The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bass Amps & Effects => Topic started by: Chris P. on August 03, 2013, 04:04:10 AM
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German online shop Thomann often posts Fender product news months before I got official Fender mails. Now they have, without picture, an announcement of an Ampeg V4B. Will it come back? There's also a mention of a 2x12" cab in 300 and 600W.
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Let's hope it is not as disappointing as the V4BH they made a few years ago.
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(http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/18/999/274/811/DV016_Jpg_Large_1372692952618_A.jpg)
The Ampeg V-4B 100W All-Tube Bass Head embodies the legendary tone of the classic V-4B in a portable, modern design perfect for today’s players. From the unique chassis suspension system to the vintage rocker switches, the attention to detail is all there. Plus, with a careful selection of modern features like an integrated DI and a wide choice of speaker output options, we’ve ensured the flexibility and functionality you demand from a modern head. With the 100W V-4B, you get the sought-after tone of a fully-cranked Ampeg tube amp in a design that’s less than half the weight of an SVT.
• 100W of all-tube Ampeg bass tone
o Preamp: Tube ( 2 x 12AX7)
o Driver: Tube (1 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AU7)
o Power amp: Tube (4 x 6L6GC)
• Classic V-4B fit and finish
o Ampeg “Black Line” cosmetics
o Vintage rocker switch controls
o Integrated chassis suspension system
• 3-band EQ (bass, midrange, treble)
• 3-position mid-range control
• Ultra Hi/Lo boost
• Speaker outputs: 1 x 8 ohm, 2 x 4 ohm, 2 x 2 ohm
• Balanced direct out w/ ground lift
• Power amp in / preamp out
• -15 dB input
• Slave output to connect additional amplifiers
• Dimensions (W x H x D inches): 24 x 11 x 11
• Handling weight: 41 lbs
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It certainly looks good!
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Product video on the Ampeg Youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHpaoeyYjOs
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They put it on their Facebook page yesterday. I don't fully trust ANY post-SLM production Ampeg. An amp company run by a real-estate venture capital group with a consistent recent track record for extremely unreliable products is going to have to work doubly hard to impress me. If this amp, like the SVT VR, gets the look and sound but is built to be unserviceable with plenty of construction corners cut, it's just another reason to buy an old one. Show me an internal picture Ampeg. :-*
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They put it on their Facebook page yesterday. I don't fully trust ANY post-SLM production Ampeg. An amp company run by a real-estate venture capital group with a consistent recent track record for extremely unreliable products is going to have to work doubly hard to impress me. If this amp, like the SVT VR, gets the look and sound but is built to be unserviceable with plenty of construction corners cut, it's just another reason to buy an old one. Show me an internal picture Ampeg. :-*
Well, just for grins, here's what the insides of the coming "Heritage" B-15 looks like compared to an original...
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/B-15N/heritageb15n-001_zpsa8ec92af.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/B-15N/heritageb15n-001_zpsa8ec92af.jpg.html)
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/B-15N/DSC02783.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/B-15N/DSC02783.jpg.html)
That said, I am really digging my new-to-me Ampeg PF-500 head. Fingers crossed on reliability but it's hard to argue with 500 watts and a ton of features for $200.
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I was never terribly impressed with the original V4-B. Not enough headroom for me.
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Well, just for grins, here's what the insides of the coming "Heritage" B-15 looks like compared to an original...
Yup. That knob pcb is a problem waiting to happen and very few of the component parts in that amp could be replaced if they failed. It's built like a computer: cards to be swapped- the reason that REAL engineers are a disappearing breed.
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Yup. That knob pcb is a problem waiting to happen and very few of the component parts in that amp could be replaced if they failed. It's built like a computer: cards to be swapped- the reason that REAL engineers are a disappearing breed.
Very true. The man that thought "hey lets put pots on a piece of pcb to cut costs" must be tortured forever. While you can replace things on a board, I get your point. I had to recap a pc motherboard some months ago just for kicks. Not fun.
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My 72 V4B was the best sounding bass amp i ever had. Liked it much better than my 74SVT with the same cabs.. Saw a lot more gigs than the SVT which I basically used only for outside shows. Ampeg sound is a love or hate thing. Some of us love it others not. That being said ampeg is not the same company it once was and QC is a real concern. My pf 500 lasted one gig before cutting out. Upgraded it to a SVT 7 which , so far has been reliable......
That being said the new ampeg price points are insane so not sure I will buy one. My 76 sounds pretty good through a 4 12 cab plus the new Fender Bassman has tweaked my interest.
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My 72 V4B was the best sounding bass amp i ever had.
Same here. I've recently reinstalled it as my main amp. It was sort of retired years ago because it just isn't loud enough. But I have a class D amp as a slave now. One cab is powered by the Ampeg V4B. That cab get's a mic. The other cab is powered by a Markbass SA450, which gets the ext amp signal of the V4B. I dial in a little bit more bass on the Markbass. And I use it's built in DI in the pre eq setting.
So what you hear is basicly the V4B, but a lot louder than it would be able to be on itself.
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While you can replace things on a board, I get your point. I had to recap a pc motherboard some months ago just for kicks. Not fun.
...lots of surface mount components in there, too: good luck trying to test them. I could forgive the knob pcb if it had some sort of shock isolation to the chassis, but those are just cheap board-mounted pots torqued down against it. The old B-15 has a board, too, but it was intelligently used. I don't expect 60's-era construction on a new amp, but the damn thing oughta at least be able to be serviced.
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too bad...my V4-B was the best amp I ever had...
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Still have the same '71 V4-B that I bought used in '79. Still my favorite head through a squareback 8x10.
...and it's not made in China.
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Errm... guys... The old seventies V4B's were partly PCB wired too...
At least mine is. And the wiring has never been a problem.
Of course over the past forty year some components had to be replaced; blew the output transformer once, and a few resistors.
But other wise it's pretty indestructable.
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Mine once took a dive from atop a 4x10 onto a paved parking lot with no ill effects. Since then, the only work it has needed was a cap job and a grounded AC cord.
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Errm... guys... The old seventies V4B's were partly PCB wired too...
At least mine is. And the wiring has never been a problem.
Of course over the past forty year some components had to be replaced; blew the output transformer once, and a few resistors.
But other wise it's pretty indestructable.
That's my point: the new ones CANNOT be serviced at the component level. The pots are attached directly to a board and are low quality parts that cannot be removed without causing major damage to the whole assembly. Likewise, there are several surface mount resistors and capacitors which cannot even be tested without removing entire pcb's, and even then, that's only IF there are circuit access test points on the bottom of the board, which I seriously doubt. All of these issues are cost-cutting measures. There's nothing wrong with a circuit board, and if you'll note, nobody said old Ampegs lacked them.
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Good! So we agree ;D
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Good! So we agree ;D
But do you understand that should any of the new amps have the same issues as the old ones, most of which are simply results of age and use, they can NOT be repaired AT ALL in many cases? For what Loud Tech is charging for their new Ampeg tube amps, buying a vintage version is the much smarter investment simply from the perspective of reliability.
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buying a vintage version is the much smarter investment simply from the perspective of reliability.
Isn't that the case with almost any product you can think of these days? :o :mrgreen:
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Isn't that the case with almost any product you can think of these days? :o :mrgreen:
I have for about a decade tried to figure out how to make high quality, simple, handwired, cost effective guitar combos.
Small scale high quality production - with clever service plans so that guitarists (or bass players) come by for a periodic control.
But finding supplier deals for all parts needed is quite time consuming, it's not really survival of the fittest in this world - it's survival
of the biggest! What i did find out, to my surprise - is that a search for local parts manufacturers supplied me with amazingly
fine parts. Thats the goal, really - good for the environment too - and it seems that medium sized manufacturers have a different view
now. Most of the bigger industy in town are gone (glass, paper etc.) and the finance crisis some years back left the smaller ones shaking - thus making them more flexible perhaps.
But it's clear of course that making good quality, servicable amps at reasonable prices in vast numbers is near impossible these days.
Marshall did well for a long time, at least the stuff that moves through my shop has been quite serviceable - with
the possible exeption of one or two iffy valvestates.. but people tend to get rid of them instead of taking them to service.
Most pre-70's stuff is a joy to service.
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lots of action on the TB sight. I think Ampeg will have another big seller on their hands. Hopefully the QC will be better than the PF heads they put out last few years. Just back my mid 70's V4 from my tech guy who took 6-7 months to replace the guts of the midrange rocker as he wanted to find original parts (coils)..... it does sound sweet thru a 4 12 cab i have but weighs so damn much....
I would think about this reissue in a few years when the issues get worked out, assuming it sounds close to an original mainly because of the 41 pounds versus probably 65 for the 70's ones. then again for this pricepoint i may just go and get an older SVT (pre asia) as I have regretting selling mine since the day after i sold it.....
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I doubt there will be any issues worked out unless this is a runaway seller and they have to make more. Ampeg's amps are made in huge runs in contract factories. The same factory that made them a few months ago is probably making toasters or blu-ray players now. Ampeg has a certain amount of intentional parts overruns (pcb assemblies) that they use for warranty repairs, but there is NO "Ampeg" factory.
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assuming it sounds close to an original mainly because of the 41 pounds versus probably 65 for the 70's ones.
Or, you could buy a Traynor YBA-200 at the same weight as the V4B reissue, but with double the watts and at half the price. The Traynor does the V4B thing very nicely. Granted, it doesn't look as sexy as the Ampeg, but it's a great amp.
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Or, you could buy a Traynor YBA-200 at the same weight as the V4B reissue, but with double the watts and at half the price. The Traynor does the V4B thing very nicely. Granted, it doesn't look as sexy as the Ampeg, but it's a great amp.
That's a MUCH better suggestion. Traynor actually MAKES and supports their products.
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OUCH!
I have no problem with any of my 70's ampegs. Don't ask about any of the newer stuff, though the SVT 7 has been fine , so far.......fingers crossed.
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I just saw the V4B pricing at Thomann (due in stock on 4 October) - around US$1500. Not cheap at all.
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I wouldn't buy a new Ampeg. I'm a huge fan of their 70s stuff, and the SLM era seems pretty darn decent too. Plenty of excellent used ones out there. I sold my '74 V-4B 2 years ago for $595. 65 pounds is a lot for a 100 watt amp, but it was a sweet little tone machine!
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Let's hope it is not as disappointing as the V4BH they made a few years ago.
I've been using a 2000 V4BH as my main amp for close to a year now, and think it's great. The preamp section is basically the same as the SVT-CL, just half the power and weight. I've had many soundmen tell me they can't beleive it's only 100 watts - this thing is crazy loud - and I don't go for a grinding distorted mid range tone either. I'm going for a clean and deep tone. I run mine paired with an Ampeg SVT-LGS (Simmons cab with JBLs, 4 ohms) and it really booms.
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The V-4BH would have been better marketed under a different name. It really was very little like the old V-4B. SLM's products didn't have the best reliability, but they were worlds better than what came after. If they had gone the route that Loud is now following but made the amps in the US with the same quality they had then, they would have been more successful, but it seemed that most of their design innovation was used in the Audio Centron and Crate brands. They treated Ampeg like what it was: a reliably selling stage standard, but only Gibson can get by with making 70% of their production Les Pauls.
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I run mine paired with an Ampeg SVT-LGS (Simmons cab with JBLs, 4 ohms) and it really booms.
That's gotta sound great! I might build myself a 2x15 one of these days.
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Here's an alternative: 225 watts, 6 EL34, 57 lbs, Made in USA, 5 year warranty, $900.
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/ME/VB-2Head_zpse34d945b.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/ME/VB-2Head_zpse34d945b.jpg.html)
https://www.peavey.com/products/index.cfm/item/811/116722/Tour%26trade%3B%26nbsp%3BVB%26%238209%3B2
Whoops, appears to be discontinued.
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Here's an alternative: 225 watts, 6 EL34, 57 lbs, Made in USA, 5 year warranty, $900.
Whoops, appears to be discontinued.
It's a damn shame, too. Peavey introduced that amp in 2007, just in time for the economy to crash. It is one KILLER bass amp and hits well above its weight range in tone and volume. A couple of bullshitting shillers on TB ran a smear campaign against that amp and it worked. I'd take one in a second, but I'm not one of the legions of teenaged beginners and late-middle-age professional amp shillers, so I don't count. It just goes to show that for the money one would have to spend on Loud/Ampeg's new "V-4B" there are many superior alternatives in both quality AND price.
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There's a NOS VB-2 on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Peavy-VB-2-/130963159846?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e7e033b26) right now from an authorized dealer, full warranty and all. No affiliation, just passing along a great amp.
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I actually just bought a new V4-b reissue. I was hesitant to get it because of threads like this, but I'm incredibly glad to have it. It sounds amazing!
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I've heard demos of the new V4. It DOES sound good, but don't expect it to still be chugging along after 40 years like the originals. I would certainly invest in a padded road case if I had one and intended to play out with it at all.
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Well, I don't expect that I'll be chugging along in 40 years either, and I bought it to record with. So far it's been very reliable and the sound is exactly what I wanted. I'm really glad to have it !!!
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There's a NOS VB-2 on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Peavy-VB-2-/130963159846?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e7e033b26) right now from an authorized dealer, full warranty and all. No affiliation, just passing along a great amp.
Musicians Fiend claims to have them in stock also, both new & used.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/peavey-tour-vb-2-tube-bass-amp-head
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Musicians Fiend claims to have them in stock also, both new & used.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/peavey-tour-vb-2-tube-bass-amp-head
I think I started the rumor they were out of production. I almost bought a used one on TB a few months ago but lost interest when the owner wouldn't answer any questions.
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I think I started the rumor they were out of production. I almost bought a used one on TB a few months ago but lost interest when the owner wouldn't answer any questions.
They WERE out of production for a few years. I wonder if the newer ones are still made in the USA?
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They WERE out of production for a few years. I wonder if the newer ones are still made in the USA?
I read a user review somewhere that they're made in China.
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Peavey VB-2 Made in USA, Ampeg V4-B Made in China
http://www.peavey.com/products/index.cfm/item/811/116722/Tour%26trade%3BVB-2
I've been an Ampeg guy since 1966. Haven't been very happy with them after my PF 500 crapped out. It goes to ThunderBucker tomorrow to see if it can be salvaged.
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I like my Ampegs as well, and never had any problems with SLM era gear. The new PF cabs seem to be built well enough and they look and sound nice, but the head is too unreliable for me. I realize new products may need to have the bugs worked out of them, but I've smoked three PF500's just through normal use (not abusing them) and just dont trust it enough to gig with it as my sole amp.
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Re the PF cabs: I have a friend who also smoked a PF 500 amp and he has the 15" cabinet left. He went ahead and bought a new GK combo after trying out mine as he was fed up w/ the new Ampeg. I' m thinking of taking the 15" off his hands as The cabs seem to have no inherent problems from what I am gathering. Any bodybhave anynprobs with the PF cabs?
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My first PF115 had very bad voice coil rub and so I sent it back. The two cabs I have since that one are just fine with no issues. I ported one of them to give it a little more low end, and I added side handles and side mounted speakon jacks as a nod to the old B15's. The handles make it easier to lift the top cab when running a stack configuration, and the side jacks do bypass the internal crossover built into the stock jackplate - but my intention of having the side jacks was really just cosmetic.