ampeg micro amps
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kevinpaul
TDPRI Member
I have a two watt Vox Night train and head that is fun to record and just goof about at home. I use a 12" cab and this three tube is loud. I wanted a big tube amp for clubs and festivities. I found an unknown 50 watt tube amp on EBAY. It is a Silkyn Super 50, they were made in 2007 and never hit retail for money reasons I think. The sell for $160.00 if you bid once. I bid that amount and won it. Several guys at the My Les Paul Forum bought them too. These are new amps and 50 watt killers. I don't sell these amps, I just bought one. Good deal do not happen very often.
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Do you mean the micro VR an CL stacks? The biggest difference I saw was that the VR (the classic SVT-looking one) had a gain control whereas the CL has an Aux level on the front, and only a master volume.
I've tried both, and was unimpressed. There is no real low-end to these things and yet the treble is also strangely missing. These things basically deliver a chunk of punchy mids. Imagine an SVT coming down an AM radio. I didn't notice more overdrive when I wound up the gain control on the VR either, just a more frantic and pushed sound from the drivers.
Honestly, you can get much more efficient, far better designed amps that work well as bass practice amps. I'm glad I purchased my Fender Rumble 112 out of the half dozen different amps I tried. The wee Ampegs look the part but don't sound good. If they weren't branded Ampeg they would be much cheaper, and I don't trust Ampeg's reliability with this sort of stuff. Ampeg could have been a bit smart, and used the sort of technology in Phil Jones or even the Yamaha THR amps to deliver big tone from a small footprint. Rather I think they focussed on the aesthetics, and spooned a fairly lacklustre 'vanilla' practice amp circuit into the head, and then used a somewhat generically designed sealed 210 cab to complete the picture.
I've tried both, and was unimpressed. There is no real low-end to these things and yet the treble is also strangely missing. These things basically deliver a chunk of punchy mids. Imagine an SVT coming down an AM radio. I didn't notice more overdrive when I wound up the gain control on the VR either, just a more frantic and pushed sound from the drivers.
Honestly, you can get much more efficient, far better designed amps that work well as bass practice amps. I'm glad I purchased my Fender Rumble 112 out of the half dozen different amps I tried. The wee Ampegs look the part but don't sound good. If they weren't branded Ampeg they would be much cheaper, and I don't trust Ampeg's reliability with this sort of stuff. Ampeg could have been a bit smart, and used the sort of technology in Phil Jones or even the Yamaha THR amps to deliver big tone from a small footprint. Rather I think they focussed on the aesthetics, and spooned a fairly lacklustre 'vanilla' practice amp circuit into the head, and then used a somewhat generically designed sealed 210 cab to complete the picture.
Yes, those are the amps I'm talking about, and I kinda presumed there was a lot of corners cut, despite the very cool aesthetics. Mainly, I thought they'd look wicked cool flanking some Marshall microstacks. Band name: They Might Be Giants.
I'd agree that the Micro head/cab was simply selling the look of an Ampeg without any of the sound. For practising though, the Ampeg BA-110 makes a nice noise. They do larger (and smaller) versions which could be gigged in the right environment.
It is basically 1/4 of an 810 cab, rendered in cheap particle board with cheap drivers. I don't believe it has been designed much beyond being a couple of drivers in a box that has to look like a small 810 'fridge', so I'm not convinced that a driver upgrade would do the work. Most small 110 or 210 cabs that actually perform efficiently look more like small sub-woofers.
I'm not sure you will ever see these at $75, because people buy anything with Ampeg written on in. So many are endlessly forgiving of their rough patches, cheapening of designs or their rushed-to-market forays into the world of Class D technology, resulting in the endlessly unreliable PF350 heads.
Ummm...no. PF350 heads are very reliable, always have been. There were some issues with early PF500s, but they were quickly resolved and any other than from the first year or so continue to provide excellent sound and reliability.
The Micro CL stack really is just a jumped up practice amp, and it's price reflects that. But the Micro VR stack is a real nice, gigable, cool looking unit.
The Micro CL stack really is just a jumped up practice amp, and it's price reflects that. But the Micro VR stack is a real nice, gigable, cool looking unit.
Gunny
Tele-Holic
I took in a CL micro stack as part of a trade. I didn't actually need it but thought I'd use it for practice. The instrument I used (seller's) had low gain pickups so I didn't hear how bloody awful the speaker cab was. I upgraded the power supply filter caps in the head (yes, that's not just for tube amps) to remove ghost notes. The speakers are just plain cheap. I don't know if I want to invest about $100 (CDN) x2 for this cab. I used to own the VR micro amp and it indeed is far superior to the CL..both the head and the cab.
Stratburst
Friend of Leo's
If I wanted Ampeg sound on the cheap, I'd buy a Tech 21 VT Bass Driver DI and pair it with a decent power amp.
Tech 21 gear sounds enough like Ampeg that it'll fool most audience members and, unlike Ampeg, their stuff is well built.
I got burned with an Ampeg BA-210 I won at WootCamp. It sounded great but it kept breaking down. Finally got it repaired and quickly sold it before it could crap out again.
Tech 21 gear sounds enough like Ampeg that it'll fool most audience members and, unlike Ampeg, their stuff is well built.
I got burned with an Ampeg BA-210 I won at WootCamp. It sounded great but it kept breaking down. Finally got it repaired and quickly sold it before it could crap out again.
Steve 78
Friend of Leo's
The VR should be capable of putting out 200W. If you connect it to an 8ohm load then it will only deliver 100W.
Gunny
Tele-Holic
update to Dec 15 post. I first put a pair of new eminence bass speakers in the cab...still sounded awful. Checked the amp (again) with other speakers and although it's not an awesome tone from the head, the CL is OK. Keeping it. The cab just sounds like crap because it can't handle the bass frequencies properly. Picked up a Peavey VTX210 used. What a difference in quality of construction and tone. You get what you pay for. That PV weighs a bloody ton. Glad I'm only using it at home.
I would never recommend that anybody purchase the CL micro stack used or new. The VR is quite a good unit and I do recommend that model.
I would never recommend that anybody purchase the CL micro stack used or new. The VR is quite a good unit and I do recommend that model.
radiocaster
Doctor of Teleocity
No experience, but if you look on forums, a lot of people have apparently had problems with 4 ohms, in particular with 2 of the Ampeg 2x10" cabs.
I cannot say if they fixed this problem, or if they work fine with other cabs at 4 ohms, just this problem has been widely documented.
I cannot say if they fixed this problem, or if they work fine with other cabs at 4 ohms, just this problem has been widely documented.
