Official Ampeg Portaflex Club

[cggaret]

I want to join, too. The Telebass is two years older then the B-15N, which is two years older than me.

-Chris

EDIT: Here's a link to an example of the amp in action-http://www.datafilehost.com/download-c8e7b12c.html. There's some direct blended in there, but you still get the growl when I dig in.

 

[JimmyM]

#74 cggaret

 

[vintageampeg]

now THAT is a cool looking bass!

 

[chipshot44]

I have finally stopped playing long enough to crack open the head to look for some date codes on my crazy red and black portaflex. From the face it must be mid 60's but the holes cut in the side made me wonder about something I read about ports cut in the side on a few early models for UB players. Mine is mostly point to point but a board gets in the way of me identifying the year by the pots so that is out and I just don't see any date code. What other options can I look for to put a year on it? Any ideas?

 

[JimmyM]

I have finally stopped playing long enough to crack open the head to look for some date codes on my crazy red and black portaflex. From the face it must be mid 60's but the holes cut in the side made me wonder about something I read about ports cut in the side on a few early models for UB players. Mine is mostly point to point but a board gets in the way of me identifying the year by the pots so that is out and I just don't see any date code. What other options can I look for to put a year on it? Any ideas?

Not really. I just looked up your Utah speaker in the Ampeg book, and it doesn't list Utah on the list of speakers used in B-15's, so you can't really go by the speaker. That just leaves date codes if the serial/schematic on the chassis tray and the serial on the tube sticker inside the cab are gone. Yours could have been made any time between 65 and 67. Definitely a B-15NF.

 

[kittyboy]

Any other recs for a sb-12 speaker besides the eminence beta 12?

I've got a black widow that came with mine and I'd like something more appropriate--lower frequency response, higher sensitivity, and probably 4ohm.

Thanks!

 

[vintageampeg]

Hey Kittyboy - congrats on the SB-12. I'd give the beta 12 a try. the original jensen in mine sound beautiful (but then again, I'm not pushing it too hard or gigging her) but unfortunately I don't have any other recommendations.

 

[chipshot44]

Thanks for looking that up Jimmy, I wonder what to do about that Utah speaker. Feel like going with the one fliptops suggests. Another quick story- at another commercial piece we own another amp was left behind. This was about two years ago and I held onto it as well- a mid 60's Harmony H-306A. Nothing like the feeling of getting something free, especially when it's free and worth something at the same time. Another notable thing left behind was a stack of early 70's Playboy magazines. Real estate can be interesting...

 

[kittyboy]

Yeah, the eminence could be good--good low freq response and good sensitivity.

And the black widow I can probably sell used for the new cost of the eminence....

 

[JimmyM]

Thanks for looking that up Jimmy, I wonder what to do about that Utah speaker. Feel like going with the one fliptops suggests. Another quick story- at another commercial piece we own another amp was left behind. This was about two years ago and I held onto it as well- a mid 60's Harmony H-306A. Nothing like the feeling of getting something free, especially when it's free and worth something at the same time. Another notable thing left behind was a stack of early 70's Playboy magazines. Real estate can be interesting...

Dang, I'm in the wrong business!

BTW, the Eminence speakers Bruce recommends work excellently and sound just like the old CTS speakers they used to use.

 

[kittyboy]

Dang, I'm in the wrong business!

BTW, the Eminence speakers Bruce recommends work excellently and sound just like the old CTS speakers they used to use.

Good volume, ie, loudish?

 

[JimmyM]

In a B-15 cab they're plenty loud. Plus they handle a lot more wattage than the CTS's.

 

[kittyboy]

In a B-15 cab they're plenty loud. Plus they handle a lot more wattage than the CTS's.

Nice. Do you use the "A" type?

 

[JimmyM]

Nice. Do you use the "A" type?

Yep, I'm using Delta 15A's.

 

[kittyboy]

Sorry for all the questions:

what's the diff between beta and delta?

oh, and if I use a 4-ohm won't I get more volume, and isn't that what Jess recommends now?

 

[kittyboy]

Found this good page for eminence info:

http://www.usspeaker.com/eminence 12-1.htm


But they dont' seem to have any 4-ohms....

 

[JimmyM]

The Beta handles less power than the Delta. Either would be tremendous overkill for a B-15, but I went with the Deltas so I could use the cabs with higher power amps, too.

And the 4 ohm thing is something I think I disagree with Jess about. It won't hurt it to run at 4 ohms, but it does change the tone to a more tight (read: slightly less tubey) sound. But if you want to try it, I'm pretty sure you can get any speaker Eminence makes in 4 ohms if you want it.

 

[kittyboy]

Thanks Jimmy.

FWIW, with the 12" at least, the deltas don't go as low in freq response as the betas. I'd rather have lower response w/less power handling, especially since the beta can handle more than enough power.

I hear you about jess. But the 4-ohm cabinet would be louder right? Twice as loud, or do I understand that wrong?

 

[JimmyM]

Nope, that twice as loud thing only works for amps without an output transformer. All tube amps have them, the vast majority of SS amps don't.

 

[kittyboy]

Aha! Thanks for that clarification.

So no gain in volume going to 4-ohm?