Ampeg B-2R Head

Made in the USA.
Wish it had a really good compressor
Practice 1X per week & perform 1X per week
Solid state, great Ampeg tone

Using Traben basses w/active pups
cab is a Mesa/Boogie 2X15 road ready

The fan is a little noisy, but I never hear it unless all's quiet and I'm right next to it.
gets the classic Ampeg tone (to me) Many people say it's Ampeg's worst sounding amp, but I humbly disagree.

Doesn't really distort unless the gain is at full tilt, but it's not the SVT tube distortion. Very clean, strong amp.

I made the very big mistake of buying an 8 Ohm Hartke cab. I needed to run the gain at 50% and the master at 100% and really spike up the low-mid EQ. Still not enough power. Then I tried the Mesa/Boogie 4 ohm cab w/ 2 15's. WOW! What a difference! The thing now is utilizing all of its 350 watts. Now with the gain at 25% and the master at 25%, the thing with blow your hat right off your head! I set the eq's up a little, and get the most amazing bass tone I have ever had!

Built like a tank. Solid & rather heavy.

Never had to call on Ampeg.

Been playing bass for 2 years. Guitar for 25. I am a tone purist and I just cannot settle for mediocre. With the right cab, this amp can stand up to a $1600 SVT (I tried one in the store & like my tone better)

This amp has a decent amount of features for the price. the -15dB pad is nice for active basses, but to be honest it completely kills any volume that this amp could have produced. Knobs are typical; Gain, Bass, "Ultra Mid" (more on that later), Treble, and Master Volume. The Limiter is also a nice features (again, more on that later). The graphic EQ is a great feature as well. The effects loop is a nice touch. I wish this had a parametric EQ or at least a "Low Mid" and "Hi Mid". However, asking for that on such a cheap amp is pushing it.

I play funk rock among other things and have been playing bass for over 6 years (have played piano for 16 years). I play a Warwick Corvette Standard Active and an MIA Fender Jazz Bass. This amp sounds thin with both (even though the Warwick is capable of correcting that with its onboard EQ). I use it with an Ampeg SVT-15E, and they admittedly sound pretty bad together. However, this amp is far from unusable. There are some useful tones when playing with the EQ (especially the graphic EQ). The treble control creates a lot of noise, and I usually back it off accordingly. The Ultra Mid is really not anything to write home about. It doesn't really produce much of a mid boost when used, and the Bass knob doesn't have a desirable effect on the sound in either direction. Unfortunately, this amp is whisper quiet. Not in operation, in VOLUME. If I have the -15dB switch on and the Limiter, at 8ohms (200w) I can't even hear myself in my 3 piece group. I can probably blame some of that on the SVT-15E, but this amp is sorely overrated in terms of output versus wattage. Needless to say I'll be getting rid of the SVT-15E as I upgrade my equipment, but I'll probably keep the B2-R as a backup amp.

I have to say, I bought this amp used and it worked perfectly. One of the EQ sliders broke off, but that doesn't bother me much. The bearings in the fan are starting to go, and it's pretty loud back there. But even though the fan is failing, this thing still fires up just fine and has never to date given me any trouble. I would gig it without a backup, but I wouldn't depend on it to give me much volume...

Never dealt with them, but I've heard good things.

All things aside, I have to say as my first larger amplifier this has done me good. It does what it's supposed to do, and for the price I feel there was no better option than this one. I love the reliability, but hate the lack of volume. If it were lost or stolen (I don't think anyone would steal it), I would not replace it with this. I would probably go for the B2-RE which has more power. Buy one if you can get it for cheap but don't expect the world of it.

I think this was made about 6-7 years ago
This amp is the rack version. it is rated at 350 watts at 4 ohms.
it fits in with the stuff we play almost perfectly. I have used Ashdown, Marshall etc and this is easily the best amp I have ever used. It is only single channel but it doesnt need anymore. it has a send return which i have never used, it also has DI out, post and pre eq which i do use. it has a limiter and a peak level, both of which are on all the time. It only has 1 speaker output so I cant use it as a full stack, but to be honest that would be overkill. I use it for live and rehearsals and very rarely have to turn it up past 1/4 and have never made halfway. It is a solid state amp but has the warmth and depth of a tube amp, and the tone is unbelievable

I use a Rickenbacker 4003 or a Fender geddy Lee Jazz through it and the sound goes right through you. I even walked a guys pint off the table into his lap one night! We play 60/70's blues and rock and this fits in just right.
I use a wireless setup and if I stand right up against then I can get it to hum a bit. I like that it will go as loud as I want with no distortion, just pure clean tone.

I hasnt let me down but I bought it 2nd hand and that is sometimes at the back of my mind but so far so good, if it did quit on me then I would plug straight into the PA

USA made amp I live in the UK, nuff said

Been playing for 30 plus years
the only other amp I use is an Ashdown perfect ten mini rig, 65 watts
I love the sound that comes out of this amp as it shakes the walls, havent found anything I dislike.
I compared it with several other amps and even had an Ashdown mag 300 until I got this and then sold the Ashdown.
I got it with the 410hlf cab so the price reflects the cost of both but it was a real bargain, I dont think the guy selling it realised what he had. ??500 for head and cab, the heads go for that alone! Once you have used an Ampeg you realise why just about every music video has one on stage, there is just nothing any better

All the features that I would ask for from a bass amp. Poweramp in/preamp out make it expandible. Effect loop. XLR output to PA. Graphic EQ looks nice but doesn't make much difference on the sound. Same for tone controls. The ear handles on the front panel is a nice feature making it quite easy to carry this amp in one hand. 200W at 8 ohm is right for me for serious practicing and 350W at 4 ohm should be enough to handle the gigs that I will get in the foreseeable future.

Sorry, I just don't like the sound. The good term to describe it is "sterile," the neutral is "indifferent," and the bad is "dull." You can't rely on this amp to boost your emotion -- it drags it. All the EQs don't make much adjustment on the sound so I basically turn off the graphic EQ. It emphasizes more on bass than SWR Workingman's 15 and Ashdown MAG 300R that I tried, but it distorts a little when handling the low B.

No problem during the half year that I own it. The input jack was a little loose but I tightened it easily.

Never called them. The website is good and owner manual is easy to locate. Although, it's about 23 lb, instead of 15 lb that's stated in the manual.

This is a mediocre amp. I was shopping an amplifier in this wattage range. Thought about SWR WM 15 but it was not that easy to carry around so I decided to go head+cab. Finally I got this 2001 model B2R and an Eden D115T. I play a no-name 5 string bass in a jam band that likes jazz, funk, blues, and Rock. After experimenting frustratedly to get a sound that I like, I luckily traded it for a 2005 Ashdown MAG 300R. The Ashdown is a little lower at wattage (307W at 4 ohm) but provides much better tone.

It's got some nice eq features, a functional and useful fx loop, and poweramp in/preamp out jacks, so it has all the basic features that you want. The eqs have some pretty nice range, but are a bit limited. The limiter works but it 'pumps' a bit and seems to cut down the overall level too much; you're better off using a compressor in the fx loop.

It would be nice if it had a better limiter in it, and so on.

I play a number of different styles and it works for most of them...

However, it seems to have some pretty serious hiss problems at least when you turn it on, but they seem to go away eventually.

Overall it sounds kinda "sterile".. it doesn't sound 'bad', it just doesn't really have very much life in it, and if you don't use the limiter and you crank it up, the distortion sounds kinda scratchy and uncool. And, you have to have it cranked up a lot because as some of the other reviews say, it definitely is underpowered; I find it extremely hard to believe that this thing is putting out 350watts.. When you use the limiter it pumps and sounds pretty bad.

It's an Ampeg, so I really really doubt it'll break, and the warranty is amazing. It's solidly built and all the knobs and sliders feel great.

Awesome warranty, but I've never had to deal with them.

It's an ok little amp I suppose ... But, for the price the feature set is pretty weak, and the overall output is surprisingly underpowered, and it just sounds very very sterile. I've heard better sounding, cheaper amps. It's just not worth the money; you can get higher powered amps with more 'alive' sounding preamps for a lot less. With this you're really only paying for the name and a cool looking front panel.

Maybe it'll be just right for you, but for me it just doesn't do it. Play around with it in the store, and make sure you know your return policy.

Read the other reviews for the features. They are fairly decent for the price. The EQ is a nice touch and is fun to play around with--a decent variety of sounds are available. The lack of a tuner mute is rather annoying.

I have to digress from the throngs of Ampeg fanboys here...The B2R sounds fairly respectable for a mid-line amp, but I found that the tone was way too thin and brittle for my tastes. I owned the head for about 3 years and used it through a plethora of cabinets (8x8, 8x10, 4X10, 4X12, and a 2x15). I never felt like I had a true, meaty rock & roll tone. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible...but compared to the competition, I think the B2R comes up short. If you play funk rock or nu-metal, and love that bright bass sound, then the B2R may be your bag...but if your looking for a warm tone for those Led Zepplin/Black Sabbath covers, look elsewhere.

The amp is very quiet for 350 watts...People who claim that these things can keep up with a Marshall stack are stretching it a little bit...yes, it can keep up in a loud sound envrionment but you are not going to have any headroom as you will have to push the amp to be heard (trust me, I've used this thing with an 8x10). I would not recommend using this in a loud metal/rock band--stick to the upper line ampegs or check out the competition.

Can't fault the head here, this was a reliable unit.

For a large corportation, SLM is surprisingly easy to work with. You won't get the same service as a smaller mom & pop company, but they were much better to deal with than SWR.

This is a decent "entry level" amp---good for the high school kids getting their first stack, or for folks who gig once in a blue moon. I don't think this thing is ready for serious gigging and club shows. If you are looking for a bright tone and don't want to go the GK route, this may be the head for you. Compared to similar products from Yorkville, Kustom, Ashdown, Gallien-Krueger et-al, the B2R comes up short in my opinion. I would personally save the money and shoot for the SVT-III or check out the competition.

Bought this piece of art a few weeks ago. Simple controls, you don't need the manual, it's simplicity at it's highest. 350 watts at 4 ohm's. That quite a lot of power. Even at large venues, this amp does it's job.

Deep, beefy, punshy, loud (depends what kind of cab you use!!!!!), and it cuts like a knife. My rig is a Ampeg B 2R with an Ampeg BXT 410 HL cabinet. This it really a great and fantastic combination. The sound is extremely good. It loud, modern, accurate, you can hear that the tone is more sharp then the booming and sometimes muddy svt cabs and above all it really loud. I've tested this head with an SVT 610 Hlf, 810 cab, SVT 410, BR410,... and the BXT cab came as the winner. Don't get me wrong but the BXT 410 was actually louder with the B2R instead of the 610 HLF. I'm not joking!!!!

Well, just have it for a few weeks but something tells me that this amp is really hard to break. It's quite heavy dough but this amp is really enjoyable to play with. Also included a 5 year warranty (also for my BXT cab).

Very nice people to mail with. Very quick respons and very honest people. I asked then if the B 2R was loud enough to play death metal. They told me yes, if I use a proper cab and they immediatly suggested the BXT 410 cab. They also told me that this rig can do it's thing on small and medium sized venues. But if you hook this baby up to the P.A. system (what always the case is at medium and large venues) this rig is a very good investment. Thanks Ampeg!!!!

I'm very happy with my rig. The best thing I bought recently. Sold my other amp (the wimpy HK Bassforce XXl combo) to get this piece of machinery. It's devastating!! Buy it!! You won't regreat it!!!! The price was also very surprising, only 740 euro (850 dollars)!! Amazing. The cab was around 1010 euro or 1230 dollars... excellent value!

2004 Ampeg B2R- the bottom of the line Ampeg bass head. It features a switchable -15dB pad for basses with active electronics, bass/ultra mid/treble contols, a swtichable 9 band graphic eq, a limiter, one effects loop, tuner out, di out, etc- the typical stuff. The Limiter is a nice bonus though. My old GK 800RB didn't have one.

Fender P and J basses and a Jerry Jones Longhorn, playing a multitude of styles. I'm fortunate enough to own a wicked all tube Ampeg SVT which has been my main gigging and recording amp for 14 years. While the B2R doesn't sound as good as my SVT, it does preserve some of the same classic Ampeg tonal characteristics- at a 1/4 of the weight and 1/4 of the cost. It sounds pretty darn good at low volumes, but really does its thing best when you turn it up. The "ultra mid" control is useful, and dialing it back just tiny bit got rid of the midrange bark. Ease the "bass" control up a bit, and you've got yourself a great "meat and potatoes" bass tone, with a nice fat booty. The tone sat right in the pocket against a fairly loud Fender Super Reverb, a Marshall JCM800 2-12 combo, and a hard hitting drummer. Impressive! It doesn't come close to the buttery girth of my SVT, but for the money the B2R is pretty rockin'.

I borrowed this amp for the weekend while my SVT was being cleaned, tweaked, and retubed. The band I was playing with does two 1hr 30min. sets, and at a pretty decent volume level. I didn't notice any power sagging or noise, and the knobs and sliders all felt solid enough.

I've always had great experiences when dealing with Ampeg. 5 year warranty.

I picked up my first bass 20 years ago, and have been playing professionally (multiple bands, multiple album credits, tours, pickup gigs, etc.) for 15 years. In that time, I've played through just about every amplifier, pre amp/power amp combo, and cabinet combination that's out there. For the money spent, you get a lightweight, amply powered, well built, toneful bass head. Paired with a good cabinet(s), this amp will cover any small to med. sized gig with ease. Put it in a 3 space rack case, use good cables, and rock on.

I play a wide rage of styles punk, metal, indie, funk. I have had my B-2R for about 2 years now, and there are no problems effecting performance. The B-2R is not very versatile, but leaves room to upgrades/add-ons. The soid state electronic have proven to be dependable. There is only one channel FX loop..... I do wish it had a head phone jack, compressor, and a mute option for tuning. I guess you have to spent more money to get more. I use It with a SVT-810E for smaller to medium sized gigs, and is seems to have plenty of power to rock a house party; althought the 810 has alot to do with that. It is still an ampeg, the best bass amp brand, so I will give it a 5 for the money I have spent on it.

I have had many complements on my sound, yet the B-2R has alot to do with it, but it is still a solid state. I drive a SVT-810E, and in most cases I have had plenty of sound. When i Gig with my emo-punk band ather bass players not on how well the sound cuts through. I have not tried the FX loop so all in all i like what it has.

The fan in the back has been making a hell of a lot of noise for some time now, and i makes me nervous. I do not have the time to replace it but when i do it will not be the same one.

I have yet to need to talk with them

I have been playing for 8 years, and i do not see the need to get a different bass head unless I get realy famous.

Not many features but it has everything you need, no distortion which kinda sucks if u play metal but a pedal sounds just as good. Fairly verital amp, i mainly metal or hard rock but it sounds just as good for slapping and jazz type music. By far the best feature on this amp is the graphic 9-band EQ it sounds much better then the standard 3-band and gives it more presents. Even though it is a soild state it can stay realtively clan evean at high volumes with the limter on.

As i've said before i mainly play metal on this amp head and its a great match for that style of music. It has a light hum whenever tis on at higher volumes but nothing horrible. this head can suit you ANY style of music perfectly, with the 9-band you can dial in any sound you would ever want. I set the 9-band so im boosting the 3 bass levels a lot and the rest only a little and only at extremly high volumes it will get distotred and the limiter will let you know when your sound is starting to clip which can help live if you can clearly hear yourslef over the guitars.

No need to have a back-up. this is solid state so theres no tubes to replace, but i would suggest keeping an extra fuse around in case you blow your, but ive never had this problem.

never had to deal with ampeg, but i got it at guitar center and the people who work there are only mildly retarded and can help you maybe half the time.

Ive had this for about a month now, my rig is very simple i have an Ibanez SR405, Digitech BP200, Boss ODB-3, Ampeg B2R head, Ampeg BSE 410-HLF cab, no problems have occured. I would most deffinately replace this if i lost it. The best thing about this amp besides the price is the 9-band graphic EQ you can really get any kind of bass sound you need. Obviously it cant quite compair to an all tube amp at higher volumes but for this price you cant beat it. Ampeg destorys any and all other bass componys that i have seen. Gallien-Kreuger, Crate, SWR and Mesa cant touch the deep bassy tone of any Ampeg. I would like it to have some on-board distortion but not a big deal most amp distortions arent great, and it would be nice to have a head phone jack, but i have a multi-effect which has one so not a problem for me.