Hey, mellow, corgi-man, frono, et al,
I picked up this amp about 2 1/2 years ago in non-working condition. Pretty simple set up; two inputs, two volume knobs, bass middle treble controls with 3 EQ switches, no master volume.
I spent $400 getting it running with a good tech who had the same identical head and loved it. I found it to be a pretty cool amp with the classic Ampeg voicing and some useful front panel EQ switches. It produces up to 100-115 clean watts and sounds pretty warm and stable at low to mid volumes. After about 11 o'clock on the volume potentiometer, you start hearing a little growl, that is, distortion. From 1 o'clock on, it's dial in the dirt. At that point, you can really get some cool distorted sounds depending on how you set the ultra-high, ultra-low switches, pull out the middle controls, etc. It's nothing I had ever contemplated using, but who knows?
I listened to it through about six different cabs, mostly Marshall and Ampegs. I bought a '90s, 'modern-era' Ampeg 4x10 cab with a tweeter. It sounded terrible. The tech looked inside. The speakers were completely mismatched in terms of both sound and different ohm resistance (two of the speakers were 16 ohms, 2 were 4 ohms. The power would go to the speakers with the least resistance, turning them to flatulant jelly, while the speaks with the most resistance would barely move, contributing almost nothing to the sound).
I began to look for the various types of Ampeg cabs that were used back in the day with this V4b head. The choices were:
1) early '70s 8x10 SVT-type flat back cabs and Eminence guitar speakers. These cabs are wonderful, but very heavy if you are 64
2) a 1970-80 B40 4x10 cab with similar Eminence speakers, made for the 120watt transistor B40 head. Not as heavy, but also not widely available in the 21st Century.
3) 2x15 cabs, some folded, some sealed, all Heavy!
4) V4 4x12 cabs. There are more of them around than the B40 cab. They are pretty-good with bass, but really made for the 100-watt guitar version of the head called the V4; with reverb, master volume, guitar-frequency tone switches, etc. Expensive in good shape.
I decided on the B-40 4x10 cab because I like 10s for bass and felt like any two of us old guys in my 'genuine old-guy band' could realistically carry that cab 40 to 60 feet.
The B40 cab was big for back in the day; 27" wide, 30" tall and 14" deep. They sound real good with modern replacement speakers like Eminence Legends. Also, since V4b heads are 27" wide, the look great when you plant one on top of a 27" wide B40 cab.
Yes, I had a Plan.....
And then it Fell Apart! I simply couldn't find a B40 cab. I searched the USA for around a year and a half. A few cabs turned up, but always with 'will not ship' issues. Finally, I gave up on the project, sold the amp and the crummy, 'modern-era' cab to the same tech and called it all off in late 2015.
Until two weeks ago....
Another year and a half later, I'm looking through a national Craiglist search function typing in 'Ampeg B40' for the umpteenth time through sheer force of habit. Naturally, nothing showed up. For some reason, I went to the local Craigslist site and typed in the same search, again just by habit. A B40 cab showed up 30 miles away for $250, with a good speaker grill that matched the color of my head's grill!
I called my tech and asked him if he wanted to buy the B40 cab. He declined (didn't need two V4b heads, plus he'd replaced the speakers in the modern-era cab and paired it up with a single 15" speaker cab). I then asked him if I could buy my old head back. He said yes, so I bought the cab and picked up the head last Monday. Now you guys know what I know!
And, if you find a B40 cab, let me know! I want two! I'm willing to wait a year and half!
I picked up this amp about 2 1/2 years ago in non-working condition. Pretty simple set up; two inputs, two volume knobs, bass middle treble controls with 3 EQ switches, no master volume.
I spent $400 getting it running with a good tech who had the same identical head and loved it. I found it to be a pretty cool amp with the classic Ampeg voicing and some useful front panel EQ switches. It produces up to 100-115 clean watts and sounds pretty warm and stable at low to mid volumes. After about 11 o'clock on the volume potentiometer, you start hearing a little growl, that is, distortion. From 1 o'clock on, it's dial in the dirt. At that point, you can really get some cool distorted sounds depending on how you set the ultra-high, ultra-low switches, pull out the middle controls, etc. It's nothing I had ever contemplated using, but who knows?
I listened to it through about six different cabs, mostly Marshall and Ampegs. I bought a '90s, 'modern-era' Ampeg 4x10 cab with a tweeter. It sounded terrible. The tech looked inside. The speakers were completely mismatched in terms of both sound and different ohm resistance (two of the speakers were 16 ohms, 2 were 4 ohms. The power would go to the speakers with the least resistance, turning them to flatulant jelly, while the speaks with the most resistance would barely move, contributing almost nothing to the sound).
I began to look for the various types of Ampeg cabs that were used back in the day with this V4b head. The choices were:
1) early '70s 8x10 SVT-type flat back cabs and Eminence guitar speakers. These cabs are wonderful, but very heavy if you are 64
2) a 1970-80 B40 4x10 cab with similar Eminence speakers, made for the 120watt transistor B40 head. Not as heavy, but also not widely available in the 21st Century.
3) 2x15 cabs, some folded, some sealed, all Heavy!
4) V4 4x12 cabs. There are more of them around than the B40 cab. They are pretty-good with bass, but really made for the 100-watt guitar version of the head called the V4; with reverb, master volume, guitar-frequency tone switches, etc. Expensive in good shape.
I decided on the B-40 4x10 cab because I like 10s for bass and felt like any two of us old guys in my 'genuine old-guy band' could realistically carry that cab 40 to 60 feet.
The B40 cab was big for back in the day; 27" wide, 30" tall and 14" deep. They sound real good with modern replacement speakers like Eminence Legends. Also, since V4b heads are 27" wide, the look great when you plant one on top of a 27" wide B40 cab.
Yes, I had a Plan.....
And then it Fell Apart! I simply couldn't find a B40 cab. I searched the USA for around a year and a half. A few cabs turned up, but always with 'will not ship' issues. Finally, I gave up on the project, sold the amp and the crummy, 'modern-era' cab to the same tech and called it all off in late 2015.
Until two weeks ago....
Another year and a half later, I'm looking through a national Craiglist search function typing in 'Ampeg B40' for the umpteenth time through sheer force of habit. Naturally, nothing showed up. For some reason, I went to the local Craigslist site and typed in the same search, again just by habit. A B40 cab showed up 30 miles away for $250, with a good speaker grill that matched the color of my head's grill!
I called my tech and asked him if he wanted to buy the B40 cab. He declined (didn't need two V4b heads, plus he'd replaced the speakers in the modern-era cab and paired it up with a single 15" speaker cab). I then asked him if I could buy my old head back. He said yes, so I bought the cab and picked up the head last Monday. Now you guys know what I know!
And, if you find a B40 cab, let me know! I want two! I'm willing to wait a year and half!
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