unbalanced to run to an amp or FX
• XLR balanced for “DI” to House or any recording device. +6 dB of gain on balanced output.
A preorder via Indiegogo Campaign is set to launch mid December. On this campaign you can
add a few custom touches to make your V-15 yours!!
We will be doing the official release at NAMM in January 24-27th. Keith would like to personally
invite anyone who is interested in the new V-15 to come out to the Tsunami Cables booth
#1849 “Downstairs” to see it, hear it, and play it.
Make sure to follow all of the action of the V-15 on the Tsunami Cables FaceBook ~ Instagram
~ YouTube ~ Twitter ~ and our website ~ www.tsunamicables.com ~

 

[MDBass]

I own an Ampeg B15N with a JBL 15
I bought it New in 67.
Along with my 1960 P Bass
True there is nothing that sounds like it especially with a JBL.
However if you want something that will get you that sound in a small package.
I highly Suggest an Alembic Pre-Amp and/or An Alembic Super Filter.
They are rack mount pieces but they are great.

If I do end up going with a rack unit, I'll likely be buying a Kemper and profiling a variety of different B15 tones from the real thing.

I've heard great things about those Alembic pres though.

 

[MDBass]

View attachment 3261711

This is the original, no?

I used one in the studio back in the 80’s. It sounded great. If I’m not mistaken, we ran it into a Line 6 Bass Pod, then direct into the 16 track. My Steinberger never sounded better.

That's the one...close to pulling the trigger on one of those as well.

 

[MDBass]

From Sound on Sound interview with Andrew Barta:

Q: The first product we saw from you was the little SansAmp Classic box with the DIP switches on top -- it was a great product. What kind of research did you have to do to get to that point?

A: "That was an interesting story, because when I built it originally, I had the DIP switches in it only to figure out what settings to use. But I wanted to get other people's opinions first -- I was doing some amp modifications for Foreigner at the time with Mick Jones, and he asked if he could try it out for a couple of days. When I told him I was planning to get rid of the DIP switches, he said that was one of the best features, because you could use them to create different amp setups and different sounds."

Andrew at @tech21nyc is a wizard.

 

[MDBass]

I think we can all agree that the way to get the closest sound of a B-15 (30 watt all tube amp with a 15" speaker) is to use a B-15.

This idea that a $100-$500 pedal (with no tube pre or power amp section), is going to get you anything other than close is an unreasonable expectation.
At the pro level having a mic'd B-15 either on or off stage would be the obvious answer but not particulalry travel friendly in club land.

Speaking of the pro world, it is amazing how good the amp simulators work.
Even at a lower level, the amps sims in Reaper or Cubase are simply amazing.
With Pro Tools forgetaboutit.
I've had no experience with UA.

I was at the studio 3 weeks ago and was listening to a track that we had cut with a black face Deluxe Reverb and Di'd. The Fender plug in was amazing. Not a 100% perfect match but then again, 3 different Deluxe's would sound different due to component tolerances and the amount of drift they accumulate over time.
We didn't tell the artist (at first) which was which, but he prefered the amp sim as it sat well in the track.

What has also worked very well for me was a V-4B with a dummy load on the output and the pre-amp out into the console.
With a $1K budget and the size of a B-15 amp, this would be well worth trying IMO.

The biggest issue here, aside from the sound, is the portability factor since I'm primarily playing fly dates in Latin America: unfortunately the V4B is just too big, though I have no doubt it sounds lovely.

Technically I could run my MacBook Pro and Arrow for the UA sim live as well, but I'd prefer something actually designed for the stage.

As I mentioned in the first page, this could be a unicorn, but I'd be willing to pay $1k for something small enough that can still nail that vibe...and up to $500 for "close enough"

 

[Lowendtech]

Certainly looking forward to it myself

Here is the press release from them

Tsunami Cables new Preamp the V-15

Dec. 5th 2018,
Tsunami Cables has stepped into the world of amplification with their new all tube, two channel
preamp the V-15. This all Tube design was inspired by the Ampeg B15 from the early 60’s and
70’s. This Bass Guitar focused preamp is in a Lunchbox style box measuring 6” wide 13” long
and only 3” tall.
In the world of Bass Amps the trend has been Class D amplification the smaller, lighter little
brother to the 50+ pound Tube heads of the past. Owner of Tsunami Cables Keith Stickney is a
fan of vintage amps as well as that warm “Tube” sound, he feels this is lacking in a lot of the
Class D amps that are out on the market now. So this was his goal, to create an all Tube
preamp that would give warmth to Class D and Solid State Amplifiers.
• Spec. On the preamp
• Name: V-15 (V stands for Vintage)
• Inspiration: Vintage Tube amps mostly the Ampeg B15.
• Two channel Preamp both have Volume “LOUD”, Treble “TOP”, and Bass “BOTTOM”
controls when Volume is turned up that preamp is engaged. So by putting them both up you
are blending the two.
• Preamp 1 is off the early 70’s B15 with 1 - 12AX7 Tube.
• Preamp 2 is off the early 60’s B15 with 1 - Octal Tube (6SL7)
• EQ: Two fixed EQ points as you roll the knob back it pulls those frequencies out, as you roll
the knob forward it gives you more of those frequencies.
• Bass Boost “THUNDER” switch 6+ dB of gain at 50 hertz when engaged. To give you that
extra kick in the low end.
• Input: 1/4” unbalanced
• Output: 1/4” unbalanced to run to an amp or FX
• XLR balanced for “DI” to House or any recording device. +6 dB of gain on balanced output.
A preorder via Indiegogo Campaign is set to launch mid December. On this campaign you can
add a few custom touches to make your V-15 yours!!
We will be doing the official release at NAMM in January 24-27th. Keith would like to personally
invite anyone who is interested in the new V-15 to come out to the Tsunami Cables booth
#1849 “Downstairs” to see it, hear it, and play it.
Make sure to follow all of the action of the V-15 on the Tsunami Cables FaceBook ~ Instagram
~ YouTube ~ Twitter ~ and our website ~ www.tsunamicables.com ~

What’s the projected price point for this unit?

 

[MDBass]

What’s the projected price point for this unit?

Presale is $700, retail is $1200 per the IndieGoGo

 

[GonePlaid]

The closest to an actual B-15 is the '66 flip top model in Fender's new Rumble Studio 40 & Stage 800 combos. Very authentic. Audition one for yourself.

My B-15 story is as follows: I had just turned 16 and had been playing bass for all of oh, five weeks. A TV & Appliance store across the street from my high school had a B-15 in the window for sale. It belonged to the electronic repair tech. He bought it from the original owner a few months before. Went through it and put it up for sale. This was in early 1970. I tried it and hated it. Ended up buying a Kustom 200 with 2x15 cab. That amp rocked!

Hit up the '66 flip top model on my Studio 40 for the first time and it all came flooding back. It sounds exactly how I remember it. I still hate it.

That's funny, I don't care who y'are.

 

[Lowendtech]

Presale is $700, retail is $1200 per the IndieGoGo

Thanks for that.
With a Zephyr, P-15 and a Mo in the house that’s probably not going to be joining them. I would seriously look at it if I didn’t already have those.
I just ordered a Barber Linden to see whether it can cop the feel close enough for the price and size.
I’ll see when it gets here.

 

[NickFromNY]

What about Mainstage if you are a Mac guy? It’s built for live use. I have a Gio pedal interface and it works flawlessly. I am sure that you could build exactly what you want through Mainstage. I know people who play the Kemper and Fractal stuff and the results are fantastic. The drawback is that you need to spend a lot of time with it to tweak your tone in a live setting

 

[NickFromNY]

There is a B15 present in Mainstage 3

 

[MDBass]

What about Mainstage if you are a Mac guy? It’s built for live use. I have a Gio pedal interface and it works flawlessly. I am sure that you could build exactly what you want through Mainstage. I know people who play the Kemper and Fractal stuff and the results are fantastic. The drawback is that you need to spend a lot of time with it to tweak your tone in a live setting

It’s the Mac itself that’s the issue: we don’t tour with racks, all fly dates and the guitarists just carry on their Kemper lunchboxes, so I’m just not interested in finding a new secure location to sit the laptop on every night.

The Kemper lunchbox would definitely do what I’m after, it’s just more money than I’d like to spend.

 

[Jim C]

I was thinking a B-15 head with a pre-amp out tap to the DI, although that still sounds too big for your application.
Curious to see what ends up working best for you.

The biggest issue here, aside from the sound, is the portability factor since I'm primarily playing fly dates in Latin America: unfortunately the V4B is just too big, though I have no doubt it sounds lovely.

Technically I could run my MacBook Pro and Arrow for the UA sim live as well, but I'd prefer something actually designed for the stage.

As I mentioned in the first page, this could be a unicorn, but I'd be willing to pay $1k for something small enough that can still nail that vibe...and up to $500 for "close enough"

 

[MDBass]

I was thinking a B-15 head with a pre-amp out tap to the DI, although that still sounds too big for your application.
Curious to see what ends up working best for you.

I’m hoping I can drive either the P-15 or the V-15 hard enough to do what I’m after: Daniel at @Dsmnoisemaker is sending a new Mini my way as well, which has power amp drive emulation, so between the two hopefully I’ll get there.

Still waiting to hear back from a few other folks about other stomp box based solutions, so I think the answer is out there.

Fingers crossed

 

[Yango]

That's the one...close to pulling the trigger on one of those as well.

I probably should have bought this version, but, like a tool I bought the later version that had “bass” written on it. I never really got along with the Bass Di, and ended up selling it after a protracted battle for the tone I wanted... which I lost.

I still dig the Barber Linden (the old version) though. It’s impossible to get a bad sound out if it!

 

[ad9000]

View attachment 3261711

This is the original, no?

I used one in the studio back in the 80’s. It sounded great. If I’m not mistaken, we ran it into a Line 6 Bass Pod, then direct into the 16 track. My Steinberger never sounded better.

I first mentioned the SansAmp original in this thread. My typical settings are:

dip switches:
mid boost 1: off
mid boost 2: on
low drive: on
clean amp: on
bright switch: off
vintage tubes: on
speaker edge: off
close miking: on

side toggle switch on "bass"
presence drive and amplifier drive knobs both about 11:00
output and high knobs both about 12:00

All can be varied to taste, but most important to getting a bass sound seem to be the low drive and clean amp dip switches and the the side toggle (to be in the positions mentioned above). Some of the dip switches have a minimal effect on the overall tone. The presence drive and amplifier drive controls are kind of crucial in terms of how clean you want the signal to be. I generally go for just the slightest bit of perceptible overdrive, but that can be adjusted to taste and according to the output of your bass.

I also might adjust a bit depending on whether I'm using the pedal for recording or playing live. Typically the difference would be that I would go a bit cleaner with the presence and amplifier drive controls when recording (and maybe increase the output control to compensate).

 

[MDBass]

I first mentioned the SansAmp original in this thread. My typical settings are:

dip switches:
mid boost 1: off
mid boost 2: on
low drive: on
clean amp: on
bright switch: off
vintage tubes: on
speaker edge: off
close miking: on

side toggle switch on "bass"
presence drive and amplifier drive knobs both about 11:00
output and high knobs both about 12:00

All can be varied to taste, but most important to getting a bass sound seem to be the low drive and clean amp dip switches and the the side toggle (to be in the positions mentioned above). Some of the dip switches have a minimal effect on the overall tone. The presence drive and amplifier drive controls are kind of crucial in terms of how clean you want the signal to be. I generally go for just the slightest bit of perceptible overdrive, but that can be adjusted to taste and according to the output of your bass.

I also might adjust a bit depending on whether I'm using the pedal for recording or playing live. Typically the difference would be that I would go a bit cleaner with the presence and amplifier drive controls when recording (and maybe increase the output control to compensate).

Appreciate the feedback! I’ve made an offer on one currently on Reverb, we’ll see what happens.

 

[MDBass]

Looks like I’ll be able to demo one of the HX Stomp boxes sometime after NAMM, their marketing department is out of units until then.

 

[TonyRo]

If you can find a YouTube video with a tone you like I can try and get there with the HX Stomp in the meantime.

 

[hbabels]

Looks like I’ll be able to demo one of the HX Stomp boxes sometime after NAMM, their marketing department is out of units until then.

You could download the helix software plugin & demo that.