Ampeg b25b Bass head.. your thoughts.

[heyman]

I have an opportunity to buy an older ampeg B25B bass head. I have an option of trying it out before I buy, but I just want a general consensus of what you think of this model?

How does it sound?
Can it be used for all styles of music?

Thanks for your time.. here are some pics.. btw..

[heyman]

sry, here is a pic

[Sizzleboy]

It's a piece of crap. In fact, I'll do you the favor of calling the seller myself and giving him a piece of my mind. Can you please give me his phone number...



ok...just kidding...it's a winner

http://www.harmony-central.com/Bass/.../B_25B-01.html

[heyman]

Thanks, anyone else care to comment.. also, what would be a fair asking price for the head if it is in good working condition?

[Sizzleboy]

Originally Posted by heyman

Thanks, anyone else care to comment.. also, what would be a fair asking price for the head if it is in good working condition?

Click on the harmony central link in my last post. It has comment from 12 actual users of the amp and lists what they paid for them.

[subspace]

I got a B-25B head for free years ago and it quickly replaced our SWR Studio 220 as the default studio rig. We still use it with the SWR Goliath II 4x10, or sometimes with another freebie 2x15. It has the original tubes, Magnavox-branded 7027s I think? I've tried it with newer 6L6s and it was louder, but went right back to the slowly dying japanese originals. Nice amp. Not loud enough for live use, but that just helps keep the prices lower...
I saw one on ebay for $250 buy it now a couple years ago and it was labeled as a guitar amp in the ad....

[heyman]

Thanks Sizzle and subspace.. I think he wants 375.00 for it..

I am gonna try it out and then talk about pricing..

[C/G]

I think $375 is too much. Saw a nice one up here go for $275 CDN last year with a full re-tube. Only 50 watts and they are not so great for bass if you are rehearsing. For recording it could be cool for bass and guitar.

[heyman]

Thanks Colin.. This would be for studio use only..

Appreciate everyone's comments..

Jim

[gregl]

They are excellent for studio use IMHO. Make sure its got good tubes and caps.

[heyman]

*UPDATE*
So, I buy this b25b bass amp from this guy and it sounded good until I got it home.. Plugged it in and played around with it. I heard a pop and lost all power..
Ok, so I check the fuse and it has some burn marks on it, but if look at the fuse the connection inside is not broken.

Wondering if the fuse is spent anyway?

The back of the unit states it needs a 120volt, 3 amp fuse..


The fuse that was in there was a 250 volt buss MDL 3..

Question is, should I replace it with the same type of fuse.. or , where can i get my hands on a 120v, 3 amp fuse..?
Thanks..


__________________

[T9c]

Originally Posted by heyman

*UPDATE*
So, I buy this b25b bass amp from this guy and it sounded good until I got it home.. Plugged it in and played around with it. I heard a pop and lost all power..
Ok, so I check the fuse and it has some burn marks on it, but if look at the fuse the connection inside is not broken.

Wondering if the fuse is spent anyway?

The back of the unit states it needs a 120volt, 3 amp fuse..


The fuse that was in there was a 250 volt buss MDL 3..

Question is, should I replace it with the same type of fuse.. or , where can i get my hands on a 120v, 3 amp fuse..?
Thanks..

__________________

heyman,
That SUX! You should go ahead and to take it to the amp doctor, but 1st...
check the speaker cable and jack. Make sure they're in good shape. Make sure the speaker box jack and the speakers are good. The fuse is correct. If the fuse element doesn't look severed and there's no burn marks in the glass, it's probably ok. If you have an electrical tester around, you could check it for continuity. You could waste $5 at Radio Shack with a new box of fuses, but I'd save that for the amp guy.

Rick

[ramjet]

dude that is one cool amp

if i were you i would just get is fixed and keep enjoying

cheers

[heyman]

The fuse does have some burn marks on it, so it is off to Radio shack to buy some more.. If it keeps blowing fuses.. then off to an amp Doctor..

Thanks for the info guys..

Oh yeah, I played it through a shit Crate 15" speaker cab and it still sounded glorious. Cant wait to pair it up with a nice cab...


Can you guys recommend a great cab for that Bass amp? (studio use only)

I am thinking something with 2- 10" s and/or a 15"

Maybe a aluminum hartke?

Any comments would be appreciated..
Thanks
Jim

[softwareguy]

Hartke =

The Ampeg sound is 10" speakers. I strongly recommend that you check out some of the speaker cabs that are available here:

http://www.avatarspeakers.com/

[sonic dogg]

A tight 2-10 or a single 15. Or even a closed back single 12 with a 2226(I think thats the one). Whatever you get enjoy! That was my go to studio amp in the past. Now its the ancient B15 with a 2-10.

[drmmrboy]

Originally Posted by sonic dogg

A tight 2-10 or a single 15. Or even a closed back single 12 with a 2226(I think thats the one). Whatever you get enjoy! That was my go to studio amp in the past. Now its the ancient B15 with a 2-10.

@ Sonic Dogg.

I'm not a big fan of 10's myself, but if you want to go that way, I'd go with 2 or 4 x 10s. Those SVT cabs w/ 8 x 10 start moving some serious air, and probably not ideal unless your set up for that. I've used a 12" a few times, and that was nice. But my fav for a cab is a 15".

So Jim, you already have a 1 x 15 Crate. Is the cab solid? Why not put a good speaker in there and see what ya get. If that works for ya, then think about another with 2 x 10... Or not.

[heyman]

Actually the 15" speaker belonged to the guy who owned the amp..

I will start out with 2- 10's and go from there.. Thanks everyone for the recommendations..

I bought some new fuses. Played around with it for a Half hour- so far so good..

Haha, got it running thru a Marshall JCM 800 cab at the moment and it Sounds fantastic. The eq is very usable..
I even ran my lespaul through it and it sounds really good as well.

[softwareguy]

Hmmmm . . . . . . .

I got so deranged by the Hartke idea I forgot about the B15. I was thinking Ampeg cabs and getting that SVT sound, which is the sound of 10's. A single 15 could give you a really nice result, very B15 like, which is a really great, classic sound. Probably the dominant bass sound in popular music until the SVT arrived, and still preferred by many.

If you are interested in exploring the B15 idea, the following may be of interest to you:

The best speaker for that sound would be a vintage Jensen C15N or P15N. The C has a ceramic magnet and can handle a little more wattage before breakup, the P has a ceramic magnet and has a sweeter tone. You see them on Ebay, but they are getting silly expensive and most of them have been reconed anyway, or need to be.

Recreations of these speakers are made by:

https://weberspeakerscom.secure.powweb.com/weber/

http://www.jensenvintage.com/

and I'm sure, others, like Eminence.

I like the Webers a lot, and I think that my Ampeg V4 going through their P15N recreation (I also have an old P15N to compare to) is pretty close to sonic nirvana for bass, and even for a lot of guitar sounds. However, everyone who has looked into this at all has an opinion, and, like here at Gearslutz, a lot of their opinions are different. The best place I have found to hear a lot of opinions about these speakers is:

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.guitar.amps?lnk=lr

search the group for the words "jensen" and "weber," pour yourself a beer and get ready to read for a while.


Clearly I've spent way too much time in my life thinking about these damn speakers. However, a really good might just take that Crate cab and make it something amazing.

Best of luck with your journey, you've got a very special amp there that you will really come to love more and more as you get into its possibilities.

[softwareguy]

Try driving the Les Paul hard. It's instant Exile on Main Street/Sticky Fingers sound!