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It Ain't No B18N Cart, So What Is It?

OldFenderPlayer

OldFenderPlayer

Nov 19, 2010
723
1,103
Richmond, Virginia
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#1
Back in 2011 I picked up a 1966 Ampeg B18N from an estate in West Virginia; the amp was complete and working, but didn't include the cart. The seller said they had the cart, but it was somewhere in their cavernous and packed garage. Photos of the amp's before and after are here: Update on Ampeg B18N Restoration

Fast-forward 7 years and I get a text from the seller, saying they finally found the cart. Once I picked it up its clear its not the right one, and it may not even be an Ampeg cart.

Does anyone know what this cart goes to? I've included a few photos and a comparison to a replacement cart from Fliptops.

Mystery Cart
20” long x 9” wide
5” high
20” between centers of wheels
Cup spacing: 15.5” long x 7” wide
No hole in the center of the cart for a cart knob

Fliptops Reproduction Cart
23” long x 14” wide
5” high
20” between centers of wheels
Cup spacing: 20” long x 11.5” wide

Cart_01.JPG Cart_02.JPG Cart_03.JPG Cart_04.JPG
 
#5
OldFenderPlayer said:
Back in 2011 I picked up a 1966 Ampeg B18N from an estate in West Virginia; the amp was complete and working, but didn't include the cart. The seller said they had the cart, but it was somewhere in their cavernous and packed garage. Photos of the amp's before and after are here: Update on Ampeg B18N Restoration

Fast-forward 7 years and I get a text from the seller, saying they finally found the cart. Once I picked it up its clear its not the right one, and it may not even be an Ampeg cart.

Does anyone know what this cart goes to? I've included a few photos and a comparison to a replacement cart from Fliptops.

Mystery Cart
20” long x 9” wide
5” high
20” between centers of wheels
Cup spacing: 15.5” long x 7” wide
No hole in the center of the cart for a cart knob

Fliptops Reproduction Cart
23” long x 14” wide
5” high
20” between centers of wheels
Cup spacing: 20” long x 11.5” wide

View attachment 3265454 View attachment 3265455 View attachment 3265456 View attachment 3265457
Click to expand...

Go with the Fliptops $114.00 it will have the rubber bumpers that fit the metal guides on the bottom of the B-18’s Cabinet and the attachment screw that holds the dolly to the cart.
 
#6
Ric Vice said:
Wouldn’t a B-15N cart work?
Click to expand...

The B-18's depth is 15½", the cabinet is a bit wider, 21¾" vs 24". It should be sized for the cabinet to prevent stability issues.

I prefer to use (¾") 13 ply Baltic Birch and oversize the dolly slightly so that it sticks out a little beyond the edges of the cabinet. When moving, if you bump into anything, the dolly takes the hit rather than the cabinet. The original dollies were thinner, the 13 ply thickness will not bend like they could when the hand turned fasteners are tightened. If the dolly bows it can lock up and be hard to unscrew the fastener when removing the dolly.

EDIT: fixed the depth.
 
Last edited:
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#8
OldFenderPlayer said:
Yes, a B-15 cart will work; I purchased a reproduction cart from Fliptops soon after buying the amp. But I jumped at the chance to possibly reunite a 52 year old Ampeg fliptop with its original cart.
Click to expand...

It's a nice thought, I think I'd rather get a new one so I could move the amp around easily. The nice thing is the new cart is inexpensive and since it sits below the cabinet it's relatively unconspicquious.

beans-on-toast said:
The B-18's depth (14½") is the same but the cabinet is a bit wider, 21¾" vs 24". It should be sized for the cabinet to prevent stability issues.
Click to expand...

Well, based on what David said above, I'd just go ahead and get the one fliptops makes.

It's bascially a nice piece of plywood, four casters, a attachment screw, and four rubber

bumpers covered with blue check vinyl. If your handy you could probably make one, but

by the time you sourced all the parts and your time $114.00 may sound really good.

Just my take.
 
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#9
Ric Vice said:
It's a nice thought, I think I'd rather get a new one so I could move the amp around easily. The nice thing is the new cart is inexpensive and since it sits below the cabinet it's relatively unconspicquious.



Well, based on what David said above, I'd just go ahead and get the one fliptops makes.

It's bascially a nice piece of plywood, four casters, a attachment screw, and four rubber

bumpers covered with blue check vinyl. If your handy you could probably make one, but

by the time you sourced all the parts and your time $114.00 may sound really good.

Just my take.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I purchased a B-18 cart from Fliptops not long after I bought the amp in 2011. It was December 2018 when the original seller reached out and said they found the cart. But obviously it wasn't the right cart .. or even made by Ampeg.
 
#13
beans-on-toast said:
The B-18's depth (14½") is the same but the cabinet is a bit wider, 21¾" vs 24". It should be sized for the cabinet to prevent stability issues.
Click to expand...

David - did those dimensions come from old Ampeg documentation? The B18N should be 24" x 24", and 15- 1/4" deep.
 
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#15
I wonder if Ampeg just forgot to update the 14-1/2" dimension from the previous B15N page layout? I just checked a B18N cabinet I have here and it is definitely 15-1/4" deep. This is also a later B18N cabinet with foot cups, which are spaced 11" x 19-7/8" on center. I have to think that the 'real' dimension should be 20", even though both pairs of cups are dead-on 19-7/8".
 
#16
I suspect that it was a document mistake.

I believe that the first B-18N was released in 1963. It had a solid state rectifier that year, like the B-15N had. The next year they moved to the 5AR4 tube rectifier.

Often brochures are prepared for NAMM, June 28 - July 2 1964 in Chicago in this case (NAMM Show Location & Date History 1901-2018). This would explain why the cover date spans 1964 and 1965. I don’t have a 1963-1964 brochure to check the dimensions to see if there was a size revision. The B-18N is not in the 1962-1963 brochure.
 

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