Love the old Ampegs

[Nigel]

But the surviving amps from the '70's are getting to be pretty thrashed - if you can even find one.

Why doesn't some enterprising young amp builder put out an amp that sounds like an old VT-40 or V4? I know the unusual tubes Ampeg used were responsible for a good part of their tone but couldn't someone put a similar sounding circuit together with 6L6's, EF86's, etc.? (Please?? :) )

The old Ampegs had/have such a great tone but I don't know of any amp builder that's building such a beast these days.

I'm looking at buying an old AC-12 right now. It sounds very good but it looks like it spent a few years under a pile at the local dump. The chassis is barely attached and it looks like someone took a chainsaw to the left side of the cab. :o

[tmac]

+100
Those old Vt40 with the 4 tens were just killer amps. One of the best ever IMHO. Hard to find in nice shape and very underated. I keep hoping I'll stumble across one.

There are schems posted on these, shouldn't be too hard to replicate.

[Nigel]

Yeah, the VT-40's are one of the greatest guitar tones ever.

Originally posted by tmac
[BThere are schems posted on these, shouldn't be too hard to replicate. [/B]

If I knew one end of a soldering iron from another I'd be tempted to give it a shot. :)

[tiltrite]

Have a cherry condition 1973 Ampeg V2 w/ matching 4x12 here and it is fantastic. Original Magnavox 7067(?) tubes in it. It's Super Stonesey 60 watts. VERY loud, when cranked- so I'm sure the v4 is even louder. Has a great spring reverb that sounds like an old sci-fi movie when cranked. Also useful is the extra pushbutton EQ and treble boost/cut that you can use to optimize the amp for use with diff pups & guitars . It also sounds great with a bass- not just good but great, esp. when adding some fuzz. wow. You can still pick one up for relatively cheap, too- definitely still in the sleeper category- for now. It's a way heavy amp and the 4x12 is the size of 1.5 "normal" 4x12's, so bring a backbrace.

[Leonc]

Old Ampegs are worthless junk. Everyone knows that. There's absolutely no point in talking about here. Professing detailed ravings of love about your old VT40 or whatever will do nothing but get a lot of people worked up, causing the prices to get silly, as they have for various other better known (and more deserving, I might add) amps. Please refrain from any further discussion. Thank you for complying with my request.
This message brought to you by the American Asscocation of Anonymous Ampeg Haters (AAAAH).


















;) :cool:

[erksin]

Yeah - and I *HATE* the '60s diamond-check combos that are so undervalued it's silly (like my '64 Reverberocket w/2-7591As). I cannot stress enough how much people should avoid these amps at all cost. In fact, I'm willing to take any Ampeg lying around that anyone might have. I'll even play poorly through it so others are forced to whince and run away - works with my other amps...

[Nigel]

On second thought...yes, the Ampegs suck very, very hard. No channel switching! No fresh, new circuit boards with Sovtek 12ax7wa's stuck straight into them! They are to be avoided at all costs. Awful, dirty old amps! :D

[B3Nut]

And I just *hate* my '71 B-25 2x12 combo! Good thing I only paid $10 at a garage sale for it, what a joke! :D It's so bad, I feel I need to relieve more folks of the ownership of these, I have a safe disposal place for these horrible vintage Ampegs. :D

You heard it here kiddies, unload those scary bad Ampegs on us over here and go get yourselves a nice Transtube or Line 6! Modern technology is better, after all..... :D :D :D

Todd in Beerbratistan

[Tone Loco]

Originally posted by tmac
+100
Those old Vt40 with the 4 tens were just killer amps. One of the best ever IMHO. Hard to find in nice shape and very underated. I keep hoping I'll stumble across one.

There are schems posted on these, shouldn't be too hard to replicate.

The question is, why with all the booteek amp makers out there, nobody does? Any of the ampegs... a real mystery.

[Patch]

Originally posted by Tone Loco
The question is, why with all the booteek amp makers out there, nobody does? Any of the ampegs... a real mystery.

The booteek amp builders have trouble to survive selling clones or variations of Marshall/Fender/Vox amps and these amps are WELL known. I think that, for one Ampeg-clone buyer, you probably have 100 Marshall/Fender/Vox clone buyers. For me that's a good reason for not doing it.

My 0.02$! :)

IMHO, we should all continue to hate those ugly Ampeg in silence!

[57special]

Originally posted by B3Nut
And I just *hate* my '71 B-25 2x12 combo! Good thing I only paid $10 at a garage sale for it, what a joke! :D It's so bad, I feel I need to relieve more folks of the ownership of these, I have a safe disposal place for these horrible vintage Ampegs. :D

You heard it here kiddies, unload those scary bad Ampegs on us over here and go get yourselves a nice Transtube or Line 6! Modern technology is better, after all..... :D :D :D

Todd in Beerbratistan

You've got youself a rare beastie, if it's original. i've never heard of a B25 combo

[erksin]

Originally posted by Patch
The booteek amp builders have trouble to survive selling clones or variations of Marshall/Fender/Vox amps and these amps are WELL known. I think that, for one Ampeg-clone buyer, you probably have 100 Marshall/Fender/Vox clone buyers. For me that's a good reason for not doing it.

My 0.02$! :)

IMHO, we should all continue to hate those ugly Ampeg in silence!

The only Ampeg-ish boutique amp out there is the Warbler/Juke stuff I think. He incorporates the Ampeg style reverb circuit into his Fender/Ampeg/Supro/Magnatone inspired amps.

The reissue Ampegs are nothing like the old ones. I wonder why they went that route? Seems like their stuff just gets lost in the Crate/Traynor/etc crowd...

[B3Nut]

Originally posted by 57special
You've got youself a rare beastie, if it's original. i've never heard of a B25 combo

After I got it home I looked online for information on it, saw a few references to a head and one reference to a combo. I have no idea what kind of speakers it has, I need to get a clutch-head screwdriver (cursed oddball fasteners!)

I'd post a pic but I have no web space.

TP

[erksin]

Originally posted by B3Nut
After I got it home I looked online for information on it, saw a few references to a head and one reference to a combo. I have no idea what kind of speakers it has, I need to get a clutch-head screwdriver (cursed oddball fasteners!)

I'd post a pic but I have no web space.

TP

Go to any good Ace Hardware - they carry the Clutch-head drivers...

[SBlue]

I have two V4 heads and one V4 4x12 cab from around 72/73. Unlike most of the other V4s(as said by other people), mine ones break up very early(volume after 3/ after 4 is already singin!!), and they had never been moded. I use to have also a mid 60's reverberocket that had one of the best reverbs I've heard so far. Not to say that the 60s and early 70s SVT are the most badass bass amps ever!!! And the B15 ther best recording bass amp ever made!!! Again, IMHO.
Old Ampegs rule!!!!
SBlue

[hawkeyeinexile]

Originally posted by erksin
The only Ampeg-ish boutique amp out there is the Warbler/Juke stuff I think. He incorporates the Ampeg style reverb circuit into his Fender/Ampeg/Supro/Magnatone inspired amps....

yes, he does & quite well, too. i have a Juke 1210 & a '61 Reverberocket.

btw, here's a recent e-bay deal that nearly killed me w/G.A.S.:

guy gets a Reverberocket from The Man (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7324547599&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1)

:cool:

[Nigel]

Bought this on Saturday. Just trying to keep these awful old amps out of the hands of youngsters. :D ;)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/mothra2005/Ampeg%20V-4/IMG_0259.jpg

[Wakarusa]

As the happy owner of a VT-22, GV-15, and a mid 60's Reverberocket 2 (with 7591A's) and as a boo-teek builder...

There's no profit in cloning old Ampegs. You can pick up a V-4 head in good condition for under $500. Even after your tech recaps, updates the bias circuit and installs a fresh set of 6550 (instead of 7027A) you're what? $700 all in?

It'd cost me almost that much in parts to clone the thing. Maybe more.

[Laroosco!]

Originally posted by erksin
Yeah - and I *HATE* the '60s diamond-check combos that are so undervalued it's silly (like my '64 Reverberocket w/2-7591As). I cannot stress enough how much people should avoid these amps at all cost. In fact, I'm willing to take any Ampeg lying around that anyone might have. I'll even play poorly through it so others are forced to whince and run away - works with my other amps...

I just picked up a '64 for $400
And it sounds "horrible" wink wink

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/Laroosco/AMPEG64.jpg

[Nigel]

Originally posted by Wakarusa
There's no profit in cloning old Ampegs. You can pick up a V-4 head in good condition for under $500. Even after your tech recaps, updates the bias circuit and installs a fresh set of 6550 (instead of 7027A) you're what? $700 all in?

It'd cost me almost that much in parts to clone the thing. Maybe more.

I understand what you're saying, Todd, but aren't there some circuit ideas in the old Ampegs that could be, say, a second channel in a new amp? Besides, people often don't mind paying up for a shiny new amp with a warranty where they know there's no questionable history to it. The V-4 I just bought looks good and sounds great but it could have been used as a boat anchor for all I know. It's also missing the reverb pan so no reverb.

You add a good master volume, reverb, maybe tremolo or some other dohickeys, cover it with snakeskin and - voila - you've got the $1500 Wakarusa Overdrive Deluxe. :) People would be lining up around the block.

[Nigel]

Originally posted by Laroosco!
I just picked up a '64 for $400
And it sounds "horrible" wink wink

Good score. Somebody's gotta keep these awful things off the streets. :D

[hawkeyeinexile]

Originally posted by Nigel
...
You add a good master volume, reverb, maybe tremolo or some other dohickeys, cover it with snakeskin and - voila - you've got the... Juke (http://www.jukeamps.com/models.htm#1210) ...

:cool:

(and if you want it hand-wired PTP, it's gonna cost a little more than $1600, unless you can find one used...)

[larrylover]

Questions by one ignorant of ampeg:

How well does the B15N portaflex work as a guitar amp?

Views of a 60s J-12. Are there better versions of the ampeg 1X12 combo?

The v4 is a 100 watt head, correct? Does it stay clean at high volume? Is it loud like a twin reverb? louder?

Thanks in advance.

[Wakarusa]

Originally posted by larrylover
Questions by one ignorant of ampeg:

How well does the B15N portaflex work as a guitar amp?

Really well.

Views of a 60s J-12. Are there better versions of the ampeg 1X12 combo?

Reverberockets have reverb.

The v4 is a 100 watt head, correct?

Advertised that way, yes.

Does it stay clean at high volume? Is it loud like a twin reverb? louder?

Yes, yes, and yes. More clean headroom than the twin reverb, though a different tonality (a bit more sterile than the Fender). The V-4 (and, in combo form, the VT-22) have some interesting features that make 'em versatile -- 3 levels of attenuation on the input, variable center frequency for the mid control, hi and lo boost. Nicely tweakable. Also, these amps have huge transformers -- they'll easily push a quad of 6550 well over 100W of output.

Thanks in advance.

You're welcome.

[Wakarusa]

Originally posted by Nigel

You add a good master volume, reverb, maybe tremolo or some other dohickeys, cover it with snakeskin and - voila - you've got the $1500 Wakarusa Overdrive Deluxe. :) People would be lining up around the block.

Ampeg inspired and cloned Ampeg are different animals :)
And the truth is that if you really nail the Ampeg tone you're targeting a relatively small audience.

For me, I've made the (suicidal?) choice to try to capture the "Wakarusa" sound -- potentially serving an even smaller audience ;)

[fast ricky love]

What? No Gemini I fans here??? I'd love one of those... :)

[The Eristic]

I've been aching for a Gemini 1x15" for three or four years now.

[cameron]

Originally posted by Nigel
I understand what you're saying, Todd, but aren't there some circuit ideas in the old Ampegs that could be, say, a second channel in a new amp?

There are probably lots of interesting ideas in the Ampeg schematics. If I recall correctly the famous "Paul C mod" was not created by Paul Cochrane, but popularized by him after he noticed that detail in an Ampeg circuit, and experimented with it on various Fender amps.

The engineers at Ampeg were a competent bunch. Amp designers who want to make the clean channels on their designs sound sweet would do well to look to the old Ampeg schems for ideas.

[tga-3]

Didn't Mick Taylor and Keith use Ampegs on stage? Gotta love Keith's crunch and Mick's thick leads on "Get Your Ya Ya's Out." Anyone confirm the models they used?
Thanks,
Rick

[Bruster]

You guys are slaying me. I have an Ampeg V2 and a B25B cab that I've been stuck with for 32 years. Why? Because it was never worth enough to bother selling it!
Now I gotta read you guys gloating over how cheap you can get them for....

I will say its damn reliable-- it still has the same tubes after 32 years. Guess that means I don't crank it much-- it is loud! It sounds so neutral it is actually excellent at amping my Roland guit synth and drum machines.

After reading your raves I plugged it in again and ran it through a hot plate and cranked it a bit-- it doesn't sound quite as bland as I remember it sounding after all. It has some potential I guess.

MAybe I ought to take it to Todd and have him soup it up. What cha got going Todd-- can you make this thing into a Wakarusa OD or not?

[Wakarusa]

Originally posted by tga-3
Anyone confirm the models they used?


VT-22, though I couldn't tell you when or where.

[Wakarusa]

Originally posted by Bruster

MAybe I ought to take it to Todd and have him soup it up. What cha got going Todd-- can you make this thing into a Wakarusa OD or not?

Give me a call :D

[SBlue]

Originally posted by tga-3
Anyone confirm the models they used?



VT-22, though I couldn't tell you when or where.

Live Mick and Keith used V4s, but sometimes Keith would use a SVT.
"Get Your Ya Ya's Out" is all V4s.
SBlue

[57special]

nothing. V4 and V2 are heads, Vt22 and VT 40 are combos.

[Reeek]

Let's not write off the cousin of Ampeg, Sano! I have 3 Sano's all of which are driven by EL84's. The two 1x12 (Weber cermic Blue Dogs) Sano 160R's I have are amongst the finest sounding 16 watt tube amps I have ever owned, period. The BA-1 1x15 I have (Weber California 15 ceramic) is a close second.

If you can ever find a good working 160R, you're crazy not to give it a go for under $300. Any old Sano running EL84's is a good bet.

[erksin]

Originally posted by SBlue
Live Mick and Keith used V4s, but sometimes Keith would use a SVT.
"Get Your Ya Ya's Out" is all V4s.
SBlue

According to 'The Ampeg Book', The Stones started using all SVTs on the '69 tour (the only ones in existance) - I think the V-4s were introduced later that year. I'm not sure when Mick started using the V-4, but most people agree that it's a V-4 on 'GYYYO'...

What a killer tone on that record - some of the best ever, IMO!

[Wakarusa]

The dirty secret, of course, is that without a pedal the only way to get those tones from a V-4/VT-22 is at mind boggling volumes :AOK

[Nigel]

Originally posted by Wakarusa
The dirty secret, of course, is that without a pedal the only way to get those tones from a V-4/VT-22 is at mind boggling volumes :AOK

Nah, just use an attenuator. I'm getting good tone out of a V-4 using a THD Hotplate. You're right though, running it wide open without an attenuator will just about take your head off.