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If you built a modern-day fliptop.....

#21
Probably not what henryjurstin13 had in mind when starting this thread since for one thing he mentioned a bass amplifier but I hope he will forgive me for lacking the discipline to color within the lines in his thread.

Here is a guitar amp project I have been fiddling with that started when I found the Ampro speaker cabinet at a local St Vinnies thrift store.

I was planning on repurposing an old record player amplifier from the late fifties for this, but there was mention of a 5 watt Bugera tube guitar amplifier somewhere around here, and I checked them out and bought the T5 you see below and a "chopped" Bugera V5 combo amp that a previous owner had sawed the speaker cabinet off below the amplifier leaving it as a head box style amplifier.
IMG_2699.jpeg
I changed my mind about how I will use the cabinet, and I am now going to use the Bugera V5 amplifier salvaged from the chopped combo by permanently integrating it into this cabinet which leaves the 5 watt T5 you see above available for a different purpose.

Here is a photo showing where I intend to integrate the V5 into the Ampro cabinet by executing a little wood butchery..
IMG_2702.jpeg

This thread has inspired me to consider finding a different way to use the T5. I know I said I don't use the flip top feature on my Ampegs, but maybe there is something I can do with the T5 above that is "Flip-Top-ish".

It could be as simple as attaching the T5 to the top of my PF-112, or some other way. A five watt flip-top inspired guitar rig with a ten inch speaker powered by the T5 above may be another possibility.
 
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#25
Iristone said:
IIRC Ashdown makes a real flip-top, but I'm not sure if it sounds like an old Portaflex.
Click to expand...
You may be thinking of the Ashdown Drophead LB-30 15H. The amplifier was essentially the same as the 30W Little Bastard (4 x EL84 output tubes). It had a 15 inch speaker and sounded not dissimilar to the B-15. It is long discontinued. Ashdown also made a 200W version (4 x 6550 tubes) that is very rare.

LB-30 Drophead 15H

Both were shown for the first time at NAMM 2011:

 
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#26
henryjurstin13 said:
How would you do it? It doesn't have to be Ampeg, tube, or even a 15" speaker.... if you wanted a nice convenient package that yielded some very classic bass tones, but maybe you could push it a bit to overdrive like a tube amp. And maybe you really appreciated the convenience of tucking the head down into the cabinet for smaller transport.

Here's some that come to mind.

upload_100000544f11a0_2012-10-15-252c22-253a56-253a52-252c129_2f225fa4-jpg.2020216


img_8504-jpg.4348594

thumb_p1280015_1024_zpsjetcyttt-jpg.4053057
Click to expand...
I find the 3rd pic inspiring. :smug: But this is my somewhat updated mini fridge, or flip top, even though it doesn't flip.
IMG_2222.jpg
 
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#30
J Wilson said:
Ampeg under the St Louis Music ownership re-issued (IIIRC) a modernised 100w tube fliptop with a 15 and a matching 15 extension. Somebody straighten this out if I've got that wrong.

But someone HAS built a modern-day fliptop.

View attachment 7445968
Demeter 112 Neo Fliptop Cabinet, here with a Demeter Bass 400 amp. Yes, it lifts, flips, and disappears into it.

1×12 Neo Flip Top Bass Amp Combo Cabinet | Demeter Amplification

demeteramps.com demeteramps.com

It's a real hoot to watch the vid and hear JD talk about their initial reverse-engineering an original, putting modern power to it, and it got real obvious real quick THAT wasn't going to work. Haven't heard one of these myself, but knowing the quality of Demeter's work, I'd be shocked if it wasn't My-T-Fine.
Click to expand...
And just like my mid-sixties SB-12, it's way too heavy, and the casters are so small as to be useless. I wouldn't use any caster less than 4" diameter.
 
#34
The Fliptop killed three birds with one stone:

1. Heat generated by the tubes
2. The size and fragility of the tube amp
3. The need for the speaker to be enclosed, unlike open-back guitar amps

Of those things, only the third is important any more. I could still imagine a flip top to make the whole package smaller, especially since you can store your cables in there, but on the other hand, the contraption needs a really good seal, which is unlikely to last forever.
 
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#37
gilbjd said:
You may be thinking of the Ashdown Drophead LB-30 15H. The amplifier was essentially the same as the 30W Little Bastard (4 x EL84 output tubes). It had a 15 inch speaker and sounded not dissimilar to the B-15. It is long discontinued. Ashdown also made a 200W version (4 x 6550 tubes) that is very rare.

LB-30 Drophead 15H

Both were shown for the first time at NAMM 2011:

Click to expand...

I'm thinking of the OriginAL combo. It achieves flip-top through an unusual design:
NEW_0016_OriginalFlipBack.jpg
 
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#39
Iristone said:
I'm thinking of the OriginAL combo. It achieves flip-top through an unusual design:View attachment 7446666
Click to expand...
ashdownmusic.com

OriginAL C115T-300 Kickback Combo

Cut the weight not the tone. In 2021, we unveiled the OriginAL C115T-300, a combo that redefines bass amplification by proving that you can cut the weight without sacrificing the tone. Inspired by the iconic Flip Top design, this combo features a meticulously crafted 15" custom speaker that...
ashdownmusic.com ashdownmusic.com

That's a new one for me! I don't think I've ever seen it before!!!
 

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