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Is there such a beast? It’d be nice to have a back up although I’ve had no issues with the JMUL head, touch wood.
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09-28-2020 08:50 PM
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Yes, there is such a beast. The 1970s Ampeg V4 head runs either 2, 4 or 8 ohm loads.
There's a little switch on the right side of the back panel to allow one to choose between these settings. These are great sounding amps, not hard to find. Proper power tubes for them are not cheap, but worth it, IMO. It weighs 64 pounds, but does have a convenient carrying handle.Last edited by Hammertone; 09-29-2020 at 05:36 PM.
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Of course if the @100 watts is more than what one needs (it's not actually 100 watts, it's way more), one can always opt for the somewhat rarer Ampeg V2 head, with @60 watts, from the same period. It has similar controls and switching on the back.
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Did you say 64 Ibs, just the head alone? No...really? I remember any Ampeg I came across to was on a heavy side, but this...
Originally Posted by Hammertone
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Well, the Ampeg SVT head comes in at over 80 pounds, but I didn't mention it because, y'know, it doesn't come with built-in reverb. Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
Of course, the combo version of the Ampeg V4, the Ampeg V-22, is a complete package, with two 12" speakers and the exact same head built in. It's a jazzman's dream. It weighs 88 pounds. I find the casters on mine very handy for moving the amp when I need to vacuum behind it.
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Jazzman's dream, 88 pounds amp? Yep, very popular in NYC, just the definition of a portable amp. Originally Posted by Hammertone
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Portable? You did not mention portable. Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
Jazzman's dream, 88 pounds amp? Yep, very popular in NYC, just the definition of a portable amp.
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Well, portable is given when you talk about jazz guitar amp. And the whole point of Jazz Master Ultra Light speaker+cab creation was to make something, well, light lol. I had one, and sold the head and kept the speaker for a while thinking about what can I match it with... That Ampeg might sound good, but useless. Damn, even Fender Twin weights less! Originally Posted by Hammertone
Anyway, maybe the OP has a different view, and lifting heavy weights is not an issue.
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Did I hear right: jazzman's dream head? 2-Ohm (or less) load?
Ampegs - ok, they may be a dream. But there's only one clean jazz heaven : 4 ECC808 tubes and 2 EL503, among other tubes, smile on any 12AX7 / 6L6 combination. Rugged like a tank, versatile like grandma's kitchen machine (load, input sensivity, voltage supply, American sound switch, etc.), with the best sounding reverb ever, and all well portable at mere 35 lb.
Btw., lifting weights, or better: the static and dynamic training of the musculoskeletal system, is a matter of health. Lifelong.
Says someone who also looked after people in sports medicine, from coronary sports groups to high-performance athletes.
The other day my plumber made this again clear to my slowly decaying self: between 50 and 60 years old, he looked very fit, generally strong and flexible. When I asked what kind of exercise he did to keep himself so fit, he wordlessly pushed his plumber's case over to me and said that it had been his daily universal training device for over 30 years. The case and its contents weighs 35 lb.
The future for jazz guitarists (who wants to talk about the future of jazz guitarists?) will probably look like this: 13 inch guitar and smartphone amplifier. I'm already making every bet that orthopedic surgeons and co. will then be hopelessly overloaded ... tongue-in-cheek modus off.
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“Anyway, maybe the OP has a different view, and lifting heavy weights is not an issue.”
65 pounds just for a head? What were they thinking? It’s an issue.
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Exactly! My back hurts just by looking at it Originally Posted by Bach5G
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What were they thinking? They were thinking about producing an amp to make money. That thing is 50 years old. Back then that's what was available. If you want a tube amp, compromises must be made, and weight is one of them. It's not possible to make a truly light-weight tube amp that produces much power. Transformers cannot be made from helium, nor can large capacitors, chokes, etc. For tube amps, weight increases almost exponentially as power increases. If one is willing to ditch the tubes, a 200 watt head can be had that weighs two pounds.
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There are options to create a 2 or 6 ohm dummy load, which, when put in series with your speaker would create a 4 or 8 ohm load. Thus, you could drive it with any amp you like.
Also many modern solid state power amps are okay with 2 ohms. Check the manufacturer specs.Last edited by SoftwareGuy; 09-29-2020 at 01:54 PM.
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There was a time... Originally Posted by Bach5G
Here's a solution that's not very heavy at all (below).
But these were only found in studios.
And you had to be a member of the Manhattan Guitar Club.
For other venues ... cartage!
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OK, enough. You did say "beast," and I really hope that nobody out there thinks that this is anything but humour. Other than the good doctor, but he's German (optional emoji here). I do use old, heavy Ampeg amps...for the humour AND the performance. I do not move them around. For that, my ancient Polytone Baby Brute works just fine. But my life would be even funnier than it already is if I also had one of those Hohner amps. Doc, find me one!
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I also use this, purchased in 1976. It's @half the size of the Polytone Baby Brute. If anyone knows about these, I'd love to find out more. It puts out 40 watts with a 2 ohm load and the internal 5" speaker disconnected:
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