Ampeg Lovers Club-Not that we need one

Post you pica and observations here.
My amps-
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll277/hobbster01_bucket/jet4.jpg
1969 Reverbojet
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll277/hobbster01_bucket/100_0271.jpg
1965ish
Reverberocket 2

I went Ampeg over 10 years ago with this one (Reverberocket 212):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/nealdbluesman/rocket-1.jpg
A few years later I snagged this Super Jet as a secondary amp:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/nealdbluesman/ampegs-jet.jpg
About a month back I found this Jet II and with these 3 amps I can do anything!:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/nealdbluesman/j1.jpg
Okay.... maybe I can't do ANYTHING, but I can certainly do anything that I WANT to do.

I've got a mid-sixties Reverberocket 2, also. Over the years, I've had two different blackface Bassman amps, and a bunch of other amps. This is the amp that I've kept. The Ampeg reverb sound can't be beat. When it's cranked, the overdrive doesn't saturate as much Fender or Marshall amps. The Fender and Marshall sounds have become almost cliches, but this little guy has a distinct character all its own. On the downside, it's not powerful enough to compete against other people's amps and replacement tubes aren't as easilly available. There's always going to be some trade-offs, but this amp's sound makes it worthwhile for me.

27083

... "The Ampeg reverb sound can't be beat."


+1


27084

... please forgive the vintage 1985 photo - you know how us old guys are

I have had this VT 40 since 1985 … I cut tracks (2” 16 track) in 85 and used my friends Marshall for rhythm and used the VT 40 for overdubs

It has a tube that did not go into many amps … I checked an old Ampeg site to get the accurate terminology …. "The 6K11/6Q11 is a tube containing three independent triode sections, one like a 12AU7 and the other two like a 12AX7. In this Ampeg circuit, the 6K11 is used as the line-level preamp, with the first two sections as gain stages and the third as a cathode follower with the active mid control in the feedback loop." … thanks Doc

I also have a B 15 head that a guy in my old neighborhood actually tossed out. ( it was that beautiful plexiglas sticking out of the trash … even in the dark … that made be back up and get it)

I've got the schematics and I plan on doing some learning on it before I hand it over to my friend the amp guy.

I also have a B 15 head that a guy in my old neighborhood actually tossed out. ( it was that beautiful plexiglas sticking out of the trash … even in the dark … that made be back up and get it)

Pretty sweet find. I had an old Portaflex flip-top amp for a short while. It was a beautiful sight to behold when that plexiglass logo was lit up. Mine was a guitar amp, though. If only it sounded as good as it looked... The B15 is another story altogether, a classic sound. It probably doesn't have the wattage to be a practical gigging amp, but it's a still a great find.

Hobbster, I have a '68 Reverbojet that I don't need to post a picture of--because it looks exactly like yours!

Post a pic.

My first proper tube amp was an Ampeg Reverberocket RI. I still have it, and it's probably the one amp I absolutely, posilutely, will NOT let go of. It's my "cold, dead fingers" amp, I love it that much.

I'm hoping to own an original 60's version some day, preferably one with the controls on the top. Some day... is not today... :sad:

Another Reverbojet owner here. Great little amp

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m287/scottone/IMG_0393.jpg

27139

1966 Reverberocket II. I got it about a year ago for $250 CAD. It had sat in the original owners basement since it was bought, and was hardly played. It's practically in new condition as you can see from the photo:

http://ic-designs.ca/ampeg.jpg

My favourite amp out of every one I have owned as well. I'd even pick it over my Princeton Reverb if I had to pick one.

Uh oh, will take pics soon, VT-40, Gemini 22-GV B15n Portaflex and G15....

Have a Gemini I that I left at my parents' house. I need to get it back to fix it up. It was great when it worked right. Bought it for $40 in '92. It's my first amp.

Loved my V-4's, VT-22's, VT-40's and even my Jet reissues. All long gone now.

I would love a Flip-top B-12 with an Altec, but haven't seen one in years around here (affordable anyways).

1966 Reverberocket II. I got it about a year ago for $250 CAD. It had sat in the original owners basement since it was bought, and was hardly played. It's practically in new condition as you can see from the photo:

http://ic-designs.ca/ampeg.jpg

My favourite amp out of every one I have owned as well. I'd even pick it over my Princeton Reverb if I had to pick one.

Man, that amp looks like it just came from the factory. You got a great bargain.

We probably shouldn't talk up Reverberockets too much. If too many people find out about them, no one will be able to afford them.

Fender amps are much better. Yeah, that's the ticket...

Hey! Hoping to join the club soon. I have an AC15 now and am just not feeling the love. I want a deeper tone. Anyway I am looking for a vintage Jet. Heck, I would even take a good reissue from the 90's.

Hobbster, I need to figure out how to post a picture--never did it on this site. I signed onto Flickr but now I can't get back on and all the help procedures are beyond useless. Any other photo hosting sites I can use?

Pretty sweet find. I had an old Portaflex flip-top amp for a short while. It was a beautiful sight to behold when that plexiglass logo was lit up. Mine was a guitar amp, though. If only it sounded as good as it looked... The B15 is another story altogether, a classic sound. It probably doesn't have the wattage to be a practical gigging amp, but it's a still a great find.

Late 60's. Nine piece soul/R&B band (4 horns) playing mostly high school dances, a few small clubs, 4-6 gigs a month. Bass player had a B15N which did just fine. We only miked the vocals, everybody else just kind of balanced against the drummer.

I always use photobucket.

I got a 1966 Gemini II G-15L in a box with the top sawed off for $75.00.
I have doweled the top back on and I am currently Trying to "patch" the tolex.
Other than the idiot who apparently needed to change the caps and couldn't go to the hardware store and buy a clutch head screwdriver, it sounds fantastic,
Some people.
I'll post a pic soon.

Just picked up a B25B at the local 2nd hand store. It pretty good shape although it needs a bit of cleaning. Original tubes too by the look of things.

Seems to work well too.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m287/scottone/IMG_0433.jpg

I just picked up a new(ish) J-20 Jet last week. I was a little unsure about it after reading about issues with the earlier models. The lack of reverb was also puzzling. I spent about an hour playing it in the store with a reverb pedal, and ended up taking it home. Played my first gig with it last Friday night in a really large room, and I was worried about not being heard, but it cut through just fine at about half volume. I got really nice mild breakup, and it sounded great when I used my Tubescreamer for lead parts.

My only gripe is the lack of onboard reverb, but my Tech 21 Boost RVB sounds very good with the J-20, so it's only a minor complaint.

m-15 here...... love it .
if only i knew how to use all them dials ......
ha !

Here's mine:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1383/626277334_62ed7ff86b_o.jpg

Also, here's my AMG1:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/3069167250_b27d29248d.jpg?v=0

Love it! '66 with it's probably original Jensen EM-1550.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/photos/oldbassrig.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/wildricechris/ampeg/B-15N4.jpg

Here is mine, it is a 50 watt 1x12 SJ-12R. It has replaced my Super Reverb as my main gigging amp. Now the Super can stay home where it is safe. I love the sound of my tele thru it and it has the most amazing reverb. I just wish it had Tremelo.

I've got a bunch of old Ampegs...

A Gemini, a B-15, and a few others...

But here's one that you might want to see, a mint B-12-XT:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee22/e_stamp/DCP_0821.jpg


Oh, and this one is kind of interesting--an early 50's Bassamp:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee22/e_stamp/Ampeg%20Bassamp/P1020829.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee22/e_stamp/Ampeg%20Bassamp/P1020855.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee22/e_stamp/Ampeg%20Bassamp/P1020834.jpg

^^^^^

Wow... :shock:

Hey, a new member to the club...well, almost. I bought a 1996 Ampeg Jet II and it is set to arrive on Tuesday. Got with a couple of you for Ampeg related opinions and really appreciate it.

Hoping to get some time with it and let you know how it sounds...

All the best to everyone.
s360

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b282/beerts/IM000826.jpg

I believe mine is about a 62 Gemini 1
love the amp but you can't read the front control plate...

Shop in hometown was a Ampeg dealer during the Magnavox era..They had a little 2-2x10 pa that we rented on ocassion..perfect for party & rec center gigs.
I had a G-18 which I often wish I had kept.
Neighbor had a G-10 (great jazz amp btw)
Local college owned a B-15..

Man, that amp looks like it just came from the factory. You got a great bargain.


bargain? it looks like it was a steal!! what a beautiful amp and ridiculous price - congrats!!

About a month back I found this Jet II ....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/nealdbluesman/j1.jpg


i think i bought the jet II from you - thank you - it ROCKS.

it's replaced my bjr as my main gigging amp

Here's my first band, and me through the '66 B-15N.

QkfufX-tORw

No love for any of the newer Ampegs in here? I've got a VL-501 that is a fantastic amp. Up where I am you don't see alot of old ampegs around, I guess cause there was never a dealer in the area.

I own three old Ampegs and one new one: 1959 Rocket, 1960 Jet, 1965 Gemini II, and the new J-20 Jet. The new J-20 Jets are great and the old ones are the best deals going in vintage amps.

Just picked up a VL 503 traded an Epiphone Blues Custom for it .Outstanding amp also grabbed a schematic for it another lucky score

Just picked up a VL 503 traded an Epiphone Blues Custom for it .Outstanding amp also grabbed a schematic for it another lucky score

Fantastic amps. That was a great trade. There are a few changes that Lee Jackson recommends for these amps. I've got schematics etc for most of the VL series. If you need anything drop me a message. I'd be glad to help out. These amps really love the EH 6CA7s by the way.

just wanted to let everyone know that the best fender amp, IMO, ever cloned is a Blankenship Fat Boy with Sour Cream. I've had tons of fenders and this amp is exactly the sound I thought the others would be. even better than my Victoria, which is hard to beat

No love for any of the newer Ampegs in here?

I'm liking my J-20. A little slapback in front of it, and it's great. Wonderful vibrato too.

… FYI to the Philadelphia folks, Benny has a nice Gemini 22 for sale … I had never seen one before … pretty cool/industrial looking with the 2 12s – did not play it, but it sure looked cool

I'm liking my J-20. A little slapback in front of it, and it's great. Wonderful vibrato too.

Love my J-20 Jet. It was good stock, but I made it great by upgrading the speaker and transformers (Mercury Magnetics). Now it's basically a boutique handwired amp. Sounds as good as any of my amps. The breakup is incredible. I use a reverb pedal with mine.

I have a V4 head that I love...will never part with it. Had to have it when I heard the verb. In the past couple years I've been using lower wattage 1x12 combos, Gibson and Fender...and want to get in on the Ampeg combo fun.

What model would you folks suggest I look at that would compare wattage-wise with a Deluxe? Would that be the Reverberocket?

Also, is there a replacement speaker out there for Ampeg combos that has kinda proven itself and stands out for these amps? Eminence, Weber, etc?

Thanks in advance, trying to learn something cool this morning lol!

I have never seen one like this, with the jbl speaker originally added as an upgrade. I bought it a few months ago and was told it belonged to neil young from 71'-73'. It is EXTREMELY loud and bright, and breaks up at high volumes, but it's TOO bright for my liking.

Recently i picked up that Ampeg history book, it's full of great info, although some of the pictures are pretty low-res.

Anyone ever seen a Fountain of Sound?

Recently i picked up that Ampeg history book, it's full of great info, although some of the pictures are pretty low-res.

Anyone ever seen a Fountain of Sound?

I've got that book and I've been looking for the "Johnny Smith Fountain of Sound" for years (as well as an "echo satellite").

I've never seen either, but you can bet that if you find either one it'll cost an arm and a leg.

I've got a 1964 Ampeg Jet J-12-A a friend let me borrow he says I can buy it for $25 do you guy's think I should do it? I love the sound but it has major feed back if you go past 8 (not that I can get away with it that loud for long).

My old Gemini II has been through all the wars and looks it. But when you turn it on ... no longer stock, with 6L6s, a larger PT, even a tube rectifier, plus an Emi Big Ben. A big, soulful sound, I love playing this thing!

I've got a 1964 Ampeg Jet J-12-A a friend let me borrow he says I can buy it for $25 do you guy's think I should do it? I love the sound but it has major feed back if you go past 8 (not that I can get away with it that loud for long).

For $25, you can afford to fix anything, and just play it quieter than 8 until then. I'd check the preamp tubes first thing before taking it in.

VT40 in storage, it needs probably needs a recap and rewired for tubes they still make.
I can't really use it in NYC apartment but some day it will be back.

It is one super loud amp, I got it in the mid 80's when I couldn't afford a fender twin.

'65 Reverberocket w/7591As:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/erksin/64AmpegReverberocket.jpg

And the '66 Gemini II I'm babysitting for a friend over the summer:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/erksin/groupshot1.jpg

Love my J-20 Jet. It was good stock, but I made it great by upgrading the speaker and transformers (Mercury Magnetics). Now it's basically a boutique handwired amp. Sounds as good as any of my amps. The breakup is incredible. I use a reverb pedal with mine.

I scored one from the Sam Ash blowout. I've been enjoying it stock but plan
on some taste testing with speakers soon.

I just purchased a sola sound tonebender mkII for my 69 Reverborocket with a jbl and my tele. Hoping that it will bring the brightness down a bit, and increase the break-up at lower levels and lower tones. Any comments?

new to the family. an early 60's rocket 2. $350 on ebay! sorry about the crappy picture!

Reissue Reverberocket R212R, bought new maybe a dozen years ago...

The amp is still with me, and I appreciate it more and more. Drive channel's tone isn't my favorite, but the clean channel is glorious, the reverb is great, and it takes pedals really well.

After years of whining about how much of a hassle it was to hall around, I finally got around to installing handles on each side (matching the top handle) and casters. Glad I stumbled across Fliptops online!

My used R12R shows tomorrow...I have been through a few amps in the last 6 months, (AC15, Ampeg J20, Traynor YCV40WR) It is a used reissue and has been modded with EL34's and the speaker is replaced with a Eminence Private Jack...we'll see what happens.

I have never seen one like this, with the jbl speaker originally added as an upgrade. I bought it a few months ago and was told it belonged to neil young from 71'-73'. It is EXTREMELY loud and bright, and breaks up at high volumes, but it's TOO bright for my liking.

Here's mine

Okay, here's my 1961 Reverberocket (6v6's) being used by my harp player when his amp had issues.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab128/RoryMcQ/july18012.jpg

My R12R arrived yesterday and while I have only a chance to plug it in and turn it on it has a pretty nasty hum. Anxious to get in there and check it out. (It was retrofitted with EL34's, supposedly by a shop - but they may have screwed the pooch on that.)

my younger bro had a reverbrocket 2 (1969 i believe). sounded great w/ his tele.there was a guitar teacher-ampeg dealer in town who had everybody using ampeg gear.
he sold them to his guitar students and b-15s to the bass students
there were a lot of them around for awhile..at one time i had a pair of ampeg jet amps (both from garage sales)

me, i still have my b-15 i got in 1966.
i also had a mid 70s model that was nice,
a 73 svt w/ a 8-10 cab,
an early 80s v4b head (w/. 2 jbl cabaret 1-15 cabs) that was a tone monster.

i've had a quite a few other amps also..i'll post on the respective sites

Over the weekend I had about 30 minutes with the R12R I received last week. It has EL34's and an Eminence Private Jack Greekback clone in the back. Holy ba-geeez! The 34's bring on a whole new animal to the drive channel. The Private Jack compresses some very nice grind/dirt.

In its current state the clean channel is very clean/crisp lows and highs giving it almost an acoustic sound when strumming chords. I used a Bad Monkey to get a low gain tone on the clean channel and then hit the dirt channel and it is off to the races.

I'm digging it.

Love my J-20 Jet. It was good stock, but I made it great by upgrading the speaker and transformers (Mercury Magnetics). Now it's basically a boutique handwired amp. Sounds as good as any of my amps. The breakup is incredible. I use a reverb pedal with mine.

What speaker did you put in there?

I got a Diamond Blue 4x12 about 6 or 7 years ago and it's the best sounding 4x12 I've ever heard. The only cab to hold a flame to it was an Orange, and they were too different to compare.

Anyway, ever since then I've been looking for the matching head to my cabinet, and finally got it about a year ago. Reverberocket R50-H

http://i467.photobucket.com/albums/rr37/Ripley1046/SSPX0212-1.jpg

But I don't see the jbl logo on the front like mine. Still haven't seen one other one like it....

For you R12R Reverberocket Reissue guys: How, if at all, are you using the Line In/Line Out jacks on the amp? Effects loop or what?

Thanks,
s360

Sorry for double post...was just offered an Ampeg M15 in trade for a Traynor YCV40WR I am selling. There is little info on the Big M out there...anybody here that can help out with some descriptions?

Coincidentally, I just traded for an M-15. Small world, eh?

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_sND36OTLPTU/SsjGTLqMN4I/AAAAAAAAA2U/LVZMJnqpQ9s/s400/IMG_7338.jpg

I like it a lot. It has, to my ears, a very useful range of tone set between 4 and 7 on the volume dial (there's only a tone dial, no separate EQs) where I can set the overdrive with the guitar volume. The breakup is very smooth at first, but when pushed, gets pretty hairy. I love it. I would call it a fairly middy amp, but that's a tone I like. Very musical, and very nearly ideal for my taste.

Mine is running JJ's 6L6s and Sovtek 6SL7, with a Jensen speaker - dunno if it's original or not. I know this amp was just gone through by the PO's tech in search of more clean headroom, which he didn't really find. I don't know specifically what changes were made, if any, so I can't say for sure that mine is representative of all M-15s out there.

I traded my Peavey Delta Blues 115, which I liked, but which was too clean for my tastes. I did, however, love the seemingly endless bottom end the Peavey had, and which this Ampeg lacks. And I might miss the effects loop, but that's no big thing. The Peavey took some getting used to, so will this one. But I like the breakup well enough to over look just about any flaw. It's gorgeous.

Here's my question: where can I find a source for a replacement for the Big M's old plastic (bakelite?) handle? It's okay for now, but feels like it's not long for this world. I'd like to replace it with a new re-pop, if one exists.

My dad found an old Ampeg B-15NF in a dumpster. Sounds great with a tele. Really deep and dark. Can pull some great blues tones out of it. LOUD though. Very loud.

Tried the M15. Great breakup tone but it has a very low clean headroom. This amp would be great for studio work and recording...local owner, not me, still has it for sale if anyone wants more info.

I'm LOVIN my J 20 Jet. The stock speaker was really....hmmmm inadequate. long story short, I found that the best speaker to pair with this amp was one of the stock Fender/Eminence Gold laber speakers that came stock in my TRRI. I couldn't believe it. Totally balanced and makes this amp sound brilliant with either single coil or humbucker solidbodies or hollowbodies. I love this amp!

i just sold my toploader VT40...it funded my tuition, but it was HARD to let that baby go. I put 2 eminence lil buddies and 2 eminence rajin cajuns in it....damn it sounded sweet. Faces/Stones tones all day! ill have another one some day...

Hi, Did you ever find out what was causing the hum ? I have a '97 Reverberocket 1X12, and it too hums. Just curious
Mike

Mezz, after plugging the amp in and letting it settle in after shipment, the hum just kinda went away. It's still there and I can hear it when I zero in on it, but it is nothing like out of the USPS box if that says anything.

My R12R reissue has also been modded with EL34's so I thought it was maybe that. Turns out it just may have been a tube that was not seated properly.

The amp rocks.

Hi, I went and bought a set of Groove Tubes 6L6's and my hum is gone. This amp NOW rocks ! I will try and post a pic soon. My Reverberocket is the cats meow !
Cheers !

Here's my 1997 RI Reverberocket. I absolutely love it !
Someday I'll get to play inside the house !

Here`s my 1965 Jet J12 D. Yea this is the model with the funky 6BK11 pre amp tubes. But the 6C10 is the same tube and easy to find.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp158/donnie55/ampeg.jpg

Here's my monster that I got for my 16th birthday-I'll be 45 in days

http://www.edmclaughlin.net/assets/images/2combos.jpg

I just picked up a 1996 SuperJet SJ-12R and noticed that it uses EL34's with a 15ohm speaker. The manual specs an 8 ohm speaker and looking at retail sites 6L6's are always mentioned - can anybody clarify?

I just picked up a 1996 SuperJet SJ-12R and noticed that it uses EL34's with a 15ohm speaker. The manual specs an 8 ohm speaker and looking at retail sites 6L6's are always mentioned - can anybody clarify?

I had a SJ-12R with EL34's too. Here's a link to a manual on-line that refers to EL-34's. http://www.ampeg.com/manuals/SJ-12R.PDF

Not sure about the 15 ohm speaker though. Is it the stock one with the small Ampeg sticker on it?

I have a 1964 Ampeg Jet J-12 that was modified to run 6L6's instead of the 7591 power tubes before I bought it 10 years ago. Missing the logo, scratched up, replaced handle, torn tolex, old unmarked ceramic speaker with a huge magnet...but the one amp I've held onto. Meaty sound with the smoothest break-up I've heard, but not a real dynamic low-volume clean tone. Pic below.

So last night I picked up a 1965 Jet in great shape with the original speaker. Has 7591's and the small 6BK11 tubes. Haven't had the chance to play it too much, but ran them both next to each other and the '65 has nowhere near the volume of the modified '64.

I just picked up a 1996 SuperJet SJ-12R and noticed that it uses EL34's with a 15ohm speaker. The manual specs an 8 ohm speaker and looking at retail sites 6L6's are always mentioned - can anybody clarify?


The speaker is a (Rola) Celestion G12-50 15ohm. Pretty rare since not much is known about these. I called Ampeg and this is definately not stock. The amp requires an 8 ohm, but whats great is that I was planning on downsizing the tubes to 6V6's since the amp is too damn loud, and to do that I would have needed to bump up to a 16ohm speaker anyway, so all's good.

I play blues so it would seem to make sense to put in Tung-Sol's, but then again, the amp is so crystal clear maybe I should just let my pedal do the 'dirty' work and put JJ's in instead. :confused:

Update: I replaced the 12AX7 preamp with a 12AU7 tube. wow, talk about a gain reduction. i know its a low gain tube but I didn't expect it to turn this beast into a practice amp. lol. before, it would ramp up severly at 2, now its a nice gradual rise up to almost 7 before getting too loud for practice.

Now I'm not sure whether to still put in 6v6's, or just replace the speaker.

What speaker did you put in there?

Sorry it's taken forever to respond, but I hadn't checked this thread `til today. I put a Weber Blue Dog with "pre-rola" treatment into the J-20. Normally I would have used a Celestion Blue, but I felt safer with the slightly higher wattage of ther Blue Dog.

Hi, It’s time to get my VT 40 back in business.

It has a blown speaker and may need the upgrade/mod to two tubes from the 6K11/6Q11 ("containing three independent triode sections ... the 6K11 is used as the line-level preamp, with the first two sections as gain stages and the third as a cathode follower with the active mid control in the feedback loop")

Any recommendations for 10’s ... and does anyone have an amp with the above mod/update?

Thanks in advance!

Joe

Update: I wound up keeping the (non-stock) 16ohm speaker in my SuperJet and replacing the EL34's with 6V6's. I did not notice any difference, but then again I wasn't cranking it loud enough to really hit the power tubes hard.

I had lost use of the eq controls and thought it was because I put in such a low power pre-amp tube. That apparently wasn't the case - when I started to troubleshoot the problem I notice my midrange pot was all but destroyed (physically). It appears the screws that hold the back panel in place are a hair too long and wound up damaging the housing on the mid-pot causing it to fail. I replaced the pot (an extremely pain in the a$$ job) and all is well again. This amp sparkles like a BF Fender. :)

I just recently snagged a '60 Mercury (M-12) off ebay that was not working. After replacing a few resistors that had bloated with age, I've got it running again. It's sound is definately more in the realm of the tweed amps of the 50's, but with more headroom.

With the 'random navy flair' covering and old style grill cloth, it's definately a cool looking vintage amp. I hope to post pics here shortly.

Ricah, congrats on the new M12.

Anybody have a recommendation for a new 1x12 to go in my Reissue Reverberocket? Starting to notice more flab bass and mid bite out of my Emi Private Jack. (i.e. greenback clone.)

Thanks.

This would be mine of he wanted to trade...
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8351466

These sound great with guitar.
In high school I played a '65 Gibson Melody Maker through my dad's '66. Awesome.

Here's a pic of my mercury....

For you 90's reissue guys with a Reverberocket of Super Jet: Is the 12ax7 tube in v1 all the way to the right or on the left next to the power tubes? Gonna try a 5771 in v1 to see what that does.

I just picked up an early '70's V2 head. I've been wanting one for years and finally found the model I've been looking for. I'm putting it in the shop for a tuneup tomorrow. I picked up a Master Volume box from Fliptops but haven't had a chance to use it. This is a seriously huge sounding amp, both in tone and volume.

J-20, I got one of these off ebay. Will be here later in the week. Along with a godin lg p90. looking forward to Xmas vacation. Any how I posted on the amp page and did not get a whole lot of love. What can you fellas tell me about it. Does it need tubes or a speaker swap? I play blues and thinking a C REX and maybe some JJ's?

Hey guys, I'll be joining as of today.

I just snagged a 1966 Ampeg Gemini VI off ebay for $450 shipped.

Hung out in a closet for years, has a blue olson speaker.

I'll post pics as soon as it gets here

J- 20 is here and all seems well. No hum or other noises. I dig it so far but it a bright amp.. Without tube it is a candidate for a C Rex. But that will down the road a little bit after Xmas. As is its a fine amp well built, no flaws. A few little mods and it will be a beast.

I had stored a guitar amp given to me back in thr early seventies. Recently I took it to a repair guy to see it was worth restoring. He did some research and told me the amp is probably a JS-30 Fountain of Sound vintage 1957 or 58. Rumor has it these amps are extremely rare. Anyone interested in such an amp? I haven't committed to restoring it yet. It plays as it is, but some of the pots are really noisey.

Recently i picked up that Ampeg history book, it's full of great info, although some of the pictures are pretty low-res.

Anyone ever seen a Fountain of Sound?

Yes!! I have one. Interested? I could be convinced to sell it.

Yes!! I have one. Interested? I could be convinced to sell it.

Interested, but certainly not enough to pay market prices! Where'd you find such a wonder? Pictures?

The amp was given to me back in the late seventies. I'ts been stored all these years, I never actually played through it except to check if it works. It plays but has some problems. I'm trying to decide if I should have it restored. I don't know how restoration would affect it's value. I also have no idea what such an amp is worth since there aren't any to compare it with. There were several models of this amp. This one appears to be a JS-30 (vintage 57/58) by description, but Ampeg simply called it "Guitaramp".
I can get pictures taken, don't have any right this moment.

The amp was given to me back in the late seventies. I'ts been stored all these years, I never actually played through it except to check if it works. It plays but has some problems. I'm trying to decide if I should have it restored. I don't know how restoration would affect it's value. I also have no idea what such an amp is worth since there aren't any to compare it with. There were several models of this amp. This one appears to be a JS-30 (vintage 57/58) by description, but Ampeg simply called it "Guitaramp".
I can get pictures taken, don't have any right this moment.

Please post pics.
I've been gassin' for one of those.
PM me if you decide you want to part with it.

Okay, deal me in!

1. Maybe I'll figure out how to post a picture someday. (Some forums have click-drag-drop, but not this one - yet!)

2. Suffice it to say that my '62 M-15, graced with a heavenly Weber alnico 15" speaker, is my all-purpose amp. I have three Fenders, all with their unique and abundant charms, but the Ampeg is the only one that covers the waterfront. With a tasteful brace of true-bypass boo-teek stomp boxes in front of it, it can get every sound I ever want - and without the pedals (because sometimes you have to dare to go bare), it's voice is strong, clear, and hauntingly gorgeous.

Probably the world's heaviest 20-watt amp, but the pay-off is huge, and I can use the exercise!

Checking in with two.

First is my 90's era Jet12R II. It has a pair of El84's and is voiced like a Vox AC15. I swapped out the original speaker for a 12" AlNico. I like these USA made Ampegs but they are getting hard to find. I also had a 90's V50H and the 4X12 matching slant cab once but traded it for a Peavey 4X10 Classic 50. I should have kept the Ampeg. http://www.tdpri.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/avampshop/Ampeg/AmpegJ12R.jpg

Here is my 70's Ampeg V4 head that I call "The Anvil". It weighs 70 pounds! A Twin Reverb is "only" 68 pounds. I got it in a trade and it came with all the original Magnavox tubes. It is incredibly loud. Loud and clean. The manual has suggested settings to make it sound like a Fender or a Marshall. It possesses the legendary Stones tones from "Sticky Fingers", "Get Your Ya Yas" and "Exile On Main Street". Bet it would bury a Marshall. On paper, four 7027's with 550Volts of B+ should deliver 140 Watts before clipping. http://www.tdpri.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_twisted.gif

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/avampshop/Ampeg/AmpegV4002.jpg

Gotta get busy and replace the worn power cord...

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/avampshop/Ampeg/AmpegV4001.jpg

Did I mention it is LOUD?

Yes!! I have one. Interested? I could be convinced to sell it.

Yes, I'm interested.

Hey guys! This is my first post but I have been reading these forums for years. I need help with my 59 ampeg rocket. It just sounds ratty when turned up. I have done all the maintenence.....new filters ,changed drifted resistors etc. but the distortion is still farty / ratty, not smooth like it should be. I know this amp should sound much better than it does. I am sure this group can get me pointed in the right direction. Thanks in advance!!!!!

Welcome.
You are amongst some of the greatest minds ever here on this forum.
Have you tried a speaker swap or jumping the speaker out to another speaker?
I am in no means an amp tech but sometimes it's the simplest things that we over look.
Do a search on this forum for Ampeg.
There is a guy who is pretty darn knowledgeable on these amps.
I do not remember his name but his avatar is a cartoon like tube with a smiley face.
I will look myself and ask around tomorrow and see if I can get you pointed in the right direction.
Again Welcome!!

Thanks Hobbster! Any help is appreciated. Yeah, I did put in a fresh speker. I have tried about everything I know. The only thing that has really helped is putting in a conjunctive filter. 10K resistor / .0022 cap. That really tightened things up and focused the sound, It also gave it nice tight low end. ......The issue is ..why doesnt it sound good stock? I am starting to think that the output tranny is a bit off balance ( maybe a couple shorts in one side of the primary) and thats what is making my stock tone all ratty. Maybe the conjunctive filter evens things out enough to make it (allmost right). What are your thoughts ??? Thanks again, its good to be among other Ampegers!

If you get on TGP, look for posts by Mark Norwine in the Amp Technical info section (maybe he's here, too?). Excellent Ampeg info.
I have a '65 Gemini I and a '67 Reverberocket II on the way.:grin:

Yes sir, I'm a Ampeg lover from way back.

Used a V4B back in the day doing the hard-rock metal thing. That and the Orange stack with 6x12" cabinet probably explain the left ear hearing loss!

Now I've got a really nice SB-12 baby flip top w/ an Eminence Commonwealth 12, a super clean '67 Jet, a mid 90's S.L.M. Jet, a Rocket 100 bass amp and a '67 Gemini II.

All are "blue-chex" covered wonders.

Hate to do it but the Gemini II is on Ebay right now...gotta fix the Jeep.

Cheershttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250569333869&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

After not playing my J 20 Jet for about the last 2-3 months, I took the cover off and ran it through its paces and was disappointed at there being some kind of rattle (not sure if its cab or tube) and that the front grill cloth is a bit saggy. Anyone got any explanation for this or at least how to tighten up the grill cloth? I've never had anything like this happen from an amp that I DIDN'T play. Thanks fellas!

Is there any sort of database of vintage Ampegs online?

I want to re tube my j 20. Looking at preamp tubes for various locations what do you suggest. Should I go with all 12ax7 or mix them up?
Amp is home use only. Would like smooth and creamy O.D. This amp is supposed to be a version of a fender brown deluxe 6g3.
Preamp Tubes: Tubes (3 x 12AX7)
Power Amp Tubes: Tubes (2 x 6V6)
Rectifier: Tube (5AR4).
I also posted on the amp page. just looking for some help.

Is there any sort of database of vintage Ampegs online?

I've found this helpful:
http://www.ggjaguar.com/ampeg.htm

http://www.tdpri.com/phpclassifieds/showproduct.php/product/17589
C'mon guys you know this is a deal.

Here's my Ampeg V2.
http://www.catfishflats.com/images/AmpegV2_06.jpg

I like my Ampeg Super Jet quite well. . .sj12r. I think I might change the speaker at some point though. . .any suggestions? It's kind of tight in there, tubes too close!!

Ampeg J-20 Jet Speaker Recommendations -The AlNiCo stock speaker was rubbish (way muffled sound with no high end to speak of whatsoever), so I went the economic route and used a Fender Gold label speaker that was once housed in my TRRI. I was told that these are really the same as Eminence Legend 1025's (bright, clear, neutral speaker IIRC) so I figured it'd be all good. It's OK and a step up from the stock driver but compared to my Kustom '36 Coupe (which has a C-Rex) and my TRRI (which has AlNiCo and Ceramic TT's), it's just too dang mid rangey and muddy when overdriven. The cleans just don't have that sparkle and definition no matter if I use bucker or single coil axes.

Anyone got a driver recommendation that'll get me the definition and top end sparkle I desire or am I S.O.L. because I am so used to playing 6L6 blackface type amps (FYI- the Ampeg J-20 Jet for those who don't know is supposed to basically be a PTP knock off of a Brownface 6G3 Deluxe)? I wanna like the amp and feel it has the potential but it just seems to be missing that balance. Thanks guys/gals!

I got my m12 for $25 about 20 years ago. It's clean and works like a champ but needs a speaker. The original was gone by the time I got my hands on it. I'm thinking of a Weber. Any suggestions?

Ampeg J-20 Jet Speaker Recommendations -The AlNiCo stock speaker was rubbish (way muffled sound with no high end to speak of whatsoever), so I went the economic route and used a Fender Gold label speaker that was once housed in my TRRI. I was told that these are really the same as Eminence Legend 1025's (bright, clear, neutral speaker IIRC) so I figured it'd be all good. It's OK and a step up from the stock driver but compared to my Kustom '36 Coupe (which has a C-Rex) and my TRRI (which has AlNiCo and Ceramic TT's), it's just too dang mid rangey and muddy when overdriven. The cleans just don't have that sparkle and definition no matter if I use bucker or single coil axes.

Anyone got a driver recommendation that'll get me the definition and top end sparkle I desire or am I S.O.L. because I am so used to playing 6L6 blackface type amps (FYI- the Ampeg J-20 Jet for those who don't know is supposed to basically be a PTP knock off of a Brownface 6G3 Deluxe)? I wanna like the amp and feel it has the potential but it just seems to be missing that balance. Thanks guys/gals!

Hi I got a J 20 unplayed a few weeks ago , I found the stock speaker a little to tight and muffle sounding also. I connected my weber 12A150 A 50 watt to it and things got alot better. But I have been playing the crap outa the stock speaker and now that its breaking in , its actually starting to sound pretty good. That being said, of course a swap to a better weber would / does ,do these justice.
Did you try the C rex through it. Thats one speaker I would like to try.Or the canis major.

Anyone have an idea what the stock Alnico is in the MIK J20 RI,,,? Eminence black mountain ?

I got my m12 for $25 about 20 years ago. It's clean and works like a champ but needs a speaker. The original was gone by the time I got my hands on it. I'm thinking of a Weber. Any suggestions?

Weber are the way to go IMO.

I got my m12 for $25 about 20 years ago. It's clean and works like a champ but needs a speaker. The original was gone by the time I got my hands on it. I'm thinking of a Weber. Any suggestions?

Emi Cannabis Rex.

The C-Rex I put in my 66 rr2 is just killer. keep the treble dimed w/o killing myself, just a bit of roll-off depending on the guitar. Loud as I need that little thing to be now. Glad I went with that recommendation!

New Ampeg owner here - I picked up a 60's era Rocket in a trade. I put a Weber 12F150 (25 watt) in it, which sounds great.

I've always been a died-in-the-wool Fender guy, but I'm loving this amp!

I don't see many J-12's in here. Anyone have any input on them? I am looking at a 1960ish one right now. I was hoping to find something a little less powerful than my Reverberocket II (1966), but with a similar tone. Would a J-12 fit the bill?

Thanks for any input.

I don't see many J-12's in here. Anyone have any input on them? I am looking at a 1960ish one right now. I was hoping to find something a little less powerful than my Reverberocket II (1966), but with a similar tone. Would a J-12 fit the bill?

Thanks for any input.

The Jet will have quite a bit more gain and midrange - its basically a tweed Deluxe, which is a beautiful thing.

Here is my 1965 All ORIGINAL GEMINI 2, even the tubes. Snagged it for $400 on ebay...have since dusted it off and sent it to get a cap job/ any other maintenance to bring it to spec

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/Krauser2/Screenshot2009-12-14at80014PM.png

What speaker is that??? its made in the USA and it looks old...sounds great

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/Krauser2/Screenshot2009-12-14at80021PM.png

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/Krauser2/Screenshot2009-12-14at80000PM.png

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/Krauser2/Screenshot2009-12-14at80038PM.png

My J-20 needed a little mod, but now it's nothing less than brilliant. I got an additional cap installed that quietened the loud pop when switching Standby. That eliminated a lot of other noises too.

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy77/kypdurron01/guitars/D2.jpg

I love my J-20.

My J-20 needed a little mod, but now it's nothing less than brilliant. I got an additional cap installed that quietened the loud pop when switching Standby. That eliminated a lot of other noises too.

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy77/kypdurron01/guitars/D2.jpg

I just got one of these the other day, they're fantastic. My first impression is that it is a very bright amp, and I think a lot of that comes from the speaker - it's brand new and hasn't been broken in, it sounded a bit tight. If it persits I'm going to swap it for a Weber 12F150. Anyone tried this speaker (AlNiCO or ceramic magnet) in this amp?

Hey Kypdurron
Do you know the exact details of that mod you had done? What value cap and where in the circuit did it get placed? I've just noticed that 'loud pop' when turning it on standby.
Jamie

hey blargfromspace, no I do not know exactly. He just said he stuffed "something big" onto the standby that eats the voltage peak or so. Sorry, can't tell you much more. You'll find some info on this from the amp's developer on the gearpage forums. He wanted to implement that but got fired before ;)

There are other solutions (changing standby position in circuit), but the tech that did my amp said that is no good because they make the electrolytic caps run too hot which will shorten their lifetime massively. And if he had done that he said he would have gone for bigger caps too.

According the brightness, check my attachment. It's not the speaker, it's two caps boosting treble. The presence cap affects both channels, while the other one affects just the bright channel. I simply disconnected the presence cap. Now I got a very warm sound on the normal channel (nearly too warm with anything else than a Tele), and I got a bright sound on the bright channel, but that is not as bright as before.

You can also disconnect the bright cap, then you'll have a less hissy sound on the bright channel, but both channels will be the same. The ideal solution would be a channel blend function and a presence pot.

Hey kypdurron,
Thaks for your excellent response!
I thought that may also be the case with the caps, I think I will experiment with a different value cap for presence rather than remove it completely. I don't think I'll ever use the bright channel so will most likely leave that cap alone - its waaaaay to bright!
Thanks again

Let me know what you found out, please. I'd be interested in getting my presence back, but not at the amount I had before :razz:

However, if you don't use the bright channel anyway, you might want to try what happens if you disconnect that cap nevertheless. The channel is open all the time, if you plug into it or not - and when you turn volume and tone waaay up, it makes the amp rather hissy I think.

But I found this amp just pairing perfectly with a Telecaster. The midrange it adds is exactly what is lacking a Tele when plugged into a Twin Reverb, imho. I'm constantly happy when playing through Luther-land with nothing but this and an outboard reverb. Or push it with an Overdrive to feel like Neil :wink: (or just turn it all the way up, if you want your drummer to throw sticks at you)

It's not the speaker, it's two caps boosting treble. The presence cap affects both channels, while the other one affects just the bright channel. I simply disconnected the presence cap. Now I got a very warm sound on the normal channel (nearly too warm with anything else than a Tele), and I got a bright sound on the bright channel, but that is not as bright as before.

Is the cap for both channels C1 on the schematic (link below)? Someone else can chime in here if they know the answer, it'd be much appreciated!

http://www.prowessamplifiers.com/schematics/ampeg/Ampeg_J20_Jet__Current_Production-fender_6g3_brown_deluxe_Clone_hand_wired_J_20_Jet_ .html

Look what I found:
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=566241
The last post has asked a similar question about the brightness of the amp. That should be quite helpful!

Hey guys,

just got my Reverberocket R12R (reissue) today. It's sounds lush! I do have one major point of concern though, the amp runs really hot (temperature-wise). I was playing for less than 30 mins at bedroom level and the top panel by the on/off, standby, jewel light felt very hot to the touch. The rear panel section felt very hot too. I'm worried I'm gonna blow this thing. Anyone else had this problem or can diagnose what is causing it to heat up so much? Any remedies?
I just got bought it off eBay and had it shipped from America to the UK so I need it to work out. Also it constantly hums, not that loud but it's noticeable and annoying...I'm definatley taking my Blues deluxe as back up.

I have a Gemini 20 (2 x10, 35W RMS) that I got in 1971 that was in storage for 15 years, carefully entombed with plastic trash bags and duct tape. Recently I had Robert Dixon at Amphole clean it up, replace some caps, resolder some old connections, and install a three prong cord and the thing is reborn! All original tubes except for some Mesa 6L6s that I put in before relegating the thing to storage. The reverb, tremolo and afterbeat are like nothing made today and this amplifier is great! Don't see many of them around, I think they were only made for a few years. The 2x10s give it a special character, and at 12:00 the breakup starts to happen. Takes jumping quite well between the effects and normal channel. I will try to post some pictures.

A big shout out to Robert Dixon at Amphole in Burbank, a great guy to work with!

… got a call from my friend that is servicing my amp (caps and new speakers)

He’s really good, but has not worked on this model

He was amazed/saying it’s really unique … “7027’s with super high voltage …. B+ … 600 volts or more “

… got a call from my friend that is servicing my amp (caps and new speakers)

He’s really good, but has not worked on this model

He was amazed/saying it’s really unique … “7027’s with super high voltage …. B+ … 600 volts or more “

The VT40 is indeed a beast and it's sorta fun watching someone new to them adapt. A cap job in these is NOT the happy little job that it is on say an old Fender. Work the CE Dist catalog for parts.

I very, very, very strongly suggest that with any service to the VT series Ampegs that you replace EVERYTHING IN THE BIAS CIRCUIT. Start at the film cap that goes from the power transformer secondary to the bias supply, whether you can measure any fault or not, replace it. Also get that weird diode in the ground path. This will cure a number of weird failure modes known only to old Ampegs.

While you're waiting for it to come back practice all your Mick Taylor era Stones tunes. You'll want to play them with this.

Accidentally on this thread, sort of.

Got an Ampeg R212R along with a guitar I bought on CraigsList.

Wasn't really amp shopping - I like my Fender Blues Jr. for small space playing, but now I have this huge new tube amp.

Can anyone brag this model up?

I have an Ampeg VT 40 and I have fallen in love with it. I like it a million times more than my buddies Fender Deville and any other amp I have heard. I am looking for a smaller Ampeg amp though because lugging the VT40 around can become a huge pain because of its weight. Although it is always worth bringing, I am just looking for a smaller practice amp but don't want to miss out on awesome Ampeg tone. Any suggestions?

I've got a late '60's Ampeg Gemini ll that I got in the mid '90's for about $150 (it needed work), I put about another $125 into it.

When it got serviced it needed power tubes but as there were not any 7591's around (this is kind of before the whole vintage tube and parts cottage industry took off), my amp tech wired it for 6V6's
Also the original 15" spkr (I think it would have been a Jensen?) had been replaced by an EV SRO- not bad. IT sounds big and clean until you crank it and then gets a very nice overdrive. Effects work fine

This amp has been over at my bass players house, sadly unused by anyone for about 5-6 years. Its next to a pinball machine and just looks too cool to move. I gotta get this amp back and play it!

I have an Ampeg VT 40 and I have fallen in love with it. I like it a million times more than my buddies Fender Deville and any other amp I have heard. I am looking for a smaller Ampeg amp though because lugging the VT40 around can become a huge pain because of its weight. Although it is always worth bringing, I am just looking for a smaller practice amp but don't want to miss out on awesome Ampeg tone. Any suggestions?

If you want to sell the VT-40, send me an e-mail!

This is my home practice rig. I wish the SB-12 was loud enough to be heard in a band situation.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g41/Bluesbob/PortaflexwithJ-bass-1.jpg

Well I tried a set of Tung-sol El34b in my VL503.I have to say very disapointed in them .The clean channel sounded the best just a hint of dirt But channel 2 and 3 forget it way to flabby and flat sounded like the speaker was blown had to set the bias way to cold .At first i thought it was the guitar not the case .Back to the 6550s sounding great .I guess you just don't mess with a good thing [for sale Tung-sol El34b matched set used maybe two hrs for break in ]

Hey guys, I'll be joining as of today.

I just snagged a 1966 Ampeg Gemini VI off ebay for $450 shipped.

Hung out in a closet for years, has a blue olson speaker.

I'll post pics as soon as it gets here

What makes a Gemini VI a Gemini VI? I have a late '60's (maybe '66 too) Gemini II what is a VI? is it the output, speaker, Guitar or Bass amp, effects? Sorry, I play mainly Fender amps but have owned my Gemini for 10 years (its been over at our bass player's house for years, it was just too big to haul around, time to dust it off!...)Thanks!

What makes a Gemini VI a Gemini VI? I have a late '60's (maybe '66 too) Gemini II what is a VI? is it the output, speaker, Guitar or Bass amp, effects? Sorry, I play mainly Fender amps but have owned my Gemini for 10 years (its been over at our bass player's house for years, it was just too big to haul around, time to dust it off!...)Thanks!

The VI is a single channel, the II is a two channel amp.

The VI is a single channel, the II is a two channel amp.

Thanks, I should have looked closer to the front panel and noticed fewer controls and different layout...

At the Philly guitar show, I saw a 1963 Model ET -2 Super Echo Twin … extremely cool … 2 amps in one



… here's my B-15-N that needs service ( … a guy in my old neighborhood actually tossed it in the trash )

54521

54522

… here's my B-15-N that needs service ( … a guy in my old neighborhood actually tossed it in the trash )


Nice find! What's that about one man's garbage... ?
You can find everything else at Fliptops (http://www.fliptops.net/catalog/shopping_cart.php?osCsid=db097173ced3b11237152d6ee 16269be).
Check out the Portaflex thread on TB. Lots of helpful advice.

Nice find! What's that about one man's garbage... ?
You can find everything else at Fliptops (http://www.fliptops.net/catalog/shopping_cart.php?osCsid=db097173ced3b11237152d6ee 16269be).
Check out the Portaflex thread on TB. Lots of helpful advice.

Sir, Thank you for the link and the thread!

Accidentally on this thread, sort of.

Got an Ampeg R212R along with a guitar I bought on CraigsList.

Wasn't really amp shopping - I like my Fender Blues Jr. for small space playing, but now I have this huge new tube amp.

Can anyone brag this model up?

I played through one at a local shop a little while back, I loved it. I must have been playing for half an hour before I even wanted to turn it off. Unfortunately I couldn't afford it at the time but hopefully it'll still be there in a couple of months. Enjoy it, they're a damn fine amp

I'd like to join this club!

I have a 1970 v-4 that I have owned for almost 25 years and absolutely love it.

Actually looking for an opinion too.

How similar in tone would a 1970 Gemini 212 be to my v-4? I have a chance to get one cheaply and from I can see it almost looks like a "baby combo" version of my v-4 head- same sensitivity switches and knobs but with vibrato instead of reverb (how odd). Is the tone similar?

Quick question I have a vl503 ch 3 has very little volume Ch 1 & 2 are fine .I tried new tubes 6550 and Pre amps. No change only ch 3 Any ideas ???

Solved problem .Found Rec. tube was causing problem now all three channels work perfect .Strange it would only cause problem on ch 3 not 1 or 2 this amp likes to be biased on the cool side with 6l6's drive sounds sweet

hey blargfromspace, no I do not know exactly. He just said he stuffed "something big" onto the standby that eats the voltage peak or so. Sorry, can't tell you much more. You'll find some info on this from the amp's developer on the gearpage forums. He wanted to implement that but got fired before ;)

There are other solutions (changing standby position in circuit), but the tech that did my amp said that is no good because they make the electrolytic caps run too hot which will shorten their lifetime massively. And if he had done that he said he would have gone for bigger caps too.

According the brightness, check my attachment. It's not the speaker, it's two caps boosting treble. The presence cap affects both channels, while the other one affects just the bright channel. I simply disconnected the presence cap. Now I got a very warm sound on the normal channel (nearly too warm with anything else than a Tele), and I got a bright sound on the bright channel, but that is not as bright as before.

You can also disconnect the bright cap, then you'll have a less hissy sound on the bright channel, but both channels will be the same. The ideal solution would be a channel blend function and a presence pot.


Ok I removed the presence cap and installed a C-REX. This Frigging thing has got glorous blues tone for days . I just have my tele and a compressoer hooked up. Thing of beauty. Tones are some much better. and the Trem is so swampy. I have reached Nirvana, well almost.

Man, I still need to make room around here and take a group shot, so I added to my VT-40, Gemini 22-GV, 61 B15n Portaflex and G15.... I picked up a Gemini 1 and a RRII (the same week off of CL, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me...) the Reverb Rocket is the one I mentioned taking the advice (great!) and dropping in the C-Rex. So, I say 6 is too much, though Id grab a clean V4 if I found one! ;-)

My early '65 Reverberocket and early '67 RRII. The Reverberocket is model R12-R-T and has a pair of 7868 power tubes, two 12ax7's a 6C10 and a 6U10 and I believe is the last of the top loaded models. The RRII has a pair of 7591's two 12ax7's and a 6U10.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/b376/slider313/Picture944.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/b376/slider313/Picture946.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/b376/slider313/RRII-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/b376/slider313/Picture1482.jpg

hello all,
I'm new here because I found this thread on Ampeg amps. I no longer have a Tele but I had a Blue Flower back in 1968 if that counts. I hated the darn thing, don't really like Fenders. I went Gibson SG. :mrgreen:

Here's my problema:

I bought a brand new ReverbRocket R212R back in 2000, one of the re-issue Blue Diamond Series. Great sounding amp.

but whenever I switch channels (factory foot switch) I get an annoying loud and quick shhhaaattt type of sound and I get the same sound when I turn it off, even putting it on Standby before shutting off.

anybody knows what causes this? I haven't touched that amp inside other than to play with it, it is just like it came, down to the film on the chromed panel. (I don't have the heart to remove it).

since some of you seem to know about electronic mods, maybe someone can throw a hint to this old player from the 1960's ?? I'm good with a solder gun but I have no clue what causes the "latching" noise.

Thank you, I'm in Florida.
Zurdo ("Lefty")

1965 Gemini G-12 here! what can i say, it's my go-to amp for everything. i used to play through giant 120W heads and 4x12 cabs. and i used to judge how good an amp sounded by how much my pants would flap when i stood in front of it. nowadays, it's a different world. now i can actually hear the drums, i'm not at war with all sound guys, and i'm immersed in a blissful, almost 3D sound of my Gemini. don't get me wrong, it'll still rip your head off, but it does so in the most pleasing way!

I have one of the Jet J-12T reissues. Had it for a couple of years now and use it at home (not in a band). Biggest upgrade was changing the speaker - the stock speaker is pretty awful. As some have mentioned though, its a tight squeeze in there. I managed to replace it with the Fender/Eminence gold label speaker from a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Big improvement!

Sounds great with my tele or gretsch for a nice Duane Eddy twang.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a76/bagpipe200/for%20sale/Ampeg005.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a76/bagpipe200/for%20sale/Ampeg002.jpg

NAD! I think I got the last new J20 on the planet! Only mod planned right now is to get a blue jewel in place of that ugly red eye ball!!!

... just got it back


78682

Do you not have the screw on caster base for it Joefish? You loving that thing? I sold mine to my mom's ex, having really bad sellers remorse.
`Mike

hello all,
I'm new here because I found this thread on Ampeg amps. I no longer have a Tele but I had a Blue Flower back in 1968 if that counts. I hated the darn thing, don't really like Fenders. I went Gibson SG. :mrgreen:

Here's my problema:

I bought a brand new ReverbRocket R212R back in 2000, one of the re-issue Blue Diamond Series. Great sounding amp.

but whenever I switch channels (factory foot switch) I get an annoying loud and quick shhhaaattt type of sound and I get the same sound when I turn it off, even putting it on Standby before shutting off.

anybody knows what causes this? I haven't touched that amp inside other than to play with it, it is just like it came, down to the film on the chromed panel. (I don't have the heart to remove it).

since some of you seem to know about electronic mods, maybe someone can throw a hint to this old player from the 1960's ?? I'm good with a solder gun but I have no clue what causes the "latching" noise.

Thank you, I'm in Florida.
Zurdo ("Lefty")

Sorry can't help with the problem, but great description of the sound lol. I hope I never hear that sound.

Do you not have the screw on caster base for it Joefish? You loving that thing? I sold mine to my mom's ex, having really bad sellers remorse.
`Mike


Yo Mike, no caster base - it came with a nice road case.

Definitely loving it big time … it’s an absolute killer with my humbucker guitar

79395

I'm in with a `66 GS-12R. It's kind of rough but sounds good. Casters have been added at some time. It has a nice set of Sylvania power tubes, and all the pre-amp tubes were U.S. except for one Mesa, whice I replaced with a strong G.E. The trem circuit is gone and replace with a line out. The intensity pot controls the level.
The speaker is non-original, but is a nice alnico Altec-Lansing 417B.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/InyoTim/DSCF0798.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/InyoTim/DSCF0800.jpg

I'm in. Lovin' the hell outta my V4 these days.

Just bought this 1964 M-15 today. Wow!! Sounds wonderful.

2 - 6L6
3 - 6SL7
1 - 5U4GB

15" Rola alnico speaker.

Schwiiiiiiiiiiing!!!

Just scored a J20 on E-bay, should have it by the end of next week.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqF,!jkE3Lw-3DnKBOF79Scow!~~_12.JPG

Ok I removed the presence cap and installed a C-REX. This Frigging thing has got glorous blues tone for days . I just have my tele and a compressoer hooked up. Thing of beauty. Tones are some much better. and the Trem is so swampy. I have reached Nirvana, well almost.

I'd be interested in a speaker swap too for the J-20. What characteristics change with the Cannabis Rex?

I know it's always hard to describe sound, but I'd like the amp sound a little more "Martini dry" like, tighter Bass and less Sweetness ... def not less treble for me. Maybe a little more like a Fender Twin. I hear you americans talk about Weber speakers all the time, which are not available here, but the Cannabis Rex is available, as well as the whole Jensen and Celestion range. Though the Celestion stuff is rather expensive, so I'd rather go with a Jensen or Eminence. Any suggestions? I'm leaning towards a Jensen P12R atm ... good price and convincing in what you can hear on youtube.

so, I did it and got me a Jensen P12R for my Ampeg J-20. For those who are interested, here's a quick before/after recording ... never mind the playing please, I just did some sloppy strums with the screwdriver still in hand ... but the difference is siginficant. The Jensen is brighter, more transparent and less bassy than the stock speaker. It also seems to be less loud ... I did'nt change amp settings or recording settings.

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=10877454

I just bought a J-12T Jet II reissue on Friday night to replace one that I regretted parting with a couple of years ago. I replaced the Sovtek 12AX7s with original Mullards and the noisy Sovtek EL84s with TADs. It sounds great (though not vintage Ampeg-like) and the tremolo is awesome!
http://images.lilypix.com/albums/userpics/10467/Apeg%20Jet.jpg

This is my Ampeg Reverberocket 2x12. To my ears, it has a bassman-esque sound to it. Which is Aces; plus, the reverb on it is like nothing else on the planet. I bought mine in 1998 and will never part with it. It is a very important part of my sound. Ampeg rocks!

Just joined the club today....again. My first amp was a '65 Gemini which I bought with a blue Fender Mustang, just like kypdurron's. The 60's and 70's were kind of a blur and I don't really remember what happened to that amp, but I must have traded it in for a Kustom combo that I bought in '71. Interestingly enough, I had an amp tech check out that Kustom about 10 years ago and add a three prong plug, and the guy who did it was Jess Oliver from Ampeg. His basement was like a museum.

Anyway, I have been on a hunt for a 1 X 12 combo recently. I was trying to find a Traynor dealer on Long Island today and found out it was out of business. I stopped in to another shop nearby and tried out a slightly used Reissue Reverberocket R-12R. Incredible chimey clean tones, beautiful reverb and real nice warm overdrive. I walked out with it for $375. No pics yet.

http://h1.ripway.com/dangerine49/Ampeg%20R-12R%20+%20Mustang.jpg

http://h1.ripway.com/dangerine49/Ampeg%20R-12R%20top.jpg

2001 reissue Reverberocket R-212-R Made in USA

continued: 2001 reissue Reverberocket R-212-R Made in USA

continued: 2001 reissue Reverberocket R-212-R Made in USA

Just joined the club today....again. My first amp was a '65 Gemini which I bought with a blue Fender Mustang, just like kypdurron's. The 60's and 70's were kind of a blur and I don't really remember what happened to that amp, but I must have traded it in for a Kustom combo that I bought in '71. Interestingly enough, I had an amp tech check out that Kustom about 10 years ago and add a three prong plug, and the guy who did it was Jess Oliver from Ampeg. His basement was like a museum.

Anyway, I have been on a hunt for a 1 X 12 combo recently. I was trying to find a Traynor dealer on Long Island today and found out it was out of business. I stopped in to another shop nearby and tried out a slightly used Reissue Reverberocket R-12R. Incredible chimey clean tones, beautiful reverb and real nice warm overdrive. I walked out with it for $375. No pics yet.



https://sn2files.storage.live.com/y1psW58Zky6j8qCaCMblfqw2RmB5DDQXg-86zFunwtfKpK6eAzIxbOCIvr_0axYLV0DyN7lJVzqXrQ/Ampeg%20R-12R%20front%20wheels.jpg?psid=1

how many versions of the one 12" R12 or Jet are there?? I know there is one with only a Tone control, but is there one with separate Bass & Treble plus Tremolo and Reverb ??

Here is a good resource:
http://www.ggjaguar.com/ampeg.htm

thanks! I wasn't specific enough, I was referring to the reissue Jet and R-12-R Blue Diamond Series.

Here's a pic of my Ampeg collection. I was fortunate to buy all of these relatively cheap. 1967 SB-12 with original 12" Jensen Vibranto speaker ($60 at garage sale, had dirt packed grill and red spray paint on it, works perfect). 1964 B-15NB with a 15" Weber California ($350, came with Radio Shack 15" speaker). 1990's Jet II with Jensen 12" ($60, off ebay not working, blown original speaker. Needed speaker, output tubes, cathode resistors and power transformer's thermal protector).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/DonC1966/DCP_1007Small.jpg

Here's a pic of my Ampeg collection. I was fortunate to buy all of these relatively cheap. 1967 SB-12 with original 12" Jensen Vibranto speaker ($60 at garage sale, had dirt packed grill and red spray paint on it, works perfect). 1964 B-15NB with a 15" Weber California ($350, came with Radio Shack 15" speaker). 1990's Jet II with Jensen 12" ($60, off ebay not working, blown original speaker. Needed speaker, output tubes, cathode resistors and power transformer's thermal protector).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/DonC1966/DCP_1007Small.jpg

nice !

I can't believe nobody has posted for RR2s! D*#m they sound good!

I can't believe nobody has posted for RR2s! D*#m they sound good!

Ah, oops.

I do not have a picture of mine, suffice it to say that it is a 1965 Reverberocket 2, my drummer got it for $200 & I took it off his hands for $220 ($20 finder's fee so I wouldn't feel bad), very much worth it. I think somebody re-covered it but the black checkered tolex seems appropriate to this vintage. No handle though, not even holes where the handle should go.

I recapped it but then the output volume just wasn't all there. I replaced the original speaker with a RI Jensen C12Q. Better, but still not all there.
New cathode resistor, nothing.
I finally replaced the tiny stock OT with a 041318 (Fender Deluxe) and with a new set of 7591AEHs (yes, new production) this amp really took off! It's nice to have the originals but they are worn out, probably from working against that itty bitty OT for 40+ years.
I have also installed a handle and replaced the chassis shock mounts.
So, I guess its resale value is in the crapper but you do what you have to do for tone and this one has it in spades.

I can't believe nobody has posted for RR2s! D*#m they sound good!



Mine's posted earlier in the thread.

My first amp was a 2nd hand 1961 Reverberocket. It was a fabulous amp that I, and my band, were doing Beatles covers with, back when they were first coming out, 1965-66...One of the very best amps ever, in my opinion..

What's a good replacement speaker that fits into the little cab of a Superjet SJ 12R. . .something that breaks up a little easier? Anyone done this here?

continued: 2001 reissue Reverberocket R-212-R Made in USA



You got a pound of fresh coffee with your amp???? NICE!!!!!!

:o)

I have a 1966 Gemini I. How do you jump the channels so both are used with one guitar?

I have a 1966 Gemini I. How do you jump the channels so both are used with one guitar?

You can plug into either input on one channel and run a patch cable from the second input to the other channel. With a tele, I like to plug into the accordian input on channel 1 and run the patch cable from the guitar input on channel 1 to the accordian input on channel 2. I have also used an ABY box and run one output dry to channel 2 and run an overdrive in line to channel 1. A stereo pedal works, too. Experiment around and see which way you like.

New member and a big Ampeg fan. I only have two RI's a Jet J12T and a Super Jet. But for cleans with verb and trem they are my go to's...

From left to right
95 Jet II reissue, 1960 Jet (6v6 tubes) and a 66 Jet

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb345/dogchicken/IMG_20120520_124302.jpg

Here are mine, a guitar amp and a bass amp:

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad5/Shieldbearer/Amplifiers/100_1270_20Percent.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad5/Shieldbearer/Amplifiers/100_1279_20Percent.jpg

The Reverberocket 2 became a head in 1972 in wood shop class. The things you do as a dumb 17 year old! Still, it does provide a bit more flexibility in speaker pairings.

I had a re-cap done on it recently, and the pots were replaced as well. Unfortunately, I forgot to tell the tech about the detent on the vibrato pot that gives you "Repeat Percussion." Does anyone know where I can buy a pot to replace the original that has that detent in it? I looked at the Fliptops.com site, but no luck there.

The V-6B is sort of ugly in its current state. At the very least it needs a re-cover job (all of the Tolex was gone when I bought it). This was my gigging amp back in the early '80s when I played bass in a power trio.

Tripping over a few sweet old Peg's this year.I sold a clean 65 Gemini 2 last week and was quite disappointed at it's resale still wondering what that was about.
This one i'm keeping a very clean 65 Reverberocket to keep my two Gemini 1's company.
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8026/20120503031.jpg
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5987/20120503032.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4388/20120503026.jpg

I had a re-cap done on it recently, and the pots were replaced as well. Unfortunately, I forgot to tell the tech about the detent on the vibrato pot that gives you "Repeat Percussion." Does anyone know where I can buy a pot to replace the original that has that detent in it? I looked at the Fliptops.com site, but no luck there.
.
You should call Bruce directly. He may have a salvaged one in good condition or know of a source. He is excellent to deal with.

Just a question to club members as it would seem to be the place to ask and find the knowledge......while there are many boutique Fender Tweeds and Blackface amps and
boutique Marshall/Vox/Supro offerings does anyone make any of the old Ampeg circuits
and in particular the Reverberrocket ?

Just a question to club members as it would seem to be the place to ask and find the knowledge......while there are many boutique Fender Tweeds and Blackface amps and
boutique Marshall/Vox/Supro offerings does anyone make any of the old Ampeg circuits
and in particular the Reverberrocket ?
Well ampeg themselves have a present day Reverberocket only 5320.00!:confused:.http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ampeg-Limited-Edition-All-Tube-Heritage-R-12R-30W-Guitar-Combo-Amp-107628844-i2388120.gc
Really think it comes down to the fact that they were never famous big stage amps like the big boys and less to do with tone.
Boutique builders are looking to sell thier amps and a 2000.00 R12R clone is not a winner with thousands of real ones out there for 400.00 or less.

I'd like to join up. Just purchased a J-12t Jet II reissue and loving it!

And here it is...

132311

I just picked up a AMPEG J-12 JET, 1959. Its got 6LS7 pre amp tubes and 6V6 power tubes. Nice lush sounding tremelo. It really seems to like being played loud. Pretty touch responsive, but not quite as responsive as my 5C1 modded Champion 600. But playing thru a 12" speaker is a huge inprovement on the low end side of things.

Any recommendations on 6LS7 tubes? The ones in there seem fine, but I just want to get others opinions on those tubes.

I just picked up a AMPEG J-12 JET, 1959. Its got 6LS7 pre amp tubes and 6V6 power tubes. Nice lush sounding tremelo. It really seems to like being played loud. Pretty touch responsive, but not quite as responsive as my 5C1 modded Champion 600. But playing thru a 12" speaker is a huge inprovement on the low end side of things.

Any recommendations on 6LS7 tubes? The ones in there seem fine, but I just want to get others opinions on those tubes.


Sorry for the typo - they are 6SL7 tubes.

I've had a made in USA r212r since 2005 and love it. That paired with a Nashville tele modded with 7 way switching and greasebucket tone circuit is what I gig. For classic country cleans this does it without being overly bright, and the 7 possible pickup combos add enough versatility to cover most anything I play country or not.

Has anyone in this club checked out the GVT 15 head?

I'm interested in getting one but there aren't many vid clips to check out on YT.

Any thoughts here??

After playing one of the GVT 15 heads for half an hour, I joined the Ampeg lovers club and walked out the store with it under my arm. And that's an accurate description of how light and portable this amp is!

All I need to do now is put some castors on my 2 x 10 cab and I'll have a very portable and giggable rig.

This is a lovely small amp head.

Loving the tones coming out of my new baby!

Everything from almost Fender-like cleans to Marshally 70's grind without the need for any pedals. And the reverb is really cool.

I'm mucho impressed with this amp.

I tried a pair of Electro Harmonix 7591's in my Reverborocket 2. They sound as good as the old U.S. made tubes that were in there, which is to say very good. I don't know how long they will last, but they sound good.

My "new" 1962 Jet in navy random flair!
http://images.lilypix.com/albums/userpics/10467/jet_2.JPG

It sounds great with a Tele! The crunch with the bridge pickup and warm smoothness of the neck pickup is like channel switching.

It's Great with my '59 ES-225TD as well!
http://images.lilypix.com/albums/userpics/10467/jet_gibson_upright.JPG

I traded the recent Jet II J-12T reissue that I posted earlier for this (along with a pedal and a few bucks).

Man, I miss my old V-4. Heaviest 4-12 cab I've ever had to lugg around , though.

Here is my '59 J12b Rocket, sitting on my '72 Leslie 16.
This old Rocket is awesome. 6V6's, 6SL7's, & Tremolo!

This is my first post to this website... and it's not going to be a short one!

Here's my story:

About 3 years my company hit a rough patch, I was forced to pawn ALL of my instruments in a last-ditch-effort to make ends meet.

Right after this, I had the fortune of stumbling upon a mid 60's Ampeg Gemini with a 15" speaker (not sure if it was a II, IV, V, VI) in a hole-in-the-wall guitar shop in Orange County. I was playing a mid 50's Gibson ES 125 through it and it was THE GREATEST SOUND I HAD EVER HEARD! From that point on, I became (for lack of a better word) obsessed. Unfortunately, I did not realize how few and far between these amps are.

... Fast forward to 3 years later-

Last month, my wife was able to pool enough money together to purchase me a used American Telecaster as a birthday gift. It has a creamy vintage white body, rosewood fretboard, Seymor Duncan pickups- It's incredible!
______________________________

Now I need an amp. This is where ya'll come in.

I still have not played another Gemini- though, I haven't forgotten the sound of that first one. It seems that any time they pop up on craigslist, they get snatched up before I get the chance to check them out. A guy put a 67 Gemini VI on Craigslist last week for $450 and it was sold before I ever had the chance to meet up with the guy... not that I can blame anybody for jumping on that deal!

I've had some bad experiences purchasing instruments off of ebay in the past, but if I found the right amp at a great price- I'd be willing to purchase it sight-unseen. The problem is that there are very few Gemini's with the 15" speaker on ebay, a number of them are thousands of miles away and "local pick up only", and the rest are out of my price range.

So, I'm broadening my horizons.

I'm looking for an ampeg under $500. There's a few guys that I play with on a weekly basis. We've spent the last month or so writing songs and our plan is just to play the local clubs and bars in Seattle. I'd say that our sound is a healthy mix of The Stones, The Allman Brothers, & The Boss with the modern influences of The Gaslight Anthem, Kings Of Leon, and The Old 97's.

I need an amp that get some rich, clean, blues tones and also takes an overdrive pedal well when trying emulate those late 60's / early 70's rock sounds. Reverb is a must! And the amp needs to be able to hold it's own while jamming without being mic'd.

I'm leaning toward buying an amp through GuitarCenter.com and having them ship it to me because a) they have some options in my price range. b) there's nothing here local. c) they have a 72 hour return policy on their used and vintage gear.

For those that have experience with these amps, please let know what you think of these options:

Vintage
-1960's Rocket II $500.00
-1965 Jet J-12T $449.99

Reissue
-Jet J-20 $499.99
-Jet II J-12T $324.99
-Super Jet J-12T $299.99
-Jet J-12R $299.99
-Reverberocket R-12R $250.00

There are also a few VT60's, which I am completely clueless about. The link to all of these amps is right here: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Combo-Guitar-Amplifiers-Guitar-Amplifiers,Used-Gear.gc?extup=300-500,200-300&src=Ampeg&ipp=25&internal=1&browser=&fsrc=ampeg

I appreciate any and all advice you guys have, and if you can reccomend a different amp or know someone who's looking to unload my dream amp (Gemini with a 15") in price range, please let me know!

Again, I said that this wouldn't be a short post, but I appreciate any feedback any of you can give me!

-Matt

I only paid $219 for my J-12T at Guitar Center (used). I love it for the money I paid. Pairs well with Teles! Great tremolo, too.

I only paid $219 for my J-12T at Guitar Center (used). I love it for the money I paid. Pairs well with Teles! Great tremolo, too.

Thanks for the input!

Did your Jet have enough power to play with a band without it being mic'd?

I'm leaning toward the Super Jet right now, as it had both tremolo and reverb. I've also read that they come stock with 50 watts. The guy that I spoke with arty GC said that this Super Jet was completely stock, but it's 20watts. Either way, I'd it's not loud enough,I can always return it.

I have a J-20 reissue

Trust me

Plenny LOUD -

:o)

I pulled the trigger on the Super Jet. They put brands new Groove Tubes in it the other day and I was able to get the GC Pro Coverage on the amp for only 24 bucks! Plus GC paid for the shipping!

So glad I didn't go through ebay.

I also came down with a bad case of GAS while I was in there picked up a new EHX Memory Boy and aT-Rex Crunchy Frog OD pedal!

The amp should be here by next weekend. It's coming from one of their stores in South Carolina