JBL D120F equipped '69 Twin

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Boom-tizzz
I recently came across this great Fender Twin Reverb with factory JBL upgrade. The transformer codes say it is a '69 but still has the awesome drip edge trim around the grille like the early silverfaces.. and the tube layout sticker still says AB763. I know you can't go by what the sticker says on these old Fender amps, but from what i can tell the circuit may have been blackfaced like the AB763 when it was last recapped. It sure sounds like it has. I get the most wonderful and extremely satisfying "on the edge of overdrive" tone when pushed really hard with a PAF equipped guitar. The JBL's are a thing of beauty. It may even have the original cones!

Here she is-

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So can you carry it with one hand?
Here's mine. It's a '74, master volume removed, black faced (electrically and cosmetic) and Vibroverb'ed (single 15" Weber California and 2 6L6 tubes removed).

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My back hurts just looking!
I bet it sounds amazing though.
My ears hurt just looking. Those JBL's can get painfully loud.
So can a Fender Twin. The combination of the two could be deadly.
Tried one of those JBL's in a 15 watt Ampeg Jet. Practically made that little amp dance.
Be kind to your band. Get a distortion pedal.
 
Thanks guys! It is crazy heavy! Thank goodness for casters, but they sure do leave some pretty deep ruts on the carpet. These days I'm more or less a bedroom warrior, so the amp probably will rarely leave the house. The JBL's are really nice and detailed sounding. I think it's a good match for the twin. It won't overdrive and get compressed like a Bandmaster or a Bassman, It's incredibly dynamic, but with high output humbuckers it'll still bark pretty good when you lay into the strings. I love getting just to the edge of breakup on this amp.

I do want to try the JBL's in my Marshall rig! I have a couple 1961 2x12 cabs, which basically is a 1960 with only 2 speakers. I traded away my '82 JCM800 2204 for an Ampeg B15, but I still have my Ceriatone 18W TMB Marshall head Clone. I think it could sound pretty good!
 
I was in a band with a guy who used one of those. He played a 60's SG with a Fuzz Face and a Morley Power Wah. That was 30 years ago.My ears are STILL ringing:confused:
No wonder he was known as ''Dr Noise''!
 
I was in a band with a guy who used one of those. He played a 60's SG with a Fuzz Face and a Morley Power Wah. That was 30 years ago.My ears are STILL ringing:confused:
No wonder he was known as ''Dr Noise''!

Arts, are you a bass player? Looks like it might be a P-bass in your avatar. Ever since I got the Ampeg B-15 in trade I've been playing a lot more bass. Ive been listening to some Jaco and been a fan of Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. So naturally, I've been GAS'n hard for a Jazz Bass :biggrin:
 
Arts, are you a bass player? Looks like it might be a P-bass in your avatar. Ever since I got the Ampeg B-15 in trade I've been playing a lot more bass. Ive been listening to some Jaco and been a fan of Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. So naturally, I've been GAS'n hard for a Jazz Bass :biggrin:

Yep,that photo was taken early 1980's,and my bass is a 1961 Precision.And to top it off,that was the band that had the guy with that bloody Fender Twin,haha!
Having a Portaflex really pushes you to play better and more often,and something in that tone really inspires the creativity. My biggest influences on electric were Jamerson,Alan Spenner,Mel Schacher and all of the other greats who could really get the bottom end movin' and groovin.The Jazz is great,but I much prefer the authority (and the very wide neck) of my P-bass.I've been playing through and collecting Ampeg's,and especially Fliptops,for a long time. Which B15 did you score?

Here's my living room setup:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/lets-see-all-them-axes.193577/page-66
 
Yep,that photo was taken early 1980's,and my bass is a 1961 Precision.And to top it off,that was the band that had the guy with that bloody Fender Twin,haha!
Having a Portaflex really pushes you to play better and more often,and something in that tone really inspires the creativity. My biggest influences on electric were Jamerson,Alan Spenner,Mel Schacher and all of the other greats who could really get the bottom end movin' and groovin.The Jazz is great,but I much prefer the authority (and the very wide neck) of my P-bass.I've been playing through and collecting Ampeg's,and especially Fliptops,for a long time. Which B15 did you score?

Here's my living room setup:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/lets-see-all-them-axes.193577/page-66

Kick ass!

I'm a Jamerson fan too. I finally found a copy of In the Shadows of Motown. And have been learning some of his stuff. I've got the first half of Ain't No Mountain High Enough down. Talk about a beast! That guy could play...and pluckin with one finger! I have a P-bass I've pieced together, 50's style neck with little frets, a gold ano pickguard. I put the La Bella's on it like Jamerson did with his.

The B-15 is a reissue...the B-15R. I ended up trading the bass player from Leon Bridges band my JCM800 head for it. These are a little different than the old ones, quite a bit more power and no cab porting. Still delivers the goods!

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Kick ass!
Kick ass is what I want to do to myself every time I think about that B15N I sold to a "friend" real cheap.
A friend who promised to let me know if he decided to sell it.
I'm sure he saw a better deal at the other end vs. the measly pittance I sold it for.
 
Kick ass is what I want to do to myself every time I think about that B15N I sold to a "friend" real cheap.
A friend who promised to let me know if he decided to sell it.
I'm sure he saw a better deal at the other end vs. the measly pittance I sold it for.

Damn! :mad:

That's the one I really wanted. Probably the most recorded bass amp of all time! I was on the hunt for one for a while, and saw the 15R pop up on my local Craig's list. I heard some mixed reviews on them as compared to the real deal flip top Portaflex B15N..mainly criticism regarding the price they were selling for new, vs. what a vintage one goes for. I also found some threads of encouragement over at talk bass with Jess Oliver's input in designing the reissue. I decided to go for it after i heard it.

There is not a whole lot in common with the originals... cab isn't ported like the old ones and also has a tweeter with a crossover that can be turned off and on. When I get the amp dialed in right and tweeter turned off It gets that classic Ampeg sweet mid growl that I wanted. Hell, id say come on over and give the B15R a go! if only you weren't across the country!

Ampeg is now reissuing the B15N with some more accurate specs to the vintage amps. I think there is 2 channels, one with a '64 circuit and another with the '66 circuit. The price tag is pretty hefty on it and pretty limited quantities. I'd still rather have an oldie though.
 
Kick ass!

I'm a Jamerson fan too. I finally found a copy of In the Shadows of Motown. And have been learning some of his stuff. I've got the first half of Ain't No Mountain High Enough down. Talk about a beast! That guy could play...and pluckin with one finger! I have a P-bass I've pieced together, 50's style neck with little frets, a gold ano pickguard. I put the La Bella's on it like Jamerson did with his.

The B-15 is a reissue...the B-15R. I ended up trading the bass player from Leon Bridges band my JCM800 head for it. These are a little different than the old ones, quite a bit more power and no cab porting. Still delivers the goods!

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Good grief Roll,were we brothers in another life? The bass stuff is one thing, but now I'm looking at the background of your amp photo: I've got a pair of MC-240's,TD125 instead of the 124,C20 & MR-55A instead of the 110, I alternate between KEF 104/2's and the Reference Model 3,and I use a Revox A77 too....Man,this is weird!o_O

Flatwounds really work for me,and the La Bella's are great.I really like the tone,and they last forever.These amps come in many versions.Some are great for upright but lousy for electric and vice versa,so you've got to do your research before you jump,especially at today's prices.The model that seems to be universally despised (I had one for a VERY short period of time and was glad to see it go) is the B15S,a relative in name only.

My favorite B15 for electric is the late (1970?) model with the Thiel cab and the Ultra Low & Bright switches. Internet pic:

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My Ampeg "Family". 1964 B15N, 1967 SB-12, 1990's reissue Jet. All bought with "issues". Now fully functional.

The B15N I bought off eBay 10 years ago for $390. Had to replace the rubber flip top isolators, the lucite "Ampeg" logo, grill cloth and Radio Shack speaker with a Weber California (their version of the JBL D130).

The SB-12 was purchase at a garage sale. The grill cloth was packed with dirt and the blue vinyl was coved in red spray paint. Cleaned up nicely with some elbow grease and new grill cloth. Retains its original 12" Jensen Concert speaker.

The Jet was another eBay purchase for $60 and was not working. The power transformer had an open thermal protection circuit breaker which I bypassed. Replaced a couple of resistors and the blown speaker.




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Good grief Roll,were we brothers in another life? The bass stuff is one thing, but now I'm looking at the background of your amp photo: I've got a pair of MC-240's,TD125 instead of the 124,C20 & MR-55A instead of the 110, I alternate between KEF 104/2's and the Reference Model 3,and I use a Revox A77 too....Man,this is weird!o_O

Flatwounds really work for me,and the La Bella's are great.I really like the tone,and they last forever.These amps come in many versions.Some are great for upright but lousy for electric and vice versa,so you've got to do your research before you jump,especially at today's prices.The model that seems to be universally despised (I had one for a VERY short period of time and was glad to see it go) is the B15S,a relative in name only.

My favorite B15 for electric is the late (1970?) model with the Thiel cab and the Ultra Low & Bright switches. Internet pic:

b-15n.jpg



Ahh yeah, that's the good stuff. Great minds think alike I guess. I've been really craving a C20 lately.. :biggrin:

It's funny, I was admiring an A77 of one of the members on the a Reel To Reel Enthusiasts Group on Facebook. I saw a couple goodies in the background of his pic... the guy has an MC240 and MX110 like me, I got to talking with him, turns out he's a bassist as well with a '71 P bass and an old B-15N!

I'm noticing a trend here!

:beerchug:
 
My Ampeg "Family". 1964 B15N, 1967 SB-12, 1990's reissue Jet. All bought with "issues". Now fully functional.

The B15N I bought off eBay 10 years ago for $390. Had to replace the rubber flip top isolators, the lucite "Ampeg" logo, grill cloth and Radio Shack speaker with a Weber California (their version of the JBL D130).

The SB-12 was purchase at a garage sale. The grill cloth was packed with dirt and the blue vinyl was coved in red spray paint. Cleaned up nicely with some elbow grease and new grill cloth. Retains its original 12" Jensen Concert speaker.

The Jet was another eBay purchase for $60 and was not working. The power transformer had an open thermal protection circuit breaker which I bypassed. Replaced a couple of resistors and the blown speaker.




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Hey Don, that's a nice Ampeg collection! Sounds like you know what you're doing. How do you like the Weber California?
 
@OP congrats!
I love me my Twins..I own 3 a original 76 a 65 RI & a beat to death 1978 135 watt UL.
Funny thing is I play the one every ones to hate on the most the 78…everything set on 5 except reverb 4 tremolo 3 &1 master vol 5.
I use the original pedal to switch on the rev & trem for on & off & use an OCD for dirt no one ever bitch’s about my volume & I get lots of “love your tone man’ comments. Big iron Fenders… not for pussys or amateurs but in the right hands players that understand dynamics and volume control.
Never running out of headroom is a beautiful thing. So is a road case with wheels!
Enjoy!
PQ
 
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I had 74 Twin, too heavy, too loud. I pulled 2 tubes out already. I actually designed in power scaling, but I used variac to adjust the voltage on the power section, I had supply for filament and preamp section to keep them at normal voltages. I sold it in 1982 after I quit. Now I have a 73 SF Pro Reverb totally restored, in good shape. Lot lighter, sounds good. I had JBL before, did not like it. It is too fragile, The voice coil deformed and rub against the frame with very little use. The standard speakers came with the Twin is a lot more reliable. I like the stock speakers just fine. I designed two of the channel switching high gain amps with power scaling, I use Warehouse speakers and love it, more so than Celection.

Fender have really nice clean sound, I use my Pro Reverb as reference standard to design my amp against it.
 
The Weber California's are great for a clean tone. I ordered mine with a paper center cap. I've read the aluminum center cap makes the highs a bit harsh.
That's what I don't like about JBL, the aluminum dome gave too much highs. I think JBL did not know whether they want to make it a hifi speaker or guitar speaker. The frequency of JBL reach down very low, you slap on the strings of the guitar, you see the cone jump. It's so sensitive that it might cause reliability problems. So many of them need recone. Mine rubbed with very little use and good care. Somehow in that era, the aluminum dome like JBL and Altec were popular. I had both and did not like any of them. Sold them all. Lot happier with my Warehouse speakers and Celection.

I think people finally realize in the past 30 years that small amps are better, you don't need to carry a heavy amp, lot easier to control the smaller amps. I even had the tripled stack Marshall Plexi 100W.

Both of my designs are 30W only using 6L6 but with lower plate voltage of about 410 only. Look at ebay, the Deluxe and Vibrolux sell a lot more than Twin.
 
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