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Official Ampeg Portaflex Club

#861
IMG_5434.jpg


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#864
There's a vintage example in the studio where my band usually records, and I use it at every pertinent opportunity. Mellow, forgiving, so round, so firm, so fully packed. Can't take one on stage, but there's nothing better for recording. And I play Alembic.

Utterly wonderful little amps. They were good enough for James Jamerson. They're good enough for me and then some.
 
#865
Hifiguy said:
There's a vintage example in the studio where my band usually records, and I use it at every pertinent opportunity. Mellow, forgiving, so round, so firm, so fully packed. Can't take one on stage
Click to expand...
Sure you can. I do all the time. I used to think I couldn't. Sounded great to me onstage when I did, though. So now I use them for everything. Can't play metal but you can play louder than you think.
 
#867
I'm enjoying the informative progress of this thread.

I've been taking my 66 out for rehearsals and it has kept up quite well. I have the volume at about 9 o'clock, and I know I can run it pretty well up to 12 o'clock, so there's a bit of headroom there. It's been a champ in rehearsals. My first gig with it will be this Sunday in a smallish room. I can't wait! Will def let you all know how it goes.
 
#868
If I want to use my B15N head with a different cab that has the 1/4 jacks, can I just go out the ext speaker jack of the B15N to the cab and leave the other speaker cable ( pin type ) not connected to anything?
 
#869
i picked this up on craig's list a couple weeks ago. it needed some work, so i got it back from my repair guy yesterday. i just started getting hip to these little amps, and i'm glad i did. my 68 p is as thumpy and woody as ever. the serial number on the back of the head dates it to a 66. when i opened it up to check the speaker there were 2 sets of numbers: 5815026 and 137 628 below it. i'm trying to figure out what kind of speaker this is, and if it's a different age than the amp. thanks guys!

http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e358/Hagus_MaGagus/ampeg%20b15/
 
#870
jnewmark said:
If I want to use my B15N head with a different cab that has the 1/4 jacks, can I just go out the ext speaker jack of the B15N to the cab and leave the other speaker cable ( pin type ) not connected to anything?
Click to expand...
I have heard that it's not good to only run the ext speaker jack. Fortunately, adapter cables for your 4-pin are readily available at places like Fliptops.net.
 
#871
So Jimmy--you're saying max volume by running the built-in cab from the main out, and running an external cab from the ext speaker jack?

Yours truly is a beautiful rig, btw. You had the extension custom built, right? What's in there again?
 
#872
kittyboy said:
So Jimmy--you're saying max volume by running the built-in cab from the main out, and running an external cab from the ext speaker jack?

Yours truly is a beautiful rig, btw. You had the extension custom built, right? What's in there again?
Click to expand...
Yeah, you can almost double your output with an ext cab. It was amazing. And to believe I almost never did it because the first time I tried it, I had a speaker wired out of phase so it just cancelled out my sound. Then Sedan Dad told me he does it and it's amazing and suggested the out of phase problem. Sure enough...

In the pic, I'm using a Fliptops cab on the bottom and the actual 64 cab it came with. The Fiiptops is loaded with an Eminence Delta 15A and the 64 is loaded with a 66 CTS Ampeg custom. Honestly, they sound identical to me. Since then I got a second extension cab made beautifully by vintage-blue.us, also loaded with a Delta 15A, and I use it and the Fliptops on gigs now so I don't mess up the real cab.
 
#874
BassGreaser said:
I'm using my Ampeg B25B with an EBS classic series 4x10 that has been rewired for a 16ohm load. Do you think my 4x10 will be just as loud as 2 15's?
Click to expand...

To even think about that question you'd have to consider

1. the wattage of the amp

2. the design of the amp

3. the sensitivity of the cabs (SPLs)

4. the impedence of the suggested 2 15s.

Even then . . . . I'm not exactly sure if this is the right thread for that question to be posed.
 
#875
JimmyM said:
Yeah, you can almost double your output with an ext cab. It was amazing. And to believe I almost never did it because the first time I tried it, I had a speaker wired out of phase so it just cancelled out my sound. Then Sedan Dad told me he does it and it's amazing and suggested the out of phase problem. Sure enough...

In the pic, I'm using a Fliptops cab on the bottom and the actual 64 cab it came with. The Fiiptops is loaded with an Eminence Delta 15A and the 64 is loaded with a 66 CTS Ampeg custom. Honestly, they sound identical to me. Since then I got a second extension cab made beautifully by vintage-blue.us, also loaded with a Delta 15A, and I use it and the Fliptops on gigs now so I don't mess up the real cab.
Click to expand...

So now you bring the whole B-15 + 2 ext cabs, or do you just bring the B-15 head and the 2 cabs?

Thanks for spreading this info btw. I'd love to use my B-15 live.

Here's a question for you:

Would using a 2X15 cab from one out be the same volume-wise as running 2 1X15s from separate outs, assuming the 15s were all equivalent specs?
 
#876
kittyboy said:
So now you bring the whole B-15 + 2 ext cabs, or do you just bring the B-15 head and the 2 cabs?

Thanks for spreading this info btw. I'd love to use my B-15 live.

Here's a question for you:

Would using a 2X15 cab from one out be the same volume-wise as running 2 1X15s from separate outs, assuming the 15s were all equivalent specs?
Click to expand...
I think so, but a lot of that depends on the design of the cab. The double and single baffle cabs are loud. The 70's B-15 cabs aren't quite as loud. But assuming the 215 is as loud as the two B-15 cabs, I see no reason why it wouldn't work. I used to use mine with a 410 back in the days that I didn't trust its carrying abilities.

BTW, I bring the head mounted in the VB cab + the Fliptops cab. The 64 stays at home.
 
#877
JimmyM said:
I think so, but a lot of that depends on the design of the cab. The double and single baffle cabs are loud. The 70's B-15 cabs aren't quite as loud. But assuming the 215 is as loud as the two B-15 cabs, I see no reason why it wouldn't work. I used to use mine with a 410 back in the days that I didn't trust its carrying abilities.

BTW, I bring the head mounted in the VB cab + the Fliptops cab. The 64 stays at home.
Click to expand...

That was my next quetion, what do I carry the head in?
 
#880
jnewmark said:
If I want to use my B15N head with a different cab that has the 1/4 jacks, can I just go out the ext speaker jack of the B15N to the cab and leave the other speaker cable ( pin type ) not connected to anything?
Click to expand...

The output transformer on the B15N has 8 and 16 ohm taps. The 4-pin connector is connected to the 8 ohm tap. The speaker in the ampeg cab is rated at 8 ohms. So when you plug in the cab through the 4-pin connector, you are matching the 8 ohm tap with the 8 ohm speaker.

The external jack is intended to be connected to a second 8 ohm speaker cabinet while the 4-pin cable is connected to the main cabinet. In this configuration, you are using the 16 ohm transformer tap connected to the two 8 ohm speakers connected in series whose impedance totals 16 ohms.

The connections are wired (at least on my amp) so that you can not use just the external speaker jack and leave the 4-pin plug unconnected.

If you had a dummy 4-pin socket with pin-2 and pin-3 shorted, and pin-1 and pin-4 shorted, you could plug this into the 4-pin plug coming out of your amp and connect a 16 ohm cabinet to the external speaker connector on the amp.

This should all be as clear as mud now. :crying:

David
 

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