Ampeg V4B

[Stjofön Big]

Alles gut! For the last 30 years I've been using a Fender Dual Showman with 2x15" for my basses. Before that there's a Bassman 50, an Acoustic, a couple of Dynacords, and - first of all - a Luxor radio from the 40's. Never thought about getting me an Ampeg.
Then I listened to a bass playing friend of mine. Fantastic tone with a lot of rumble. That was a Danelectro longhorn through an Ampeg V4B from the 70's...
So now I'm checking out for that amp. Anyone in this here bunch, and placed in Europe, who knows where to find one?
And as I know there's folks here who's got all the information needed, concerning the V4B: Would it be possible to get your opinions on that amp?

[patman]

Had one for years in the 70's...loved it.

Real Heavy.

[jumbodbassman]

played one from 72 to about 80 with a svt bottom under it.  actually prefered it over my SVT head except for large outdoor venues where the headroom mattered and i used 2 cabs - the other being the v4 bottom - 2-15 in horn .  heavy as hell but pretty tough.  atually been yearning to get another one.  I can't speak about the newer ones i have no experience...

[Dave W]

Used a vintage V4B in the mid 90s. Didn't have enough headroom for a loud rock band.

[Chris P.]

I believe Basvarken has one. You see them sometimes on eBay and other market sites. There's also the guitar version which is exactly the samen + reverb. Bass players use that one too.

[nofi]

what patman said. i also had mine on an svt cab playing a gibson eb3 through it.

[gearHed289]

I JUST sold my '74! Loved it. Great for recording. Monster tone without blowing down the walls like my SVT. Completely different animal than the newer ones. If you like vintage growl, this is it. About 60 pounds. Headroom can be a problem though, depending on the gig and/or drummer. 

[patman]

I used the svt cab also...classic setup.  I never really noticed headroom problems except it was too furry for slap, I remember that.

[lowend1]

One of the best bass amps ever. I've had my '71 V4B since i was in my teens - also have a V4, which is basically the same amp. The V4B was never about clean headroom - the growl is part of its charm.

[Basvarken]

I have an early seventies V4B. My favorite amp for recording. It has a lovely sweet drive.
But on stage with a loud rock band it just isn't loud enough. You get beyond that sweet drive and it just distorts more.

The B40 cab that I bought with it is not the most efficient cab. It doesn't put out really deep and tight lows.

But more modern cabs like the Edens that I use bring out the magic of the V4B very well.


When I bought it, in the late nineties, nobody cared about the V4B. I didn't pay a lot of guilders back then.
Last few years they've become a bit of a hype with indie bands. Prices have been climbing ever since.

About four years ago I retired my V4B for the live gigs with the band. I only take it out a couple of times a year to rehearsals just for fun.
The Ampeg SVT II Pro that I had was absolutely loud enough. But it did not have that sweet sound of the V4B and most important, it was too heavy for my back. So I sold that one. And then I bought an Orange AD200 (mk1) as my main stage amp. It is 200 watts and that is enough for me. But soundwise it can't compete with the V4B...


At this very moment I have my V4B at the amp doctor's to have it serviced for the upcoming recordings for a new Superfloor album that we'll be recording in a few weeks.
I'm looking forward to hear that sweet and subtle drive again!
And I'll be using the "Ext. Amp" option as a Direct Out to the mixing console again. Works great!

[Sven]

It also depends on the bass you use. I have one (a mid seventies V4, with reverb) and it works great with a Ric or a P. With my Squier TB it's impossible to use, the output of that bass drowns the V4. For me it has allways been loud enough, even in a pretty loud rock band.
A couple of years ago we had a 'buizenbakkendag' (tube amp meet) with some people from the Dutch bass forum. It was mainly Rob trying out all amps and all basses and about eight people listening to him (and Chris taking pictures). My V4 seemed to have more headroom than Rob's amp, but maybe that was just because mine had brand new tubes.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

The response/power of an old V4/ V4B (assuming it is stock) is determined by its electrical health, the quality of output tubes, and how hot they're biased. In general, they do better with higher output passive basses and top out for clean volume at a moderately loud rock band setting. However, if you like overdrive, it will do a nice growly grind that tops out in a cool fuzz that only mushes out at its absolute maximum. The SLM and later (current) "V4BH" models are a completely different design with less gain, a different voicing, and lower output power.

[Aussie Mark]

My experience is similar to others in this thread - fabulous tone, but not enough headroom to cut it live with a loud rock band.  So, I sold my V4B for a Traynor YBA200, which still struggled with headroom on occasions, but the Traynor YBA300 I now own has more than enough juice.

[Stjofön Big]

Hyvää päivää! Thank's to all of you who's made me feel I'm on the right track, The V4B Track.
Earlier on I forgot to mention that I've already got a small Ampeg, B1-RE, which, simply enough, doesn't deliver what I need: fat bottom, with barbed-wire sound on the top. That's the sound I can get from my Dual Showman, but that one is in my other rehearsal space, and you understand I can't carry it around between the two rehearsal rooms as they are divided by 6 kilometers...
I run the B1-RE through a 4x10 + 1x15, Ampegs. Which brings me to the next question: What's the difference between the B410HE, and a 4x10 Classic?
And, in the end: Anyone's got any thoughts about my project, my Ampeg speakers with the V4B on top?

[lowend1]

I never had a problem being heard with the V4B. In larger venues there was always PA support, and we were never painfully loud anyhow.