Why is the Ampeg B15 so coveted?

[BezzarBass]

The sound...

 

[57pbass]

Too cool.

Right up my ally...

The hi lite of my musical career was opening for STUFF at My Fathers Place on Long Island.. twice. Gadd was in the band and it was an amazing experience for us.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

You have to understand a few things about the time period and what else was available. Fender put out a PBass in 1951, but amplifier technology specific to amplifying a bass guitar didn’t exist. Ampeg had an amp before the P-Bass existed, but it was to amplify Ampeg’s upright bass mic that fit on the end pin inside an upright bass. It wasn’t made to amplify the signal from a pickup.

The Fender Bassman came out very soon after the PBass and was upgraded a few times in the 50’s, but there wasn’t a “plethora” of bass amps available through the 1950s. Bassman amps had a “normal” and a “Bright” input in the mid 50s, so the most common bass amp was used by an equal or greater number of guitarists….that is to say it wasn’t an awesome bass amp, it was just an amp.

In 1960, the B-15 comes along for $355 ($3600 in 2023 dollars), so you can imagine how serious it was to buy one. Not many people give $3600 for a bass rig today. The Portaflex was actually a bass amp, designed to amplify the signal from a magnetic pickup. The speaker was in somewhat of a ported cabinet, and it had a little more low end thump.

By comparison, it was just a better (or different in a good way) sounding amp to most. It’s not much by today’s standards, but it was sort of a first, and then bass on pop songs sounded like it was through a Portaflex for the next 30+ years (and a whole lot of bass was recorded through a Portaflex).

It was a first that wasn’t such a big deal in the whole world, but was a big deal in the bass world. “Firsts” are unique and the B-15 is certainly no different. If you don’t think so, who was the second person in space or the second pair of astronauts to walk on the moon? And in some cases the item doesn’t even have to be “first ever”, it just needs to be “best of its kind first”. That’s more like what the Portaflex achieved.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Is it not still the most recorded bass amp in history?


Depends on the gig & the genre.
There's a few situations I"d use mine, but I usually end up going for "convenience" .

A buddy of mine has a B18, converted to a 15" speaker - so a little more power.
He still gigs his regularly. They play 150 + shows a year. Just saw him last week.[/QUOTe

At this point in time, I would doubt the assertion that the pro-a-flex is the most recorded amp in history, unless from the dilution caused by the vast amount of different options in the marketplace today. But if I had to guess, I would say the most recorded is a DI of one sort or another.

 

[red_rhino]

Had one. A very frustrating amp to use live. The B-15 is essentially a giant LPF fixed at about 125hz, IMO. Of course, a lot of the bass amp tech that existed back then wasn't capable of getting the sound I really wanted, so if what you wanted happened to be the B-15 sound you were all good.

Is it not still the most recorded bass amp in history?

I'm not so sure, actually. Even way back when they were prevalent in every studio I recorded in, the engineer always had me plug into a DI as well and blended the two channels in the mix. Seemed to me that the sound was never 100% B-15. There's been a LOT of music recorded since the B-15's time.

 

[ajkula66]

A former B-15 (NF) owner here. Loved that amp and wouldn't mind owning it again, if I had the space and a real need for it. I don't.

While I can't say precisely why these are so coveted, I'd take a B-15 over any Fender Bassman from the same era every day and twice on Sundays. It just sounds warmer and more precise to my imperfect ears. Once combined with an Altec 421 - the best 15" bass speaker ever in my book - it actually becomes quite versatile.

My $0.02 only...

 

[Iristone]

Back in its time the other "good" bass amp was the Fender Showman. It was larger and could not flip-top, which might have helped the B-15's popularity as a portable amp.

 

[azureblue]

I used to wonder that too. I played one and though not much to it. Then I did a session with one and what I heard coming back through the mains told me why they are sought after..

 

[pfschim]

It's a fine amp for sure, but there is a lot of myth attached to it. I know the B15 has been used in plenty of great recordings, but FWIW, so have Fender amps. For example, David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Swampers used a Bassman and Carol Kaye used a Super Reverb open back 4x10. Sir Paul is/was pretty clueless about gear, but many Beatles and Wings recordings (as well as his live work) were done with a Fender Bassman (which gets pretty seriously razzed here on TB). And I'm sure there are many others too. And, of course, many well known bass tracks were done without an amp at all and just run into whatever console a studio used.

My personal experience with B15's is mostly in sessions, and I usually don't like the dry, un-mastered sound of them .. kind of whooly and boxy, and a little bit clacky to my ears. But in the hands of a good engineer, the resulting tracks can sure work great. If I had to use one, I would stick with the '64 version with (I think) the cathode bias and the double baffle cabinet.

By saying this, I am not intending to slight the B15 or piss off its many worshippers, I'm just saying it's not really magic, it's just another nice sounding, low watt tube amp.

 

[Johnny Fingers]

With mine I add an extension cabinet. Wish I still had the Ampeg original example with the Jensen speaker. But with the Karlson cabinet you feel it strongly without coloring the sound of the amp or having to turn up the volume. Kind of a pain to transport but definitely worth it. Gets an extra pristine timbre with a solid low end, and very amazing and unique among all bass amp examples.
Only if one hears it in person will they understand I guess.

 

[JKB1957]

The sound. You play a P-bass, with flats, through a B-15 and it sounds perfect. Can you duplicate that sound with other amps, basses, Pre-amps, absolutely. But, it just wouldn't be as cool.

 

[rapidfirerob]

Warm and wonderful. I rehearsed thoughout the 90s at the keyboard player's house with one.
Through the PA it sounded great.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I was talking about studio applications, not live. Of course a B15 is either not powerful enough or impractical live. It does have a nice grind but I don't get how it can be so useful for fingerstyle players (or even pick style) playing flats.

There were no other bass strings besides flats.

It took basses, and made them audiable in big rooms. While protecting your amp and freeing up a hand on the go.

It records very well. Which, when microphones and vibration etching were really the only means of capturing sound, that was saying a lot.

It's simple. The more control you have, the less you're happy with the product. That's the same with everything in life. 500 channels, but nothing to watch.

It's dynamic.

It's small

It looks great.

It sounds great.

 

[shadven]

I has a warm sweet sound but not much power. It's cousin, The Oliver was the same except the head rose out of the cab via a sewing machine motor. It looked neat when you turned it on.

I have an Oliver

 

[shadven]

I gig with one fairly regularly. It’s basically my cool stage monitor. I can’t remember the last time a sound man parked a mic in front of my bass amp. A DI every time, so the B-15 is for me and the drummer on stage. I do sometimes play low-Med volume gigs with it or my B-18. I have a SB-12, B-15, B-18 and an Oliver. I must say they all so similar. And I dig that sound.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Ampeg B-15 (SB12 in my case) sound great, look great and because of this they are inspiring. I will take that wherever I can get it.

same for me! My 66 SB-12 is my practice amp and for some years my gigging guitar amp (a role where it also excels). It has been my guitar recording amp on every pro studio session.

it just sounds sweet and lit up. I don’t expect it to be loud, I’ve got a pile of 100 watt heads for that.

 

[Paul New]

But is it? Which sound? The Motown sound is *not* a B15, for instance.

No, but the Stax sound is.

 

[Paul New]

My first amp was a B18X. 60 watt tube amp with an 18” JBL and a horn. Loud enough for a medium club, could be too loud in a small club. It had a cool tremolo circuit built in. If anyone knows where this amp is, I would like it back now please.

 

[JKoehler]

I’ve owned a few B15s/B18s since the early 90’s, when you could get a nice one from the 60’s for $400, my have times changed. I have more powerful wattage amps, but most times I take out my 67 B18 with a double baffle D140 JBL loaded cab that I made a few years ago.
The thing is, playing these amps with electric or upright brings me joy. If I need more volume, it gets mic’ed or run a DI out through the ext. preamp. What’s also cool about these amps is not one of them sound exactly alike. They were constantly evolving through the first 20 years of their production run, and there are no “bad” eras of these amps.
Are they for everyone? No, but I will to continue to love them, and use them till my back says so.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Loved my B-15


But it was getting too impractical for me so it was turned into this


Similar format and tone still with the Baxandall tone stack, lighter, more power.

Here's a B-15 in an unfamiliar setting.
Marcus Miller, pre- preamped Jazz bass into a B-15.

Enjoy!