Hey Zach,
I’ve got an Ampeg B-15, serial number
0137XX, and I suspect it is from the mid
1960s. Can you tell me a little about my
B-15 and what it is worth today? Also, do
you know of where I could get a replacement
Lucite plate?
Thanks!
Art
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hey Art,
Ampeg’s B-15 is one of my all-time favorite
amps, not only because of its fantastic tone
and universal application, but also because of
its unique design and versatility. While Ampeg
founder Everett Hull didn’t reach the success
that Leo Fender achieved, they were two of
the most innovative men in the guitar industry
between the 1940s and 1960s. Hull created an
upright bass pickup by mounting a transducer
on an extended peg that was inserted into the
body of the bass. Hull received a patent for his
amplified peg (Ampeg) design in November
1947 and began manufacturing them in New
Jersey with his new partner, Stanley Michael.
Shortly thereafter, Hull and Michael went
their separate ways and Hull moved Ampeg
to Manhattan where he slowly began building
amplifiers and developing the Ampeg
name. Ampeg introduced a variety of guitar,
bass, and accordion amplifiers throughout the
1950s, and in mid-1956, he hired Jess Oliver,
who became Hull’s right-hand man through
most of the 1960s and is mainly responsible
for designing the Portaflex. Ampeg was always
trying to perfect the tone of their amplifiers
and Oliver began experimenting with designs
such as a double-baffle porting system and
a closed-back reflex cabinet. Oliver also borrowed
a design from an old sewing machine
where the unit would flip out of the cabinet.
The first Portaflex amp was formally introduced
in 1960 as the B-15. The double-baffle porting
system gave the amp what Hull described
as “the creamiest tone.” At the time, combo
amps were the norm, with all components
housed in a single cabinet, but heat from the
electronics often caused the amp to overheat
and made the speaker fail. Separate head and
speaker cabinet systems, often referred to as
piggybacks, became a solution in the early
1960s, but it also negated the portability of the
combo. The Portaflex addressed both of these
issues, as the electronics were mounted on the
top panel that could be flipped over. In transit,
the electronic components were flipped down
and housed inside the cabinet. For playing, the
head was flipped up and exposed. Four latches
secured the top to the cabinet and the top
was entirely covered so it matched the cabinet
regardless of which position it was in. With
Ampeg’s Portaflex design, users didn’t have to
worry about their amp overheating while they
were still able to transport it relatively easily. In
fact, Ampeg offered a heavy-duty four-wheel
dolly for these amps that became standard
equipment on later models.
Much like all of Ampeg’s amps, the B-15
underwent constant change, and the B-15
was replaced by the B-15N in 1961. In 1962,
Ampeg updated the B-15N with a solid-state
rectifier called the B-15NB and introduced their
famous “blue check” vinyl covering to their
entire amp line. Ampeg went back to a tube
rectifier and changed to a printed circuit board
in 1964 (B-15NC). This model lasted until mid
1965, when they introduced the B-15NF with
fixed bias tubes and a single-baffle cabinet.
According to the serial number 0137XX, your
amp was built in 1965, which would make it
either a B-15NC or B-15NF. Your B-15N has
either a 25-watt (B-15NC) or 30-watt output
(B-15NF), one 15" speaker, a six-tube chassis
with two 6L6 power tubes, and two channels
with three inputs and Volume, Treble, and
Bass controls for each channel. One of the
coolest features of the B-15N was the Lucite
Ampeg panel that illuminated when the amp
was turned on. This panel sat in the middle of
the head and it could be custom ordered with
the user’s name engraved on it.
There are a few things to note about Ampeg
production from this time. Hull was not a fan
of rock ’n’ roll music and never designed an
amp for this genre. Therefore, power ratings
were very conservative and Ampeg discouraged
users from increasing volume to the
point where they distorted. In fact, most
amplifiers had accordion inputs throughout
the 1960s, and Ampeg amps were never
really marketed to rock players until Hull left
the company in 1968. Ampeg went through
numerous ownership changes over the next
two decades with Unimusic taking over in
1967, Magnavox in 1971, and MTI in 1980.
St. Louis Music bought Ampeg in 1985 and
finally returned some stability and respect to the
brand. The company also reissued the B-15N
Portaflex with blue check covering in 1995.
Ampeg was purchased by LOUD Technologies
in 2005, and in 2010, they introduced the new
Heritage Series that is produced in the US.
The B-15N has held relatively steady in the
used market and is currently worth between
$1200 and $1500 in working condition.
Gregg Hopkins of Vintage-Amp Restoration
reproduces these Lucite plates for the B-15
and can even personalize it with your name.
Given its cool features and history, the
Ampeg B-15 is definitely treasure.
Source:
Ampeg—The Story Behind the Sound
by Gregg Hopkins and Bill Moore.
Zachary R. Fjestad
Zachary is the author of the
Blue Book of Acoustic
Guitars, Blue Book of Electric Guitars, and the Blue
Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
Questions can be submitted to:
Blue Book Publications
Attn: Guitar Trash or Treasure
8009 34th Ave. S. Ste #175
Minneapolis, MN 55425
bluebookinc.com
guitars@bluebookinc.com