Skinnyman Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I've got a serious attack of GAS, looking for a tube amp to go with my '82 P bass. Can anyone point me at an Ampeg dealer in the South East (North/West London) area who holds a decent range in stock for me to try? Thanks in advance.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Bass Gallery in Camden is always a good bet, also Wembley Guitar Centre had some Ampeg bits a while back, but they are in a really depressing location in the arse end of nw ldn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Both good options but neither are showing any stock in at the moment. All of BG's Ampeg stock as shown as "available to order" and WGC aren't listing any Ampeg gear at all.... Do any of the shops in Denmark St hold Ampeg stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Wunjo's might, but you won't have many options there either. I recently moved to south london and found a place called Red Dog Music in Clapham, you may be able to try stuff there as long as it's in stock in any of their stores, they were really helpful when I was looking for a bass but I don't know what they'd be willing to drag out of storage for just a trial run when it comes to amps.. Maybe GAK in Brighton, if you feel like a trip to the beach? They had a whole bunch of amps in there last time I was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybertect Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) IIRC the majority of the stock on display in Wunjo bass is Mark Bass and they have a few Aguilar amps and other odds and sods. A couple of weeks ago the owner, Brian, mentioned to me that they get Ampeg gear in occasionally, but apparently the turnover doesn't justify the floor space for lots of amps. Hanks has a small selection of secondhand amps, and IIRC there *might* be an Ampeg among them, but I can't be sure. I could pop in and check if I remember next week as I pass by every day. I can't think of anywhere else on Denmark Street that would carry Ampeg. Edit: Red Dog look like your best bet. They do share a space in the Relentless shop on Denmark Street, but it's mostly electronic music gear. Edited August 28, 2015 by cybertect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 (edited) Thanks guys, I'll see if the missus fancies a run out to Clapham this weekend. As background to the question... I really fancy an Ampeg SVT CL, but I'm not sure that I'll drive one hard enough to get that nice, thick creamy power amp overdriven tone at a small-pub-sensible volume. So the obvious choice seems to be a 100w V4B running into a 212 cab. My only concern there is how easy it will be to bias the tubes. It's pretty simple on the CL and VR (two LEDs and a couple of handily-placed adjustment screws) but looks a royal pain on the V4B, requiring you to get inside the amp and measure the voltages with a multimeter and test rig. So I guess I have two options. Get the V4B which on paper appears to be the perfect amp, and live with any tube issues once every 18 months or so. Or get a CL which isn't a lot more money, has a lot more power and is a lot more convenient to maintain and service - but will I get the thick Ampeg tone I'm after at a volume that won't set off car alarms in neighbouring villages and with a cab that I can carry without needing a removal van? Hence I need to try a couple for real and see. In an ideal world, the CL will give me the tone I want at a sensible volume into a 212 and that's the problem solved. Does anyone run a CL like that/ can offer any experience? Edited August 29, 2015 by Skinnyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colgraff Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Try Polar Audio (polaraudio.co.uk) They are the principal Ampeg distributor in the UK. Ordering stuff from them is a bit of a raff but they are really helpful and can get anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Brilliant idea, thanks. I'll call them Tuesday. At the very least they should know who's had stock.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybertect Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 FWIW as I happened to be in Wunjo bass on Tuesday, I asked one of the Toms if they ever carry any Ampeg gear these days. He told me that they dropped them a couple of years ago because they simply had too many problems with their quality control. Apparently, the numbers coming back with failures of one kind or another was getting ridiculously high, more so with the cheaper end stuff, but even with the SVTs. To compound the problem, they weren't getting any support from Ampeg's UK distributors over the issues they were experiencing; nobody was replying to their emails and telephone calls. From what he was saying, that was before Polar took over UK distribution in 2013, so that latter aspect may have changed since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 Interesting - thanks! I'm probably going to focus on the V4B and the 212 cab - got a trip up to Yorkshire in a week or so and will try and get over to Gear4Music to try one out. The forums are full of mixed reports on reliability - it seems to be improving and I wonder how many of the issues are down to a lack of familiarity with all-valve amps. Still more research to do before I pull the trigger but the first job is to try one out and see if it gives me the sound I want. I did follow the suggestion of getting in touch with Polar. Response was pretty prompt although it consisted of pointing me at the stockist page on their web site. Anyone who's used a V4B - all feedback welcomed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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