ampeg guitar amps

[lowswing]

everyone knows ampeg equipment for bass, but does anyone know their guitar amps and 4x12 cabs?
i'm looking for a high-gain amp for studio recording and offered one, any good?
thanks,

[Zarathustra]

The vintage ampeg 4x12s are a great sealed back guitar cabinet., especially with some old alnicos in it.

The V4 heads are shrieking monsters, and not in a good way. I use them for insane feedback and Iggy Pop type blitzkrieg.

I haven't used the VT-22, but the coolest Ampeg amp for my money has got to be a Reverbrocket or a Gemini, which aren't as aggressive but has subtler tones to offer.

If you want a very recordable high gain amp for cheap, look at the Traynors (YBA-1, YBA-2, YBA-3). They have all the creamy personality of a 60's era Marshall 50-watt

http://www.informatik.uni-bremen.de/~dace/vb/index.html[URL=http://www.informatik.uni-bremen.de/~dace/vb/index.html]

[Jules]

I have a Reverb Rocket re-issue with a 1 x 12 speaker

Great for clean sound (only)

Looks cool

I used to have a 2 x 12 model when I was a teenager (1978-1979) and I TOTALLY loved it...

[covert]

If it has tubes in it, and says Ampeg on it, it's got a pretty decent chance of sounding good. I'm pretty pleased with my Jet, the Rocket series were very nice, the B-12 works pretty nicely for guitar, as does the B-15, for that matter. Their V series, I think it was, were Steve Morse's choice when he was first getting known, more in the Boogie type design. I can't speak to the current issues, but others seem to like them.

[not_so_new]

QUOTE]Originally posted by Jules
I have a Reverb Rocket re-issue with a 1 x 12 speaker

Great for clean sound (only)

Looks cool

I used to have a 2 x 12 model when I was a teenager (1978-1979) and I TOTALLY loved it... [/QUOTE]

For clean only?? You are kidding right??

I LOVE The Reverb-a-Rocket for distortion. I have an old 68 or 69 and that thing absolutely kicks ass in a major major way. You have to strap the two channels together and crank them, it is LOUD as all hell but it is a sound that you will not get from anything else. When I say cranked I mean both channels on 9 or 10. You will replace speakers from time to time but I live with that.

It is my secret weapon for out of the norm guitar sounds. You should really give it a try.

[C/G]

The old reverborockets are cool. As for the V4's, I saw the Queens of the Stoneage and that is what their singer/guitarplayer was using. It sounded great to me, but who knows if or how they were modded, what kind of speakers were in the cab ect. I think the V4 guitar amps are cool and they have not really risen in price that much lately. Get one before people know how cool they are.

[not_so_new]

That super cool blue-checkered Tolex!

CLASSIC!!!



Agreed that they did use different parts and got different sounds, but I have used a few different ones in the way I described and they all had that "sound" when cranked.

I think people don't know what kind of volume we are talking about and they get worried about getting it that loud. It really does not get there until it is wide open. Really bad for the amp, the speaker and the ears so I think allot of people have never really tired it. I got mine for $100 10 or 15 years ago so I did not care about it much and was not concerned about opening it up (behind the closed booth door mind you)

It does sound clean most of the way up then it just falls apart and gets this raunchy growl like it is pissed off at you.

I LOVE it....

For the record it is NOT a sound I would use on a whole project, it is too distinctive.

[Fletcher]

If you have fresh 7027A's [RCA's preferred for me] a V-2 or V-4 into a 4x 12" cabinet turns almost instantly into that "Midnight Rambler-Live" guitar sound of the apocalypse... great, solid, tight mids with an attitude, swagger and distinctly "American" bite that nothing can come near... but as always... YMMV.

[preben]

I am totally with Fletcher on this one.

Having owned 3 V-4's and one VT-40 (might have been called VT-44 - I don't remember) The VT-40 is almost like a Bassman - a 50/60watt combo into 4x10".

I think the V's are really great amps. It sounds like a joke but they are almost like a perfect cross between a Fender and a (lo-gain) Marshall. They're softer and warmer than a Marshall but a LOT more ballsy than your average Fender. Extremely tight low mids.

The V4 (which is the 100 watt version - the V2 being a 50/60 watt version) is a lo-gain affair, but I believe they made at least two models in the late 70's that was called V7 and V9 which did have some sort of gain-staging with a master volume a'la Boogie going on. I never tried them - not sure if they made it to Europe - but I do recall seeing an ad in Guitar Player for them, where they were advertised as being used by Steve Morse.

Were it not for the silly prices that the 7027A output valves were fetching (at least in Europe) a couple of years back I would have held on to mine. There's another couple of 'weird' valves in there - for instance the 6K11 (again: from memory - please excuse me if the number is wrong) but as far as I remember there's a mod that ensures that they can be replaced by 2 12AX7's.

Technically they're quite interesting inasmuch as they've got a semi-parametric mid-control which lets you choose one of three frequencies to either boost or cut.

Oh yeah... one more thing: They are LOUD LOUD LOUD..!!! Louder than any Marshall I have ever tried (not including the 200watt Marshall Major). But they are VERY rock'n'roll.

[Sharp11]

The Ampeg Gemini was the standard recording studio amp in NYC in the 60's.

There was a club studio guitarists belonged to, they were given a key and they and only they were allowed to unlock and use the Gemini.

[axismatt]

I own a mid 70's VT-40 - it's fantastic for not-so-clean clean sounds and just has a great warm tone you don't find on mass produced amps these days. The most striking thing about it though is the HUGE difference the tone controls and switches make to the sound, has to be heard to be believed!

[everybody's x]

my V2 was perfect for the studio
very fendery if you want it that way. throw a tubescreamer in front of it for some nice crunch.
There also very tolerant of different setups.
Jump the one and 8 pins and drop in el34's you've got a pretty convincing Marshall sound happening

or VOICE OF GOD depending on your perception.

*disclaimer* if you kill yourself doing that, I didn't tell you to do it

THEY ARE MAKING NEW 7027A'S btw


the only other thing I can say is

STICKY FINGERS!

[everybody's x]

OH AND STAY AWAY FROM THE LATER 70'S "V" models with a "distortion" knob. They use SS diode clipping to get the distortion and it sucks ass, get an early 70's model

[Jules]

Well so far my new 1 x 12 Reverb Rocket is a PUSSY at distortion, but I will try the channel strap & cranking it...

(dont get me wrong my OLD 2 x 12 model was AMAZING, untill some older hippy repair a**hole conned me out of it, I was only a kid at the time....)

[chetatkinsdiet]

Don't know what to add that hasn't been said already, but since I've owned, and still own a fair number of vintage ampegs:
two early 70s V4 heads
1966 Jet
early 70s GU10 ss combo/practice amp
early 70s SVT
90s SVT CL reissue
and my alltime fav....the VT40 which is roughly a 50-60watt 4-10 combo. Fletch is right, it's instantly that Mick Taylor era Stones sound. I took a sick day from work yesterday and was blasting mine in the bedroom. A Les Paul or Tele plugged right in on the normal input.....there's nothing like that pure tone. No master volume, so you gotta crank it.
I'd sell all my Fender tweeds, 70s Marshalls and everything else if I had to keep just one....this Ampeg would be it.
later,
m

[kudzu]

Just got a new Reverb Rocket re-issue with a 1 x 12 speaker....Man this little amp looks so good....and its loud
It's bright tho....keep turning treble all the way down, with bass up hi....
Been using it with a reissue 335....nice semi-clean crunch......
I LIKE IT

[stan 323]

I am posting here because it is the thread that seem most relevant to my question and... I cannot find out how to start a new freakin' thread! Dammit.

Anyway, hope I am not breaching forum etiquette, as you can see this is my first post.

Anywho, I just picked up a used Ampeg Gemini VI... Really enjoying the sound, but I have two questions.

1) When the tremolo is on but I do not strum the guitar it clicks at the set tremolo rate. It is quiet, but I would venture to guess that this will be problematic when recording. Is this normal and, if so, how do people deal with it when recording with tremolo? Or, is this abnormal, and does anyone have suggestions on how to deal with this?

2) The speaker is definitely not original. It says Yamaha JA 3803 on the back... I googled this and it appears to be a PA speaker. I am not very knowledgeable about speakers. Is using this sort of speaker in such an amp a regular practice? What sort of sounds could I get by swapping speakers? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

S

[GlennR01]

Own an original J-12D Jet, grew up using Gemini's & ReverberRocket's. The thing I like best about old Ampegs are their distinctive smell - the odor of junior high school and craving a Marshall plexi like the cools guys had...

[myles]

Originally Posted by stan 323

I am posting here because it is the thread that seem most relevant to my question and... I cannot find out how to start a new freakin' thread! Dammit.

Anyway, hope I am not breaching forum etiquette, as you can see this is my first post.

Anywho, I just picked up a used Ampeg Gemini VI... Really enjoying the sound, but I have two questions.

1) When the tremolo is on but I do not strum the guitar it clicks at the set tremolo rate. It is quiet, but I would venture to guess that this will be problematic when recording. Is this normal and, if so, how do people deal with it when recording with tremolo? Or, is this abnormal, and does anyone have suggestions on how to deal with this?

2) The speaker is definitely not original. It says Yamaha JA 3803 on the back... I googled this and it appears to be a PA speaker. I am not very knowledgeable about speakers. Is using this sort of speaker in such an amp a regular practice? What sort of sounds could I get by swapping speakers? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

S

To the OP: Ampeg and high-gain are mutually exclusive concepts. Love them for what they do, but don't try to make them into something they aren't.

The tremelo tick is a common problem, and not just with Ampegs. It can be a problem with a preamp tube, drifted resistors, bad caps, or lead dress. I'd suggest taking the amp to your local amp tech... you do have one, right? If not, you can go to this link

Let me google that for you

and follow some of the advice re: bad tubes and lead dress.

As far as what sort of sounds you could get by swapping speakers, you could get all sorts of different sounds, by swapping in all sorts of different speakers. Old Ampegs used a variety of different speakers from Jensen, Oxford, Utah and occasionally JBL. Take a look at the Eminence web page for some ideas.

But it would still sound like an Ampeg, which is a good thing.

[Bassmec]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

If you have fresh 7027A's [RCA's preferred for me] a V-2 or V-4 into a 4x 12" cabinet turns almost instantly into that "Midnight Rambler-Live" guitar sound of the apocalypse... great, solid, tight mids with an attitude, swagger and distinctly "American" bite that nothing can come near... but as always... YMMV.

V4 on the original 7027A is far better in the mids than the 6l6 but power soak it for the good of the ribbon mic, cos things are gonna get loud.
If you can find an old 4 X 12 with the optional upgrade Altec alnico 417 drivers
(love that tin can top end, not good for touring though as the Altec weighs 17 lbs per 12" driver!?) the world of Randy Rhodes and early Carlos Santana swings into view.
Judicious use of boss metal zone pedal and downtune gets..... Well Extremely Violent!.

[kojak]

I've had a Reverberocket for 5 or 6 years now and LOVE it (well, when I get to see it...I work on cruise ships several months a year so I don't get to use it as much as I'd like)...great bottom-endy clean sound, and nice gain stage for low to mid-level, sort of Tom Petty-esque sounds...won't say it sounds like a VOX, but if you like one, then you'd probably like the other, you might say.

Also, keep in mind the SVT was originally designed not only for bass but guitar as well...obviously no overdrive stage, but if you have a nice OD pedal and a nice reverb unit of whatever variety, SVTs absolutely SCREAM as a guitar amp. Your standard 8x10 cabinet is actually 4x 2x10 cabinets, each with its own box inside the main cab, so it creates a great, bottom-y but not flabby bass sound...killer, tight low end, without any of the low end fllblbbbfb that a 4x12 can sometimes give you. One of my favorite days working in a guitar shop was with an SG plugged into an SVT Classic 8x10, with a Diamond J-Drive pedal and a spring reverb unit...fabulous.

So in short, definitely don't overlook Ampeg as a guitar amp...great drivey sounds, and with the right signal chain and a big cabinet, I imagine you could get great high gain sounds as well.

Cool read:
Ampeg : History

[Max G]

V5 with original GE tubes. Best sounding amp I have ever owned. (now modeled in Eleven Rack expansion as well, just for kicks) ;-)


Posted via the Gearslutz iPhone app

[rogerbrain]

Originally Posted by preben

I am totally with Fletcher on this one.

Having owned 3 V-4's and one VT-40 (might have been called VT-44 - I don't remember) The VT-40 is almost like a Bassman - a 50/60watt combo into 4x10".

I think the V's are really great amps. It sounds like a joke but they are almost like a perfect cross between a Fender and a (lo-gain) Marshall. They're softer and warmer than a Marshall but a LOT more ballsy than your average Fender. Extremely tight low mids.

The V4 (which is the 100 watt version - the V2 being a 50/60 watt version) is a lo-gain affair, but I believe they made at least two models in the late 70's that was called V7 and V9 which did have some sort of gain-staging with a master volume a'la Boogie going on. I never tried them - not sure if they made it to Europe - but I do recall seeing an ad in Guitar Player for them, where they were advertised as being used by Steve Morse.

Were it not for the silly prices that the 7027A output valves were fetching (at least in Europe) a couple of years back I would have held on to mine. There's another couple of 'weird' valves in there - for instance the 6K11 (again: from memory - please excuse me if the number is wrong) but as far as I remember there's a mod that ensures that they can be replaced by 2 12AX7's.

Technically they're quite interesting inasmuch as they've got a semi-parametric mid-control which lets you choose one of three frequencies to either boost or cut.

Oh yeah... one more thing: They are LOUD LOUD LOUD..!!! Louder than any Marshall I have ever tried (not including the 200watt Marshall Major). But they are VERY rock'n'roll.

I had several 'V' ampegs and they can indeed sound great... pretty loud when cranked... i have heard that they can be modded for 6550's and still sound like an ampeg... I have played one that was modded for el34's ..did not really like it .. seemed flabby... .. i did not go thru tubes on my ampegs like I do on the marshalls I use now and the hiwatts I used for a while ..so if it has a good set of 7o27's you should be good to go...

[evangelista]

My love affair with Ampeg runs long and deep.

I have a late 50's Mercury, and it's wonderful. Definitely a dark/fat sound, great for jazz, or if you crank it, thick, enormous rock chunk. Just beautiful.

I had a '68/69 Gemini on perma-loan for years, and man, I miss it. Bright, punchy, amazing note definition. Plug in, throw a mic up, hit record. Sounds like a record.

Had a V4b for years, until I could no longer justify the costs associated with constantly repairing it. I think I had a bunk one - kept blowing up, essentially. But man, the sound. Best sounding bass amp ever, for my taste.

As an engineer, I'm always happy to see a well-maintained Ampeg come through the studio door. Generally speaking, I find they record extraordinarily well.

[stan 323]

Originally Posted by myles

To the OP: Ampeg and high-gain are mutually exclusive concepts. Love them for what they do, but don't try to make them into something they aren't.

The tremelo tick is a common problem, and not just with Ampegs. It can be a problem with a preamp tube, drifted resistors, bad caps, or lead dress. I'd suggest taking the amp to your local amp tech... you do have one, right? If not, you can go to this link

Let me google that for you

and follow some of the advice re: bad tubes and lead dress.

As far as what sort of sounds you could get by swapping speakers, you could get all sorts of different sounds, by swapping in all sorts of different speakers. Old Ampegs used a variety of different speakers from Jensen, Oxford, Utah and occasionally JBL. Take a look at the Eminence web page for some ideas.

But it would still sound like an Ampeg, which is a good thing.

Thank you for the reply.

I will indeed take the amp to a tech, but I guess I just wondered if this was a problem specific to Ampegs/Geminis. Since reading your post I have both discovered this awesome search engine, and learned a bit about how tremolo works in an amp.

As far as the speaker question. I really am curious how this model would compare to an actual guitar speaker... That is to say, what are the pros and cons of using this sort of PA speaker.

And... out of wild curiosity. Did my post make it seem like I was looking for more gain on my amp?