For Mike Campbell, opening a new chapter with the Dirty Knobs on upcoming album Mission of Mercy, doesn’t mean he’s forgetting his roots with late bandmate Tom Petty.

Rather, he’s embracing the future while nodding to his illustrious career through the gear he’s using – namely, an old amp from the early days of the Heartbreakers.

“I stick with what I’m comfortable with,” he admits in an upcoming interview with Guitar World.

“I’ll try a new guitar or amp, but if I’m recording and working on a record, I don’t want to be bothered with too many choices. I want to focus on the song and the performance.”

Indeed, for this record – and for the last couple of albums – Campbell reconnected with a loyal companion: the Ampeg Rocket from when the Heartbreakers were first starting out.

So, how did he manage to unearth this long-forgotten gem? “It was just in my closet,” he replies, “and one day I pulled it out, turned it on, and thought, ‘Wow… this is a sound that I’ve been missing.’

“It sounded really good, and I sort of stumbled back into the room, and there it was,” Campbell adds with a laugh. Turns out, it was exactly the tone he was looking for after all these years – and it had been there all along.

Guitar World’s interview with Mike Campbell will be published in the coming weeks.

In more recent news, Campbell looked back on writing The Boys of Summer with Don Henley – after Tom Petty passed on the song.

Amp Week 2026: For many guitar players, their first amp is a predictable choice. Maybe it was an affordable Marshall or Fender five-watt combo – or, for those of a certain age, a primal modeler like the iconic Line 6 Spider or Peavey Vypyr.

For a young Josh Homme, who would later make his name in Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, it was something a bit more obscure – something that would set the scene for the left-field gear picks for which he'd later be known for.

“My first amp proper was an Ampeg VT-40, and I still have it,” he tells Guitar World. “It was so heavy to lift as an 11-year-old.”

Ostensibly a bass amp, the VT-40 was a choice that didn’t necessarily match Homme's instrument as an electric guitar slinger. In fact, he bought a Teisco Del Rey Tulip at the same time as the VT-40, and, in his own words, found that “two wrongs don’t make a right, but 40 wrongs make a weird.”

He’s spoken to GW previously about how the amp, coupled with his exclusive use of the neck pickup, defined his unusual Kyuss guitar tone. It was an unorthodox sound because... well, the gear and the choices behind it were atypical.

Yet it was the amp's aesthetic, more so than anything else, that drew Homme to the Ampeg.

“I knew I wanted something old, because it's such a tactile sensation,” he says. “The knobs on an amplifier mean something. And if they’re not to my taste, it sort of turns me off.

“In Liar Liar, they say, ‘Don't judge a book by its cover. But that's what people with a shitty cover always say,’ right?” he goes on. “Of course, the cover matters. I do this solely by visual, and then sort of just make it into being.”

Later, when Kyuss broke up, and he kick-started life with Queens of the Stone Age, Homme left the amp behind, finding a new, unassuming secret weapon that has since become his first signature amp.

But Peavey wasn’t the first firm to approach him about a collaboration. Homme also revealed to Guitar World that he turned Ampeg down for one particular reason.

Elsewhere, Homme has credited his off-kilter playing style to his ‘oompah oompah’ upbringing, and has explained why he always writes his songs on acoustic guitar first.

Josh Homme’s collaboration with Peavey for the Decade Too was the first time the Queens of the Stone Age man had released a piece of gear with his name on it. But he’d had offers to work on signature gear before – and even once turned down the chance to work with a company he loves.

The Peavey Decade practice amp was unveiled as Homme’s “secret weapon” back in 2021, and it’s since developed an almost mythical reputation as part of his elusive guitar rig.

When in Them Crooked Vultures, his supergroup with Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones, Homme showed it to the Led Zeppelin bass player, who laughed at the “piece of shit” amp before plugging into it.

Yet, before linking up with Peavey, Homme was in line for another potential signature release with a different company. But, in a soon-to-be-published interview with Guitar World, Homme explains why he ultimately turned them down.

“Years ago, Ampeg came to me about remaking the VT 40, and I was a little suspicious, because I've never really done endorsements,” he says. “That's not my thing. I don't work for you, man.”

Homme had famously turned to the bass amps and an exclusive use of the neck pickup of his guitars to forge his stoner rock-inspiring tone in Kyuss. As such, a signature model, from Ampeg’s side at least, felt like a sure-fire winner. But Homme’s reservations stood tall.

“With the way Ampeg approached me, what they wanted to do, and how they wanted to treat me, I felt like I was being used,” Homme returns. “It was like, ‘All right, you're the only person playing this since Keith Richards, so we want to use that image, but we want to make the amp like this…’

“Honestly, I wasn't having it. And I love Ampeg. I have so much Ampeg gear. But life is about what it is now, not what it was. I'm not a puppet that you can put your hand up its ass and make do stuff.”

The Peavey tie-in, he goes on to say, was different on all levels. Here, the collaboration produced a $399 combo amp, and a $199 pedal edition, that “every man, woman, and child could scrape up the dough to get.”

It seems to have sparked a newfound appreciation for signature gear, with other collaborations in the works, which he alludes to in his Guitar World interview.

Elsewhere, Homme recently credited ‘oompah oompah’ guitar for aiding his knack for writing off-kilter guitar riffs, and explained why much of his core songwriting takes place on an acoustic.

Juan Alderete's infatuation with bass gear has led him to become one of the world's great authorities on pedals and effects, granting him sommelier status that has fuelled his popular website pedalsandeffects.com, and his crusades through small-town pawnshops to find hidden bass gems.

“Once you get into effects, you're not just running a bass guitar anymore – it's an entirely different animal,” Alderete told Bass Player back in 2017. “Nowadays, it's important for young bass players to diversify their sound. Pedals are an important part of landing gigs. Not everyone can be in Foo Fighters.”

Fortunately, Alderete's bass gear has always been put to good use. Best known for his stellar work with bands like Racer X, Distortion Felix, Big Sir, Vato Negro, and the Mars Volta, the 62-year-old Los Angeles native has also laid down grooves for hip-hop heavyweights Deltron 3030 and Dr. Octagon.

“I think it's important to try new things, get new sounds, and not be afraid to experiment. I can play straight, standard bass, but I'm trying to push our instrument somewhere – because if not, it dies. I'm trying to transform the instrument and push it into the future so we're not left behind.”

With Halo Orbit, his 2017 collaboration with drum phenom Mark Guiliana and Japanese guitar virtuoso suGar, Alderete harnessed a barrage of sounds that are wildly distorted on Subump and Angels Flight, rubbery and elastic on Love or Lost, and sand-paper-gritty on the title track.

Regardless of the project, the band members, or the genre, though, he is always pushing the boundaries of effects on the bass guitar. Juan Alderete might indeed have a problem, but fortunately for us, it's a good problem to have.

What was the evolution of your pedal obsession?

In Racer X, we focused on shredding, and I got the tone I needed by using a Boss CS-2 compression pedal and my Jazz Bass. But in the '80s, everyone was using a chorus pedal, so I got a TC Electronic Stereo Chorus Flanger. Then I bought a Boss OC-2 because my bass teacher, Steve Evans, used one while he soloed.

In the '90s, I started getting into Electro-Harmonix Micro Synths. I wasn't the first to do it – Michael Anthony of Van Halen would use the Up Bass feature on a Micro Synth when he soloed. Then I got a fuzz pedal, and before I knew it, I was getting into all sorts of distortion, which got me into researching pedals and buying and selling them left and right.

How many effects were you using with the Mars Volta?

My pedalboard kept getting bigger and bigger until I had four massive pedalboards on tour. My setup got so huge that it weighed more than anybody else's stuff on stage. Then I built a studio in 2011 for my effects collection, which is 400 to 500 pedals.

Which ones end up on your board these days?

My old joke is that I put Mexican flag stickers on pedals that make the cut. As for the most indispensable ones, I'd say the Boss CS-2, OC-2, and VB-2 pedals; my vintage Micro Synth; the EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird, Afterneath, Hoof Reaper, and Rainbow Machine; Red Panda's Context Reverb, Godlyke's Great Divide, the Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl, the Dunlop Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah ... man, I could go on and on.

Which players inspired your penchant for effects?

I remember seeing Tim Bogert at Musicians Institute in the '80s, and his Boss pedalboard had a bunch of effects on it. He was going crazy with them, and I didn't get it. I wasn't ready for it yet, but I look back on that as a big moment.

A lot of guitar players, like Eddie Van Halen and the Edge, influenced me heavily, too. The Edge is the greatest pedal user of all time. He's always gotten such insane sounds, and he changed the whole landscape of using pedals.

Which current pedal users rock your world?

I've been digging the pioneering stuff Tim Lefebvre did on David Bowie's Blackstar album. There are a ton of players in the fusion world who are killing it with effects, though it can be hard for me to digest that music. I love Timmy's pedal use with Rage Against the Machine. His bass work on Bulls on Parade with the distortion is huge, and I like what he does with a wah.

Are there any pedals that you've always wanted but haven't been able to get?

I'd really love to get the rackmount version of the Micro Synth, but they only made 10 of those, and they're really hard to find. I just got my hands on this '60s Vox Ampliphonic Stereo Multi-Voice synth that I had been seeking forever. Kid Koala, who'd been telling me about his for a while, found one in a music shop in Seattle, and I bought it over the phone.

How do you get to know a new pedal?

I play multiple basses through it to see how it reacts. I might feed in some guitars, keyboards, and drum machines to see how it responds; that usually helps me figure out how to use it with bass.

I test all its settings, explore its range, figure out how I could use it, and then see how it pairs with my other pedals so I can know whether I'll want to run it exclusively with a fuzz, a compressor, or anything else. Really, it's all about exploring it from top to bottom.

If a bass player could only own three types of effects, what should they be?

An octave or a sub, a synth pedal, and a fuzz pedal. The octave and synth are important because we live in the low-end, and those really boost that. And the fuzz is just necessary. If I could pick a fourth type, I'd throw a modulation (chorus or flanger) in there, too.

What's a powerful fuzz or distortion pedal for players who aren't into the Big Muff?

I always suggest the Earthquaker Devices Hoof Reaper. It's two fuzzes in one, and then some. You get the Hoof and the Tone Reaper distortion options, and you also get the octave up; you can use both fuzzes at the same time, or the distortions and the octave, all at once.

I also like the Dwarfcraft Eau Claire Thunder, which was my main distortion in Mars Volta. The Amptweaker TightFuzz is really heavy without being overly noisy. There are so many options for distortion and fuzz pedals.

How did Halo Orbit come together?

I met suGar in the '90s when her band Buffalo Daughter and my band Distortion Felix were opening for Girls Against Boys. Her playing immediately blew me away; she's a complete anomaly on the guitar. We became close friends, and over the years, we talked about doing a project together.

When I was in New York with Mars Volta in 2010, one of my drummer buddies told me I had to meet Mark Guiliana, so I put him on the guestlist and we hung out. He was such a good dude. Without even hearing him play, I told him we should collaborate, and he was all for it.

In 2012, they flew to L.A., jammed, and cut six ideas in the studio. We did it all in six hours, Mark flew home, and suGar and I wrote the rest of the material. They both flew back out to L.A. again to cut the remaining tracks.

You get a huge, distorted sound on the opening track Subump. How did you get that tone?

It's all the Hoof Reaper. It has the octave up option on top of its fuzz function, which is just massive. New pedals usually inspire me to write a bunch of compositions around that sound. I wrote that main guitar riff and the bass part that comes in, suGar overdubbed the wah guitar parts. and Mark came in and nailed that song in one take.

How can a bass player incorporate effects into their live rig without compromising supportive low-frequency response?

You can run two rigs, one that's clean and one that runs all the effects, so you get both at the same time. I did that with Halo Orbit, but I used effects on both channels. There are ways that pedals can work for your sound and maintain the thickness you want.

What would you tell a bass player interested in building a pedal collection?

Depending on what kind of music you're playing, get a good-sounding distortion, fuzz, or overdrive. Next, get a compressor. A good chorus always helps; I like analog choruses, myself. Delays are weird for bass, because you're the timekeeper, so unless you use it right, you might have issues; be cautious with those. And any wah is good, because, well, Cliff Burton.

While it might not grab the spotlight like a whacky pedal reissue or a shiny new guitar, the cabinet is a crucial element in your bass rig that shouldn't be underestimated. Truth is, the best bass cabinets have the power to elevate your tone, setting you apart from the crowd. Moreover, owning your own cabinet ensures a totally consistent tone at every gig. It's high time to bid farewell to the worn-out, battered cabinets that lurk in the darkness at every local venue (we've all had our share of those, haven't we?).

Although your amplifier lays the groundwork for your electrified sound, it's the cabinet that channels and delivers all that tonal goodness to your ears. With this power comes a great responsibility – hence, selecting the right cabinet option is crucial. This prompts a few thoughts: What speaker set-up works best for me? What power handling do I need? And do I truly need yet another bass guitar? Well, maybe skip the last one – let's face it, you can never have too many guitars! But when it comes to your bass cabinet, it's no laughing matter.

So today, we’re going to help you out and bring you the best bass cabinets currently on the market. From Aguilar to Fender, and circling back to Ampeg, whether you're seeking an 8 x 10" powerhouse or craving the latest innovations, rest assured there's a bass cabinet here that will truly elevate your bass tone.

Best bass cabinets: Quick list

Best bass cabinets available today 

Best overall

If you’ve spent just 30 seconds searching for bass amplification online, chances are you’ll already be familiar with Ampeg. With over 75 years of bass amplification history, Ampeg is the real deal. Inspired by the infamous ‘60s Ampeg B-15 amplifier, the Portaflex PF-115HE emerges as our best overall choice for bass cabinets.

The PF-115HE delivers exactly what you need from a working musician’s bass cabinet; a commanding, tight low-end that gives you plenty of control. The 1” HF compression driver is equipped with 3-way attenuation for when you need to dial in a bit more sizzle or want to cut out particular frequencies. Capable of handling 450 watts of power, this thing will shake a few windows if need be and will manage medium-to-large venues with ease.

Ampeg’s B-15 is one of music’s most popular bass amplifiers, so it’s no surprise that the iconic silver grille cloth and its ‘flip-top’ design have been pinched for this cabinet. The flip-top is primarily designed to work in collaboration with a Portaflex head, however, it also opens up to reveal ideal storage space for any cables, pedals or other gigging paraphernalia you may need to hide.

Okay, this cab isn’t exactly dead weight, but it would have been more handy to have the carry handles mounted to the side as opposed to the top. However, this isn’t a dealbreaker as the built-in casters are lifesavers for moving it around.

Best for portability

Let’s face it, gigging can be an energy drain and the older you get, the less it agrees with your body. So, if you’re looking for a bass cabinet to make gigging easier on your back, check out the Traveler 102P from Markbass.

This rectangular little wonder may be small in stature, but don’t let that fool you. It’s capable of handling 400 watts of power with two 10-inch neodymium speakers that deliver punchy, articulate bass. The adjustable piezo tweeter allows you to fine-tune it to your liking, preventing the high-end from being overly dominant or too overwhelming in the mix.

Sometimes whilst gigging local venues, space can be a problem, so being able to use the Traveler both horizontally and vertically is a useful feature. Also handy for surviving local venues is this cab’s robustness. The cab's sturdy multi-ply poplar construction is shielded by a durable carpet-like covering, complete with thick plastic corner reinforcements. Trust us, it's built tough.

Weighing just under 15kg, your back will thank you, especially if you're used to lugging around an old 8 x 10" Ampeg. Although pleasingly portable, having only one side handle gives your bandmates an easy get-out-of-carrying card. So be prepared to shoulder this burden alone.

Best value

TC Electronic is king of budget musical equipment and the BC208 cab has rightfully earned the crown of best value bass cabinet on our list. Firstly, this thing is rugged. The hard plywood construction has been coated in an anti-skid material, keeping it firmly rooted in place while on the stage. Meanwhile, the stylish heavy-duty metal grille protects the two 8-inch custom drivers found underneath.

As expected with 8-inch speakers, this cab is going to give you a tight, focussed sound. It does a very impressive job of delivering every detail of your sound without distorting too quickly, even at higher volumes. Although there isn’t a tweeter present, mid and high-range frequencies are handled pretty well and the cab punches well above its speaker configuration and small price tag.

Hearing our bassist play through two of these, it's impressive how the BC208 projects sound. Pound for pound, there aren't many that match its performance. While it handles 200 watts, ideal for smaller venues, linking two for mid-size capacity places might be necessary. Robust, lightweight and affordable, there isn’t really much to dislike here.

Best for volume

There aren’t many bass cabinets as familiar with arena stages as the Ampeg SVT-810E. Used by bassists like Bill Wyman, Cliff Williams and Krist Novoselic, the SVT has had many famous advocates, and as the adage goes, if it’s good enough for them, it’s probably too good for us.

Ampeg’s SVT amplifier series debuted in '69 with much aplomb. This mammoth cabinet utilizes the same design techniques and speakers as its famous predecessor. You may be thinking that eight ten-inch speakers are overkill, and you possibly have a point, but when you stand in front of them and feel the air pushed into your face, you’ll immediately understand the excess. The low-end is absolutely massive and the volume this cabinet is capable of is insane.

With such powerful bass, the low and midrange frequencies need to cut through and we’re pleased to report the SVT-810E does this pleasingly well. The headroom and clarity on offer is next to none, even at incredibly high volumes the cabinet behaves impeccably well. Although it takes a bit of pushing, when naturally overdriven, the cabinet truly sings. However, this may only be achievable in larger venues.

If you sign up for a cabinet that’s affectionately known as ‘the fridge’, you’ll not be surprised to discover that it’s pretty darn heavy, 140lbs to be exact. However, the weight is intrinsic to the cabinet's soul; it's essential for embodying the true SVT tone and the combination of the aforementioned speakers and the birch wood cabinet cannot be substituted.

Best midrange punch

When people think of Darkglass, thoughts of heavy music usually follow. However, the DG212NE cabinet is proving that the Finnish company shouldn’t so easily be pigeonholed into one particular category.

This cabinet is capable of a plethora of very musical tones. This is largely thanks to its two 12-inch custom-designed Eminence neodymium speakers that utilize a bi-amp design with 500 watts per side. It provides a superb clean platform for your preferred head and the midrange punch is very pleasing. Rest assured, with 500 watts per speaker, this thing can blow your head off, so if you’re competing with a particularly rambunctious drummer you’ll have all the power you need.

Don’t get us wrong, the DG212NE will still provide you with Darkglass’ iconic distorted, chunky bass when you need it, but equally pleasing is the cabinet’s crystalline response and overall versatile performance. The 1” P Audio HF driver tweeter takes care of the high-range frequencies, freeing up the 12” Eminence speakers to do the heavy lifting of the low end. Therefore, the cabinet is very well balanced.

As well as versatility, this cabinet has been constructed with carbon fiber Tolex which sports the distinctive, sleek Darkglass look. Not only does it turn heads, but it's also pretty lightweight for a cabinet this size, weighing in at 19.7kg. Combine that versatility with its weight, and Darkglass has just aced the gigging cabinet game.

Best for beginners

The Fender Rumble series is the go-to option for fresh-faced bassists who are relatively new to the game. However, the series isn’t just home to 15-watt practice combos. Nowadays, the Californian giants are creating giggable bass cabinets for those after a straightforward and affordable option. Enter the Fender Rumble 210.

True to its name, you've got a pair of 10-inch Eminence ceramic magnet speakers handling the lows, while the switchable compression driver takes charge of the highs. The result is a powerfully articulate low end with Fender’s infamous transparent mids and pretty clear highs thanks to the compression driver. There is a slight vintage character which is low and thick, so this cab should please old-heads.

The ported plywood enclosure is as sturdy as it gets and this cab has been designed to stack others on top without flinching. At 16.8kg it’s one of the lightest cabinets on our list, so if you’re looking for a gigging buddy, there’s plenty of appeal here. Capable of handling 700 watts of bass power, this humble cab can shift plenty of air but its biggest appeal is the simple set-up and plug-in and play capabilities. No fuss, zero hassle.

More options...

Aguilar is slightly younger than heritage brands like Ampeg and Fender. However, don’t be deterred by its comparative youth as, since its inception in the mid-’90s, the New York company has risen to international acclaim in the bass community. With a well-earned pedigree, you can expect fantastic quality when it comes to its equipment – and the SL 112 bass cabinet is no exception.

The SL series is Aguilar’s lightweight cab range that packs a punch without compromising on tone. The SL 112 utilizes a 12-inch cast-frame neodymium driver and a phenolic tweeter with an integral phase plug. On offer is a beautiful woody, vintage bass tone with a silky low-end. It’s definitely not a neutral response, but the color it adds to your bass tone is incredibly musical with tasty vintage flavorings dripping all over.

Although 250 watts of handling power isn’t the juiciest on our list, the volume on offer here is surprising. These custom-designed crossovers work wonders, directing frequencies to the right speakers for a serious boost in sound projection. We’re not recommending this for huge capacity venues, but for those smaller pub gigs, the SL 112 will have you covered.

So, we know this is not the choice for purists or vintage tone seekers, but if you've committed to using a digital modeling floor unit live, then this FRFR (full range, flat response) cabinet could be the missing link in your rig.

Offering a respectable 140 watts of power, this cab will seriously improve the low-end capabilities of any Spark amplifier or multi-effects unit, but it's worth noting that this speaker will not work with a traditional amp head.

In our glowing 4-star review, we praised this cab's lightweight and sleek design, punchy sound and modest price tag.

Read our full Positive Grid Spark Cab review

Best bass cabinets: Buying advice

What do I need to know about bass cabinets? 

Just like a guitar cabinet, a bass cabinet is pivotal in any amplification set-up. Unlike a combination amp which houses both the amplifier and speakers in one contained unit, if you're using a separate amplifier head, you'll need a corresponding cabinet. Essentially, a cabinet is a box, often wooden, that houses the speakers. The amplifier head delivers the power while the cabinet serves as the speaker hub for your booming bass tone. Simple enough, right?

Matching the cabinet with your amp's power

Ensuring your cabinet's power matches that of your amplifier is critical. If your amp exceeds your cabinet's capacity, you risk damaging the speakers by overdriving them – an expensive mishap you'll want to avoid. Thankfully, it's a simple process to get it right. Amplifier load is expressed in impedance (ohms), usually 4, 8, or 16 ohms. Just match the amp's ohms to the cabinet's, and you'll be good to go without any worries. Although this sounds pretty straightforward, there is a cabinet graveyard out there with a number of fried speakers, so make sure you pay close attention.

How we choose products

Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar and bass related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.

When choosing what we believe to be the best bass cabinets available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.

First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best bass cabinets on the market right now.

Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.

Related buyer's guides

• Best bass guitars: long and short-scale options for beginners to pros
• Best bass amps for practice: top combos for chopping it up at home
• Best budget bass amps: punchy low-end for a low price
  

The first prototypes of this very different electric guitar were made in 1969 for USA amplifier company Ampeg by Dan Armstrong, who had already made quite a name for himself both as a player and repairer by the time he opened his own repair shop in New York in 1965. 

With its clear acrylic solid body – named Lucite, Plexiglas and Perspex – it soon earned the ‘See-Through’ nickname, which was apparently trademarked by Ampeg. Its brief production lasted from late 1969 to ’71, when, after a disagreement with Ampeg, Dan Armstrong relocated to the UK.

Its futuristic plastic body housed some tricky passive electronics, too, and could be fitted with various interchangeable electric guitar pickups – Rock Treble, Rock Bass, Country Treble, Country Bass, Jazz Treble and Jazz Bass – designed in collaboration with Bill Lawrence.

It may well have become a footnote in guitar history had Ampeg not got one into the hands of Keith Richards in October 1969 while The Stones prepared for their ’69 US ‘comeback’ tour.

Aside from featuring on Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (and picturing on the original album cover), it was the ‘See-Through’ that hung around Richards’ neck while the horrors of Altamont unfolded: the concert that ended the swinging ’60s dream.

While you get a great idea of the guitar’s gnarly tone on the film of The Stones at the Marquee in 1971, before they headed off to the south of France (that’s another story!), the ‘See-Through’ guitar, and its bass version, has had plenty of rockstar outings from the likes of Ronnie Wood in the early Faces days, to Bill Wyman, Geezer Butler, Phil Lynott, Joe Perry, Tom Petty, Tom Verlaine and Dave Grohl.

Iconic? We’d say so.  

Ampeg has been well-established as a manufacturer of high-quality guitar and bass amplifiers since the early 1960s. Perhaps it’s down to the tube power of the company’s SVT, or maybe it was the instant success of the B-15 ‘flip-top’ bass guitar amp, which was introduced back in 1960.

Whatever the reason, the company’s characteristic all-tube tones have kept it at the top of many bass player’s wish lists, and Ampeg will hope that continues to be the case with its newly announced Venture Series.

The new Venture Series comprises V3, V7, and V12 Class D heads and VB-112, VB-115, VB-210, VB-212, and VB-410 cabinets. 

As well as an “array of tone-shaping tools” that include a 3-band EQ with sweepable mids, ultra hi and 3-way ultra lo switches, other amp features include Ampeg’s Super Grit Technology overdrive circuit with SVT and B-15 voicings. You also get an effects loop, XLR direct output, aux input, and phones output.

All this is unleashed through Ampeg’s newly designed Venture Series cabinets, which are available in a range of speaker configurations and come loaded with custom-voiced Lavoce neodymium woofers and high-frequency drivers. There’s also the option of a Portaflex-style grille should you want to recreate the classic Ampeg look.

“The Venture Series represents the next step in the evolution of the Ampeg brand,” said Dino Monoxelos, Ampeg Product Marketing Manager.

“We designed them to give gigging bassists playing all styles of music the capabilities they need to dial in both modern and classic sounds. We also know how important it is to them that their gear be rugged enough to perform reliably gig after gig, while at the same time being as light and portable as possible. Most importantly, of course, Ampeg amps have to deliver tone that lives up to our legacy.”

The new models are available now (except the V7, which lands in spring 2024). Prices are as follows:

• V3 Amp: $499 (Carry Bag $69)
• V7 Amp: $749 (Carry Bag $79)
• V12 Amp: $999.99 (Carry Bag $99)
• VB-112 Cab: $749 (Cover $69, Grille Assembly $69)
• VB-115 Cab: $849 (Cover $79, Grille Assembly $79)
• VB-210 Cab: $899 (Cover $79, Grille Assembly $84)
• VB-212 Cab: $1,099 (Cover $89, Grille Assembly $99)
• VB-410 Cab: $1,249 (Cover $99, Grille Assembly $129)

The Ampeg story began in the late 1940s, when bass player Everett Hull attempted to amplify his stand-up bass by inserting a microphone attached to a coat hanger through the instrument’s support-peg hole.

Encouraged by the results, Hull developed the idea and was soon building ‘amplified pegs’ for himself and his colleagues. The Ampeg – a contraction of ‘amplified peg’ coined by Hull’s wife, Gertrude – was born.

Ampeg is now owned by Yamaha Guitar Group. Visit Ampeg to view the current range, which includes Classic Series SVT models and the updated, reissued Portaflex bass combos.

Ampeg has a proven record of producing high-quality amps and cabs with more than a nod towards vintage bass tones. The company’s stompboxes have also worked their way into the rigs of many top-name players.

With its latest launch, Ampeg is making a bold claim that the new SGT-DI gives bassists ‘an entire rig in a single stompbox’, but in trying to cram so much into one piece of kit, will some of the essence of what we have come to know and love about their products be lost in the mix? 

On first look the SGT-DI seems a little daunting, with its array of multiple inputs, outputs, controls and switches, but there’s a satisfying weight to it that gives you confidence even before you plug in. On closer inspection everything is tight and clean, well laid out and clearly labelled.

Two LEDs (one for each footswitch) light up when the switches are stomped on to give the user no doubt of the pedal’s status. The footswitch on the left turns the preamp on and off, and the right-hand switch activates the ‘Super Grit Technology’ overdrive circuit, which you can manipulate further using the stacked Grit and Level controls. A toggle switch also gives you access to the tube-like grind of Ampeg’s benchmark SVT or the signature warmth of a B15.

Aside from the overdrive circuit, the SGT-DI also features Ampeg’s first cab simulator, which offers a choice of three Ampeg factory cabs. There’s also an option to generate and upload your own simulations via Ampeg’s Impulse Response Loader application via a USB port.

Other notable features include lo- and hi-cut filters, a 3-band EQ with a sweepable mid control, and an onboard compressor. The design also incorporates a ¼-inch jack input, a thru output to run a signal to an amp, auxiliary jack inputs, a preamp out and an XLR output for sending a signal to a mixing board. Two small click switches either side of the XLR socket correspond to ground lift and output selection.

How does it sound? Plugging a bass guitar into the input socket, and with the output set to ‘cab’, we sent the signal from the XLR to an Apogee Duet audio interface, and set up to record. We were immediately impressed at how well the SGT-DI controlled the instrument’s output, making it easy to set levels and achieve an even bass sound. 

The EQ is sensibly voiced, though less effective at high gain levels, but thanks to the strength of the preset sounds you probably won’t need the EQ too often – both the lo- and hi-cut toggle switches are perfect for cleaning up a muddy bass sound or one that’s too brittle.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the character of the overdrive circuit. With the Level control turned all the way up, it yields a fairly raucous and gritty crunch, and at lower settings it adds a more subtle, but very pleasing bite and definition to the sound. While the tone doesn’t quite match up to the full-on growl of an original SVT, it does sound bigger than you might expect it ought to.

You can add some additional warmth via the cab simulator, which remains another useful option for recording or practising when plugging into a bass amp is not an option. The compressor doesn’t seem to offer much variation, but if you’re looking for something subtle, it could be for you.

Being an Ampeg product our expectations were high, and on plugging in the initial findings were very good. What at first looked like a potentially complicated piece of equipment is actually very simple to use, and all the key functions work perfectly, never getting in the way of simply producing a great bass sound. 

The amp and cab simulations may not be quite as breathtaking as the real thing, but they have more than enough flavour of the iconic rigs that they’re based on. We could also mention the price being a bit prohibitive, but quality this good is going to have added value. If you are looking for a feature-packed ‘out of the box’ DI this would certainly fit the bill.

Specs

PRICE: $559

MADE IN: China

CONTROLS: Stacked Volume/Compressor control, 3-Band EQ with a concentric, sweepable mid-range frequency selector, stacked Grit/Level control, Cab selector switch, ultra-hi and ultra-lo switches, Voice switch.

FEATURES: Super Grit Technology (SGT) circuit, SVT & B15 voicing circuit, onboard IR loader/cab simulator, built-in variable 10:1 compressor, aux/headphone section with a push-and-release volume control, balanced XLR and 1/4" line outputs with a ground lift switch.

POWER: 9V DC power supply included

WEIGHT: 0.85 kg

DIMENSIONS: 65 x 189 x 126mm

CONTACT: Ampeg

Enlisting one of the best bass preamp pedals can be an easy way to make monster bass tone totally portable. Whilst guitarists tend to haul their own amp with them wherever they go, it’s pretty common that bassists will be lumbered with whatever is lying about to plug into – and that can be a recipe for terrible tone.

Whether you’re plugging straight into a PA at a show or you're recording at home, a bass preamp pedal can be the most convenient way to give you a reliably awesome sound on the road or in the studio – and with our expert pick of the best bass preamp pedals, you can be sure to find the right one for you.

We've included some useful buying advice further down the page too, so you can find answers to any questions you have.

Best bass preamp pedals: Guitar World recommends

If you're looking for the most tonally versatile bass preamp pedal, it's hard to look past The Bass Butler from Orange. It has two channels that can blend together to provide anything from thick, warm bass to saturated overdriven bitey tones, topped off with a fantastic built-in compressor.

For modern players who want something sleek, with broad tonal shaping options and a truly Biblical level of distortion, the Darkglass Alpha Omega Ultra V2 is the pinnacle of modern bass preamps. However if your heart is set on more classic tones, the Ampeg SCR-DI delivers vintage Ampeg tones without the hassle of hauling a temperamental valve amp around with you.

Best bass preamp pedals: Product guide

A distinctly modern preamp pedal built around ‘bi-amp circuitry’, which replicates playing with a ‘standard’ bass amp and an additional guitar amplifier. Rather than any digital modeling, the Bass Butler splits your signal at the input stage into two separate, parallel analog chains, giving you the flexibility of having two totally independent amplifiers all in one pedalboard-friendly package.

The class A optical compressor on the always-on ‘bass’ channel is a great addition that would make this a pretty tidy offering if that was all there was to the Bass Butler… but there’s a whole other side to this little animal! The second, ‘guitar’ channel, is where you can make the floor cave in, through the high-gain distortion stage, which can either be on all the time, or blended into your clean signal through the use of an external expression pedal.

Cabinet simulation for the clean channel is also a nice touch, giving DI recordings that real life feel, whilst separate ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ outputs makes this an excellent tool for multi-track recording. If you’re not bothered about having a headphone output, this could be the ideal pre-amp solution for you.

Perfect for metal players, the Alpha Omega Ultra V2 has extreme tonal shaping abilities with a particularly powerful 6-band graphic EQ, whilst additional ‘Growl’ and ‘Bite’ switches boost the bass shelf and high mids respectively.

The dual distortion circuits – Alpha and Omega – are superb in offering more driven tones than you’ll know what to do with, and the dedicated headphone output means you can use all that gain at home without upsetting the local wildlife. A special mention should also be made to the DI output, which is complete with a cab sim that can be changed via USB, even allowing users to upload their own impulse responses.

For those looking for a do-it-all bass preamp, this is a great option… however if you are in particular need of modern tones with seriously heavy distortion, nothing else comes close – this is the one for you.

Origin Effects have made a name for themselves for creating superb recreations of classic studio gear, and with the BassRig ‘64 they’ve crammed an iconic Fender Bassman tube amplifier into a small package.

Fat/Bright and Blk/Twd (Black/Tweed) switches provide loads of options that can give the user anything from authentic ’60s-style valve overdrive – for which the Bassman is famed – to deep low end. Best of all, any of these vast switching options can be mixed with your clean signal using the ‘blend’ knob to perfectly balance the sound and give a bi-amp feel.

Proprietary ‘Amp out’ EQ allows users to filter their output signal, meaning this pedal will work perfectly with any existing bass amplifier you may be using. The DI output has a speaker emulation based on the infamous 2x15” Fender Showman cabinets of the early ’60s with a reactive design that expertly mimics the relationship between an amp head and cabinet.

Classic Ampeg tube tone, without the usual tube hassle. The SCR-DI also features Ampeg’s legendary ‘scrambler’ overdrive, which when kicked in makes this a preamp pedal for people who really want their bass to roar. With an additional footswitch to turn the Scrambler effect on and off, this is a superb way to get the kind of bark that you’d normally only achieve with the addition of external pedals.

Whilst the 3-band EQ doesn’t offer as much sculpting capability of some of its rivals, each band (Treble, Mid, Bass) offers the powerful cuts and boosts associated with vintage Ampeg EQs, plus the addition of ‘Ultra-Hi’ and ‘Ultra-Lo’ switches allows you to get pretty stupid with the extremes of your tone – Ultra-Lo is a particularly excellent way to blow people's socks off.

If you think of bass preamp pedals, SansAmp is probably the first brand that comes to mind. Their pedals have featured on countless great pedalboards and loads of classic records, both as a preamplifier pedal and a standalone drive stompbox – such is the love for SansAmp's distortion circuit.

With superb, organic overdrive modeled to replicate tube break-up, the SansAmp can take you anywhere from a subtle growl to full-on chugging distortion. The upgraded EQ on the V2 model is particularly impressive, with three standard bands, including two switches to shift the mid and bass frequency bands, plus an additional presence control to offer definition to the upper range.

Though the Bass Driver doesn’t strictly have a conventional speaker emulation on its DI output, the whole sound has been modeled to mimic a classic tube amp with cab, so it feels truly authentic.

Laney has a whole lot of pedigree in the world of bass and if you’re looking to sound like Geezer Butler – one of their most famous users – the Digbeth might be just right for you.

A four-band EQ, complete with switchable low-mid frequencies, gives ample tonal shaping control, whilst the additional ‘Tilt’ EQ provides a simple one-knob seesaw function to quickly cut treble and boost bass, or vice versa. FET and Tube signal paths with a blend option gives lots of variety, so there should be a tone for everybody.

The DB-Pre also has loads of great features, such as headphone output and Aux-in, which makes it one of the best options on this list for home practice. For how many features this packs in, it sits at a superb price point too. If you’re looking for a do-it-all bass preamp on a budget, the DB-PRE is a great option.

As often is the case with Walrus Audio products, the Badwater bass preamp is a really smart, sleek but powerful product that the company describes as a ‘bass tone magnification device’.

With a four-band EQ, there’s plenty of sculpting power and with an additional LMF (low mid frequency) and HMF (high mid frequency) sweep control, that can be moved between 500Hz to 2.4kHz and 3.5kHz to 7.5kHz respectively, you can really dial in your exacting tonal needs.

The drive control has three switchable modes, which determines how the low and high end pass through the drive circuit, meaning you can achieve a tasteful bite or a full-frequency bass crunch, and the built-in optical compressor, found on the ‘Sustain’ knob, can help elongate notes and, when maxed, really add a super tasteful ‘squash’ to your sound.

Though primarily an electric bass preamplifier, Radial has designed the Bassbone to work for just about any kind of stringed instrument, even including a piezo-optimized input for upright bass. It also has two inputs, allowing users to easily switch instruments during a show, with two independent level inputs, meaning you can set each channel perfectly for each instrument. If you play a set where you change to an upright bass, this is an extremely versatile option that would perfectly suit you.

As a brand synonymous with making superb DI boxes, it’s no surprise that one of the star features is the Dl, where Radial hasn’t taken any shortcuts. Features such as the phase alignment switch makes this a premium DI option as well as an excellent two-channel preamp pedal.

With an integrated 12AX7 tube, the Markbass Vintage Pre gives genuine valve warmth and overdrive, which you wouldn’t expect from a unit of this size. The four-band EQ offers great tonal shaping control, particularly across the midrange.

Pressing and holding the drive switch for a couple of seconds unlocks a secondary drive type, giving you the choice of a more modern, bitey sound, or a ‘classic’ organic overdrive.

Where this pedal goes above and beyond the competition is the digital outputs on the rear, giving you RCA and Toslink outputs with a three-way sampling rate switch to make this a near-perfect studio tool. The addition of headphone out and Aux-in is a nice touch for silent home practice too, making this a jack of all trades for live, in the studio, or at home.

As should be expected from the creators of the Big Muff, the Battalion’s pièce de résistance is its ample amount of gain. The three-way switch for the drive section allows you to change the relationship between the EQ and the distortion, by putting the EQ before or after the drive, or removing it altogether and only affecting the clean signal, which can give you a bi-amp feel. The gate knob helps to eliminate unwanted noise when not playing, though its one-knob design means it isn’t super flexible.

As a bang for your buck option, the Battalion is a great way to get a preamp pedal with loads of functionality, including four-band EQ, DI out and built-in compression. However if you’re looking for the same Battalion tone in a smaller, cheaper package, check out the Battalion Nano, which crams a host of these features into a stompbox.

Best bass preamp pedals: buying advice

Choosing the best bass preamp pedal for you

There are many reasons you might want a bass preamp pedal – they’re perfect for studio use, giving you a punchy warm tone straight into your recording device, and they’re an excellent tool for gigging, offering consistency to your live sound, regardless of what the backline is. And as any gigging bass player knows, this can vary wildly!

If you’re looking to achieve a particular sound – perhaps something reminiscent of an Ampeg, or Fender – consider that some preamps will be modeled to replicate those classic sounds, whereas others may have their own unique tone. Most manufacturers will have video demonstrations with high quality audio examples of their preamps in action, which can give you a much more thorough understanding of the kind of tones you can expect – both through the front end of an amplifier and through the preamp’s dedicated DI output – and how to use their specific feature set, which can vary from pedal to pedal.

Some bass preamp pedals have the added benefit of additional features, such as built-in compressors, that can be extremely useful in managing your dynamics and are particularly useful for players of genres such as funk. Products such as The Bass Butler from Orange offer an all-in-one bass shaping tool that means you can pretty much plug and play wherever you want, with EQ, drive and compression all at your fingertips. But not all preamps are created equal, particularly if you’re looking for something with lots of gain. Whilst many preamp pedals will have a drive or distortion function, for some this may be more of an afterthought – so if you are looking for an especially gruff tone, bear in mind that particular brands are masters of gain (Darkglass, for example), whereas others may look to capture classic, cleaner tones.

Other features to look out for

Every bass preamp pedal should offer at least a three-band EQ, providing shaping across the bass, middle and treble bands – though where these cross over can differ from pedal to pedal. Regardless of what genre you play, having a powerful EQ that can cut and boost to your needs can be the difference between filling out the audio spectrum or getting lost in it. Look for pedals with versatile EQs such as the Walrus Audio Badwater Preamp, which has a sweepable mid section that really helps to dial in those famously challenging mid frequencies.

DI outputs are an extremely useful feature on a bass preamp, meaning you can essentially run entirely ampless at any gig with a substantial PA system. Some DI outputs will have cab simulation, which will help to give you an authentic ‘amplifier’ sound. Whilst cabinet simulation isn’t an absolute necessity – and in some cases, if it’s a particularly poor cab sim, you definitely won’t want it – for those who have come from playing with an amplifier this may be a nice way to transition to an ampless rig, whilst retaining a similar sound and feel. The Darkglass Alpha Omega V2 even has the option of uploading different impulse responses to have your own simulated cabinet of choice.

Many bass preamp pedals also have a headphone output, giving the user the opportunity for silent practice at home or on the move, without having to haul around even a small amp. If you’re looking for a practice tool, a preamp pedal could be a perfect solution – we recommend the Laney DB-Pre as a great shout for this, particularly for players on a budget.

How we choose products for this guide

Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.

When choosing what we believe to be the best bass preamp pedals available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.

First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best bass preamp pedals on the market right now.

Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.

Related buyer's guides

• Best bass amps for practice: work on your chops at home
• Best bass effects pedals for every type of player
• Best distortion pedals for bass: aggressive bass stompboxes

SolidGoldFX is the Canadian effects firm behind slider-heavy pedals like the Commodore overdrive and Imperial MK II Fuzz. Its latest offering, the Beta-V, has a simpler interface but perhaps a more challenging concept: attempting to squeeze the tones from a sizeable vintage bass rig into a single compact preamp.

In doing so, the firm has tweaked its previous Beta Bass pedal, with warmth and grit being the tonal order of the day.

“Yes, we all know the convenience of a lightweight ‘sub 10 lbs’ bass head that pumps out 500 watts and a neo cab that doesn’t require a roadie crew or chiropractor is great,” acknowledges the SGFX product page.

“But there is something extremely satisfying in the way that big, old Ampeg-style tube setups compress, clip and round out your signal. However, with the BETA-V you can finally have the best of both worlds – bone-shaking mojo-packed dirt, all wrapped up in modern and easy to use convenience.”

Tonally, then, think rumbling vintage tube amps and everything that might entail running the gamut from Roger Waters through to Bootsy Collins and Lemmy.

Onboard, you’ll find controls for Volume, Presence, Drive and Body, alongside a dial for blending in the LPF (low pass filter). That LPF can be set with a mini-toggle to either a mid-bump or scoop sound, or bypassed completely. 

The Presence and Body controls form an active two-band post-gain EQ, which should help sculpt tones without sacrificing the center frequencies. 

Finally, the Drive circuit has reportedly been adapted to offer a little more sweep at the outset, giving high-output basses more room to breathe. It should also be helpful if you want to use it as an ‘always on’ low-gain option to add subtler character to your tone. There’s true-bypass switching, to boot, and it’s all handmade in Montreal.

SolidGoldFX isn’t the only firm that’s been thinking about the character of those sizeable bass rigs of yore, though. Ampeg itself recently put out the SGT-DI – an “all in one” preamp and DI pedal that aims to replace your rig.

Expect to pay $199 for the Beta-V. Head to SolidGoldFX for more information.

NAMM 2023: Ampeg has lifted the curtain on the SGT-DI – a compact “all-in-one bass box” that promises to give bass guitar players an entire rig in a single stompbox.

We’re in the midst of an age where pedal companies are striving to put amps, effects and everything in between into convenient and portable packages for greater ease, and it’s a movement being fueled by greater technological advances.

The Ampeg SGT-DI looks to be another entry into that burgeoning product category, offering a built-in overdrive circuit and variable compressor, as well as the brand’s first IR Loader and cab simulator, which opens up an impressive range of classic amp and cab tones from the convenience of the pedal’s humble chassis.

Other notable features include an analog design, a three-band EQ, Ultra-Hi and Ultra-Lo switches for fine-tune tonal tweaking and the ability to easily access classic Ampeg amp voices.

In operation, the SGT-DI features cab-selecting and amp-selecting toggle switches. While the latter changes between SVT and B15 amp emulations, the former can be used to access up to six built-in speaker cab sims – three in Cab Mode, three in User Mode – including the SVT-112AV, SVT-210AV and SVT-212AV.

As an added bonus, third party IRs – engaged using a side panel switch – can also be loaded and used, with a master cab level knob also making the cut.

Elsewhere, there are knobs for Vol/Comp, Bass, Mid/Freq and Treble, as well as one for Grit/Level that sculpts the Super Grit Technology circuit overdrive effect, which can be triggered via the right-hand footswitch.

Final controls include a Preamp bypass footswitch and three-way Ultra Lo and Ultra Hi toggles, each of which shape the low and high frequencies of the preamp signal in different ways.

In terms of connectivity, the well-spec'd stompbox features 1/4" input and outputs, a Preamp Out and a Line Out for headphones, as well as a XLR Direct Out and a USB-C for IR Loader tweaks.

Of Ampeg’s latest offering, product marketing manager Dino Monoxelos said, “We’re taking our next steps into the future by combining traditional analog and modern digital technologies in a single hybrid device. 

“Our hope is that digital features such as IR loading will be embraced by even old-school Ampeg loyalists, while younger players may discover the awesome grit of a wide-open SVT and the warmth and roundness of a B15 via the analog SGT circuit – sounds that countless bassists have depended on for more than 70 years.”

The SGT-DI is available now for $559. Visit Ampeg to find out more.

It’s not the first time this year a bass effects specialist has promised to put everything a bassist could ever need into a single unit. Last month, Bergantino Audio Systems shared the Super Pre – a similarly streamlined stompbox that promised to be “the ultimate toolbox for bass players”.

Since starting out in 1970s West Philadelphia, Gail Ann Dorsey has carved an eclectic and distinguished career that’s seen her emerge as one of the most proficient and in-demand bassists on the planet. Completely self-taught, Gail’s driving ambition propelled her to the UK in the summer of 1983, where she became a notable presence on the London music scene, earning her first high-profile gig as guest vocalist in the Charlie Watts Big Band.

As her professional career took shape, Gail found herself working alongside the likes of Tears for Fears, Boy George and Concrete Blonde, before making her solo debut on cult TV weekly, The Tube, accompanying herself only on bass guitar to the Bobby Womack track, ‘Stop On By’. 

In 1994, after nearly 12 years in England, Gail relocated to Woodstock in Upstate New York and the following year began her long-standing association with David Bowie. Initially recruited for Bowie’s Outside tour, a six-week union with industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails, Dorsey remained a mainstay in Bowie’s group, contributing to the Earthling, Heathen, The Next Day studio albums and featuring on 2010’s Reality Tour Live. 

With Bowie, Gail had the perfect platform to showcase her bass-playing prowess, taking established lines and making them her own. “For any track, there were certain licks or hooks that you don’t want to stray too far from, but sometimes you had to do a little bit more to stretch out. If you’re recreating a live version of an original part it’s like taking your training wheels off, because when you’re practising along with the record you don’t really notice where you’re failing. You really need to just play the basic line and hold everything together."

The 2010 double live album David Bowie: A Reality Tour, was captured during the 2003 worldwide concert tour of the same name, with Gail joined onstage by the likes of Sterling Campbell on drums, Mike Garson on keyboards and guitarist Earl Slick, to perform the pick of Bowie’s back catalogue along with tracks from the Earthling, Heathen and Reality albums.  “I cried the first time I heard it back,’ says Gail. ‘It sounded so good I just couldn’t believe it was us! The track that got me was ‘The Loneliest Guy’ – David’s singing was just unbelievable.

"It made me realise that after all these years of playing in his band I had never really heard him sing. There are so many things going through your head when you’re onstage, whether it’s listening to the drums or just keeping my part together – whatever I need to do to have a good show – my brain’s on full drive just trying to keep up! So even though I could always hear him in my monitors and I knew when the different vocal parts were coming in, because I was trying so hard to hold down my part I could never listen in the same way the audience does. I’ve always thought he was one of the greatest singers of all time. He is up there with Sinatra or any of those guys. I just think as a vocalist he is extraordinary."

Another standout track from the Reality Tour album is an exhilarating rendition of Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’, featuring Gail on bass guitar and lead vocals. "When David asked me to sing that tune I was terrified. I mean, how was I going to play this great song and sing Freddie Mercury’s part? But I was too afraid to say no. So he gave me the version with Annie Lennox from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, which the whole world had seen! And I went back to my hotel room and started learning the bass part and then the vocal."

Using a Pocket Rockit headphone amp, Gail took the track down in tempo and worked on it one section at a time, gradually bringing the track back up to speed until it all locked in. "It’s a bit like a drum kit, where you have your hi-hat, kick and snare, and you have to link the whole pattern together," says Gail. "If you work on it slowly and then bring it up to speed, somehow it all fits together. It’s quite mechanical in a way. It was two weeks before I was ready to play it onstage, and we would practise it in soundcheck a little bit each day. Learning that song was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to do."

With David Bowie’s back catalogue containing songs of every mood, style and era, Gail had to call up a diverse range of different bass sounds. "For some of the tours we’d rehearse for five or six days a week for eight to ten weeks, and we’d be in there from nine to five, so I will spend two or three hours just trying new amps and different pedals. I’m not big on bass effects but I do love to squeeze the tone so it’s nice and round and compressed. I’m not really keen on a bright bass sound either. I play with a very soft touch, hardly hitting the strings at all, because I think you get a bigger, more old-school sound that way." 

"I dig in when I have to, but a lot of times when people play hard they choke the sound. I’ve never really liked those modern basses. They’re beautifully crafted instruments but to me they’re a little too sensitive and I just don’t have the right touch. It depends on the song. Whether you play with a plectrum or not, I don’t really mind – I prefer to play with fingers but sometimes a plectrum is necessary, but I make those calls when I listen back to the original records."

Throughout her career, Gail has relied on a tried-and-tested formula of Ernie Ball Music Man basses and Ampeg amplification. "I got my first StingRay in ’84 or ’85 on the first tour I’d ever done with a band called the Thrashing Doves," says Gail. "With a StingRay I can cover just about anything."

Affectionately known as Marilyn, that same StingRay remains Gail’s favorite bass to this day and has accompanied her on tours all over the world…but why Marilyn? "I was on a train reading some magazine and there was a picture of Marilyn Monroe. She was reading a script in her trailer for the last film she ever did before she died, and she looked so perplexed, like she was never going to remember her lines; and there was just something about that picture that resonated with the way I feel when I’m trying to get something right on the bass. I could just imagine what was going through her head." 

"So I ripped the picture out of the magazine and took it to a printer’s in London and had them blow it up so I could put it underneath the clear scratchplate that I’d already got for my StingRay. That picture has been there ever since, and for every tour I do I try and have Marilyn with me."

Gail is currently touring France with Matthieu Chedid in support of his latest album Rêvalité. For more info visit gailanndorsey.com

This bass amp, one of the true greats in the world of bass amplification, was designed by Ampeg’s Jess Oliver back in 1958, but it wasn’t until 1960 that it was introduced. The B-15 Portaflex, or ‘Portable Reflex Baffle Bass System’ as it was originally known, seemed both illogical and ingenious at the same time, as the amplifier head was stored inside the cabinet for transportation. 

Four latches allowed the top of the B-15 speaker cabinet to be lifted off. With the amplifier secured to it with bolts, the whole assembly could be flipped over and dropped inside the cabinet, providing ample protection for its delicate tubes while in transit. Thus the B-15 was christened the ‘fliptop’.

Who used the B-15 Portaflex?

James Jamerson used one, as did Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, Verdine White, John Paul Jones, Bob Glaub, Bob Babbitt, Marcus Miller, and many other bass stars, as it was a staple in recording studios throughout the ’60s. The B-15 amplifier itself is a 30-watt tube amp, of which there have been a few different revisions over the years: the sought-after 1964 and 1966 models were combined in Ampeg’s Heritage reissue unit a while back.

Should we all use this amp?

Well, some bassists say that the B-15 has a ‘tubby’ tone – and the ’66, although it’s much brighter than the ’64, doesn’t carry a huge amount of a bottom end through its single 15” speaker. By today’s standards, this 30-watt setup is a bit timid compared to the 800 watts-plus hard-hitters that power Ampeg’s own ‘fridge’ amp, the 810E. 

The little amp’s catches and cabinet fixtures often rattled while in use, too, so the B-15 might not be the amplifier you’d want to throw around on a tour stage, if you could even hear it over the other musicians, of course. Not only that, it doesn’t have any of the features you’ll see on a modern amplifier. 

You will not be installing Impulse Responses and digital effects on this unit, and you will not use it without a speaker cabinet or load attached – as tubes don’t like that – and you will not be slipping it into your bass gigbag like a Trace Elliot Elf head.

That’s a whole lot of reasons not to use a B-15, buddy.

Sure – but on the upside, you’re going to be graced with a glorious tone, full of richness and the sensitivity that only passive pickups, tubes, transformers, and speakers can offer. The B-15 graced all the famous studios, where incredible classic albums and film scores were recorded, so there are plenty of thudding Motown tones or Carol Kaye-style pick sounds in there. It even sounds like the main theme from the film Bullitt, which doesn’t get cooler.

Is this thing expensive? 

Older models can be, but if your pockets aren’t deep enough for an original vintage B-15, Ampeg still produces fliptop amps under the Portaflex name, from a super-cute 20-watt tube head to an 800-watt D-Class powerhouse. Each of these is capable of being housed inside its own cabinet, with 10”, 12”, or 15” speaker configurations. In addition, the revered B-15 sound has been digitally profiled and emulated in many top-tier processors. So try one out if you can! 

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ upcoming album Unlimited Love is, for all intents and purposes, set to be something of a soft reboot for the band. The most notable change-up is, of course, John Frusciante’s return, though bassist Flea has revealed he also seized the opportunity to experiment with his setup in the studio this time round.

According to the man himself, his bass guitar sound has come from the same source for a “long, long time” – and those familiar with his setup will no doubt quickly attribute said tone to his Fender four-strings and Gallien-Krueger bass amps.

However, for Unlimited Love, Flea revealed to Bass Player that he swapped out his tried-and-trusted Gallien-Kruegers for Ampeg SVTs.

In fact, he liked these new alternatives so much, he announced he’ll be taking them on tour with him when the Chili Peppers hit the road later this year.

When asked if he’d ever don a Modulus Bass again – the brand he once endorsed – Flea responded, “I could, but then the amp settings and stuff would all have to change.

“I’m actually switching amps on this tour for the first time in a long, long time,” he continued. “In the studio, I started playing Ampeg SVTs, and I’m switching to them live.”

It’s a fairly significant gear change for Flea, who has been a Gallien-Krueger loyalist for most of his career, having used everything from the brand’s 800RB bass amp head to the trio of 2001RBs spotted in a 2012 Rig Rundown with Premier Guitar.

He’s swapped one household bass amp name for another, though, with Ampeg’s 'Super Vacuum Tube' amp considered one of the most iconic bass amps of all time. Since the first SVT iteration went into production in 1969, the amps have been a mainstay for many big names, including Stanley Clarke, Robert Trujillo and Tony Levin.

Flea did, however, caveat his defection to the ranks of Ampeg with the observation that such specifics don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, so long as "your heart and fingers" are the true driving forces behind your own individual sound.

“To be honest,” Flea continued, “I’ve always thought it doesn’t fucking matter. You’re bringing your heart and your fingers and that’s all that really matters, but I’ve been really enjoying [the SVTs] – they are the center and the character of the sound that I love.”

Flea will take his Ampeg SVTs on the road later this year for RHCP’s mammoth world tour, which will see them visit a number of European countries – including Spain, England and Germany – in June and July, before heading to North America in July, August and September.

For a list of dates, visit the Red Hot Chili Peppers website.

Head over to Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Bass Player, which features the full interview with Flea.

Nathaniel Rateliff has teamed up with Reverb.com to sell a number of electric guitars, acoustic guitars and amps from his collection for charity.

All proceeds from the Nathaniel Rateliff Reverb Shop – which goes live on Wednesday, October 27 – will go to Rateliff's own charity, The Marigold Project, which focuses on issues of economic, racial and social justice.

The Missouri-born singer/songwriter has put up some great gear for the cause, most notably the Gibson B25-12 acoustic guitar he used for the first of his appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series.

“This guitar has stayed with me, adding flavor to my older folk records before being brought center-stage during the recording of the album Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats,” Rateliff said of the instrument in a statement.

Acoustic-wise, there's also the heavily-used Gibson J-200 Rateliff used to record much of his 2018 album, Tearing at the Seams.

On the electric side of things, there are a pair of Nash Telecasters – one a six-string that Rateliff used heavily earlier in his career, and the other a 12-string that has seen significant use in the singer's home studio – and a Danocaster Esquire that Rateliff nicknamed "Joni" due to its blue color and "how effortlessly it shines."

Amp-wise, the shop boasts two Fender Princeton Reverb amplifiers that have been completely hand-wired to replicate '64 Fender Black Panels, and two Ampeg Portaflex SB-12 bass amps, which were used for almost all the bass recordings on Rateliff's 2020 album, And It’s Still Alright.

News of Rateliff's gear sale comes just a handful of weeks after the announcement of his first signature guitar, the Gibson LG-2 Western acoustic. 

Based on a blend of Rateliff's own Gibson LG-2 and Country Western acoustics, the LG-2 Western is an interesting mix of vintage styling and modern technology, with a mahogany body and LR Baggs electronics aboard.

For more info on the upcoming gear sale, stop by Reverb.

The new Rocket range of bass amp combos from Ampeg has five models of varying specifications, and all share a vintage, old-school vibe. With a simple but effective control layout, cool styling and all the connections you would expect to see, these combos can be used in a variety of settings and applications. 

We’re looking at the 1x8” and 1x10” models which focus on home, rehearsal, and small acoustic gig situations. Let’s see what they can do.  

Build Quality

Rated at 30 and 50 watts respectively, both combos are lightweight and portable, aided by their speaker sizes, and both are finished in the ‘black diamond’ material seen on previous Ampeg combos. 

Metal corners protect the units from bumps and scrapes, while cloth speaker grilles, a recessed control panel, and a tough carry-handle situated on the upper facing feature on both units. Clearly, these combos have been designed with practicality and simplicity in mind. 

Utilizing the Ampeg Legacy preamp, these combos have been additionally furnished with the company’s trademarked SGT (Super Grit Technology) overdrive circuitry, which provides both units with the signature Ampeg grit and drive that we have come to expect, without resorting to tube technology – and thus pushing the price up.

Thankfully, the control panel is well laid out and easy to use, with a simple volume and three-band EQ setup, although the other combos in the range have additional Ultra-Hi and Lo selector switches.

All of the controls are securely attached and turn smoothly with little fuss. The SGT option is accessed via a switch on the control panel, although it can be footswitchable on some of the larger combos; the 1x8 combo is purely ‘effect on/off’, whereas the 110 unit has additional Grit and Level controls to give the player a degree of control.

Both combos feature 3.5mm aux in and headphone output sockets, a prerequisite for any home-use combo these days, while the 10” speaker-equipped 110 model also incorporates a balanced XLR DI output for sending a feed to a mixer or audio interface.

Sounds

It’s very apparent that these combos are only going to produce so much low end – and rated at 30 and 50 watts respectively, you won’t be blowing any drum kits away with one of these.

However, placed in the corner of a room or against a wall, you will get the impression that they can produce a fuller and more rounded bass tone than if you were to place either of them in the middle of a room. 

With 8” and 10” speakers, the bass signals from each combo are going to have a mid bias. You can’t escape this, because you can’t rewrite physics – a small speaker in a small enclosure just can’t pump out tones that shift air.

Nevertheless, both of these combos put in a respectable performance, with the three-band EQ proving to be impressively flexible. Even without a horn or tweeter, the top end is clear and biting, without creating too much clank, especially from the passive basses I used to test the units with.

Calling on several active basses, both combos managed to keep up with the additional power afforded by the active EQ, but as expected, the 110 combo just had the edge with its larger speaker and enclosure, allowing the signal and tones of each bass to bloom and be slightly more effective in terms of their delivery.

So, onto the SGT circuitry. For a company whose reputation has been firmly built on valve technology, some may see this solid-state ‘valve-flavor’ as a gimmick – but in use, it’s far from that.

With the smaller combo, you may decide never to turn it off, as it gives the tone some added color and character, creating a lively edge that isn’t there otherwise. With the 110 combo, the additional SGT controls mean you can dial in some grit without it taking over the whole tone, instead simply adding some warmth to the overall sound.

Returning both combos to their clean state, turning the volume up gradually, and pushing each unit to its limits, you may be surprised that the pushed delivery won’t take the plaster off the walls – which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your intended use of either combo.

Specs

Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108

• PRICE: $209 / £139
• MADE IN: China
• POWER: 30 watts @ 4 ohms
• FEATURES: SGT (Super Grit Technology) switch, volume, bass (+13/-21dB@40Hz), midrange (+16/-10dB@500Hz), treble (+12/-16dB@4kHz)
• SPEAKERS: 1 x 8” speaker
• DIMENSIONS: 433mm (H) x 411mm (W) x 306mm (D) / 17.04” (H) x 16.18” (W) x 12.04” (D)
• CONNECTIONS: 1/4” jack inputs x 2 (0/-15dB), 3.5mm Auxiliary input, 3.5mm headphones output
• WEIGHT: 23 lbs

Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-110

• PRICE: $321
• MADE IN: China
• POWER: 50 watts @ 4 ohms
• FEATURES: SGT (Super Grit Technology) switch, grit, level, volume, bass (+14/-20dB@40Hz), midrange (+15/-10dB@500Hz), treble(+12/- 16dB@4kHz), ground/lift switch
• SPEAKERS: 1 x 10” speaker
• DIMENSIONS: 481mm (H) x 411mm (W) x 330mm (D) / 18.93” (H) x 16.18” (W) x 12.99” (D)
• CONNECTIONS: 1/4” jack inputs x 2 (0/-15dB), 3.5mm Auxiliary input, 3.5mm headphones output, balanced XLR DI output
• WEIGHT: 22.5 lbs
• CONTACT: Ampeg

• Save cash with one of the best budget bass amps

Ampeg has announced the SVT Suite, a new bass amp plugin that includes emulations of three of the company's most sought-after SVT amp heads. 

Comprising recreations of the brand's Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT, Heritage SVT-CL, and SVT-4PRO models, the plugin represents its first foray into digital amp modeling.

Boasting a “photorealistic” user interface – with Amp, Cab and FX views – the SVT Suite also comes with eight speaker cab emulations, six virtual mics and a range of effects, including models of Ampeg's Liquifier Analog Chorus, Opto Comp Analog Optical Compressor and Scrambler Bass Overdrive pedals. 

Third-party IRs can also be loaded, and both Dual-Cab and Dual-IR modes are available for the use of two cabs or IRs simultaneously.

“For the first time ever, we’re offering the amp that redefined rock bass tone in a plugin format,” says Dino Monoxelos, Ampeg's Brand Marketing Manager. “No third parties, no proprietary hardware, just straight-up bass tone direct from Ampeg, the most trusted name in bass. 

“And for all those who want SVT tone without having to move a large amp, or make room for it in a small studio, what could be better than having three of our finest SVT heads, a bevy of Ampeg cabinets, and a great selection of mics and effects pedals, all in a single plugin?”

The SVT Suite is available now for $199. For more information, head over to Ampeg.

Ampeg has announced its latest line of bass amps, the “powerful yet lightweight” Rocket Bass Series.

Comprising five models, the RB-108, RB-110, RB-112, RB-115 and RB-210 – in 1x8, 1x10, 1x12, 1x15 and 2x10 speaker configurations, respectively – the Rocket Bass Series delivers '60s-style looks and Ampeg Legacy preamp-driven tones.

Each amp in the line also boasts a three-band EQ (the RB-112 and up also sport Ultra Hi/Ultra Lo switches for added tonal shaping), as well as Ampeg's own Super Grit Technology (SGT) overdrive.

Other features include XLR line outputs on all models except the RB-108, auxiliary inputs and headphone outputs. Custom padded covers embroidered with Ampeg's logo are available for the RB-112, RB-115, and RB-210.

“With the introduction of Rocket Bass, Ampeg has an industry-leading series of amps for players at every step of their journey,” says Dino Monoxelos, Ampeg's Brand Marketing Manager. 

“Simply put, we wanted to design the ultimate bass combos, sacrificing nothing in terms of tone or aesthetics. Most important, Rocket Bass is designed for the practical player that doesn’t want to give up stage-ready looks, roadworthy construction, and killer tone just because they prefer the practicality of a combo amp.” 

The Rocket Bass Series will be available in spring 2021. See below for individual model pricing:

• RB-108 – $209
• RB-110 – $321
• RB-112 – $559
• RB-115 – $741
• RB-210 – $909

For more information, and to hear samples of the amps in action, head over to Ampeg.

We recently got a glimpse of My Chemical Romance electric guitar player Frank Iero’s rather impressive collection during an interview with Ernie Ball’s String Theory series.

Now it seems that collection might be one guitar lighter. Iero recently unloaded an Ampeg Dan Armstrong, and the recipient was none other than Slayer and Exodus shredder Gary Holt.

“Did a little guitar swap with my friend @frankieromustdie for this cool as fuck Ampeg Dan Armstrong, totally love it!,” Holt wrote on Instagram.

“Has this crazy slide in pickup mount that is just nuts! Frank called it the DeLorean of guitars and I think he’s right! Thanks bro! Gonna do a quick set up on it and take it for a spin.”

Holt, of course, has gone on record as a major My Chemical Romance fan, once calling their 2006 album The Black Parade “a masterpiece.”

He told Loudwire, “I think every song is amazing, it’s super ambitious, and I hear shades of Queen, Pink Floyd and Cheap Trick all over it.”

Regarding My Iero and his My Chem co-guitarist Ray Toro, he continued, “Love their guitar work, killer tones and great chops. Too much great stuff on The Black Parade to single out, but my favorite song is The Sharpest Lives.”

Ampeg is among the most venerable bass amp manufacturers in history, in part because of its consistent dedication to products for our instrument.

Even the company’s name comes from its first product, the “Amplified Peg,” a Michael Hull-designed pickup for upright bass released in 1946. And while Ampeg would evolve to produce a range of amps and effects for guitar, too, its bass offerings have always been the company’s bread and butter, with amps like the B-15 and SVT enjoying the same iconic status as the Fender Precision or Höfner “Beatle” bass.

Ampeg’s latest pedals seek to bring a few of its distinctive circuits to the mid-priced stompbox market: the cult-favorite Scrambler overdrive and the hallowed Ampeg bass preamp.

Both designs appeared recently in conjoined form via the SCR-DI, but Ampeg cleverly separated them into cheaper, smaller, less elaborate pedals for players who may not need the SCR-DI’s more robust feature set.

Classic Analog Bass Preamp

With the glut of bass gear on offer these days, it’s easy for young’ uns like myself not to realize that back in our instrument’s nascent days, there were only two main amp brands with legit cred: Fender and Ampeg.

While the companies’ amp concepts varied in many areas, perhaps most relevant were their substantially different preamps, particularly the “tone stacks,” the EQ-like sections of a preamp’s signal chain.

Whereas Fender’s tone stack was a highly interactive circuit (making achieving “flat” sound nearly impossible), Ampeg favored the more hi-fi design from English engineer Peter Baxandall. The Baxandall circuit in its basic form was a pair of shelving low-and high-frequency filters that could both boost and cut, thus more easily allowing a player to achieve a nominally flat frequency response.

The Ampeg circuit in the Classic Analog Bass Preamp incorporates this design, adding a midrange filter for further control. It also adds the ULTRA LO and ULTRA HI buttons originally found on the all-tube SVT head. Unlike the original SVT (and its many re-releases and preamp-only versions), the stompbox uses solid-state electronics.

The Classic preamp is well-constructed for the price. The metal housing feels tough, and its control layout is simple and intuitive. The interior revealed one main circuitboard, densely packed with surface-mount components. The Ampeg’s plastic pot shafts, jacks, and filter pushbuttons may be less durable than their metal counterparts, but unless a player gets abusive, they ought to stand up to the day-to-day rigors of use—and, moreover, they’re typical in this price range. The conventional footswitch felt durable and clicked confidently, although there was an audible little pop when engaged.

I’m well-acquainted with the Ampeg preamp design: I’ve built a B-15 clone preamp, dissected an SB-12 for an issue of BP, and owned multiple SVTs, and I have an SVP-CL preamp in my studio rack.

The Classic Analog Bass Preamp pedal does a very good job of capturing the circuit’s essence in a small and inexpensive format. The EQ circuits seem appropriately voiced, with the same gentle but effective curves commonly associated with the Ampeg pre. Similarly, ULTRA LO sucks out the mids like one would expect—the circuit has always been more about diminishing midrange (to create a sense of improved low-frequency response) than boosting lows. With the pedal merely in the circuit without EQ, there’s a diminution in lows and highs overall—it’s slight, but apparent, a perception I confirmed by looking at its frequency spectrum using an analyzer.

This, too, is not unlike the original Ampeg design. To my ear, the one notable difference from its tube-fueled predecessors is that the Classic isn’t as harmonically colorful when pushed hard, and thus it lacks some of the thickness and texture associated with the original. Those seeking a bit of that Ampeg flavor—thick lows with a healthy bit of upper-mid bite—will find a quick solution in the pedal version.

Scrambler Bass Overdrive

The Scrambler name and circuit dates back to the late ’60s, and while the original pedal never quite caught on, it developed a cult following in later decades; it was always known as a bit of an outlier, overdrive-wise. The new Scrambler seeks to bring some of the original’s singular sound to a more modern format.

On a basic level, analog distortion pedals are all the same. Through any of several circuits, an input signal is manipulated such that the output has added harmonic content. The methodologies for achieving distortion have different harmonic impacts, but the resulting distorted signal always has a substantially changed timbre.

The original Scrambler was known as a distortion that added a strong amount of the first harmonic, which (without diving into the physics of sound) is one octave above the fundamental. Instead of the new Scrambler’s DRIVE knob, the original Scrambler called the parameter “texture.” This reflects how Ampeg perceived distortion not just as a means of achieving a stereotypically more aggressive sound, but as a means of manipulating an instrument’s timbre.

The new Scrambler doesn’t much resemble the original in design. In addition to the DRIVE control, there’s also a TREBLE knob to further emphasize the impact the distortion circuit has on high-frequency response. One welcome retention from the original is the BLEND control, which allows a player to decide on the ratio of clean to distorted tone.

I liked the new Scrambler a lot, although I didn’t have an original for comparison. It does indeed offer a somewhat original-sounding distortion, with more of the odd-order-harmonic intensity and aggressiveness one might more commonly associate with a fuzz pedal, rather than a tube-emulating overdrive.

The BLEND control was a great partner in creating a sound that helped me cut through a dense band. And it was nice knowing that if I needed more presence, the TREBLE knob was there. For the price, the unique-sounding Scrambler would be a superb addition to anyone who likes having a variety of sound-mangling distortion pedals on hand.

Specs

Street $100 each
Input ¼"
Input impedance -1MΩ
Outputs ¼"
Power 9 volts via ac adapter or battery (not included)
Made in China

After its debut in 1969, the 300-watt Ampeg SVT (Super Vacuum Tube) quickly became a gold standard for high-powered stage gear. Originally marketed as a multi-purpose amplifier for guitar, bass, and anything else that needed a tremendous amount of volume, the SVT was especially attractive to bassists, as lower frequencies require considerably more power to amplify than high frequencies.

By 1974, Ampeg turned its focus on bass players for the SVT, and the rest is history. Flying somewhat below the radar, the original Ampev V-4B was released in 1971 and featured the same preamp as the SVT, but with a 100- watt power amp. While the SVT has maintained its position as the one of the all-time stage amps—especially for the rock set— the V-4B has nonetheless earned a smaller, yet devoted following of players and collectors. With its period-appropriate looks, all-tube construction, and matching 1x12, 2x12, and 8x10 cabinets Ampeg’s reissue V-4B is sure to make some heads spin.

If there is a single contributing factor limiting the appeal of an amp as celebrated as the SVT, it is certainly its weight; at 80+ pounds, the SVT is a beast to haul. Taking the preamp guts of the SVT and packing it into a 100-watt, 41-pound package, the V-4B is certainly appealing on paper. But is there any “there” there? Plugged into the matching SVT-212AV cabinet, the V-4B promptly and proudly pumps out the kind of round sound Ampeg has built its brand upon.

The V-4B’s tone controls are straightforward, with three bands of EQ with switchable mids and ultra lo and ultra hi switches. By riding the gain and volume controls, there’s actually a considerable range of tones at the fingertips, from creamy and beefy to honky and ornery.

Some would say a tube amp sounds best when cranked. Crank an SVT to the max, and you’ll soon be bleeding out your earholes. Not so with the V-4B. On a few loud rock rehearsals—with gain and volume set just past noon, the V-4B easily and willingly doles out the kind of creamy overdrive the best stompboxes can only approximate.

The beauty of an amp like the V-4B lies in the dynamics; whereas the best solid-state amps are transparent and unwavering, there’s an element of danger in the V-4B. Push it hard, and it’ll howl. But pull back, and it cleans up quite nicely. I found there to be a bit of a learning curve with the V-4B; as I climbed in volume, the tone controls seemed to increase in sensitivity, and what were once subtle frequency bumps at moderate volume suddenly became extreme.

Simply put, Ampeg’s V-4B is a blast to play. With its old-school vibe, dynamic performance, and massive fun factor, the once-niche V-4B cult is bound to get a big ol’ bump in 2014.

V-4B
Street $1,300
Power rating 100 watts
Tube complement (3) 12AX7, (1) 12AU7, (4) 6L6GC
Inputs 0 dB, -15 dB
Front panel controls gain, bass (+13dB/-12dB @ 40Hz), ultra lo (+2dB @ 40Hz, -11dB @ 500Hz), midrange (+11dB/-21dB), midrange frequency selector (220Hz/800Hz/3kHz), treble (+14dB/-17dB @ 4kHz), ultra hi (+7dB @ 8kHz), volume
Back panel ¼" preamp out, ¼" power amp in, ¼" slave out, XLR balanced out, Ground lift
Speaker jacks (2) 2Ω, (2) 4Ω, (1) 8Ω
Weight 41 lbs
Made in China

SVT-112AV
Street $500
Power handling 300 watts
Drivers 1 x 12" custom Eminence LF, 1" compression driver
Rear panel Two ¼" input/output jacks, 3-way HF Horn switch (off, -6dB, 0dB)
Frequency response 70Hz–18kHz
Impedance 8Ω
Dimensions 24" x 17" x16"
Weight 45 lbs
Made in China

SVT-212AV
Street $700
Power handling 600 watts
Drivers 2 x 12" custom Eminence LF, 1" compression driver
Rear panel Two ¼" input/output jacks, 3-way HF Horn switch (off, -6dB, 0dB)
Frequency response 71Hz–18kHz
Impedance 4Ω
Dimensions 24" x 25" x16"
Weight 66 lbs
Made in China

Behold the Ampeg B-15, a simple box on wheels that houses the very crossroads of ingenuity, portability, and sonic superiority beneath its four latches.

When Ampeg introduced the B-15 Portaflex (short for portable reflex baffle system) in 1960, it set the standard for all future bass amplification, quickly becoming the most popular bass amp in the world.

More important, it gave the then-nine-year-old electric bass guitar its first true voice: fat and fundamental, thanks to the warmth of six tubes and a tuned, closed-back cabinet.

With the dawn of high-powered amps still a decade away, the B-15 could be found live and in the studio behind the instrument’s premier pluckers: James Jamerson in Detroit, Duck Dunn in Memphis, Chuck Rainey in New York and Los Angeles.

Through the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and into the new millennium, it has endured, much beloved and sought-after as a vintage piece, while permeating the studio plucks of such modern sharpshooters as Darryl Jones, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Alex Al, and Owen Biddle.

Having turned 50, the latest chapter for the “the Flex” is the release of the Heritage B-15. To get the inside story of the ever-present Portaflex, we joined Tony Levin, Ampeg Artist Relations Manager Chrys Johnson, and Ampeg Senior Product Specialist Dino Monoxelos at the Massapequa Park, Long Island, home of Jess Oliver. A seminal figure in Ampeg lore, Oliver was the first person to put reverb in a guitar amp, helped design the vacuum form machine for the Ampeg Baby Bass, and hired Bill Hughes, the man behind the SVT.

His place in music history, however, is firmly cemented by his invention of the B-15. As Oliver was being presented with the new Heritage model he consulted on, he was more than willing to field questions about his fabulous fliptop.

How did you get into building instrument amplifiers?

Jess Oliver: I started out as an electrician, and I played upright bass on the weekends. I needed a pickup, so I went to Ampeg on 42nd Street and bought one from [Ampeg founder] Everett Hull. He was impressed that I could install it myself, and he offered me a job.

At the time, I was hanging 75-pound traffic lights on an extension ladder braced on power lines, so I took him up on his offer. He also paid for me to go to night school at the RCA Institute, to study amplifier technology and design.

The first amp I built was a Johnny Smith guitar model. Ampeg had the 825 and 835 bass amp line, and I built some prototypes around them that were an improvement, but I wasn’t satisfied with any of them until I designed the Portaflex.

Tony Levin: Where did that idea come from?

JO: Various sources—and from here [points to head]. There was an amp designed by Mitch Levine of the Premier Amp Company, whom I knew in passing. His came in two pieces, with a head that buckled to a separate enclosure with a sealed back.

I thought, if I design a closed-back cabinet that was properly tuned with ports and baffling, it would have the optimal bass response. The electronics portion came from the back of an RCA tube manual and what we had done on earlier preamps.

By shock-mounting the amp on top of the cabinet, I was able to reduce the vibration of the tubes and the chassis, also allowing them to cool better. Finally, for portability, I got the idea to turn the top over into the unit—like a Singer sewing machine I had seen—and attach a dolly to the bottom of the cabinet.

What bass players at the time were helping with feedback?

JO: All the members of the Manhattan Bass Club [a group of top session bassists who each bought an amp to be left at a studio so all of the members could avoid cartage].

Folks like Milt Hinton, Oscar Pettiford, and George Duvivier would come to the shop, as well as Latin players like Bobby Rodriguez and Julio Andino. Charles Mingus and [classical bass giant] Gary Karr, who both had Baby Basses and did ads for us, would come by, too.

And I’d attend studio dates to hear our amps— everything from a George Barnes album with 20 guitarists to a recording session with Elvis Presley, in which he listened to the pianist play the song once, and completely re-stylized it in his own way. I was also gigging on weekends, testing the B-15 and the Baby Bass.

TL: So you developed the B-15 mainly around the upright and Baby Bass?

JO: Yes, the upright and then the Baby Bass when it came out [1962]. We wanted a Fender for test purposes, but Mr. Hull wouldn’t allow it. For one, they were a competitor, but mainly because he hated rock & roll and loud music.

When rock bands like the Dave Clarke Five visited the factory, he would make me talk to them. Another time he saw a Gibson Maestro Fuzztone, and he was so angry he was stomping his feet, “Can you imagine? They’re selling distortion!”

When Ampeg started importing Burns electric guitars from England [1963], we smuggled a bass [EB-1] into the shop to use on amp testing. Later [1966], one of our amp techs, Dennis Kager, developed and patented the ƒ-hole basses [AEB-1 and fretless AUB-1], so we had those.

Tony, what’s your history with the B-15?

TL: It was the first amp I bought, while I was living in Rochester, New York. It sounded great, and it was a pleasure to be heard in large ensembles—although I was playing with Chuck Mangione, who would do concerts accompanied by an orchestra, and I remember the string players complaining that it was too loud!

When I got down to New York City in the late ’60s, I only had a Baby Bass and my B-15, and I quickly got a Fender because that’s what everyone wanted. Every studio had a Manhattan Bass Club B-15, although at that point they were unlocked and available for me to use.

Do you recall if you used one on any of your early notable recordings?

TL: Well, it was two or three albums a day back then, and a long time ago, but there’s a good chance I used it on record dates for folks like Buddy Rich, Lou Reed, Carly Simon, and Alice Cooper; I can confirm I used it on Mike Mainieri’s White Elephant [Just Sunshine, 1972] and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy [Capitol, 1980].

Jay Messina and Jack Douglas, who engineered those two albums, respectively, told me of modifications made to the B-15s at the Record Plant and the Hit Factory that added a pre- and postamp switch out of the back; Jack preferred recording direct with the post out, to get a bit more bite from the amp signal.

I also remember rock sessions where the engineers would turn the amp all the way up to add some distortion; it was a fantastic, crunchy tone that must be on hundreds of records from the era.

JO: You could get an overdriven sound by turning the volume knob past 11 o’clock, causing the amp to clip. I also designed in the ability to use two B-15s together with a regular q" guitar cable going from the rear external amplifier jack to either the external jack or the front instrument jack on the second B-15; the tone controls from the first amp would then work for both amps.

Jess, what was the thinking behind the B-12, the B-18, and the solid-state version of the B-15?

JO: The B-12[N] came out with the B- 15[N, in 1960]. It was the same head and power, with a tuned cabinet, but with a 12" speaker, so it was lighter and easier to transport.

The B-18 came a little later [1963]; it was the same head but with more power— it could reach 60 watts—and with a larger speaker and double-baffle cabinet. The solid-state BT-15 came just before I left Ampeg [1966]. It sounded very good, but I had an argument with Mr. Hull about the design; you could fry an egg on the head because the heat sink was too low.

Soon after you left Ampeg you founded the Oliver Sound Company, making instrument amps and PA systems, including the Powerflex bass amp.

JO: The Powerflex was larger and more powerful than the B-15. Ampeg had the patent on the fliptop, so I came up with a new design in which the head automatically lifted out of the cabinet using a small motor. I had about 28 employees by the early ’70s, and I had offers to go bigger, but eventually I decided to give it all up, scale back, and just maintain my amp-repair business here in my basement.

You were a technical advisor for the B-15R reissue, in 1997.

JO: Yes. The amp sounded good, but it was an infinite-baffle design, which sounds a little more hollow than the thick, doublebaffle sound of the original B-15. The Heritage B-15 has a double-baffle cabinet and it’s tuned perfectly. The usual hump you had at low A or Ab is not there; it’s nice and smooth and even across the whole spectrum. That’s what I had in mind.

TL: Did you recommend any changes to your original design in your role as consultant on the new Heritage B-15?

JO: I advised adding a filter choke, which they did. I didn’t know enough at the time to add it on the original; the schematic from the back of the RCA manual didn’t have any choke on it.

But I’ve repaired many different brands of amps since, and the good ones all have chokes. It enables more power from the transformer. Originally, I used a 40Ω resistor to do the same thing, but I was wrong. It’s corrected now; George Metropoulos did a fantastic job of building and wiring the new version.

TL: What’s truly amazing is you used regular materials but made a great-sounding, indestructible, enduring product that is viewed as the holy grail of small bass amps.

That said, Jess, how do you feel having shaped the course of how modern music sounds?

JO: All I can say is I’m very happy and extremely honored to have had a part in it all.

A STAR IS REBORN

Groundwork for the Heritage B-15 began when Ampeg’s Chrys Johnson chatted up George Metropoulos, owner/operator of Metropoulos Amp Inc. (which rebuilds and offers rebuild kits based on various vintage amps) about classic Ampegs and the Heritage line.

Ampeg Director of Musical Instrument Amplification Pyotr Belov had further discussions with Metropoulos about a reissue B-15, and at Winter NAMM 2010 the ball got rolling. Jess Oliver became the chief consultant, and at his recommendation, Mark Gandenberger of Vintage Blue (which builds reproductions of the original Ampeg B-15 double-baffle cabinet) was brought in to consult on the cabinet construction. We asked Metropoulos for insight into his rockin’ rebuild.

How did you go about trying to replicate the B-15 sound?

I started by listening to several original examples, and it became clear that while each sounded slightly different, they all had an unmistakable B-15 tone. I tried to capture that unique tone and feel in every way.

My goal was to have the Heritage B-15 react like the originals, whether running clean and punchy or fully saturated with the channels dimed. Ultimately, players should have the same overall experience playing this amp as they would playing a vintage one.

What do you feel were the key ingredients to the original’s great sound?

Definitely the cabinet and double baffle, which Mark and the team who developed the new cab did a fantastic job on. From my end, the transformers were a big part, which we had to replicate from scratch. The tubes are key also; 6SL7s are octal dual triodes, and they have a distinct American sort of sound.

We had to source new-old-stock military versions to capture the sound of the originals. Another key factor is the circuit. Early on, the tone controls were placed after the first preamp gain stage, and later Jess moved it to after the second gain stage.

This affects how the tone stack is driven and how the channel compresses and saturates. We duplicated these circuit topologies with the ’64 [B-15NC] channel and the ’66 [B-15NF] channel on the reissue, as these were deemed to be the most coveted versions of the amp.

Were any other upgrades or modifications made?

Jess favored adding a choke, so that was on the drawing board at the beginning of the project. Technically speaking, the choke is a coil, part of the power supply, that acts as a filter in conjunction with the capacitors.

It contributes dynamically, as well, charging and discharging to meet the supply demands of the amp as you play. Simply put, it feels a little different, but in a desirable way. The speaker was custom-designed by Eminence. Ampeg gave me full artistic leisure to source or make the most accurate parts possible for this amp.

I prototyped and compared and listened critically to the protos vs. original B-15s made between ’64 and ’72, eventually settling on the complement of parts and values you see in the Heritage B-15.

B-15 timeline

1956 Jess Oliver is hired by Ampeg; gets idea for B-15 circa 1958
1960 First B-15 Portaflex introduced (for $355), with single-channel 25-watt head; replaced within eight months by the B-15N (N for “new”), which features two channels and a Jensen speaker; B-12N (25 watts) also introduced
1961 A tilt-back rod (until 1964) and light-up Lucite logo (until 1968) are introduced on the B-15N
1962 Solid-state rectifier and blue check covering are introduced via the B-15NB
1963 B-15NL designates a JBL speaker upgrade; 50-watt B-18 introduced
1964 B-15NC returns to a tube rectifier; B-15X introduced, with horn tweeter and two 4" “echo” speakers
1965 B-15NF switches to CTS speaker, fixed-bias tubes, and single-baffle cabinet; 25-watt SB-12 (SB for “string bass”) introduced for use with Baby Bass
1966 Solid-state 50-watt BT-15 introduced, followed by BT-15C (2x15 cab, 85 watts), and BT-15D (100 watts); B-15NF raised to 30 watts; B-15X raised to 50 watts
1967 B-15NC “second version” (C for “column”) has 50 watts and a 2x15 cabinet with CTS or Altec speakers; B-15ND has 50 watts, 1x15 and a 1x15 extension cabinet; blue check covering on all models replaced by black covering and chrome trim
1968 Completely revamped B-15N “second version” introduced, 50-watt, two-channel head with new preamp, ultra-hi and ultra-lo inputs for each channel, and Thiele porting design
1971 Two-channel 60-watt B-15S introduced, based on the Ampeg V-4 head (offered until 1977)
1972 30-watt B-15N reintroduced
1973 Change to Eminence speaker, with Altec speaker as an option upgrade
1975 Grounded power cord added, polarity switch removed
1980 Final year of first 20 years of B-15 production
1986 B-15N returns to production
1988 B-15T introduced, with solid-state 100-watt head, twin triangle ducted port, and Electro- Voice speaker option
1997 B-15R reissue introduced with all-tube 100-watt head, B-15E extension cabinet, and diamond blue check covering
2006 Final year of second 20 years of B-15 production
2011 Release of the limited-edition Heritage B-15 (50 units)

Flip-top fans: B-15's famous fans speak up

Will Lee: “Wow, the B-15— the stalwart of the studio. When I broke into the session scene, all the studios had ’em, with a lock and chain around them and MANHATTAN BASS CLUB stenciled in white—although I was always able to use them. At that point, they were mostly for monitoring and pretty much had to be turned off when the red light came on to prevent leakage in the live room.

I was a DI guy back then, but I used the amp for tuning, jamming, and working out ideas, as well as live in the clubs. Later, they were used as recording amps until the mid ’80s, as bassists realized the B-15 was a great way to get a big amp sound by isolating it and putting a mic in the ‘sweet spot’ through proper placement. Thanks, Jess Oliver, for looking out for your fellow bassists and innovating such amazing gear as the B-15 and the Baby Bass!”

Bob Babbitt: “The B-15 was the amp I owned and used live and in the studios in Detroit, and later in Philly and New York. In Nashville, when they mic a live amp, it’s usually the B- 15; I used one on recent recording projects for Peter Frampton, Rod Stewart, and Phil Collins.

“They remain in studios to this day because younger producers, engineers, and bassists love the sound, whether they’re recording something old school or contemporary music. The B-15 is a timeless bass amp with a timeless tone.”

Chuck Rainey: “From 1962 to 1982, the B-15 was my main amp; that includes all gigs, films, and many recordings. In the New York studios, most of the amps owned by the Manhattan Bass Club were B-15s or B- 12s, and as a member, I provided one.

“The amps were usually placed on some kind of stand or support system, miked or with a direct signal taken from the back of the amp to the board. Many engineers and bassists preferred the B-12 because it was smaller and not as loud as the B-15, and it had a specific and even bass tone. Both amps were terrific and a big part of my career and my sound.”

Marcus Miller: “When I started on the New York session scene, the B-15 was the bass amp you saw in every studio. By 1983 or so, you stopped seeing them; bass players were recording direct by then. But I did a lot of early sessions using a B-15.

“If you listen to Luther Vandross’s Never Too Much album, you can hear it. Engineer Michael Brauer made a little ‘house’ for the amp, from baffles and blankets, so the sound wouldn’t leak into the other instrument mics. I think engineers liked the warm, tube-y sound of the B-15, combined with the small, unobtrusive size.”

Jerry Jemmott: “I used the B-15 both live and on sessions in New York, usually with an 80/20 blend of direct and miked amp sound in the studio. I wasn’t a member of the Manhattan Bass Club; I had to roll mine in and push theirs out of the way.

“Paul Roland Martinez (who played on ‘Hey Leroy’ with the Jimmy Castor Bunch) and I had our own little stash of B-15s and B-18s in selected studios. It was a brilliant, portable combo design with a great, tight sound.”

Sean Hurley: “I’ve been using my B-15 on almost every recording these days, except the most distorted rock tracks— although I recently drove the heck out of one on a session for producer John Shanks. What a glorious sound!

“It’s the perfect recording bass amp: It doesn’t need to be loud to get a killer tone, and is easily tucked away in a closet or isolation booth. With a flatwound-strung bass it’s old school, and with roundwounds it’s as modern as anyone needs. Pure bass tone that records with almost no effort, no unwanted frequencies to cut, nothing to be added—Jess Oliver got it right! The B-15 has stood the test of time.”

Justin Meldal-Johnsen: “I use the B-15 when I need a punchy, sweet, natural tone—which is most of the time, in fact. Sonically speaking, I just find it so consistently rewarding. The amp seems to provide the perfect spectrum, with the right amount of ‘note.’ It’s midrangy, without ever being ‘pokey’; it’s deep without being flabby. Even on some big rock recordings, I’ve found it well suited for a surprisingly big sound.

“Historically, I think the platform was amazingly well conceived and forward-thinking. There’s nothing like it, nor will there likely ever be.”

Darryl Jones: “The B-15 has always been a part of the studio experience for me. They were ever-present in all the studios I worked at in Chicago, New York, and L.A. No matter what kind of music you were recording, from R&B to jazz to rock, you could always find a suitable sound through it.

“In recent years, even with all of the other choices available, the B-15 has become more coveted, and now it’s exciting to see the release of the Heritage B-15. I hope I’ll be doing sessions for many years to come on both vintage and new models. Thanks, Jess Oliver and Ampeg, for getting it right from the jump.”

James Jamerson: According to Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Jamerson used a B-15 live (and occasionally in the studio), sometimes with an extension cabinet; the amp would be set with the bass knob all the way up and the treble knob on half.

This video related to the March 2012 issue of Guitar World. For the full text and tablature for the column, you can pick up the issue of newsstands now or in our online store.

In the following video, Guitar World's Paul Riario checks out the new GVT52-112 amplifier from Ampeg, which features two channels -- each with a highly interactive three-band Baxandall tone circuit that produces a wide variety of EQ-shaping possibilities.