Ampeg B-2

I bought this amp new in 01. Very solid array of features. Great variability on your EQs, and with the gain cranked, you can achieve most any sound by toying with that handy graphic EQ. The sound men and I love the direct line out. In short, this amp doesn't have all the bells and whistles you may WANT, but it has the neccessay tools you will NEED.

I play my Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray 5 and my ol Mexican P-Bass through this amp. Both sound great. The amp brings out the best trademark sounds of both instruments. I eventually hookes up an SWR cab containing a 12 and 8 inch speaker. I got my full 350 watts worth of noise from the Ampeg. Then I bought a Hartke 215XL and my combined three 15's thundered. I play in an alt rock band, and we play many different styles from hard rock to groove to classic rock. I've even played a couple musicals for school and light opera company and the amp was just peachy. This amp has satisfied most every situation. It distorts at very high levels of low end, but you will never turn your lows all the way up on this thing, trust me.

Owned it for four years now and have never had a problem. Our little up and coming band has played some shady gigs and this amp has gotten beat up it's fair share. Don't lose the wheels like I did, it's heavier than hell. But yeah, never had a single problem with it's performance. I have lost one EQ piece off the graphic, and it seems this has happened to other owners of the amp as well. This just means you have to use a paper clip to adjust it.

Never dealt with 'em.

I am only 18 but have been playing for 10 years. I was even younger of course when I bought it four years ago, and truth be told, I bought it becuase I saw many of my idols using ampeg, and I didn't do much comparison (c'mon, I was 14). But it worked out fine. I am only getting rid of it now becuase I need more headroom, and I am currently buying a GK 1001RB 210 combo to go with my Hartke 215XL so I can rock the big halls. Again, the B2 gives you what you most likely will NEED, but now I'm at the point where there are other features I WANT. It's a solid little amp.

This amp features the same as numerous Ampeg transistor amps. 200 watt on 8 ohm, 350 watt on 4 ohm. 3 band EQ, 9 band user switchable EQ ( no footswitch ), normal and -15db ( button ) 1/4 jack insert. Limiter on/off.

I play Jazz basses and a Rickenbacker bass thru it and, tho I am not a 15" addict, it does a good job for solo practicing or rehearsing with a band. We play hard-rock, but we don't jam with a 50watt guitar amp cranked up. That's for gigs, in practice we have a 15 watt on 12" and it does a good job. The drum is the loudest, since it's not a gig, and every one can hear the bass. It's response his pretty good, playing fingerstyle, pick, and varying the playing by going harder or smoother, the amp/speaker does the job. I didin't gig with it yet, but as far as I know, only an SVT can deliver all you need for live performance.

Tho Ampeg transistor amp are not the most reliable on the market, I never had any problems with it, except for 2 of the EQ band that were broker before I bought it. They still work, but you need nails or some thin object to move'em. The internal speaker connection is pretty lame, it never broke, but I don't trust these thing, they are cheap. I have had an output jack installed on the back and the speaker is connected the same way it is for industrial production of cabs. I can use the cab and not the head wich is a good feature, but it is custom made.

I have my own tech that does the job I need. I found the owners manual easely at st-louis music webpage.

I'll give it a 10 just because you can get the exact same amp from ampeg, at different prices. Like the SVT 350, it is the same amp, but it is in head format ( looks cooler I agree ) but it sells for about the same price as the B2, and the B2 can be worked as an amp, or a cab with few modifications.

This amp is what you need as far as features go. -15 pad, gain, bass, ultra mid (sweep), high EQ in and out, 9 or 10 band eq and master volume. Also includes effects loop direct XLR output with pre - post switch. 200 watts at 8 ohms, 350 at 4 ohms.

I have three basses. OLP 4 string (like a ernie ball musicman) Ibenez Sound gear (the cheapest one. I like things I'm not affaid of breaking.) and a Danelectro Baritone guitar (AKA 6 string bass with short scale, close strings and is tuned like a guitar except one octave lower).
Ampegs sound best when you turn them up past reasonable. This amp is no exception. I don't really know what it sounds like stock cause when I got it home I popped an Eminence 4 ohm 15 into the cab to get the total 350 watts out of it. Then I hooked up my home built cab which I made with a pair of Eminence Legend B102 speakers. I designed the cab to be very heavey in the low mid fequencies to give my bass a cutting sloppy sound. Like a mean motor that's been way past used up.

I love the tone. I hate horns they sound completely unnatural. So the Legend b102 push my high fequencies so I don't need one. These things have a 9Khz cut off unlike most 10's with a 5Khz cut off. If you like to be annoyed by the crappy noise above 9khz then maybe you should play guitar.

I took this amp appart the day I brought it home. The thing is a tank. The only amp I've seen that comes close to the indestructablity of this thing was my first amp, a Peavey Combo 300.

I left this amp in my van for several winter months. It got very moist. Plugged it right in and cracked it up.

Don't know never needed it.

Top notch. Solid Rig.

This review is for the B-2-48 combo. I bought this amp at the music store where I worked as a repair tech. I thought that at my near wholesale value +20%, it was a great deal for this amp. I was impressed by the sound this amp had in the store- This is a common trap most players, even an experienced one like myself, fall into. Itr has all the standard features you need in a bass amp.....good eq, reasonable power....so it seems.

As stated, this thing sounded amazing in the store, focused, hi-fi tone, with plenty of balls. When I took it out in the real world, well I was in for a shock. If you play low to medium volume gigs, in small rooms, this amp is just fine. I played a club gig with a medium volume band, and it just couldn't cut it at all. I spent half the gig trying to eq the thing. I also used it as a stage monitor with my upright, going direct. Conclusion-the 4-8" speakers just simply do not move enough air for bass in a live situation, period.

I used this amp on a number of gigs, with varied room sizes. The thing I hated most was the weight of it. It was close to 100 lbs., just too heavy to justify using a combo in the first place. My amp-cabinet setups weigh less, and kick it's butt. In the first few months the lowest eq slider broke off. The entire front panel is exposed, unprotected from normal transit. This is simply inexcusable for an amp that lists for over a thousand dollars! If you rotate the control knobs, you can tell that the pots are those cheap plastic shaft -circut board mount ones, like found in cheap practice amps. Ampeg is manufactured by St. Louis Music, who also produce Crate amps.

Never dealt with them, I sold the amp.

I have been playing 36 years, and I have a lot of gear, all of it high quality, premium priced equipment. I have had SVT's, Marshalls, Sunn's. I now have an SWR/ Mackie pre-amp/power amp rig, an Acoustic Image Clarus, A GK 800 rb, A Pearce B2-p (the best amp I've ever owned) A Workingman's 12 combo, and a 1965 Ampeg B-15. I own 12 speaker cabinets, of varying types. There are few things I have purchased, and regretted, the B-2-4-8 is one of those. I'm sorry about that, I really wanted to like it, and use it. If you find one used, at a good price, it might be o.k. for very close near field monitoring, it sounds very good...maybe for recording.... Remember, what sounds good in your local music store might not on your gig! Don't spend your hard earned money in a store that won't let you try it on a gig first! Yes, there are some dealers that'll do that!

Bought my b-2 used on ebay for a meager 525 u.s dollars. Our band plays rock and some funk, and it seems to do the trick. It has one channel and an effects loop but nothing special. Another channel would be great as the difference between my thunderbird and pbass involves alot of tinkering. Attn: Must use maximum wattage with ext cab or you may not be heard. The extension cab for a combined 350 watts is this amps best feature. The combo is a single dark, muddy, basement sounding 15 thumper. I immedietly added a 2by10.

I have a Pbass and Epiphone Thunderbird. With the pbass it does the trick, but with the t-bird man o man. My band calls it the thunderbeast because there is no tone! Just a lot of rumble. There is very little variety with the tbird but it does compliment the pbass quite nice. There is very little distortion because I always play with the delimiter on, sometimes it sucks but I am cheap. Anyway the delimeter doesn't cut out as often as others I have used in the past.

Great no problem! I have played small gigs and no probs. If you could just use the combo alone for the show that would be mint, but any drummer is gonna drown you with ease.

I am dreading this. I have never had a problem and I hope I do not. We have a local Ampeg guy, which I avoided doing business with. If this baby needs to be shipped anywhere cha-ching! Although I have heard good things about Ampegs service reputation.

I have been playing for 10 years. I am a converted guitar player to bass for 2 years now. I bought this amp because I fell in love with the original Ampeg stuff and at first thought this amp was very similar and affordable. The b2 is entry level gig stuff which is cool but after my purchase I should have saved more for the famous Ampeg stuff. If it is lost or stolen, I am gonna replace it with a more powerful ampeg head and a 4by10 cab. I found that this style of amp is just no good with a 15 speaker, but if complete mud is what your after then the b2 combo with a single 15 is your rig.

I find this amp a lot in rehearsal studios in Paris. The first contact is very flattering, nice warm round sound but .... It has One channel, effects loop, 3 tone pots, limiter, 9 channel graphic EQ, 200 watts on an internal 15". Wish it had a tweeter as anything over high-mid gets muffled, and more power, it doesn't really withstand a drummer and runs out of headroom (we don't play metal but R&B, anything groovy)

I tried these Amps with a Musicman Sterling, an Alembic Series II, a J-bass style Trace Elliot T-Bass. The only bass that really sounds acceptable through it is the T-bass. The Alembic lost its character, the Musicman just sounded like s***. usually spend half the rehearsal trying to get an acceptable sound out of this box, but it seems to have its own character that it forces on your instrument. I find it hard play with these amps, can't tell sometimes whether I am playing in tune or not as everything sounds warm but with a muddy tendancy and it is very hard to find a sound that mixes with the band. The graphic EQ is a gadget, the 3 band lacks sweepable mid-range so you can't really help the amp sound better as the mid control pumps up something very nasal around 900-1100Hz. If you add treble with the graphic EQ, all you get is high mids around 2-3khz, nothing above. The amp operates very quietly however, but I guess nothing in it could reproduce a hiss if there was one.

They seem to be quite solid as they get a lot of abuse, only saw one of 5 with a loose jack input.

NA

Playing since 1981, I have an SWR stack, 350 head, 2*10" + horn and 1*15" + horn. In the studio, they have one small 2*10" Trace Elliot which I always try to get, I stay as far away from the B2's as possible. Maybe Ampeg is not for me, or maybe it is just this one. I tried playing my SWR head with just its 15" cabinet to understad the B2 sound, and I still don't. the SWR rig sounds much more transparent and dynamic in this configuration, even with the tweeter turned off. Obviously I am not comparing in the same price range, guess this amp retails for less than $1000, but I've played small Hughes&Kettner amps which sounded better and louder, around $5-600.

I purchased this amp- a B248 with a 115 extension cab- from a musician who also works at a pawn shop; it was 6 months old, so I guess it was practically new... it has been everything he promised, and more! One channel, effects loop, 3 tone pots, as well as 9 channel EQ, and a few features I haven't been able to figure out... the one thing I wish I could find is a manual for it- I've looked for a B248 manual, but can't even find it online. It would be nice to have a built-in reverb....

Our band doesn't play too heavy, so I don't really need distortion, but it can still pump out some good, heavy rock or cut back to easy listening, withput giving up anything in tone

Only p[roblem I've had has already been addressed by another- the EQ knobs stick out too far, and break off easily. I haven't been able to get any help on repairs yet... other than that, NO PROBLEMO

I tried calling the company for a manual, and was treated very courteously; was promised one by mail. Talk about snail mail! It's been several months, but no manual yet!

I use a Yamaha RBX550, an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, and a Fender Pbass with it; they all sound fantastic! I guess with the B2 and the speaker configuration I've got, ANY guit fiddle would sound fantastic! I've owned a Bassman 50 with a dual 15 cab, a Peavey 400 series w/ two dual 15s, and a Vox Super Beatle Reverb; this box is my favorite!

I bought this B2 combo last year to replace a Trace Elliot half stack that I'd been using since the 80's. To be honest, I was looking for a new head/cab when I came across the B2. I was so impressed with it's tone and compact dimensions (save weight) that I bought it instead. It features 200 watts into the internal 15 inch speaker and 350 watts when plugged into an extension cab. It has dual tone stacks - a 3 band parametric EQ and a 9 band graphic EQ. This allows me to shape the tone in any way I want. It also has an XLR output for connecting to a mixing board. This feature is outstanding for recording. My only wish in regards to features is that it could use more than its single input. The single input provided does have a -15dB button for using active pickups.
The cabinet is covered in charcoal gray tolex with a metal mesh grille. It's heavy, so the casters and side-pull handles are good for moving it to and from gigs/recording sessions.

The sound is what sold it. I've played through an SVT in the past, and this does a good job (within reasonable limits) of capturing that classic Ampeg tone. Warm and full. Perfect for my style, which is 60's/70's/80's rock, along with blues standards. The volume with the internal speaker is adequate for 75% of my gigs. If I'm playing an outdoor venue, I just hook up a 4x10 extension cabinet and/or patch into the PA. I've never been lacking for stage volume, even against a pair of Fender Twins.
My primary bass is a Fender American Std P with Bartolini pickups. My backpup is a Fender Std Jazz Bass with Duncan pickups. Both sound wonderful through this combo and the character of each is evident.

I've given this combo a real workout over the past year and it's been flawless. No problems whatsoever. Ampegs have a well-earned reputation for solid performance. This is the first Ampeg product I've owned since they were purchased by SLM, and I'm glad to see that the quality is still so good.

Since buying this amp, I've never had any reason to contact Ampeg or the dealer I purchased it from. Maybe that's worth a 10, but since I haven't tried, I can't honestly offer an opinion here.

This is a complete package. It meets all of my performance needs and does so in a single compact unit. It's a heavy beast, but moving it around isn't so bad with the casters and side handles. It has great features and wonderful tone at a very reasonable price. If it were lost/destroyed/stolen, I'd definitely get another.

200 Watts at 8 Ohms, 350 Watts w/ extension cabinet. 9 Band EQ, XLR line out-I plugged the amp into our church board and got a lot of background noise. No headphone jack.

This is one hell of a practice amp. The sound is decent at lower levels. I bought an Ampeg 2x10 to get the 350 watts and this really rounded out the sound for the setup. I didn't get much more volume. Also, when I added the 2x10 the amplifier hiss got pretty ugly. I played this amp with two buddies that own Mesa Boogie guitar amps. Let's just say they had to turn their amps down in order to hear the bass. Like I said, it's a spectacular practice amp. It didn't move the air like I was expecting.

Always worked like a champ. The fan made some funny sounds warming up. I contacted Ampeg about this and they said no problem. The noise was annoying.

Ampeg always got back to me quickly.

I ended up selling my B2 (and the 2x10 cabinet) last week and upgraded to a Mesa Boogie 400+ with a 1x15 and 4x10 cabinets. If you're going to be playing anywhere you need to feel the bass, don't buy this amp. However, if you're getting together with one guitarist to hang out, go for it. I bought it expecting a lot more than what it provided.

I got the amp used about a year and a half ago used (very used). It is the rather unusual 4 X 8" combo. This is the second Ampeg I've had (the first was the SVT-III Pro). It has all the features (gain, master volume, Low, Mid & High EQ knobs, a limiter and a 9 band graphic EQ)and power I need. It is rated at 200 watts and 350 watts with an 8 ohm extension speaker. It also has a balanced DI with ground lift and pre/post button...sound techs love this amp. It is 100% solid state.

I use two basses through the amp, a MIJ Fender fretless Jazz Bass and a Squier P-Bass Special (Cheap Indonesian PJ instrument) at this time. I also have used a '72 Jazz Bass and a Yamaha RBX 5-string, both departed now. This amp is ideal for my use, I play in a traditional blues band (Chicago & West Coast Jump). I have found the amp to be very quiet; the built-in DI is also quiet. This amp is a tone monster. I was kind of surprised at just how low this mother can go. It can easily handle the open low B of a 5-string with great clarity. For larger venues, I use a 15" JBL loaded Sonic cabinet with the combo's 4-8' speakers. It is loud and clean. Basically, when I play the fretless (75% of the time, minimum) I pretty much try to emulate the tone of an upright. This amp nails it. Using the Squier, I can get that classic "P-Bass and tubes" with a little diddling around with the graphic. I have coaxed decent slap and pop tones from it with my dear departed '72 Jazz Bass. It excels, however, at delivering deep warm bass tones.

The amp has been very dependable except for a few minor but temporarily disabling things: the 3 lowest graphic EQ sliders have broken off...twice! I have seen a few used B-2 combos (both the 1 X 15" and the 4 X 8" models) in stores with exactly the same problem. Looks like a design flaw to me. The sliders still operate if you slide them with a toothpick or something; the handles (or whatever you'd call them) are what breaks; the EQ still works but it annoys me that this happens...oh, well. I also had to have a new on/off rocker switch and a new input jack installed but mechanical components wear out (that's why I carry a DI box and appropriate cables to gigs...thank God for modern PA's). None of this is major stuff and I've had no other problems but it still irritates me. I take pretty good care of my gear and generally catch problems before they get too far out of hand and I've kept a pretty close watch on this amp. Like I said, though, this amp had been heavily used (and these problems all happened within the first 3 months) so I can't complain too much. None of the repairs cost more than $20. I am the classic "weekend warrior" and the amp has seen about 100 gigs.

Call me clueless...my repair place had to wait for a week or so for for a back ordered on/off switch.

I've been playing, off and on, since the mid-60's. I've had lots and lots of gear over the years (everything from cheap Beatle Bass clones to Gibsons and lots of Fenders). I also have a Hamer Echotone ES-335 clone and a Peavey Music Man clone guitar amp. If this amp were stolen, I'd replace it as soon as I regained my composure/sanity! Unfortunately, I'd have a hell of a time finding a 4 X 8" configuration replacement but the 1 X 15" would be fine, I'm sure. I love this amp's tone/sound capabilities; the only thing I hate are the niggling little problems described earlier. I was, oddly enough, familiar with this amp. I happened to stumble into my favorite store when this amp was newly released and the Ampeg sales guy was giving a demo. I thought it sounded amazing then but I wasn't in the market at that time. Well, I hate to write a sappy review but, honestly, this is the best sounding amp I've ever used. I traded my SVT-3 Pro even-up for this amp and I've never looked back. When I use this amp with my fretless J-Bass, I swear it is the voice of God singing. My band has been using a revolving crew of guitar players and drummers for the last 6 months or thereabouts and almost every one of them has approached me after a gig to tell me how good the bass sounded. Believe me, I'm not the second coming of Jaco or anything; just a middle aged hobbyist/semi-pro player but I defy anybody to show me a better sounding rig...especially for about $600 or so!