Ampeg B-100R Rocket Bass Amp

a very great bass sound...no problem with this ( AND ESPECIALLY THE ENCLOSURE AND THE LOUDSPEAKER WICHT ARE GREAT VALUE? ..... but you can only have ONE type of Sound ,and only one ...(The great Ampeg sound , that's Ok!)not so easy to get variations!AND no INSERT loop !wich is now an important feature . Any one should be able to insert an effect between the preamp and the Power amp ...or bypass the preamp (I also own a LINE BaSS POD PRO)

VERY GOOD but only one sound!

a very great bass sound...no problem with this ( AND ESPECIALLY THE ENCLOSURE AND THE LOUDSPEAKER WICHT ARE GREAT VALUE? ..... but you can only have ONE type of Sound ,and only one ...(The great Ampeg sound , that's Ok!)But i have to complain ... About reliability!!!!..... The amplifier of myAMPEG B100 R became OUT OF ORDER AFTER ONLY ONE YEAR OF USE ! I play professionnaly in generally small cubs in Paris (France)just twice a week (about 3 hours each gig with volume at 6 maximum.
Unfortunately ,unlike in the usa where the AMPEG warranty is 5 years long , in france it is only one year ... and I couldn't benefit of it .That's why ...i'M BAD!!!!In fact I think that the Transfo size of the B100R is too little and that the transistors are not enough cooled (maybe a little ventilator could help? . Anyway, it seems to me that the amp part is too little in dimensions for intensive prolongated use)The heat has NO physical way to be evacuated.In my opinion it's a big mistake from the conceptors .
But to tell the truth, the enclosure is so good that i now use it with a Laney bass amp head taken from a 120W combo (much less expensive ...and Igot it second hand !) I did'nt even repared the ampeg head (i can get the AMPEG ORIGINAL SOUND WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM and also many clearer and funky/punchy sounds from the "nervous cheap British LANEY "and my AMPEG loudspeaker . that's the way i do now .

PrOFESSIONAL SOUND : PROFESSIONNAL PRICE : bUT NOT PROFESSIONNAL DESIGN IN ORDER TO GET A PROFESSIONAL RELIABILITY (experienced !)
AND A PARTICULIAR BAD RATING TO THE FRENCH IMPORTATOR WHO REDUCES THE AMERICAN YEARS WARRANTY TO AONE YEAR ! IT'S A SHAME !!! ALL OF these RUINED what could have been a fantastic value .
I 'm VERY GLAD TO HaVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TELL my lITTLE STORY TO THE WORLD ! That kind of of things could happen!!instead of a good rating (technical and "commercial" ) my rating will be awfull/I paid very much money for one year of fantastic sound :......Anybody could tell me why AMPEG the manufacture does not impose a worldwide 5 years warranty? My answer is :: they know that their amps ARE NOT RELIABLE ENOUGH TO DO SO . Of course , everibody knows that everything is calculated and it would cost them too much money outside the USA because THEY ACTUALLY KNOW that their products are not srong enough .here is the proof of it :they are not self confident ! it means:their amps ARE NOT RELIABLE ENOUGH !IT'S CLEAR !I SPENT about 800 $ to learn it :! and for your information: they didn't do anything to help me!That is not their problem ! just mine ! REMEMBER THIS !

i bought the amp new in 2000 as a 2nd amp, however it has become my main gigging amp. the four tone controls and three tone modifying buttons are extremely easy to use. the amp sounds great no matter how you set it up. i've used it for small lounge gigs and larger clubs where i would use a direct box into the p.a. it has enough power for all but the largest rooms, though you'll need to run direct on the bigger gigs. the only features i would like to see added would be an xlr line out and front ports rather than the rear ports.

i use a carvin and a couple of fenders and this amp sounds great with all of them-round wounds, flat wounds, passive or active pickups...they all sound great. most of my gigs are rock or g.b. and the amp works almost every time. i run the gain up till it starts to clip, keep all three tone buttons pushed in, and run the tone controls all the way up...except the low mids and high mids, which i cut back depending how the room sounds. it has that classic portaflex sound, which is pretty cool from a solid state amp. the only time i have trouble hearing myself is on outdoor gigs or really big stages...it is rear ported so placement near a wall is desireable.

i have played this amp on many gigs and have never considered bringing a backup. it has never let me down. there have been times it has gotten pretty hot after being driven hard for long gigs, but it has never shut down or given any signs of crapping out. i got a cover for it from tuki, because i do think the blue tolex would damage fairly easily. i would alse prefer a detachable power cord...if the hard-wired cord got severed somehow, you could be screwed.

how can you go wrong with a five year warranty. the only problem i could foresee would be with the morons who i bought it from.

i've been playing bass for ten years and also own a gallien-krueger 800rb which i use with a carvin rl115 and a swr workingman's 10 cab which i run as a bi-amp rig...and also almost never leaves my basement. i would definitely buy another b100r were mine to disappear. i never set out to buy a new amp...i was trying out a new bass and plugged into the ampeg and.....wow!!! great rumbly tone...makes the walls shake....i hate that "transparent" sound and this amp is definitely the antidote.

Made in 2001, purchased new at Guitar Center. The controls are fairly basic, but they're easy to understand and you can get a wide variety of sounds out of it. I play an odd mix of gargage punk with some country and old R&B mixed in. Love the way it sounds, but I do wish it had more power. It worked fine playing with a drummer and one guitarist using a 50-watt combo (I had the volume on about 7), but when playing with a loud drummer and a pair of guitarists using a Twin Reverb and a 4x12 half stack, it was really pushing it. It wasn't getting drowned out, but I had it cranked up all the way to 10, and I kind of wished it went up to 11 or so. To this amp's credit, even when it's playing at top volume, it still sounds great. And it has a warning light to tell you when it's clipping, which is a very useful feature if you're playing this amp near the limits of it's performance.

I use it with a Fender Bullet bass or a P-Bass copy. At just about any setting, this amp sounds great - one of the best sounding bass amps I've heard, regardless of size or cost. It's especially good at getting "vintage" sounds like that fat Motown-ish sound, or a standup country/rockabilly bass sound. As other users have mentioned, it's not so good at doing slap bass - it can't really get that clinical, piano-ish sound that amps like SWR do. I never play slap bass, so it's not a problem for me. I sometimes use an Ibanez Fat Head bass distortion, and it gives a very nice fuzz bass sound. Even at very high volume settings, there's almost no hum or hiss coming out of the amp.

It's been very reliable so far, and the cabinet seems pretty rugged. About the only thing is that if you're in the habit of drinking beer or other beverages during practice, don't place the bottle on top of this amp. The control panel is recessed into the top of the amp, and if the beer spills, it will run into the the amp chassis.

Haven't dealt with them, so I can't say.

I've been playing guitar for two decades, and bass on and off. I've been playing bass in a band for about a year, and I started out using a borrowed Peavey head with a 2x15 cabinet. The Ampeg sounded much, much better than the Peavey, but it's just not quite powerful enough on its own when you're playing with LOUD musicans. Miking it solves the problem, but I don't always play where there's a decent PA. If I could find an affordable 200-300 Watt head that sounded as good as the B100R, I'd be in bass heaven.

This is a great amp for that retro sound. Dark and clean. I am using it with a RI Fender Reverb (dump the chinese tubes) and various guitars, mostly Gibson, but I do own a couple of strats. The three "dulls the sound buttons" on the left are useless to me but after a few min. you will find a sound, be it "sixties" mullard tube sound. A bit "scooped too"

Smooth quiet operation. I use it with single and humbucker types. You will make minor adjustments. It can sound like a basseman or clean up like say the Sun Concert. The only two bass amps I could A-B with. It does have that "mullard tube" darkness, but that is why I bought it.

I have had no problems what so ever with it. I does not move much though. I put it in the "studio" and haven't moved it much. With three amps to choose from it still gets a regular workout. The "tube heads" like the bassman the best and it is always tough to ignore the Sun, but there is a Musicman Fretless leaning on it as I write this that is still cooling off.

NO repairs upgrades or company help to date. I would like to mod the tone stack, because I primarly use it for guitar and would like a bit more sparkle, now where is that tone stack emulator when I need it....

It is being use for many styles. I have been using it as a clean Jazz amp, where the darker flavor realy works. Try yours with an ES-175 or a ES-335 for that George Benson flavor, dont forget to add just the slightest reverb.

The B100R is a wonderful across the board amp.Though simple and to the point...this is what Ampeg's have been known for. Plug in and play,no B.S. For most playing situations providing you are not a heavy slap player it is a wonderful and simple to use piece.

I started using one of these amps on the "Les Miserables" third national tour and fell in love with the deep ,fat sounding bass tone.
Ampeg tone is built in through and through.I now use this amp as a small gig amp and a miked studio piece.At lower volumes the slap sound is good with only the mid-contour in use.I use only Fender basses ( '65 P-bass/v series jazz and a fretless jazz with emg jv pickups) the B100R also sounds great to amplify the Knilling jazz bass on straight ahead gigs.Total ampeg sound in a little box.I call it a little box due to the fact that I do own a '73 mint S V T with both 8/10 cabs. and a SVT 3 Pro head with a few different ampeg cabs. and the B100R is very portable.But not lacking tone in anyway.

2 years of road time with "Les Mis" and the pilot light went out. The amp screams and has developed no problems with all the heavy use and road crew abuse.Reliable priod!!!!!!!!!

The people at Ampeg care about the users of there gear. You don't just buy an amp...you buy history and a damn good one at that.I have only had to contact them once over a problem with an older amp and they treated me with the same respect as the gave Victor Wooten.This company cares and are as loyal to the'r costumers as their costomers are to them.

I would like to see this amp brought out with a high frequency driver in it.That would help the slap sound and make the amp the perfect 11.

I fell in love with the B50R, and then noticed they had the B100R which made more sense to me since I want to use this for large and small gigs. There's a few knobs on top that
are sturdy but I can imagine them getting busted along the way.

There's no noise that I detect from this amp, it's much quieter than my SWR WM10, and the Ampeg sounds good as soon as you plug in. I am playig small coffeehouse gigs to
larger bars and wanted something flexible. I thought this would be perfect but quickly found that as much as I love the sound, it's not a flexible amp.

I lugged it in and out of cars and trains from PA to NYC and my hand and arm are sore. I wouldn't want to move it and then try and perform. Just carrying it up stairs and
placing it into the back of a cab was ruff. It's heavy. So for doing small gigs it's a little too much. There's no effects loop, no extention cab out, an unbalanced line out (1/4") all
with a single 15" speaker. I do love the sound but the thing is too heavy and lacking some of my favorite bells and whistles to be practical in my situation.

From a musical standpoint, I love the sound. I just need something more versatile.

I'm sure this thing could survive atmospheric re-entry. But don't expect the silver Ampeg logo to stay on long. Mine was broken when I purchased it.

Didn't need it

I've been playing for 15 years and like I said, needed a really flexible rig. Something that can work for small and medium gigs. This was just too big with not enough options.
But I'm sad to see that sound go away, it sounds so damn good! Oh and the tolex outer shell is nicer than carpet. Other than that I didn't like: limited amount of sounds (the one
sound is god though), non-detachable power supply, no extension cabinet, no effects send/blend, no tuner out, heavy as all hell. I live in the city and have no car, so it's cabs and
stairs to deal with. If I lived in the burbs and had a car, I would have to keep this amp and use it for appropriate gigs because I love it's signature sound.

The Ampeg B 100 R is a solid state, 100 watt, 1X15 combo amp.
Mine was made in 1997 (aprox.) I've had it almost 4 years.
I bought it as a floor model (basically new) for $400 at Daddy's Junky Music (East Coast chain). The amp usually sells for $500 - $600, I think.
One instrument input. No provision for an extension speaker; limits utility, but, hey, it's a small, convenient portable combo. No effects loop (who cares in a bass amp). Unballanced line out, for recording or into a PA board, works perfectly. The B 100 R has a headphone out; handy. The "Vintage" 15 inch speaker and the tight, well-made cab put out a wonderful rich, warm tone at modest volumes, and the tone holds up when the amp is cranked.
This amp has all the features I need or want for it's purpose (except maybe an extenion speaker out) - small club gigs with my folk-jazz/rock band. It will work perfectly in clubs filled with about 65 - 85 people. It's sound is all I could ask for; it's very close to the old 60s Ambeg B 15. We gig about once a month, reherse at least 3 times a month. I've used this amp out about 1/2 dozen times in coffee house venues and for many, many rehersals. Only time it didn't have the volume I needed was in a very packed place (100+ people), with a heavy handed sit-in drummer who, unlike our real band-mate drummer, banged on the kit like he was in Korn (I like Korn, but it's not what we do).

I use several base guitars depending on what the band wants to acomplish; rock or folk sounds or our occasional sortie into jazz: '62 P-Bass, original "split single," '62 MIJ P-Bass, MIJ "split Single," Mex fretless J-Bass with sanded-finely finished neck and fretboard and EMG J-type picj-ups (very tightly focused sound; almost "woody"). The B 100 R sounds good with them all; but I only use the amp for folk and jazz venues; it dosn't have the volume or the crunch/overdrive for rock or loud folk-rock. My band is all original and sounds somewhat like The Police-meet-Jewl or the Cowboy Junkies on speed. We've been fortunate and can gig pretty much when and where we want to, so we play everything from small folk clubs to the "big" rock clubs (500 people) to festivles (1000+). The B 100 R gets brought out for the small clubs.
The B 100 R is virtually noiseless; even with my '62 P-Bass, even when I crank the trebble. It's nice not to have the old tube buzz behind me for a change.
In my opinion this combo makes one sound - roots R&B and it does it well. It's full and rich and beautiful to me; I grew up with Motown. It can push out very clean low frequency sound if you use the "Ultra Low" switch. (It also has "Ultra Mid" and "Ultra Hi" but I don't use them, just dilutes the richness the amp is capable of.) It shows some sensitivity to picking dynamics, unusual for a solid state amp, I think because the speaker is so responsive.
Pick up any Motown record, listen to Jamerson and you'll hear, essentially, the B 100 R sound ('course, playing the notes like Jamerson is a different matter).

Asolutely dependable. As I mentioned, over 1/2 dozen gigs and I'd estimate at least 100 rehersals. It's one of those man-made objects that just feels solid and relyable: heavy wood, tight construction, no buzzes, instant on, instant power, dosn't seem to get hot at all. I gig without a backup when I have the B 100 R. It is the only amp I take out without some form of back-up.
It hasn't broken down in the past 3 1/2 years I've had it; never even burped or rattled. When you play live alot, relyability becomes more impotant than the esoterics of tube Vs transistors, at least in bass amps for me. And I'm a gear-head to the max; this amp still satisfies me overall for tone and relyability.

Never delt with them; can't say plus or minus.

Overall rating is - Excellent for what it is; a very relyable, good sounding small club combo that gives the sound I want for folk-rock or jazz, and delivers enough power for 80 person venues.
I would buy it again if it were stolen. Where else can you get such a nice little bass amp for $500?
I just love the depth of it's bass sound. The rest of the band, by the way, loves the amp, too because of it's smooth, thick, encompasing sound. Or drummer particulary likes it since it's musicallity complements the kick.
The only reall comparison is the old Ampeg B 15 ProtaFlex. I'm a vintage-type guy, but I have to admit that the modern solid state B 100 R comes close to the B 15; and it's much louder than the old B 15s. Other similar modern amps in the price range are, obviously, the SWR Workingman's 15 and the Peaveys (the TKO is pretty similar in specs, I think). The Peavys are a good buy, but I just don't get the tonal depth I want. The Workingman's are good amps, but they have the SWR sound (read old bassmand pushed hard) that I don't want for folk-jazz and I've heard from some local bass players that the Workingman's heat up and cut out if you push them for a couple of hours - not a put-down, I like SWR, just a caution to check yourself.
For bass I own (you don't want to read the long, self-indulgent list of guitar amps):
1. The B 100 R, described above.
2. An SWR Baby Blue combo, 120 watts/160 watts, with 1X5 and 2X8 Bag End speakers in the combo, and an SWR Workingman's 1X10 in an extension cab; supurb amp for very samll venues and recording. In fact it's my fave amp. But, and this is personal experience, the Baby Blue does cut out if pushed with an extension speaker; just wont/can't take the heat that builds up.
3. An Ampeg SVT 350, 200 watts/350 watts with extension, solid state Mosfet, run through an Ampeg Classic 2X10 with tweeter (an a Classic 1X15 for festivles). Killer amp for big gigs. I got the SVT 350 for one reason - so I'd never be without enough relyable power. It's (for whatever reason) not as warm as the B 100 R and not as textured as the SWR Baby Blue, but it kicks out huge sounds and has a fantasticly sensitive EQ.
4. Original '68 Fender Bassman, mid-60s specs with original "small-cab" 2X12 Jensens, circa '65. Wow. But hey, the thing breaks up at "4," so you can't take it anywhere for bass. Now for guitar...but that's another story.
I've been playing most of my life, so say 30 years. On bass I've put in about 4 years, so I'm fairly new at it. But I have giged and recored a lot in those 4 years. I've always been a guitarist/singer. But I wanted the joy of somthing different, so formed my band Glory Box with a female singer, a great guitarist and a jazz-latin drummer, with me taking up bass. We've been giging and recording (one CD so far, and this surprised us, it is a local award winner). I guess I'm as experienced as you might want when it comes to performance, have a pretty good ear (what's left) and care deeply about both tone and relyability. So, with that tone + relyability as the criteria, the B 100 R gets an honest 10. It does what it's supposed to and does it very well at a very easy price.

This is the amp I bought a year ago for use in smaller venues. I got it to give me some relief from carting my big stack into clubs where I didn't need overwhelming volume. In short, this is a neat little combo with tone and volume that are surprising for something in this price range. My main rig is an Ampeg V4 through two speaker cabs, and this little solid state combo can produce very tube like tones. And I have to say that I like the retro style of the cabinet with its stovetop knobs, blue diamond tolex, and old-style logo.

I play a Fender Precision with a Bartolini 8S pickup installed. I use flatwounds exclusively. My style is Chicago blues mainly, with some old rock and swing tossed in for good measure. This combo is a very good match for my retro sound. And it stays clean all the way up the volume scale if you EQ it properly. And it's surprisingly loud. At first I thought it might not be enough for some of my gigs. But you know how weird sound can be with bass frequencies. Several times I've been on stage thinking I needed to crank it up a little more, and audience members would ask me to turn it down, since it was overpowering the guitar! This amp delivers a nice warm, deep tone that says Motown to me. Jamerson and Duck Dunn. So nice.....

There isn't much to go wrong with it. It's a fairly simple solid state unit that's built pretty sturdily. I've used it a lot over the psat year and never had a hiccup from it. But I expect Ampeg gear to be tough. This is the first thing I've owned since they were purchased by St Louis Music and it seems to be good stuff.

If I never have to contact SLM (and I haven't so far) I'll be a happy boy.

For what it is, it's a very good value. If you have a need for a relatively compact medium powered combo, this is a really good one. I did some comparison shopping and tried out a number of very good combos (SWR WM15, Fender Bassman 100, Ampeg BA-115) and some not so good combos (Crate BFX-100 and Hartke Kickback 15) before settling on this one. While I probably would have been happy with any of the first 3, I have no regrets about buying the B-100R. If it had anything else, I'd like to see an extension speaker output. I can imagine that this amp together with a 2x10 extension cabinet would probably be capable of playing about 90% of the clubs out there. As it is, it can probably handle 75%, and that's why I own it.

like the other reviewers on this amp said there isn't an extension speaker jack but thats is the amp's only possitive for me. there is an 1/4 line out, headphones jack, 4 band eq, ultra boost buttons (for low's, mid's, and high's), 15 inch speaker, blue tolex covering (nice), gain, master volume, and active and passive inputs. one thing i true did like is that you can crank it to 10 with out it getting distorted (depends on your EQ settings).

i have a Carvin LB-75. The combination of the two is great. the thing i don't like about the sound is that i can't get a Pantera like sound, but thats ok. this amp is very loud. im supprised that there is accuatly better amps than this one, this amp truely sounds great. i haven't got to try it with my Zoom 506 II yet but i could imagin that it will sound good.

i just got it, im not sure how reliable it is. i would probably use this with out a backup (mainly cause i can't afford one! haha)

haven't dealed with customer support yet.

ive been playing for 2 years now. im still new to everything, but this amp does sound great to the others i have played. if this was stolen i would buy another one (unless i had more money to buy something bigger). before this amp i have thought nearly 20 amps (ive been looking for a year). this amp caught my eye, and i liked it.

This amp was made in 1999. This baby is incredibly versatile. Its knobs are: Three buttons for highlighting lows, mids, and highs, Gain, Bass, Low Mids, High Mids, Treble, and Master Volume. There are separate jacks for passive and active inputs, line out, headphones, AND NO EXTENSION CAB JACK!!!!! That's the only reason why I'm giving this a 9.

The tones that come out of this amp are simply beautiful. Thats the only way to describe this amp. You can get so many different tones. Anywhere from wonderful, full sounding notes and chords, to clanky, metallic sounding slap. Perfect for you Korn-heads. But even better for me. I play metal, the heaviest of the heavy, the loudest of the loud. I overpower the two guitarists in my band, and one has a Marshal JCM 900 half stack and the other has a Valvestate half stack, and they tell ME to turn down. This is solid-state, but you get such a warm tube-tone, you'll be amazed. The most tube sounding i've ever heard. At a fraction of the price. This cranks. Put it up all the way, and barely any hiss. And i use a crapload of effects. I play it like this:
Ibanez EDB600 Ergodyne/Yamaha BB-G4>Boss TU-2 Tuner>DOD FX84 Milkbox Compressor>DOD FX25B Envelope Filter>DOD FX92 Bass Grunge>Boss GE-7B Bass Equalizer>DOD FX72 Bass Flanger>Boss PH-2 Super Phaser>Danelectro DJ-5 Tuna Melt Tremelo>Guyatone MD-2 Digital Delay>Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor>Ampeg B100-R.
I use an ungodly amount of pedals, as you can see, and my tone is still excellent.
I do bedroom rocking, practice, and small clubs and this thing handles them all. Simply beautiful is the only way to describe the tone this amp makes.

I can rely on this with no problem. I baby it to death to keep the blue diamond Tolex(I think) from getting blemished, which is simply beautiful. But if it was banged around a bit, i think it could take the abuse. I have and would gigged without a backup. I don't it to ever breakdown.

No frickin' clue

I have been playing guitar and bass for four years. If you want slabs and slabs of tone, look no further. If it was stolen/lost, i would cry a river. I love this thing for the great tube-tones it gets. Just beautiful(Sorry for the constant use of this word, but its the best word to use). Compared it to Crate, Hartke, Fender, and more. Wins hands down on sound(Beautiful...hehe) and value. But once again, it gets a 9 for no speaker jack. I'm going to have to bring this to an amp guy to have him install a speaker jack. I don't care if it were to cost 150 bucks. I cant get this tone anywhere. It's a must buy.