New ampeg speculation - A true B15 Reissue?

[SGD Lutherie]

I'm no electronics guru, so can any of you experts out there tell by looking at that pic how many watts the amp will put out? It appears to me that there are six power tubes across the top of the pic, but again, I'm no expert.

Depends on what the tubes are. The original had two 6L6GCs. It also had three 6LS7s and a 5AR4. So that's six tubes. Only two were power tubes (6L6GC). Three were preamp tubes and the other was the full-wave rectifier.

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[TheWolf]

aw, you guys... if only being the founder of the talkbass portaflex club, playing with bowzer from sha na na, and using a 1964 b-15n rebuilt by jess oliver on a regular basis in front of crowds of thousands carried the endorsement weight of darryl jones

It does when most professional endorsers are about the $$$$. Play one brand of Amp/Bass Guitar then someone offers more for another signature series and they are gone... (Not including Mr. Jones in this category)

 

[SGD Lutherie]

listen, the b-15n is for those who 30w is enough and who don't mind lifting a little more than a 110 neo/class d combo.

Umm, 25 Watts. Yeah, but people are spoiled now because you can get a 5 lb head that's like 500 watts.

Like I said, people want more power these days. But more tube power means bigger transformers, and then the damn thing gets heavy.. like my Mesa 400+. 45 lbs for just the head.

make a b-15n 300w and it's no longer a b-15n...it's an svt.

No, it would be a loud B-15. The B-15 had a nice sounding EQ/preamp. The SVT doesn't. When they added all those stupid ultra lo and high switches to the B-15 they ruined the thing. You remember that version, right?

I used to slave my B-15 to a power amp and 2X15 cab. That sounded nice.

 

[JimmyM]

It does when most professional endorsers are about the $$$$. Play one brand of Amp/Bass Guitar then someone offers more for another signature series and they are gone... (Not including Mr. Jones in this category)

well one good thing about darryl jones is that he's got onstage experience using a b-15n with the stones so he knows what they're supposed to sound like. i think he's a good choice to premiere it.

 

[beans-on-toast]

It looks like a very nice amp!

Perhaps based on the NF model with a fixed bias. I see what could be a bias pot.

It looks like they've eliminated the traditional cap can. This is a good thing.

There are four jacks in the back. Probably two for the speaker, one for ext amp in/out, and one mystery jack.

A choke would make the power supply a little quieter but it will also make it stiffer -- less sag. Good for the lower end, bad for growl. Some designs provide a switch to remove the choke from the circuit so you can have it either way.

I don't see buss lines for ground and high voltages. Maybe it is just the resolution of the image. I'm wondering if they have circuit traces on the back side of the eyelet board for these busses. This wouldn't be a bad thing.

They've used a combination of carbon composition resistors in the signal path to provide a vintage sound and quieter resistors in other parts of the circuit. This provides a classic tone while minimizing noise.

It will be interesting to hear some clips and get people's impressions.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

well one good thing about darryl jones is that he's got onstage experience using a b-15n with the stones so he knows what they're supposed to sound like. i think he's a good choice to premiere it.

What?

From Mr Jones:

When I started with Miles Davis I used an Ampeg SVT with Hartke repacement speakers (this was before Harke was building their own cabinets). After that I used Hartke 4X10 cabinets an Ashley preamp with several different power amps (Yamaha, QSC, Crown).

While playing with Sting I heard my bass through Omar Hakim's drum monitor (Meyer Sound) and realized that was the sound I was looking for. I've been using Meyer Sound P.A. equipment in some configuration ever since then.

I also use Epifani Amps and speakers. My sound has always been based on lots of clean power and Epifani speakers are the only cabs other than the Meyer Sound that handle lots of power with clean, clear reproduction of sound.

On the present Stones tour I've added a couple of Ampeg SVT amps for a more warm tube sound. Also, because the Meyer rig is a tri-amp system it's imposible to mike in this situation. Tube amps respond differently to the touch than solid state amps(much more sensitive) do so I'm experimenting with that difference now.

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[JimmyM]

Umm, 25 Watts. Yeah, but people are spoiled now because you can get a 5 lb head that's like 500 watts.

Like I said, people want more power these days. But more tube power means bigger transformers, and then the damn thing gets heavy.. like my Mesa 400+. 45 lbs for just the head.

yeah, and the svt is still the most popular amp on pro stages bar none. people who like ampegs don't mind the weight. i used my svt/810 for the past two nights playing one nighters. why? because i can't stand not to use it on my bigger gigs.

No, it would be a loud B-15. The B-15 had a nice sounding EQ/preamp. The SVT doesn't. When they added all those stupid ultra lo and high switches to the B-15 they ruined the thing. You remember that version, right?

i certainly do. used to have one...a 77. it was fantastic, too. only reason i sold it is because i liked the double baffle cab a little bit better. but the head was great.

and you can easily eq an svt to sound like a b-15. remember, you don't have to use the switches if you don't want to.

I used to slave my B-15 to a power amp and 2X15 cab. That sounded nice.

of course it did. that's why they added that feature to it. thinking ahead.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

yeah, and the svt is still the most popular amp on pro stages bar none.

OK, please back that up with some numbers.

Just as with saying most studios use B-15s.. they don't, but I'm sure some do.

and you can easily eq an svt to sound like a b-15. remember, you don't have to use the switches if you don't want to.

No, you can't. Totally different tone stack. You can't even get an SVT flat. It always has a big hump at 250Hz, and has the low end rolled off. The ultra lo switch actually scoops the mids to sound deeper. The guy that did the EQ (can't recall his name) used to design phono EQs, and they roll the low end off there too. He did that so the amp wouldn't sound boomy in large rooms.

of course it did. that's why they added that feature to it. thinking ahead.

Lots of amps had that back then.

 

[JimmyM]

What?

he used a b-15 on the b-stage during the bridges to babylon tour.

 

[Spencer!]

OK, please back that up with some numbers.

Been to any concerts lately?

 

[JimmyM]

No, you can't. Totally different tone stack. You can't even get an SVT flat. It always has a big hump at 250Hz, and has the low end rolled off. The ultra lo switch actually scoops the mids to sound deeper. The guy that did the EQ (can't recall his name) used to design phono EQs, and they roll the low end off there too. He did that so the amp wouldn't sound boomy in large rooms.

bull hockey sticks! i do it all the time. you just don't know the secret. hint: you don't leave the knobs at noon.

Lots of amps had that back then.

whatever.

 

[johnk_10]

seeing that B15 circuit brought a smile to my face. it really looks like ampeg is doing this one right.

 

[JimmyM]

seeing that B15 circuit brought a smile to my face. it really looks like ampeg is doing this one right.

resistance...wearing...down...... must...not...reach...for...credit...card...

 

[MAMMOTHvolume]

Next pic just popped up on Facebook...

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not a huge fan of the layout / lead dress especially for the price point they're asking for!

 

[Jay Corwin]

There's really no reason for me to buy another amp right? No reason....don't use half of the ones I own now. Yep no reason.


.....do I need a reason?

Reason with me...

 

[John D]

not a huge fan of the layout / lead dress especially for the price point they're asking for!

What specifically are you referring to? Not arguing, just curious.

 

[coreyfyfe]

What specifically are you referring to? Not arguing, just curious.

Especially considering they haven't released a price yet

 

[Jay Corwin]

I do hope though that they don't put some big "heritage series" logo right on the front of the cab or anything. One thing about that series of ampeg is that they not only sound great, but they look so damn cool. It'd be like seeing giant hip-hopper rims on a '57 chevy or something. Or similar to when Fender slapped that ugly new logo on the TV series amps.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

Been to any concerts lately?

Yes, I have. At the last concert I went to the bass player was using an SWR.

I don't like SVTs. I do like B-15s.

 

[Jonyak]

not a huge fan of the layout / lead dress especially for the price point they're asking for!

looks like a pretty high quality, point to point turret board hand wired assembly to me.

the same you would get in many boutique hand made amplifiers.