Playing live through Ampeg Heritage B15N

[slinkp]

Last week I got to play live with my band at an outdoor gig where rental backline was provided by the organizers...
an email was sent around to band members listing the gear.  "Ampeg heritage B15N".

I've never played through one live; have recorded through a vintage B15 once or twice, at very low volume.
I was VERY concerned about the mere 30 watt rating - outdoors at that!
Even allowing for the "toobz is louder" thing, surely this wouldn't do.

I looked up the "heritage" model - limited edition?? 50 units?? And apparently Sweetwater sold them for $3000 US when they had stock.
So I was sure the email was in error...  what rental company would send around a rare, $3000 30 watt amp for an outdoor gig, to bake in the blazing sun all day?  Surely the email was in error, and we'd more likely get one of the many much cheaper, more modern ampeg combos with more conventional amounts of power??

I was skeptical, so even though I needed to travel light, as a plan B i brought my Genz Benz shuttle 6.0 and EA CXL110 - not an outdoor rig on its own either, but I figured it would make a good supplement if the backline was too weak.

At the gig it turned out to be the real deal! Ampeg B15N heritage.

I was very pleasantly surprised. SHOCKED by how much volume it put out. As a stage monitor, it was more than enough to hear myself over the drums and two guitars (both playing through cranked fender deluxes).
I was a bit mystified by the two channels labeled 1964 and 1966 ... briefly tried both and found that with controls at noon the 1966 was more to my liking. The two-band EQ was surprisingly effective and very easy to get good sound out of.
The tone was a delight.  My Gibson LPB1 was very well suited to it.
I never even plugged in the Genz / EA rig.

I did walk out in front of the band before the sound person got the DI connected, and was not entirely surprised to hear that I was pretty much inaudible out front ... as good as it sounded up close, it's just not built to project low end in the open air like that. 
We plugged the "external amp" output on the rear into the DI and that quickly solved that.
The PA was decent too, for once... QSC powered speakers and sub, and the guy running the board was better than most.

I suspect I'll never see one of these on a gig again, but I sure would be happy if I did.

[gearHed289]

I'd give that a go! Bet the tone was great.

[Ken]

Nice!  I've gigged a '70s B-15 before and it was plenty loud.

[morrow]

The only time I gigged a B15 was in a church , at a dance , it wasn't enough.

[gearHed289]

I've never gigged one, but I've done a number of recording sessions through a B-15S.

[patman]

I used to gig one in the 80's...

It was enough with a mike in front of it...

[ajkula66]

A late '60s B-15 that I used to own in the '80s is probably the only amp that I wouldn't mind getting back. Not at the prices that these babies command nowadays, though...