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Ampeg Heritage B-15n Review


chrisanthony1211
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[URL=http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/chrisanthony1611/media/image_zpsvsfenudl.jpeg.html][IMG]http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/r776/chrisanthony1611/image_zpsvsfenudl.jpeg[/IMG][/URL]

I got this off Beadster a couple of months ago and now have the opportunity to gig and practise with it. It certainly looks the business but can it deliver, and will it stay with me?

This is a very expensive reissue of the classic Ampeg B-15, it has two channels, one based on the 1964 circuit and one based on the 1966 circuit, the 1964 being 25 watts and the 1966 the full 30 watts which may appear somewhat modest, however these are Ampeg Valve watts that we're talking about!

[URL=http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/chrisanthony1611/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps3fqw6afl.jpeg.html][IMG]http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/r776/chrisanthony1611/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps3fqw6afl.jpeg[/IMG][/URL]

Well it's first run out was at a rehersal and it held its own quite nicely with an un miked drummer, guitarist and Hammond keyboards, with the volume at about 1 o'clock through either channel, i was concerned that this would not be loud enough but it certainly did not appear to be the case at rehearsal, I found the 1966 channel a little thin for my liking, but the 1964 channel was pure silk and sexiness, I'm sure that some people would prefer the 1966 channel but for what I play the 1964 channel sits pretty perfectly. (Plus my Precision is from 1964!!)

Did another rehearsal with a brass section who were also un miked and had to turn down so they could be heard, (three saxaphones and a trumpet)

I've now gigged with it twice, once in a pretty average size pub with a decent turn out of punters, and the second in a medium sized hall, I found pretty much the same, the volume slightly higher at 2 o'clock, the first set through the 1966 channel and the second set through the 1964, and again I found the 1964 channel was silk sexy but not so keen on the 1966, and the feedback from those that came to watch was it sounded pretty awesom regardless of the channel....

[URL=http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/chrisanthony1611/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsuw9cz0fx.jpeg.html][IMG]http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/r776/chrisanthony1611/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsuw9cz0fx.jpeg[/IMG][/URL]

Where most combos I've had you really have to think twice when the volume knob gets towards 2/3 o'clock, this thing just breezes on past all the way to maximum, and it will give you great tones and more volume all the way through, with just a touch of overdrive and break up as you get towards the top end. I found that I would need the eq so that the bass was about 3 o'clock and treble at 1 o'clock for a nice fat sound. My worries that it would not be loud enough were totally unfounded, it is way louder than the SWR Redhead I previously owned, and I think it would keep up pretty well with a Walkabout. I did a decibel test alongside my Mark bass CMD121p and she was lagging behind by 1 or 2 decibels, but certainly sounded better at those volumes.

[URL=http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/chrisanthony1611/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps4lwkr7tp.jpeg.html][IMG]http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/r776/chrisanthony1611/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps4lwkr7tp.jpeg[/IMG][/URL]

Not only does this thing look super sexy, but it sounds it too, it's perfectly able to gig small to medium venues and of course you can drop it down to 4 ohms and throw an extension cabinet at it if needed!

So will I be keeping her is a decision I need to make now, and that brings about the two negatives with this Amp. The first being that it is an extremely expensive piece of kit, you have to pay for this type of quality! I've been very careful where I take it so far, and I certainly don't want this to be banged about by other people's gear whilst they're setting up, it has a high quality Ampeg cover, but still a crazy legged Guitarist could do quite a bit of damage trying to squeeze past and giving it an expansive blow with his roadworn strat.....

The second negative is the weight of this thing, again there is always the argument that the weight is a sign of the quality, but I've got used to taking my super lightweight Mark bass gear with me which also happens to sound pretty good, and although this does have casters and the head folds down very nicely into the cab for transport, I have found transporting this a little bit of a hassle...

I may decide just to leave it set up in my lounge and use it as a rather extravagant practise amp that just gets the occasional runout, or it may be in the classified section in six months time, time will tell, but this is a rather fine Amplifier of bass guitars which certainly sets the benchmark when you want the best of tones.

Edited by chrisanthony1211
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Thank god you bought this from Beedster... I was seriously tempted. But, it was too expensive and heavy for me to want to take to a gig, and software sims at home when I record/DI work well enough to spare buying and miking this thing up. But god, it was a close thing. Congrats.

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Nothing sounds like this amp, nothing.

However, it was TOO BLOODY LOUD for me! It's a great example of how one has to do one's homework. I wanted a great recording amp, and being a bass player am used to amps rated in the hundreds of watts. This is 25w, so I assumed it would be relatively quiet but toneful. Wrong. As is indicated above, is the equal of many amps rated at over 10 times that level. It's a great example of how good tone travels, and in many respects of just how used we as bassists have become to poor quality sound from otherwise 'high powered' amps. OK this is quite big and quite heavy, but neither are prohibitive, and I've played bigger and heavier amps that produce a quarter of the volume of this.

A glorious amp, and I'm very glad you're happy with the tone and volume Chris, stick with it mate, nothing you play ever again will make you sound so good :)

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[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1465660194' post='3070048']
Nice review. I'd love to know how they put this together. How competent are you at turning it over, unscrewing the bottom plate and snapping the guts?
[/quote]

You can find gut shots in the Talkbass Portaflex Wiki: https://www.talkbass.com/wiki/portaflex-models/

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Absolutely lovely amp :)


[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1466007858' post='3072792']
For those interested, here are the guts....

[url="http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/chrisanthony1611/media/image_zpsa5c6r5cq.jpeg.html"][/url]
[/quote]

Now, then....what a beaut.

We need an amp gut shot thread.

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[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1466007858' post='3072792']
For those interested, here are the guts....
[/quote]

Thanks for posting that, I'd only seen the earlier contract built versions with turret board construction.

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1466009415' post='3072806']
Absolutely lovely amp :)

We need an amp gut shot thread.
[/quote]

There is one on the front page right now, actually.

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I remember playing a gig in the early sixties, supporting the Eric Delaney Band - they had Elkie Brooks, probably not much older than 17, as their vocalist. They wheeled in this ' Portaflex' and I thought I'd never see anything so sexy before or since. Remember we were quite gear-starved in those days. Elkie was quite impressive too.

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  • 3 months later...

This girl generally stays at home in my front room as a rather extravagant practice amp, however I thought I'd give this a runout last night, I turned up and the place was quite a bit bigger than I had expected and I was a little concerned that the 25 watt B-15 would struggle a little as the place filled up, I need not have worried as this baby breezed through it, I never got past 2 o'clock and easily kept up with the Hammond and guitar which we're both going through the pa.

Not to mention the fantastic creaminess you get from these things...

She's a rather fantastic girl.

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