Ampeg B-100R Rocket Bass Amp

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This is an update to my previous review.
I am not sure if anyone below has already mentioned this but this amp is 4ohms.That explains why it is considerably louder than most 100 watt combos which are almost always only 8ohms.
I am currently trying to start a "power trio" and have been using the little B100 quite alot.I jammed in a mid-sized rehearsel/studio with a guitarist playing through a brutal loud vintage Marshall combo and a drummer who plays like John Bonham and Bill Ward(Black Sabbath)
and I was asked to "turn down."

for a combo amp this thing is amazing, there is no other 100 watt combo i would rather have. this thing has a gain and level that is easy to under stand. it has a signal and limiter lights so that you actually can tell how to se it. i have seen some of the new ampeg combos and they dont have signal and limiter lights. how do you know if you are setting it too high? i play in an emo/indie rock band and this thing has always been big enough for me. i have played gigs with no pa and this thing has cranked up loud enough. i like the 0 and -15 inputs. then you dont have to set the gain at .0005 if you have active pickups, or just a strong signal. this thing gets loud. good eq also.

this amp creates no while noise at all. it is silent. as for variety i dont really know because i dont really play many styles. this thing has good lows with the 15 inch speaker but also you can get supprisingly good high's out of it. it has a low boost, mid boost, and high boost. these dont really seem to do that much, but they can be helpful, or just make you feel like you are doing somthing. really not much distortion at all unless you put the gain up to high and limit alot.

i use this at a gig with no back up, mainly because i dont have another amp. i dont feel like a need a backup though. this thing is reliable. the only 2things i have realized on mine is that the cardboard on the inside of the back soundholes falls out sometimes. also the attractive outside covering can tear if you let it rub against somthing pretty hard. it takes quite a lot though. never failed on me yet. no falling off knobs or anything.

i didnt have any casters for this thing so i emailed ampeg and asked them what kind to get, and they just sent me some for free, so that was pretty neat of them.

this is a great 100 watt combo. there is nothing else i would rather have. i would recomend this to anyone looking for a great 100 watt amp. great sound, reliable, what more could you ask for. i like it much more than the fender bassman. that thing is a hunk of junk. if someone stole this, i unfortunatly would not buy another one though, only because i would want to get a 4x10. i would be sure to buy an ampeg though. :)

I bought it brand new from a local shop. Please read the other reviews for features or go to the Ampeg website (even better).

Really nice tone from my '77 p-bass. Weird rattle of a back panel at high volumes.

No problems other than the rattle mentioned above.

Haven't dealt with SLM--hope I don't have to.

I've been playing this same bass since my parents gave it to me in 1977. I played through a Peavey Century until I got the B100r. No comparison. The B100r is clean, simple, vintage in all ways (except no tubes). I really enjoy playing through it and I expect anyone out there who is considering one would agree

100 watts and 15" speaker.4 parametric eq knobs and 3 boost buttons(ultra low,mid,high)Gain and master volume.With the master turned all the way this amp can get a bit of overdrive.I bought this amp in 1997.I adore this amp but more on that later.I am compelled to comment on statements made by other reviewers on this amp as well as other reviews I have seen for other amps.How does an amp "not keep up"or not be "loud enough"? I always see a comment like this:"..this amp sounds pretty good but it just can't cut it with a loud drummer" or "..my guitarist plays a 100 watt tube stack and I just can't be heard." THER ARE TWO VERY IMPORTANT INVENTIONS THAT EVERYONE MUST BE MADE AWARE OF--ONE IS CALLED A PA SYSTEM AND THE OTHER IS CALLED A MIXER.Honestly,if you want to split hairs a bassist doesn't even need an amp for recording or live shows---GO DIRECT with a decent D.I box.I went to a popular night club in Dallas(@400-500 standing room)a few years ago to see this really loud Punk band and they were a trio and the guitarist had a full Marshall stack and the bassist was playing through an AMPEG B-100R combo and despite the drummer beating the skins like Animal from the muppets I had no problem hearing the bass.If you are in a band and you can't be heard I can assure you the problem is NOT with your amp.P.A. IS NOT JUST FOR VOCALS PEOPLE.Learn how to use a mixing board--pros do it.

This is by far the warmest solid state bass amp I have ever heard.I bought this amp in fall of 97 the day I was awarded an $8000 settlement from an auto injury accident.With 80 hundred dollar bills in my wallet I could have bought any amp in the store but I chose the B100R.I tested an EDEN 4x10 combo,a couple of SWRs,WORKINGMAN 15 and BASIC BLACK 15.I also tried an AMPEG B2 combo but the B100R had the sweetist classic bass tone that I want.I play two USA FENDERS,a JAZZ and a PRECISION.Both are strung with flatwounds.Punchy,warm and deep are the virtues of this amp.

One of the pots was dirty upon purchase(made a "staticy" sound)so GUITAR CENTER serviced it for free.No problems since.

Never dealt with SLM directly.5 year waaranty upon purchase.

As stated,I love this little gem of a bass amp.I have owned a few decent bass rigs since I bought the AMPEG combo but tonewise the B100R has bested them all.(GK 800RB 1x15 and 2x10,ASHDOWN MAG 400 w/2 4x10s)I love the basss sound of classic era rock and motown and I can achieve this sound perfectly.

Bought The Ampeg B100r as a replacement for my 10 year old Hartke combo that had died. This B100r was made in 2002. I agree with the review that the amp has a mud bass sound. Besides that it does not do anything else.I play in a alternative c/w roots rock cover band. It has 1 channel 2 imputs (passive and active). It has a headphone jack. It says 100 watts rms but I doubt that. My old 100 watt Yamaha blows the Ampeg's doors off!
I use the amp for practice and it ain't loud enough to keep up with a 100 watt Marshall 4x10 combo or a 65 Fender Twin reverb.

I play a Sting 51 P bass reissue and a 78 Rick. Both have flat wound strings. I figured classic look, classic sound, and the price was right and Ampeg. The amp is quiet no white noise. I've tried to use it as a bass monitor with it hooked into our PA. We have a big PA with Subs. The B100r could not cut it. It started distorting bad about 1 hour into the gig so I took it to the shop.

The amp was light use for 6 months. I babyed it. Had a custom made cover made for it. Well to continue the shop kept the B100r for 3 weeks. They stated the could not find anything wrong with it. It was an authorized Ampeg repair shop in Memphis, TN where I live. They said I have a 5 year warranty BUT they charged me $43.75 because they could not find anything wrong with it. They said the warranty only covered repairs!!! Would never take this to a gig. I called Ampeg/SLM in St. Louis Infact it is up for sell. I am taking a beating.

5 year warranty.The people at SLM/Ampeg were nice saying that I could send the amp back to them. HMMM. Let me see. $37.50 local or I can ship it to St. Louis for, $37.50. My advice is blow it up and then take it in.

I've had the old V4b and SVT. Don't waste your time or money on solid state ampeg bass equipment. Their tube stuff is still excellent. Solid state buy Hartke or GK or SWR. Also don't think your warranty covers everything. It doesn't!!! Buy more watts than you think you will need. A 100 watt tube amp is twice as loud as a solid state amp, unless you have an 1970's Sunn Concert Bass or and old Acoustic amp.

To the person who posted on 08/07/2003, to get this amp to not sound like mud, you need to turn down the lower mids, up the upper mids, and that'll take care of all muddiness.

Mabye I tried out a BAD one but the TONE everyone has been talking about was nowhere to be found. You could get a decent tone at what might be called large room volumes but that was about it. Anything past halfway up and the amp had major flubb outs with the speaker making crackling sounds. I tried it with a Mex P base with rounds and my Ibanez P/J with flats that I brought to try amps with. Couldnt get anywhere with it. The flats were a def a no go with this amp, major MUDDD.

I was reading the reviews here and figured this amp was right up my alley in the tone and gig ability. Not to mention it would look cool next to my Vintage ampeg reverberocket guitar amp. I dont know...like I said befor I must have been trying one that was a Lemon...all these good reviews cant be wrong.

My B-100 was made in 1997or 98. This amp is extremely versatile, I've used it in many different playing situations and environments. I play mostly rock, but it also works great as a blues style bass amp. As far as the baloons and whisles that alot of other amps have (including newer Ampeg) it remains a bass amp. If you want all the toys, buy some pedals. It doesn't have an XLR out, but I've had it so long, and haven't cried about that once.

I've used a vast aray of basses through it, my P-bass with a Basslines Quarter Pound P pickup, my Ric 4003, a Modulus, a '74 Gibson Ripper, and my '92 Jazz Bass with EMG's. The B-100 sounds great with everything I've thrown at it. I use it for practices, and small venues such as smaller bars. There never seems to be a noise factor except from the basses themselves. The B100 is like a "budget" Porta-Flex, and may not sound as good, but is a hell of alot cheaper, and sounds incredable for solid state and for its price. I give it a 10 because you'd be hard pressed to find another amp in this price range that can even compare.

Goin' on 6 problem free years with this amp. The tolex has a few scuffs, but are minute compare to what the entire SVT Clasic line looks like after the same amount of time. This amp has been through hell and back.

It came with a 3 year warenty, but I never needed it.

This amp is definately the way to go if you're just looking for a good practice/light gig amp. If you want to spend more for another solid state combo, go ahead, but I've tried other combos costing way more (such as SWR, Eden, Polytone, etc.) and none have sounded "better" to me. It does have the Ampeg sound.

I bought this amp new in Dec. 2002, so I guess it has been made in 2002...

This amp has neither too few nor too many features. The way these features are implemented makes it more versatile than many other combos, IMO.

This amp is made of solid state technology and has 1 channel. It has 2 distinct inputs for passive or active basses, but whatever bass I use, I plug it into the passive input, then I adjust the input level to avoid clipping.

The main features are :
4 tone controls (low, low-mid, hi-mid, hi)
3 boosters (low, mid, hi) - the tone controls are so efficient that I almost never use any booster
A line out - an XLR DI output, independant from the general volume of the amp, would be more appropriate

I use this amp for practising, but also on rehearsal, and I even did a gig with it. The sound engineer was amazed of my volume and tone.

I mainly use a Music Man StingRay 5 and a MIJ Fender Precision 70's reissue. I basically love "classic" tones, the all-treble glassy bass sound is not for me. This amp perfectly suits my needs.

This amp is very quiet. Noise often comes from cranking up the treble controls, which I don't.

I believe this amp is able to suit many styles, though you'll probably always keep that Ampeg typical tone, warm and deep. You get a distorted tone only if you want it, by cranking up the input volume, which is not much recommended.

I did not find a better combo in this price range, so I believe this deserves a 10.

This thing is built like a tank. I did not experience the least problem.

Didn't have to deal with.

I've been playing bass for 27+ years. This is my only amp. In studio, I use a Line 6 Bass Pod, though.

It this amp were stolen, the first thing I'd buy is a gun, to find out the stealer... Sure, I'd replace this amp in a heartbeat.

There's nothing I hate about this amp. As I said before, I only wish it had an XLR D.I. output, but this doesn't bothers me in 99.9 % of using it.

Well, let's remember this is a combo. Though it's rated at 100 W RMS, it is able to kill many amps rated at 200 or 300 W. For example, I had tried a Hughes & Kettner BassForce XXL (300 W), and it didn't have so many balls. Same thing for the Peavey TNT.

However, the B-100R isn't loud enough if you want to be heard properly on stage while playing through a big P.A. system. That's why, while keeping my B-100R, I plan to get a "real" rig with much more watts. Of course, due to my satisfaction, the first brand I will turn on is Ampeg, and if I can find the money I believe I'll pick up an SVT-4PRO head with an SVT-810E cab.

Very easy to use, not too many knobs or buttons, but all that is necessary to find whatever sound you're looking for. Very broad range of sounds you can achieve.

Oh, the sound. I play with a Spector NS2000/4 (also an amazing product) so I look for somewhat of a heavy powerful sound. Before the B100R, I owned a Fender Bassman 60w amp that was not good for finding wholesome sounds. There is a much more broad range of sounds on this amp, from a sharp treble sound to a powerful low tone. And most importantly, this amp gets VERY loud without the static and farting of most other amps.

The B100R is very reliable, as it comes with a substantial warranty. The electronics are very well protected, so there isn't much concern about dust or dirt getting in the system. I would most definately use this amp in small gigs without worry of it breaking down on my. Very well protected.

Haven't had to deal with customer support yet.

Absolutely perfect amp for small gigs, practicing at home, and just screwing around trying to make noise. Very strong and durable, built to last more than just a few years. Volume and sound quality are its most powerful assets. I strongly recommend this amp for those who are in an organized band who are trying to find new sounds.