Ampeg BA-115

Made in USA Ampeg that was picked up used and in perfect condition. Tha amp has inputs for standard and active basses. The 5 position EQ knob is an interesting feature. Other than that, there's not too much that's different from any other amp.

I received this combo amp in a trade. I had never owned an Ampeg before and I was excited about getting one. I even briefly considered selling my bigger bass amp & cabinets and just using the Ampeg (I am semi-retired from the band scene). So.... I plugged a Yamaha BB614 into cabinet....and was really disappointed with what I heard. Lots and lots of hiss. You can turn the treble down, but you can't really escape from the hiss when you are at higher volumes. I usually play through a Carvin B800 amp running into an Avatar 2x10 and a Mesa/Boogie 1x15. This combination gives me a ton of power and articulate sound reproduction/definition. I realize that the Ampeg is a lower-priced combo, but it didn't come anywhere close to giving me the sound quality I was looking for. I play with a drummer fairly regularly and he has a 100 watt Crate combo in his studio. I never thought I would say this, but the Crate combo sounds much, much better than the Ampeg. And I think Fender and Peavey offer similar combos that sound better - plus they are cheaper when you buy used.

Seemed reliable during the week I owned it.

No issues.

I was really disappointed with this amp. I've played through some of the more expensive (and powerful) Ampeg combos and I thought they sounded great. Not this one. The amount of hiss you get is unacceptable - I'm not sure why anyone would sell a product with such an obvious flaw. If you want a 15" combo - spend a little more on a higher-end Ampeg, or look elsewhere.

On a positive note, it was really easy to sell this amp, thanks to the Ampeg reputation.

I bought this amp in the summer of 2001. This amp has 100 watts; one 15" speaker; Bass, Middle, Treble, and Style switch (mid sweep) EQ section; 0db & -15db input jacks; Gain and Master volumes; Headphone and RCA jacks; and a Balance line out. It has a tilt back monitor feature that is very handy as well. Versitile enough for the Blues and Classic Rock music that I play. The one feature I wish it had is an ext. speaker jack, not that I have ever needed it, but it would be nice just in case.

I play Blues, Classic Rock, Country and Gospel, and it sounds awesome with my stock Squier P Bass Special. I have played outdoor parties, clubs, bars, churches, and I can get anything from the old Motown sound, to the Chris Squire/Geddy Lee '70's Ric sound, although doing the latter causes a bit of hiss due to the tweeter. It has a nice tight, warm sound with punch, and plenty of power. I had someone ask me once what my POD/Sansamp was set on. I don't use either one, and his jaw dropped because of the sound come from just the bass straight into the amp.

Ever since I have gotten this amp, it has been my workhorse. I personally do not own another amp, but a band I was in brought a spare bass amp just to set the Ampeg on to raise it to ear level. The drummer eventually used the spare for his electronic drums. The setup actually looked impressive. in the almost six years I have owned it, it has never broken down, and I gig without a backup most times. It has been extremely reliable.

I have been playing for 30 years, and bought this because I wanted an Ampeg, but didn't want to deal with tubes. If it were lost or stolen, I would buy this again. I have played through many different amps in my career, such as Peavey Combo 300/Combo115, Sunn Coloseum, and H/H Bassamps. I once owned an old Ampeg B25, that fell apart just because of the age and use on the thing. I chose the BA115 for the Ampeg sound, the warm tube sound out of a solid state amp, my history of playing dictated that 100 watts was plenty of power for me. I just wish it had an ext. speaker jack, then it would be perfect for me for everything I play.

* 100 watts of power
* 15" speaker
* Style selector with 5 basic tone options
* 3-band tone controls
* Master and gain controls
* Balanced XLR line out
* Headphone jack
* RCA inputs for connecting a tape or CD player
* Tilt-back cabinet

I'm running my esp viper-104 bass through this. It's a cheap beginer's bass but this thing makes it sound like a bass costing 800+. I play mainly punk and metal music ad the style toggle really helps adapt to the diffrent mussical styles as does the bass, mid, and trebel tones.

and this thing is hella loud. i have played many gigs with this and never ahd to put it up past 3.

This thing is deffinatly build solid. I've played a bunch of gigs with this thing, taking it in and out of vans and bars and various other places and it sill looks and sounds brand new.

never had to deal with them.

I've been playign for about 3 years and i've been to alot of shows. I wouldnt say its as good as an SVT but if your playing small bars and club and are lookign for a pro tone without the 1000+ price tag this thing is amazing.

If this thing were lost or stolen i wouldt hesitate to buy a new one.

Says it was made in the USA
100W tilt-back cabinet (very useful feature)
1 x 15" plus a piezo tweeter
Dual ported at the rear of cabinet
Active/passive inputs
CD input (completely *useless* feature)
Headphone out
XLR out
5 setting "style" selector (somewhat useful)
Treble, Mid & Bass controls (all with a large control range)

Lets be clear - the sound has tons of hiss (ie. is crap) until you disconnect the tweeter.

Then... although I prefer tube amps, this has the BEST sound of any solid state amp I have owned. And I've owned a few over the years(eg, Hartke, Gallien Krueger, Hohner, Hughes and Kettner, Marshall, Trace Elliot and others).

I actually saw a drummer friend's band and his bass player had one. I heard the tone and decided I just had to have one.

I don't really like the "style" selector and just leave it in flat/neutral (3). There is a lot of scope to alter the sound just using the tone controls.

I play in a number of bands, from pop/rock to metal. The basses I use include a Spector, a customised Washburn J bass, Epiphone viola. Effects wise I am still looking for that 'perfect' sound, and under test at the moment is a Sansamp :)

I haven't owned it long enough to comment on reliability. It's solid state so it has got to be more reliable than my other tube rigs.

I haven't had to deal with them. They are probably feeble, like every other music company.

I would change a couple of things. Get rid of the useless 'cd input'. Maybe add a send/return, but hey it's only a small combo.

The amp is moderately powerful, and I bought this rig specifically as a combo for rehearsals, small and medium gigs. Of course for big gigs it's back to tube heads and cabs.

If it went tomorrow, I would definitely buy one again. In one sentence: Fantastic solid state tone, but disconnect the noisy tweeter.

Mine is one of the new models made in China.
100W tilt-back cabinet
15" w/ piezo tweeter
dual ported in back of cabinet
active/passive inputs
cd input
headphone & XLR out
5 setting "style" selector (very cool feature)
Treble, Mid & Bass controls

Outstanding sound quality with my Peavey Zodiac 4 string. The 5 presets allow a huge range of tonal configurations. 1 and 2 are far too dark for my taste and lack any high-end at all but useful if you are looking for something closer to an Acoustic 360. 3 is flat, 4 is brighter and 5 is somewhere in between. On 4 I can get tones closer to an SWR without the really "bitey" highs and fret clack.

Once you've determined which setting you like, you still have tons of control with the treble, mid and bass controls. This amp has more range of control than anything else I tried. Crank the bass to 10 and you'll swear the cabinet is larger than it really is. This may be because of its two large ports in the back of the cabinet. It moves some serious air.

I've had the amp up to 6 gain & master volume with the bass at 7 at it is rip the walls down loud. Overall the tone rocks for any style. My preference is fingerstyle and pop/slap.

I would give it a 10 except for two little problems... there is a slight hiss from the tweeter at all times. A little annoying in the small confines of a bedroom but I've heard far worse. The second is that sound quality lacks at very low volumes (I mean low, like people sleeping in the house low) but I guess thats what the headphones out is for.

Nothing to comment at this time. I hope the China build is as good as the older USA models. Initial quality is very high.

I've not tried to contact support.

I shopped like mad for a bass combo in the sub $400 range. I looked at a Peavey TNT 150 (loud), Gallien-Krueger Backline 112 (bright or distortion), Roland Cube 100 (overpriced and lacks tone), Line 6 LD150 (absolute garbage), Fender Bassman 150 (nice tone but lacks volume), Fender Rumble 100 (awful tone), Behringer BX1800 (surprisingly decent sound), SWR Workingman's 15 (nice tone) and this Ampeg BA115 both new and used. The range of tone I can get out of this Ampeg is much greater than anything else I tried.

I am fond of the SWR sound but I was able to get similar tone on the Ampeg by making appropriate adjustments without the same harshness. The Ampeg also proved to be more powerful with a more solid low end and that is quite a feat given the fact that the SWR is 160W.

The Ampeg BA115 is by far the best value for a bass combo under $400. If you don't try it before you buy something else you're making a mistake. Don't let any discontent you may have with other brands sampling of Ampeg SVT cabinets discourage you. I've never liked any simulated cabinet sounds that are supposed to be Ampeg. I almost never tried this amp because of it.

2006 made in USA BA-115.

I'm a geezer - had my first paying gig in 1974. Currently in a geezer band (we play Brit invasion to PF's the Wall, pretty much). Gig out at small to medium size clubs and bars. Ocassional outdoor show.

I play all kinds of rock - punk rock, funk rock, alt rock, country rock. Also some blues and reggae. The style selector, EQ, master & gain gives quite a lot of stylistic flexibility.

For my needs & taste, this model has all the features I want. If I need effects, I add a pedal.

As for power, it's plenty loud enough to get over an ambitious drummer in most live situations (rehearsals & small to medium gigs). If you mic the drums, you'll probably need to go DI from the amp to the board. Outdoors, you'll need to run everything thru the board.

BTW - DI out is a nice feature :) For bass amps, it's better than miking IMO (low waves take many feet to "set up" - that's way the bass amp sometimes sounds better a few feet away - like across the stage - than right in front).

I'm playing an active/passive Steinberger, a Yamaha and a Fender P.

Sound is what you'd expect from an Ampeg - thick and rich. If you like this sound, no sense buying other gear and trying to emulate it - just get an Ampeg.

The BA-115 does have a bit more hiss from the tweeter than is to be expected. I'm able to defeat this by dialing down the Treble EQ to about 9 o'clock.

Haven't had any problems.

Easy to register on the website.

Overall, very happy. Great sound, solid quality.

Wish it weighed less - it's 69 lbs - by Neo cones mostly suck, and I can't bring myself to spend thousands for a 500 watt Mark Bass head that weighs under 8 pounds.

I've also got to deduct a few tenths for the hiss, which is just some kind of an engineering flaw.

great amp, excellent!!!!

The sound its great.

you can to reduce the hisss, you need remove the front screen and to cover over the tweeter with a piece of acoustic insulator (carpet, or other) you can use the same tweeter screws for to adhere acoustic insulator, to reduce the hiss in a 70%.

perfect.

Ok.

its the best bass combo

Features as in other reviews. Best feature is the 5-way tone shaper switch--it gives five distinct amp sounds--very cool. It has plenty of inputs/outputs for everything but the toaster.

This has the sound that only Ampeg has, plus four other variations of the classic Ampeg tone. Nothing sounds like an Ampeg. Can sound a little muddy at low volumes, but after tweeking the tone controls and volume, that goes away for the most part. The Ampeg sound is deep and dark, anyway.

This one seemed like it was a good one, no popping or tweeter hiss at all. I'm almost sorry I traded it in on a B-100R (almost).

Got right back to me via e-mail after I asked them a question.

I wanted an amp that was more portable than my half-stack-and-head for practice and for small gigs. Anyone who says this amp can not be used for practice or small to medium gigs is clueless. This amp has plenty of oomph to do both, and to do them easilly. I liked the B-100R a little better, so traded this in, but I would have been just as happy to have kept it. The sound shaping circuit is very cool. This amp is worth checking out, so give it a listen.

every thing about this amp is less than ideal, even at 200$ used, i think the right used Peavey would've been better.

the tweeter sounds very cheap. does not sound good with the 15" speaker. i disconnected my tweeter so i could use the treble knob and still get a semi-natural sound.

the amp sounds no better than you could expect for 100 watt solid state. b/c i love bass, i love playing bass, and this amp does work, i can get by with it, at medium volume in small clubs, but the amp's tone does nothing to enhance the experience.

sadly, it hasn't quit working yet, if it did, i'd have an excuse to go shopping

the cabinet itself is pretty unimpressive. the wood seems to be soft, the edges are breaking down, the screws holding the amp in the frame of the cabinet keep coming loose.

i gig anywhere from 4 to 7 times a week, i play conventional "old school" bass with my fingers, every now and then a thump and pop.
i compare bass amps to my Eden WT600 and 410 cab. most amps don't sound as good, of course. this Ampeg is just good enough to get the job done, but it's uninspiring tone and low power make it a joy-less experience. i'm seriously looking for a replacement.

3-band EQ, dual inputs, direct out, cd inputs, 100 watt 15 inch speaker. The style switch, which adjusts the midrange, is nice and really makes it veritile. Wish it had an effects loop, but overall has everything you need for what it is, a great practice amp. I use it in my room, and in garage practices, and it holds up great. Better handle system (side handles maybe) would have been nice, but at least you can get a work out.

First off, I'm using a squier P-bass, but this thing makes it sound very nice, lots of low end boom, with good highs and just enough midrange. Although you can get many sounds out of the amp. Just beware that the holes in the back have a lot of super low end coming out of them and when this thing is up agaist a wall, it can become muddy. The tweeter does buzz, but its not really that bad, only if your picky. When its cranked all the way up of course the speaker rattles and it gets a little distorted, but what amp doesn't?

It hasn't broke yet despite being maxed out for more than it should, I wouldn't try dropping it of anything too high, but this thing is pretty tough, I would prefer a metal screen to protect the speaker (wouldn't want to kick a hole in the speaker) but lets hope I never test it as is.

N/A

A GREAT practice amp, sounds great, could have a little more juice but good power. Despite the new price (450$) being so much higher than other amps in the same power/ speaker range, i would recomend this amp to anyone, its worth it.