Ampeg V4B cabinet suggestion

[86kubicki]

I've been on the lookout for something "tubey" and ended picking up this old warhorse V4B. It sounds great, but my ported Bergantino cabinets (a 2X10 and 1X12), don't seem to be the best match for this amp as its a little too easy to cause the speakers to distort and get a bit "farty" sounding (its definitely not the amp). Should I be looking for a closed back speaker? Aside from the 8X10, did Ampeg ever make a 4X10 cabinet back in the day or should I be looking for a modern Ampeg 4X10?

[leftybass]

My 1st real amp I owned with balls was one of these.

Mine had the 2X15 Ampeg folded-horn enclosure, and the 15s were Altec-Lansings. It sounded great, but we needed a station wagon to haul it in, ala SVT rig. Big as a fridge, of course.

[86kubicki]

Thanks John - I have feeling that the only speakers options at the time from Ampeg were the 8X10 and 2X15. Maybe I'll try out the V4B with a modern 4X10 and see how that goes.
And geez, this amp is heavy!

[cangaroo]

I guess you should try a bigger Berg cabinet : i guess that their 4x12 (or 6x10) will fit. Not so long ago i tried their 4x12 with my SVT-CL at almost full volume and the sound was still really punchy and not farty ...

[86kubicki]

I actually had some more time to fiddle with the amp this afternoon and I think the problem has been sorted out with a bit of compression and EQ. This thing roars - I can't turn the volume past about "4"!

[gearhed289]

I've had a V-4B for years. They do roar! Don't expect loud and clean. Loud and dirty, no problem. A basic Ampeg 410 should work well. Or even a 1x15 or two.

[86kubicki]

My Markbass covers loud and clean - I was looking for something that did loud and dirty!

[danclaro]

I had Fliptops make a vintage-like 4x10 cabinet for my V4B... two, actually. I'm actually looking to sell one. If you're interested email me off list. I don't know how to post pictures here, but here's the writeup:

Fliptops (online store for vintage Ampeg parts/restoration) made this custom 4x10 cabinet for me about a year and a half ago. It was designed for use with a 70s Ampeg V4B, B-25B, or SVT-VR. It replicates the middle section of an 8x10 SVT cabinet, with paired speakers and sealed back (Infinite Baffle design). It has 4 Eminence Delta 10b speakers which are 300 watts each. A switch on the back toggles between 4 or 16 ohms. Black tolex, vintage silvery grill on the front, and wheels. Dimensions are 27”w x 16”d x 30” h (with casters). It is basically brand new. I commissioned it as a second cab for my 70s V4B, but I’ve never needed to have a second one.

[rickaddict]

Daniel's Fliptops speaker sounds cool.

I was going to suggest taking your V4B to an Ampeg dealer and playing through the new stuff to see what sounds best. It will be a PIA, but I think it will help. When I bought my SVT, I played through every cab in the place, which was pretty much every Ampeg cab made at the time. My favorites were the 810 and the 410HLF. Somehow I liked the 410HLF a whole lot more than the 410HE. And I liked it more than the 15's too. I liked the 810 and the 410HLF just about equally, but I went with the 410HLF because it is smaller. And as it turns out, I can't carry the 410HLF by myself anyway!

YMMV!

[gearhed289]

I had Fliptops make a vintage-like 4x10 cabinet for my V4B... two, actually. I'm actually looking to sell one. If you're interested email me off list. I don't know how to post pictures here, but here's the writeup:

Fliptops (online store for vintage Ampeg parts/restoration) made this custom 4x10 cabinet for me about a year and a half ago. It was designed for use with a 70s Ampeg V4B, B-25B, or SVT-VR. It replicates the middle section of an 8x10 SVT cabinet, with paired speakers and sealed back (Infinite Baffle design).

I actually built my own along the exact same lines and loaded it with four tens out of a 70s SVT cab which are rated at 30 watts each. So it's an 8 ohm, 120 watt cab. Goes great with the V-4B. Nice studio rig, or "dirty" portion of a Chris Squire/Rick-O-Sound setup.

[86kubicki]

I thought this cabinet looked interesting:
http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/mss/msg/1616861923.html