New Ampeg V4-B ?

[Chris P.]

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.

[Basvarken]

Let's hope it is not as disappointing as the V4BH they made a few years ago.

[Basvarken]

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

[Chris P.]

It certainly looks good!

[John Schoen]

Product video on the Ampeg Youtube channel:

[Psycho Bass Guy]

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. 

[dadagoboi]

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...





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.

[Dave W]

I was never terribly impressed with the original V4-B. Not enough headroom for me.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

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.

[exiledarchangel]

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.

[jumbodbassman]

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. 

[Basvarken]

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.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

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.

[patman]

too bad...my V4-B was the best amp I ever had...

[lowend1]

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.