Reviewer John Jungblut
Manufacturer Ampeg
Model '74 B-15N
Price $425

Dimensions ~25"H x 22"W x 12"D
Wattage 50 watts, tube
Speaker(s) single 15"
EQ bass, treble, ultra hi, ultra lo, bright inputs
Effects none
Controls 2 channel pre-amp, both have identical controls
Other "booster" out, ext. speaker out, electrical outlet

I've wanted a B-15 for a while, and I happened upon this one by accident. Thankfully, I had cash on hand and snagged it. After replacing what appeared to be some original pre-amp tubes (and all the other tubes) with NOS American GEs, the tone is just beautiful! Very warm yet with much more clarity than I would have expected from a single 15". The two channel pre-amp is very handy, too: I plug my active basses into channel 1, with appropriate volume & E.Q., and my passive basses go into channel 2. It's much more heavy and bulky than modern 50 watt 1x15" combos, but I feel that the tone is worth it.


Construction 100%
(22 years and still going strong...)
Loudness 50%
(but I have a 1200 watt stage rig for that...)
Clarity 90%
Tone 150%
0%
Size/Bulkiness 60%
(too large and heavy by current designs)
Value 100%
(Ampeg is re-issuing these for $2000! Nobody [that I know
of] is making an all-tube bass combo anymore)
Overall 100%
(Maybe the numbers don't add-up, but I'm completely satisfied)

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