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Newbie question: Ampeg BA-115 seems too quiet?

#21
I have one and it really won't get any louder past the 12:00 volume and master postitions. However, you can get quite a bit of boost by increasing your bass EQ control, say to about 3:00, or more, as desired. And, put the style control in the 2-or-3 position. You can also place the amp a foot or less away from a solid wall, not tipped back, sturdy on the floor. It's not my main gig rig, but adding my SABBDI as a pre-amp it can thump pretty good with a classic country band or small bar blues jam.
 
#27
Sorry, I can't comment if your amp is broken or not, although it sounds like it is given the comments from greater brains than mine.
I have one of these too (with the "tweeter mod"), and agree that it is a little soft, but it's great for practice.
When we rehearse, or play small cafe type gigs with my 4 piece blues band I put a Boss EQ or a VTBass pedal in front to boost the signal from my passive Fenders a little.
It sounds great and can hang with a the band... but we don't play loud anyhow, we level out at the level of accoustic volume of the drums of course and our drummer usually uses brushes or canes.
 
#29
ensdms said:
Hi. Just joined this forum after recently buying a secondhand bass and amp (I play g**tar as well). I had a question that maybe one of you more experienced bassists can help with. The amp is an Ampeg BA-115 combo, rated at 100W. The problem is that I need to have both the gain and master volumes set to maximum to get any kind of sound from the amp. It certainly does not sound like 100W and there is no way it would be audible over a drumkit! The sound level is identical for both the "0dB" and "-15dB" inputs. I have tried the bass through my g**tar amp, which is 60 W and it sounds a LOT louder. The bass amp has a CD input and I found that when playing a line-level signal from my MP3 player, etc. through this, the amp sounds as loud as I would expect (even louder than the guitar amp in fact). I suspected there might be a problem with the pre-amp and so to check this, I connected the MP3 to the 0dB 1/4" tele input and found that the volume was _exactly_ the same as when I plugged it into the CD-in. So my question is, does it sound like the pre-amp stage could be damaged so that it simply is not amplifying the signal from the bass pick-up ? Or is it just that this amp requires a higher input signal. The bass I am using is an entry-level Yamaha. Any help greatly appreciated!
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Hi a quick welcome to the neighborhood! :) Just a footnote not related to your amp, you'll get plenty of professional advice here. You don't have to asterick ** guitar. I started out on guitar many years ago, but I always listened to bass. When a better guitarist came along, I made my jump to bass but I never regretted the valuable chordal knowledge I gained from starting on guitar first. Then, fast forward to today. I was in a band, and the lead guitarist died. Now, along with guesting on bass in several bands, I play as a single with guitar. Although all my life I will always be a bass player first, I am also entertaining as a guitarist/singer.

Variety is the spice of life! :bassist:
 
#30
JimmyM said:
BWAHAHAHA!!! Listening with your eyes? New ones and old ones sound the same to me.

Anyway, if the 0db and -15db inputs are the same volume, then it is most definitely broken and stuck in -15db mode. Probably won't be a major ordeal to get fixed, but I'm not a tech so I couldn't tell you what it is. I'm sure techs will come along soon to give you ideas, though. People can debate whether a 100w 115 amp is loud enough to hang with a band...some can use it, some can't. But your amp's broken and it's not some problem with not having enough power. At the very least it should be thumping pretty good and hold its own at a rehearsal without having to dime it.
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Yeah I dont know what I was thinking. If the inputs are the same then thats the problem not any low rating made in China BS.
 
#31
I played a BA 115 in a band setting. It just wasn't loud enough, IME.

It's an OK amp, but you have to have everything just right for it to cut through. If the guitar players are a little boomy and the drummer is bashing away, it just won't work IME. I've liked all the Ampeg stuff I've played, not an Ampeg basher at all, but the BA 115 just came up short to gig with. Or maybe a better way to say it would be, "barely enough".

Hopefully fixing the switch helps and bump your mids like everybody else said.
 
#32
klokker said:
I played a BA 115 in a band setting. It just wasn't loud enough, IME.

It's an OK amp, but you have to have everything just right for it to cut through. If the guitar players are a little boomy and the drummer is bashing away, it just won't work IME. I've liked all the Ampeg stuff I've played, not an Ampeg basher at all, but the BA 115 just came up short to gig with. Or maybe a better way to say it would be, "barely enough".

Hopefully fixing the switch helps and bump your mids like everybody else said.
Click to expand...

Wonder if the new Micro CL is the better bang for the buck here, same price as the BA115 but at least some reviews I've read were impressed with the volume it puts out.
 
#36
Played through one of these last night- I was maybe using 2/3 of the headroom and it was adequate for my 8 piece R&B band.

Could have used a tad more treble but I stay conservative in this band- the trumpet player is an old curmudgeon.

All I heard was the blasted keyboard all night anyways.
All I need to hear on stage is, just enough of my playing for reference, lots of bass drum, and enough vocals for queuing purposes.
 

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