Jerrold Tiers once described them as great sounding little heads paired with very inefficient cabs. I never got to try either the heads or cabs. But I do like their current offerings.
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Will Ampeg ever make a Micro?
- Thread starter alaskaleftybass
- Start date
Yes, maybe they'll go to class D in the early 2000's, which is when the first Ampeg class D amp came out.
Not really...a lot of us think this is pretty cute:
Being married for nearly 30 years, those rolling eyes are a familiar cue to me! LOL.
I agree, the mini-SVT head is a nice piece of equipment. Looks like it's dad!
All I know about class D is that those digital watts they put out aren't nearly as loud as those solid state watts, they just don't have the "heft" to them.
Edit: This post is sarcasm
Edit: This post is sarcasm
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All I know about class D is that those digital watts they put out aren't nearly as loud as those solid state watts, they just don't have the "heft" to them.
I agree. There's something majestic about 300 "tube watts." You KNOW it's gonna be BIG!
But for some of us, even a 500 watt Class D might suffice.
I remember when I owned the V4B wayyy back.... 100 tube watts??? I played packed clubs with that head and never wanted for volume and tone to the bone!
New V4B weighs 20 lbs less than the old one. Still 41 lbs, but while it won't fit in your gig bag, it's still an easy tote 
Yes, maybe they'll go to class D in the early 2000's, which is when the first Ampeg class D amp came out.
Not really...a lot of us think this is pretty cute:
Yes, but no one took this amp seriously for gigging. Really - I've never heard of anyone putting that on top of their 4x10 and blasting it.
In the future bass players will be horrified as they find their amps at the bottom of the washing machine, realizing that they didn't check their pants pockets before tossing them in the wash. Instead of finding just dimes, nickels and M & M's, they'll find their old amps under the couch cushions.
Tubes are bigger than transistors. So of course it follows that tubes watts are louder than transistor watts.
I've gigged with it a million times, not on a 410 but two 210's. Ain't the loudest amp out there but it's got a sound.
wmhill
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- Aug 20, 2012
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I do around a hundred gigs a year, and not unheard of to do two a day. I'm often driving 50+ miles each way, and because of that I drive a Subaru. These factors make the micro stuff very appealing. The stuff is easier to lug around. and transport. I use a Tecamp Puma 900 head (900 watts 2.2 pounds) and a matching S212 cab (42 pounds). It sounds great and is very back friendly. I was skeptical at first but after using this class D stuff for 2 years now-I'd never go back. This is a picture of my head..in my base case.
I've actually paired it with a Berg AE410 for a couple of gigs. It sounds great, but as to be expected, it runs out of gas relatively quickly, even with an efficient cab. It's definitely a "FOH Support Only" type of amp.
But it does sound awesome and does a very convincing job of nailing the sound of a clean SVT, albeit, a bit stiffer on the front end.
We are a Mackie/Ampeg authorized service center. A few years ago, when they first came out, we were seeing quite a few PF's with build quality issues. Now we see very few. I'm not privy to any actual ECO's and I'm not a tech so wouldn't be able to say A, B or C have been changed/revised. I'm only reporting a data point that might support the finding that what is found on the very long memory of an internet message board may not accurately represent today's reality.
Mugre
You aren't trying to get anything. Your mind is made up that your way is the best way so you interject. Fair enough, but stop pretending you don't understand. That's trolling.Yeah, seriously. I didn't get it. I haven't seen anyone use one at gigs up this way yet, and even the "carry it in a gigbag" benefit doesn't make a ton of sense *to me*. Most folks are carrying a ~9 or so pound bass, a 30-40 pound cab (or an IEM setup), and a head. Maybe if I werre riding trains to gigs or something? But, that is just me, and there is obviously a substantial market want for them, otherwise so many companies would've have jumped in on it.
I'm not advocating one way or the other, just trying to get it. Here is what I've heard so far as the benefits (neither of which I "knew" before asking in this thread, for what it is worth):
1) Even smaller than already small heads - it'll fit in a lot of gig bag pockets (which, I guess people put amps in gig bags - that's news to me)
2) Even lighter than already light heads - I suppose this makes the gig bag weigh less when you stuff a head into it
I'm sure for some folks those are huge benefits. I just haven't actually seen someone benefiting from it in person or here on talkbass.
Passinwind
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- Dec 3, 2003
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I remember being kind of intrigued when those came out.
FWIW, The G-K MB150 heads were up to Series III by 1999. And Peavey were doing Class D bass amps by the mid-80s. Link Removed
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OP, I would be willing to bet Ampeg is working on one as Talkbass cranks out these five pages of OT posts!
This '71 plays just fine through this rig with NO CUTOUTS. Flip the top, plug AC and speaker, and be done with it. Take one cab or two depending on the club.
I have a Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.2 that weighs 3.75 pounds. It replaced a Sunn Coliseum-300 that weighed nearly 40 pounds. I tweaked my back with the Sunn and I'll never hurt myself moving either the G-B amp or the Shuttle series cabs (one is 32 pounds, 36 with the Shuttle docked on it, and the other is 36 pounds) that I have for it. The sound is excellent, the portability is outstanding, the power (600W with both cabs) far exceeds anything I need, and nothing could convince me to go back to heavy amps and cabs.
Not everyone needs or wants heavy amps and cabs.
I can take the top cab with me (amp docked) and have 300W in a 36-pound package, or grab the second cab and carry both into the venue, which enables the amp to push up to 600W.
I can ask: does anyone LIKE moving 50-pound amps and 100-pound cabs around? If so, for heaven's sake, why? Isn't it just a sacrifice you make because you don't have a better option to get the sound you want?
I have a Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.2 that weighs 3.75 pounds. It replaced a Sunn Coliseum-300 that weighed nearly 40 pounds. I tweaked my back with the Sunn and I'll never hurt myself moving either the G-B amp or the Shuttle series cabs (one is 32 pounds, 36 with the Shuttle docked on it, and the other is 36 pounds) that I have for it. The sound is excellent, the portability is outstanding, the power (600W with both cabs) far exceeds anything I need, and nothing could convince me to go back to heavy amps and cabs.
Not everyone needs or wants heavy amps and cabs.
I can take the top cab with me (amp docked) and have 300W in a 36-pound package, or grab the second cab and carry both into the venue, which enables the amp to push up to 600W.
Sweet rig!
