Ampeg BA-115

Most people have already gone over the features so I won't comment here. It has a lot of "bells and whistles" but the Input, Main Volume, and EQ controls don't make any sense. I recently found out that this amp has a design flaw after talking to Ampeg. The Main Volume control does not allow the amp to get any louder past the midway setting. You end up having to turn the EQ's way up to get any volume out of it.

Good sound overall - but you can't get any volume out of it at mid settings of the EQ. I use a passive Yamaha Bass.

Haven't had it very long - and I won't keep it long enough to know. It is going back to Guitar Center for another amp.

I'm not impressed with Ampeg's attitude of "Yeah we know it has a design flaw" "we plan on fixing it on the next batch of machines that go out" Well - that's just great for all the people who just bought it - NOT. It's going back to guitar center.

I'm new to Bass Guitar - I'm a keyboardist - if this is what the evolution of the Bass Amp has come to - it's pretty sad. The amp is well built - but you can't get any volume out of it unless you crank the mid and bass EQ pots full tilt - you then get a very muddy sound. The way it should work is - #1 you set the EQ for the sound you like #2 you turn up the input gain #3 you turn up the main volume for the overall sound level you want. The way it actually works is #1 you turn the EQ to the sound level you like - #2 you turn up the input and Main volume all the way up and don't get any volume out of it.

This is a new 2004 amp, two channel, solid state,
(if you count the active, passive inputs as two diff. chans.) , 100 watts with a 15" and tweeter, cd (rca) inputs, headphone out, XLR out, generic eq, with a five position "style" switch. No Fx loop, no ext spkr out. It says in the manual that you can pre amp in pwr amp out but doesn't say how. I assume that one would just use the provided channel inputs??
The amp is one solid hunka machinery, well built, but keep in mind we're talking basic, very basic.
The hudred watts is probably the best hundred watts I've ever heard in an amp this size and speaker configuration, (though I should mention here that I sent it back because it still wasn't enough.)
This is not, I repeat not, an amp for any serious gigger. I've been playing for over 30 yrs. and have painfully discovered that there is no way a bassist can get boom in the room without having size and power. We will always have to lug the heaviest gear to get the sound and gut punch needed to play modern music.
I was looking to save my aching back thinking that a smaller amp might cut it, but even using a sub and PA, the stage volume is really weak. The punch quickly becomes lost in the drums and guitars.
Save you cash, unless you're looking for just a practice amp have 450.00 to spend.
I just don't see how any experienced player can say this amp is gigable. Where are you guys playing? Joe's Coffee Joint??

I play a Fender Am. Jazz BassV and an ESP C305 5 string w/ active elec. (have many others but these are my faves). The guitars sound good at a very moderate volume, note very moderate. However you have to turn the tone controls on the amp up past midway and find one of the five style positions on the amp that you can live with to get a clean sound. The Volume ans Master don't do anything until you get past halfway, I'm serious! If you're playing anywhere that seats or stands more than 20 people, don't figure on using this amp. Unless you're right on it, you won't hear it, but most importantly, you won't feel it. Our band play covers, anything from Elvis to Puddle of Mudd, in venues that seat 100 or better. I couldn't bring myself to take it out after the first fateful night. The amp hisses, it's its trademark, the hissing increases with the onset of eq and gain. Like I said, its great for the bedroom or practice room, not on a gig. I'll stick with my tried and true Bassman 400.

And I'll say it again, this amp would be great at the local Ice Cream shop, but not on a paying gig. Keep it home or in your garage. Can't comment on reliability or service, I sent it back for a refund.

No comment, amp was returned. Though it did come with a five year warranty.

I've been playing guitar and bass for over thirty years. I own many guitars which have been the cause of many divorces. I have three bass amps, my main amp of choice for sound and portability is a Fender Bassman 400.
As I stated earlier, I returned the amp for a refund. Any bass player with experience ought to know ( here's where I kick myself) that a hundred watts is just not enough for anywhere but the garage or bedroom.
To play any venue of decent size, start with a minimum of 300 watts.
It' not the volume so much as it is the gut punch and feel.
To get that, you need power.

Brand new (2003). Solid State 100w bass amp, volume, "master", bass, mid and treble tone controls, "style" selector, 0dB input (for passive p/u's), -15dB input (for active p/u's), cd inputs, line out and headphone jack. Enough controls for a basic amp, but it could use a couple of additional features, such as noise gate, compression, etc. The "style" selector offers a flat setting, along with boost or cut at various frequencies; very rudimentary equalization.

I am using this amp with a Fender Deluxe P-Bass Special. I can get a decent range of sounds, although all of the tones are colored by the 15" driver (and not so much by its 1" peizo tweeter). Using the P-bass p/u and rolling off the tone control, cranking the bass pot and volume, you can get a deep, thumping tone; conversely if you crank the treble, use the Jazz p/u and turn up the tone pot on the bass, you get a decent jazzy growl. If you are looking for one amp to do it all, this probably isn't it, but it's not too bad. One thing: the tone controls on the amp act as sort of selective volume controls. That is, rather than just add more bass or treble tone, they actually seem to increase (or decrease) the volume of the amp in that frequency range. Thus, to get full volume, you need to put all three tone knobs above the halfway point.

Just got this amp two days ago; haven't had much of a chance to use it but it seems well-built and fairly solid. I guess you could gig without a backup with no fear of breakdown - solid-state amps are pretty hard to blow up.

Brand new, no need for support yet. 5 year transferrable warranty which seems pretty decent.

I mostly play guitar, but my guitar teacher says if I want to play out, I should learn bass as bass players are not so easy to find. I had a bass back about 20 years ago, but never really learned. One note about price: Guitar Center advertised this at $499, their mail order arm, Musicians Friend, listed it at $449. I purchased the amp from one of the managers who I deal with all the time and he set me up with the amp, the above mentioned Deluxe P-Bass Special and a Fender gig bag for $900, including tax!

All this stuff is personal. I personally don't use graphic EQ (on the bass) or effects loops. This amp is used out for upright bass, and it is a winner. The flat position (three) of the mid switch seems to work well; the balanced line out is noiseless and very good-sounding in the studio. I really like that I can pick this amp up and carry it with one hand (I grew to hate my late Redhead because it couldn't be carried with one hand). There is a handy recess in the back with Velcro for securing the AC line cord (another thing the Redhead didn't do). The tilt-back cabinet design is great. This amp is quite flexible regarding where one can locate it on the band stand. A recessed handle on the back would be nice for lifting.

I use this amp live with a Korean-made carved upright fitted with a Fishman BP-100 pickup. I also use an A.R.T. TubePAC to match the piezo pickup to the BA-115 input. The amp's small footprint and tilt-back feature allows me to set up such that I can hear myself well without feedback. For jazz, bluegrass, and other music styles it works just great. There is so much low end available that I need to be careful to avoid too much "thump" on notes in the first position. After reading some of the reviews here I turned on the amp and maxed all controls. Yes there is hiss. But with the treble control set flat the hiss is no worse than a Tech-21 Sans Amp. Under typical playing conditions no one will hear it, and the gates in the control room are so much better anyhow. Change your strings.

I presume the BA-115 has some kind of internal limiter; I cannot get it to clip. The "master" control in this case I believe functions as a preamp gain control as about all of the volume change is controled with the "volume" knob. The midrange switch, when operated along with the midrange pot gives adequate flexibility (it's just one 15" speaker with a little tweeter, after all).

I have yet to play this amp out with an electric bass, but I have played electric through it at home quite a bit in the few months I have had this BA-115. Dunno if I would take this to a gig where the drummer is going to play loud, but it rattles the whole house using a hotrod P Bass. 5-string bass is bad on the B string - this amp is not a 5-stringer. For an all-solid-state amp, it's as warm as you will get currently. I intend to take it out for a P Bass spin when we play a smaller room. The BA-115 gives a very good replication of that John Wetton 'Crimson tone (at least here in the house). Using the J pickup, this Ampeg is not truly "snappy", but it's okay.

Bought it used, looks like new. I haven't had it long enough to know, although it is on for many days at a time because I forget to turn it off.

Two e-mails to Ampeg regarding input impedance have failed to bring a reply. I bought a 1-year warranty for the used amp.

I been playing for about 37 years. Used to use a Sunn 200S/1X15 for upright. The BA-115 is much more elegant. I use a Sunn 300T/4X10 and Fender hotrod P Bass and Carvin BB-75 fretless for electric gigs.

If stolen or lost, I would get another one. I love that it is a great-sounding combo; I hate that it weighs 60 pounds. I looked around a lot and bought this particular box because of the sound, it was used (cheaper) and I respect the Ampeg brand. I looked at Peavy, Genz-Benz, GK, and Fender. I used to own a SWR Redhead. I wish this amp had a wheels/retractable handle like most modern luggage.

Ya gotta know yer limitations. This amp ain't gonna get it on open mic night at CBGB's. On the other hand, it is a useful and (so far) reliable tool that sounds great and doesn't take up a lot of space.

key point to understand. this is an *entry level* AMPEG bass amp. as such you will be getting ampeg quality (more on that later) in a very basic package. some of the complaints about lack of features misses this point.

to illustrate. brought home a Behringer BX1200. "120 watts" (yeah, right!) full of bells and whistles, effects loop, eq, "tone shaping" . about $100 less than the ampeg. it's crap! flimsy construction, no volume, and a sound quality to drill teeth by.

this one? 100 watts. one 15 inch speaker. 3 band eq (REAL basic) headphone jack, CD player input. volume and master setting. and five position "style setting" (ok, you'll probably pick one you like and leave it there.) and a tilt back feature.

so on balance, pretty basic. i give it an eight because if you want more and you want an ampeg, and you want to spend this amount of money...buddy you are cruising in the wrong neighborhood.

i play in a classic rock/beatles cover band. delivers a sharp, clean, classic ampeg sound with plenty of volume. for well under 500 bucks, that is AMAZING.

yes, it does have *slight* amount of white noise hiss. less than what came out of my swr head and cabinet. some of the whining about this in these reviews mystifies me. it's a bass amp with a little bit of power! they hiss a little bit! get over it! nothing to notice.

the clincher. ampeg sound with ampeg quality. the proverbial tank. almost a year now and it has been through the mill and is like the day i got it. while hefty, small enough to be easily portable. will take serious abuse. will deliver a consistent quality sound with no problems.

don't know. never had to deal with ampeg. don't think i ever will. ampeg quality is legendary. five year transferable warranty i think.

playing off and on for almost 30 years. from high school garage bands to middle aged cover bands.

i play an ibanez sr800, a danelectro rumor and a hofner copy.

i love the clean and clear sound it gives me, the combo portability, the high quality at a price well under 500 bucks. ok my needs are basic, but most folks looking in this price range who think they need more (especially live) are kidding themselves.

if it were stolen i'd get another one.

I just bought this amp. (2003) I have been playing guitar for over 40 years. I should be better by now. I started playing bass about 10 months ago. It is difficult to find a perfect amp for any instrument but bass is really difficult. It you want a good all round sound, moderate weight, low cost, great warranty, clean looks. I would say this is the amp. It is straight forward and easy to use. Don't criticize a Honda for not being a Jaguar!

I use a 62 Reissue Fender Jazz Bass. Sounds good to me. I play Blues, light R&B, Country and acoustic music. The amp could be a little louder but my wife would disagree.

I have played guitar through Ampegs in the past. This amp seems to be well built. It has a 5 year transferable warranty. Can you beat that? It is American made too.

I have never had an amp problem that I've had to send to someone. Ampeg has a great reputation.

I don't think you can beat this amp without spending much more money and buying much more weight. I would buy again.

YEAR: purchased new in fall 2000.

VERSATILITY: i play many styles from punk/metal to r&b/jazz, and this amp is suited better if you play r&b style. there isn't a lot of tonal range, it all stays fairly low and muddy. not much pop or high end.

CHANNELS: this amp has a "style switch" with 4 or 5 different positions. only one sounds good, the others are too low and not clear. it has no effects but you can shape the different style selections using the treble, bass, and midrange knobs. it has a headphone jack but this never worked.

FEATURES: i bought this amp because i needed something simple and loud. i ended up wishing it had some effects (like the later-designed BA-115 special). as stated before, i only use one of the available "styles" on the style switch. the others suck. also, there are 2 input holes but i only use one. the 2nd hole is way too quiet!

USAGE: i use this amp for small club shows, i had it miked and used the direct out in a recording studio, and i use it in the rehearsal room. it does get loud but i find myself having to turn it up almost all the way because of the lack of tone versatility. for rock styles it sucks, you can't hear anything but low boom. it sounds better at home (than in rehearsal with other loud instuments going). onstage it's iffy.

EXTRAS: this amp has a 100W 15" speaker, a tilt-back cab design, a direct out, 2 inputs, and the rca hookup incase you wanna use it as a speaker for your vcr, dvd or cd player.

GUITAR: i play 3 different basses through this amp, but the main one i use is a standard fender jazz. no matter how i adjust the knobs on my bass, i can't get much tone out of the amp.

STYLE: this amp is good for playing r&b or any style where you don't mind the bass being the thick end or boom. but for rock, punk, or metal, it has very little punch and zero growl.

NOISE: this is the worst part about this amp. IT HISSES!!! you don't notice it as much at home or even in the studio, but onstage when you have to be loud it hisses like crazy when you aren't playing. i've read other reviews since i bought it and a lot of people mention the hissing sound. this has embarassed me onstage several times between songs, or in quiet parts where i don't play. i've tried adjusting this amp in every way to cut this down and it's impossible. you hear the hiss immediately when you turn it on.

SOUNDS/VARIETY: as stated before, you can't get much variety here. all the tones sound the same, each one muddier and thicker than the one before.

CHANNELS: it has no distortion channel. you'd need a pedal for that.

DEPENDABILITY: this amp has always worked. i have played it in many many shows at different clubs and it always comes on and stays that way. no crackle or shorts.

BREAKAGE: this amp weighs over 60 lbs. and it only has one strap handle on the top. it's already coming loose, it's only held on by 2 screws that go directly into the cabinet body. i don't carry it by the strap alone. it's heavy as hell and difficult to load into a car. no good place to grip it. needs side handles.

SUPPORT: never contacted ampeg. i bought this at mars music and never called about the hiss.

EXPERIENCE: i've been playing bass for 10 years and i also own a gibson les paul studio guitar, an OLP MM2 bass, a small peavey bass amp, and a roland drum machine.

REPLACE?: i would not bu this amp again if stolen or lost. i'd buy a galien kruger amp because i can get one at the same price that has MORE wattage, more tonal options, and better design.

100W of Ampeg sound through one 15 inch speaker and a tweeter. The panel has a 3 band EQ, headphone jack, CD player input, "style" switch, power LED, volume, and master pots. This amp also has the tilt-back cabinet design. I'm basically using this amp for songwriting and home practice and it suits my purposes just fine...maybe a little too well...

I play a Gibson Thunderbird and a Stingray and both of these basses sound pretty good. The EQ is very versatile and the style switch helps work things out even more. My only complaint is the constant hiss that comes out of the amp, especially with the highs dialed in... but from what I've read this is a fairly normal thing with this amp.

This thing is built like a tank! Never given me any trouble and doubt it ever will... didn't give a 10 just because nothing is perfect.

Never had to deal with Ampeg, but I've heard they're a good company.

I've been playing for many years through many basses and this is my ideal combo amp. No frills, just bare bones bass. If it were lost or stolen I would probably buy something different only because I don't ever buy the same thing twice.

The Ampeg BA-115 puts out pretty well for its size. The style switches are ok, but I use most 2 and 3. The 3 band eq provides a lot of variety and has a good range. I a lot of amps have narrow ranges on the eq's and give you less control. The cd in is a joke because you never really need it. The tweeter gives it good highs for slapping or just for that groovy sliding action on the frets. I play everything from blues, to rock, to praise and worship, and this amp can addapt to just about all of them. I boought it in 2001 and I have been playing with it extensively for the last year and I have appreciated the versatility of it. If I could change one thing, I would have more eq adjustments for it to isolate my favorite sounds more.

I play a Jay Turser coppy of a Ernie Ball Music Man. I know people that have the real thing and say that mine is a good coppy. It has a double coil pickup with seperate controls for the front and back. The back one gives it a great highs, which blend well with settings 2 and 3 for some good slapping. This amp has an incredible low range on setting 2 as well. I have played on lots of amps and it outdoes any of them for low end sweetness.
I have played for college chorale and toured the states witht this amp. I also play in a band right now that has been on tour for the last 2 months and no matter what size room or what soundman I am dealing with, I never have trouble getting it to fill a room. The size is usually not a problem either because it can put out a lot for a 15.
The only reason I give this amp a nine is because of the high end buzz when you crank the highs. It has been a problem in the more formal concert settings.

I have not had a singe problem with this amp and I have put it through quite a bit. I use it without a backup.

I haven't need any yet.

I have been playing guitar and stuff for years, but I have only played bass on a proffesional level for the last year. If this amp were stolen I would cry because I am in college and can't afford a new one. I would definately go for one just like it though. I haven't seen so much boom in such a small amp anywhere else. I have played through some Peavey's that suck and Fender's that won't push and I like the low end whoomph that this amp has. I played a lot of amps before I bought this one, and this one had the most boom for the dollar.
I do wish that this amp had more eq capacity. Sometimes I would like to sit and tweek to get just a little closer to the perfect sound, but I can't.
Over all I have played this amp for hundreds and hundreds of hours, in every room, building, and church you can immagine, with more sound people than the average person will ever meet, and with more styles of music than should be legal for one bass player, and find it to be about the best amp on the market. I would never buy something else unless it was time to go bigger.

The basics: 15" driver coupled with a piezo tweeter, bass/mid/high controls, volume and master/gain control, 5-position rotary "style" (EQ) control, angled cabinet. Pretty compact for an amp with a 15" driver. I don't like the rotary EQ presets, I'd rather it had a 7-band EQ with boost controls for bass/mid/high.

This amp drives me nuts! The white noise (hiss) coming from this thing is absolutely annoying, especially in a quiet room. I sent the first BA-115 back because I thought there was something wrong with it, and the one I got in exchange makes just as much noise.

Overall I'm fairly happy with the sound of the amp. Between tweaking the rotary EQ on the amp and the active preamp on my bass, I can find some useable tones. I wish it had built-in compression and noisegate.

Seems built real well, and I wouldn't have a problem lugging it around to gigs.

I had to call them once to find a local repair facility. They said their computers were down and to call back. Don't they keep printed copies of that stuff?

I'm real picky about my guitar and bass equipment. This was the first bass amp I've ever bought, and having played guitar for 12+ years, I have a pretty good ear and I know what sounds good. I'm not real impressed with this amp at all. The hiss sound is so unbearable, I plan to sell it for a Fender BXR series (7-band EQ and NO HISS).