Ampeg B-2R Head

i think it was made in 2000. It has warm tone for a solid state, especially using the 9-band EQ. It has a limiter just in case you play rough. i have it on all the time. sounds great with my 1x15 ampeg. it ONLY pumps 200w at 8ohms and 350w at 4ohms. i do think it's great for little bars or indoors. not enough power though, but great tone. pretty expensive for 350. i paid 550 brand new. it has an effects loop.

i'm was using an ibanez GSR200. i thought it was my bass making this weird noise, and it was just adding to what the head was doing. i previously have a fender now, and it makes this little hum or static noise which bugs the hell out of me, but you can fix it with your EQ. it's not very loud at humming or staticly loud, it's just behind at low level which i can hear after i stop, or before i play. i used my friends amp which is tubed, with my fender, and it sounds sweet at any level. so i know it's my amp. there's really no distortion till you take of the limiter.

i definitley rely on it. i would prefer a back up, but it's reliable all my life besides one day. just one day since i had it, didn't turn on for some weird reason. i was going to put it in to the shop to get it fix the next day, but it didn't do it again. i guess it was my fault. i still don't know what happened that day.

never had to bother with the company or my warranty.

i have been playing for 2 years and a half. i use all ampeg for my rig. i have a fender with jazz active pick ups. if it was ever stolen, i would be very sad. i would buy it again, but i will use it as a pre-amp. i wish it featured some effects or something.

El ampli es muy versatil, puede sonar brutal, funky o dulce y brillante... lo uso hasta para la guitarra como etapa de potencia... y potencia tiene...aajaja...el ampli no tiene casi nada... input, volume, graves, medios, agudos... master... eq grafica (no la uso)... el hecho de que no tenga tantas paridas me gusta... es un ampli que suena de muerte no una nave espacial. no quiero botones de mute ni gilipolleces de esas que no sirven para nada... entre el bajo activo, las pedaleras y toda la mierda es para volverse loco... tengo mas ecualizaciones que la ostia... a tomar por culo....cada cosa para lo que es... tiene loop de efectos pero me la suda... todo p'al input... lo estube usando un tiempo para los pedales de efectos... hasta que me canse de cables i mierdas.... me gusta mas directamente al previo,

Suena brutal si quieres o jazzero. yo opto por un brutal-jazzero. graves a tope, medios al medio y agudos a las 4 en punto... TRACAA!! uso mucho la ecualizacion del bajo activo... el bajo es muy versatil... no se como podria sonar con otro bajo... un colega lo probo con un cort con bartolinis i flipo el nene... tiene un peavey de 700 W...i fijo que se pilla un ampeg...jajajajaj... yo toco rollo tool y mudvayne, efectos a punta pala, sonido contundente y que llene una sola guitarra... rokea si lo sabes hacer rokear...uso un ibanez BTB-705ol, una serie my rara, es el BAJO, el mejor que he probado y la envidia de quien lo ve (www.F4K3.tk)... de pedales uso un boss chorus, un wah dunlop jimi hendrix, dos multiefectos zoom y un ibanez tubescreamer... el ampli i cajas ampeg classi de 4 10"+tweeter i una de 15"... el cacharro rokea...

si lo tiro por el balcon no pasa na, fijo... como si le prendes fuego..jajaaja mejor no.

Features: 1 input, -12 dB pad, gain, master, 3 band eq, 9 band (I think), graphic eq, limiter, effects loop, preamp out, poweramp in, output to PA or board, 2 speaker outputs. 350 watts at 4 ohms, 200 at 8 ohms. No speakon outputs and only 1 instrumentinput. Besides those small nitpicks, I think the B2R is an extremely versatile amp. Its simple enough for those people who are obsessed with simplicity, yet has enough features to keep the knob turner happy. Even the limiter is decent. 350 watts is more than enough for the gigs that I'm playing, and anything bigger, I would go through the PA anyway.

My rig:
Fender MiM J bass
Takamine G Series Acoustic/Electric
BBE Sonic MAximizer
Ampeg B2R
Hartke 2100 Pro Series Cab

It took me no time at all to find a brutal rock sound with my j bass. Using the graphic eq, i can mimic almost any tone i hear. Marcus Miller slap? No problem (the sound, not the playing). Jaco? Sure! This amp has every sound possible built into it. I play alot of jazz, and with my current band, this amp sounded incredible! I had many comments on my sound after that first gig I played with this amp. The fan is noisy in my room, but besides that, no one has ever noticed it.

5 year warrantee. Its Ampeg, its dependable! I bought it 6 months ago and have NEVER had a problem with it.

Ampeg customer support is great! The people there are friendly and answer my questions intelligently. The customer service at Ampeg truly is customer service at its finest.

I have been playing bass for 3 years, and piano for 8. I stated my gear in the other section above. If it were stolen, I'd find the person who stole it, beat him over the head with the amp, then put it back in my rack case. I compared this head to various other heads including the Hartke 3500, SWR 350x, SWR Workingmans 2002, and the Fender bassman 400. The Ampeg completely blew the competition away. I played the Ampeg last, and was all set to buy the Hartke until I played this amp. I immediately fell in love with it!

this amp was bought new about a year and a half ago. it is bare-bones-bass at its best. one channel,3band eq,graphic eq,(that i don,t even need) good clean power. the reason i play bass is that i can only count to 4 (HA HA) the simpler the better as far as i,m concerned. you could take the graphic eq off and this amp does plenty good. i,ll give it a 9. i like the simplicity.

i play a stock jazz with stock passive pickups.i play a wide variety of styles, mainly fingerpick and some slap. with rotos on my bass this thing does it all. no distotion (if you need that on bass) i set the bass knob at about 3 o'clock ,mid at 1 or 2 o'clock and trebel at 12 o'clock. this setting works for everything i do.i've never had to turn it up over half-way and it doesn't clip.

when i first purchased this amp it had a bad fan in it. it shut down after an hour or so of use....but ampeg has a great protection circuit and no dammage done. it has never failed me yet since then..and i've put her through the wringer.

check this out. when the fan went bad the place where i purcaced it took it to the authorized repair person (IN PERSON)-had it repaired that same day and (get this) DELIVERED IT TO ME AT THE GIG THAT NIGHT! 5 year warranty best in the biz!

i've been blaying bass for 30 years and have owned it all. boogies-carvns-peaveys. also many fancy expensive basses. my set-up (B2R 4x10 and 1x15 ampeg classic series cabinets-and a stock jazz with rotos) is definately the best sound i have had. and for much-MUCH less money than any of my other set ups.this head is it for me!

New 2002 B2R Head.
Nice EQ, pre-out, go for this price range

Playing through an Ampeg BSE410H, and sounds great. When shopping played thru Aguilar GS121(great), Eden 210 (fair), Ampeg BXT115 (muddy by itself). Liked the versatility of the 4X10 cab + I can add a something later on

New, but have read and heard good things about non abused Ampeg Gear

5 year warranty to the original purchaser, so Ampeg (SLM) believes in what they make. Made in the USA, which is always a plus for me.

Been playing bass since 1969! Recently returned to bass playing (after 10 years on guitar). This the first new bass amp I have ever owned and sounds worlds above the Fenders and Traynors I used before.
I plan to gig with it once my chops are back and we'll see how it holds up. I play a US Jazz Bass and US Precision Deluxe. If this amp holds up as well as my Marshalls (for the guitars) I will remain a happy camper.

Pretty good. It has a 9 band graphic EQ with a 40hz band which is nice for that low end rumble. Then it has three eq knobs and a gain knob and the -15dB pad (like anyone uses it) and a limiter. It also has a balanced line out and FX loop and all that stuff. 350w into 4 ohms and all that. Check the ampeg site... A hi low boost would be nice but whatever...

I can get any sound from it. I have a fender with some really hot DiMarzio pickups in a homemade bridgespot and they really put out a serious grunt. I bought an ampeg svt 610 with it which was a mistake because the amp is REALLY powerful and needs more power handling. A compressor helps but i shouldn't have to have one. I Play pop punk which means i beat the strings on high gain to death and wish for the best. The EQ is a little funky because if you crank the bass on the graphic and 3 band at the same time it blows the speakers so you hafta balance it all out. The limiter SUX because when you start slapping with it on or strumming, it backs off so much the sound is all wavy and sounds terrible. But without it the speakers could blow. However, despite all these things, i'm sure with an 8x10, it would sound AWESOME.

racked it, dropped it out of the car, still works like a dream.

Never had to deal with them but 90 percent of customer service people are rude in this world.

I like it. I have weird gear combos and am extremely demanding so with a 4x10 or an 810 it'd be great. I have a theory on how the ca is wired but i don't have the time. I reccomend it

my B2R ampeg head was made 2001! Made in USA! it is an awesome head! it has eq's. it has 350 watts that really sounds good! it's a solid-state or mosfet! no tubes! it has a -15dB, gain, bass, ultra mid, treble, and master. it also comes with a limiter so it won't get to the point of nasty distortion and won't clip. it also has a peak light that tells you when your over the limit!

oh man! it has a really good deep bass! the mid's get out of hand when there's a lot of treble and no bass, but really awesome for slaping like mad! the treble gives out nice clean notes, making it stick out instead of hidden! i use a nice 1x15 ampeg cab that gets full filling deep bassy notes! i usually use my big muff (over drive or distortion pedal) to make it sound fuzzy or really distorted! i also have a baseball pedal (a filter) that makes it sound funky but awesome and crazy with the big muff. i usually turn up my bass and treble really high and mid's in mid range. i usually get a water-y or fuzz-y distored sound! it's really good for indoors. it really gives a punch and powerful sound! i really like how it sounds when bassy, but get's static-y when mid's and treble's or really high! but it's usually like that with any head!

this head will be well worth taking to a gig or concert! weighs about 15 pounds! really small and portable! some weight is more on one side of the head, so watch out for that, you don't want to drop it! it's really reliable! it also has a fan that has variable speeds depending on the heat! this puppy will really last a long time, unless you droped it, but it'll probably surpass the damage! it has really solid and strudy hardware that will last! maybe a knob or 2 can be loose, but it can be fix! i would definately use it for a gig without a backup!

the people that helped me fine my head and amp were really helpful! they helped because i was a beginner and got me a beginner bass guitar and got me a good reliable head and amp! after having it for about 6 months, i had never returned it or sent it back for repair! i have 2 year warranty on the speaker! and a 5 year warranty on my head and amp!!!

i've been playing bass for a year now and i also play the acoustic guitar! if my bass was stolen, i will probably buy some thing different! i love feeling the bass-y motion of the bass head! i don't like how my mid's get static-y, but that could be my bass guitar!

i should of tried out all the other bass heads, but the B2R gave me a gutt feeling and it was afordable and felt really nice! i tried about 4 different heads, so i think i made a good decision! plus, all of them that i tried were ampegs, so i wouldn't go wrong with what i picked!

Real basic head. One input with -15 dB pad, three band eq with "ultra-mid" control, gain, master volume, and a 9 band graphic eq that can be switched on with a button on the front panel. Back panel has 2 speaker outs, effects loop, pre out, power in, direct out with various options, a cooling fan, and a power cord. Pretty basic, but has most of what you need. Could use Speakon or banana plugs and a footswitch jack for the graphic. Perhaps I will add one of those myself.

Using a fender jazz with emgs. It sounds good. Rich and warm, but more modern sounding than the all tub SVT's. I like it. Its not as sterile as SWR, has way more balls then GK, and is versital enough with its limited features to get pretty much any tone you might need. Never gets real gritty and the eq is usable throughout its range. Its much harder to get a bad sound out of this thing than to get a good one. Pretty much a set and forget deal. The cab you use makes a huge difference. Right now I am pushing 350 watts into an older carvin 4 ohm 2x10 and it sounds pretty good. I have tried it with an SWR Goliath 4x10 and it was considerably better. Then I tried it with a Bergantino 3x10 and it might have been the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. Those things are expensive. Will probably buy an Eden 1x15 and 2x10 when I have some savings. That will do the trick

Alright then.....So I bought this thing used in an SKB rack case. Everything was lovely for a while and then the variable speed fan burned out. They use a weird design in the fan that only turns on when it heats up. This design is apparently pretty fragile. When it burned out (at a gig no less) it fried much of the insides. It would make these strange sucking noises when it got warmed up which....sucked. So I took it in to have it fixed (no warranty on used gear) and the guy brought most of it back to spec and changed the fan to a sturdier design that is on all the time (like a regular bass amp), but it was still acting strange after about 30 minutes into a set. So I took it to another repair guy and he replaced a fried opamp and apparently it's fine now. I will pick it up tommorrow and find out. The thing is, this is NOT REAL PRO GEAR. It is a good amp for a serious amatuer to a begining pro, but it has neither the features nor the ruggedness to be used in a real pro rig. This is a very inexpensive head for what it gives you and they had to cut costs somehow. Be gentle with it and keep some kind of backup.

I have been playing on this thing for several months, and besides the overheating issue, I have been very happy. I have assembled probably the cheapest useable semi-pro rig in existence and this head is a key part of it. You can't get anywhere near the sound quality with any competitively priced product, or with many considerably more expensive amps. This head with a good cab will sound incredible. I would probably get another if stolen. But I have a bit more cash now so I might go with an SVT III pro, to get the pro features that this head lacks.

I don't have my amp right next to me, so I'm going by my crappy memory. I think it has: Active bass "buffer" (lowers input gain something like 15db),gain, bass, ultra mid(really cool parametric-ish mid control that blends high mids and low mids), treble, master volume, limiter, 9-band eq (switchable), on/off switch!!!, speakon outs, 1/4" outs, xlr balanced out thingy, an electricity cord! yep, the same as most nice amps minus a few unneccessary features.

This amp is friggin' loud for my needs which include coffee shop gigs, 400-capacity theatres, small outdoors gigs, and other 100-500 person venues. I play it through a hartke 410, and it supplies plenty of volume but I guess would be twice as loud with a 15 or another 410 added to my setup. my active yamaha rbx-765 is sooo beefy though it, yet can also get a nice high-mid growl at the same time. I love it. this thing can also supply the loudest, bassiest, most evil guitar on the block with my zoom 505II and ibanez ax-120. this is the perfect amp for a po' foo' tryin' ta fake tha funk in a small band that aint goin' no wea'. i love it, once again.

uhh I've dropped this amp on the sidewalk before without a rack case (i'm too po to buy an skb case) and it still works fine and has only a .5-square centimeter scrape in it's ugly gray paint. it kicks ass.

I've never had to deal with an ampeg dealer except my friend jeff who was mad that I didn't buy it from the store he works at.

The amp was made in 2000, it's a 350W @ 4ohms head(solid state). (or 200W @ 8ohms)
it has a 9 band graphic eq,plus the usual Bass,ultra Mid and treble controls, as well as a gain and master volume.
The graphic eq has an on\off button (i would have prefered a footswitch) and it has a really positive effect on sound. Some amps the graphic eq is only a decoration and has no effect on the sound but on this amp the slighest change unleashs new tones.

This amp is'nt exactly loaded with features (it only has the necessary) but that makes it a good first amp for people like me (been playing for 2 years with small to medium gig requirements)

The controls are laid out in an easy way and are basiclly idiot proof.
And other than no tuner out,no footswitch i have no real complaints
so it gets what it does.

I have played this amp through 2 diferent cabs at the store (an Ashdown 410 and a AmpegvSVT-610.) the sound was the same through both, a crazy growling tone that would put most active bass players to shame.(i play a passive Fender Jazz 5) I had to have this amp. it will be the perfect sound for my bands music. (i play in one Creed style alternative band and another that is like the mellower Gun's and Roses stuff.)

so for pure sound quality and earth destroying volume (through the SVT) i have to give it a ten.

I have only had it for a month and have never played beyond 4 on the volume so i guess i have'nt really tested it. but Ampeg has a really good reputation for reliability and customer service . And i was able to get a good waranty package from the store that i bought it at.
(basicly lifetime as long i dont do something stupid with it)

So because of my lack of test time and it being new i am forced to give a no opinion.

never delt with'em. and wont have to if it holds up to Ampeg's reputation.

I have been playing for about 2 years and i use this amp with ampeg SVT 610 (for the volume and it's a 4ohm cab) i use only 3 effects (boss bass overdrive ,a crybaby bass wah and a EH q-tron.) and it delivers all the sounds without any traces of sound altering.
I compared it to similerly priced products from Eden,SWR,Ashdown and Trace, but chose this one because it has alot more power and is equal to all the others on sound (not to mention it was cheeper.) so i would definetly buy it again if it was stollen.

pros-
1. price.very inexpensive.
2. sound. very verstile.
3. it's an Ampeg!!
4. it's probobly gonna out-live me. It's built like a tank.
5. EASE OF USE!! it's idiot-proof.
6. the +-15dcb pad thing comes in handy at gigs where your singer says his intestines are shaking....(nice litle feature)

cons-
1.no foot-switch on eq. so cant be used as second channel.
2.for a litle sucker it'heavy!!!
3.no speakon out-put.
4.4ohm minimum load (can't use 2 cabs.)