 |
February 2011 Archives
 We recently ran our first “My B-15” story. It was from Eva Gardner of P!NK and you can check it out here. Soon after, we received an email from none other than Brian Perry, former bassist for Prong.
Since playing with legendary shock rock band, Lizzy Borden, Brian has held down the low end for a fat list of awesome players: Prong, Jake E. Lee, Flood, Dirty Looks… Jammed/worked with/for the likes of Disney, Vinny Appice (Heaven and Hell/Black Sabbath/Dio), Dave Lombardo (Slayer/Grip Inc.), Ray Luzier (Korn/DLR/Wicked Alliance), Randy Castillo (Ozzy Osborne), Eric Singer (Kiss/Alice Cooper), Nick Menza (Megadeth), Ivan De Prume (White Zombie). A couple of notable guitarists are: Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osborne/Badlands/Wicked Alliance), and Tommy Victor (Prong/Ministry/ Danzig). Not too shabby. But, that’s not what this is all about. Brian loves his B-15 and wanted to share his B-15 story.
Brian Perry’s B-15 Story:  When I was about 14 years of age and living in Scranton, PA, I used to walk a few miles with bass in hand through rain, sleet and snow to go and jam at a friend’s house in West Side. I would do my best to keep the bottom but, because I didn’t have a proper bass amp, I used the same friend’s brother’s amp. He had a very nice all original B-15 from the ‘60s. Needless to say that little amp sounded incredible, and I eventually I bought it from him for $75.00. It served me well for sometime, but on a sad note the B-15 was destroyed in a rehearsal room fire a few years later… It was never replaced and was sorely missed.
Fast-forward to 2008: One evening while on eBay I spied a 1965 B-15 that was bought at an estate sale! Not a scratch! All original including the tubes! The price was right and I bought it on the spot. Upon opening the amp I noticed a mass card for a woman by the name of Lena, and at that I decided to investigate who Lena was. After a few phone calls I found out… Lena played the organ for her church. She died in 1979 in Whitefish, Montana. The amp was stored in an attic ever since. I took it to Amphole here in Los Angeles and was told it was the cleanest, best sounding B-15 Bob (the owner) has ever seen. I’ve since used this amp along with other vintage basses for many a recording and all who hear will concur “It’s the best sounding amp they have ever heard”. And to think this amp went into the attic and stayed there for 30 years untouched! Unbelievably, it was put up there right at the same time I bought my first B-15. Thank you Jess Oliver and thank you, Ampeg, for all the years and the monstrous mountains of sound! - Brian Perry
I know there’s a lot more of you out there with your own B-15 story. Email it, with pics, if possible to ampeg.news@loudtechinc.com if you’d like to share.
Eva is a bad ass bassist. She's played with The Mars Volta, Veruca Salt and now she plays with P!NK. Eva has pretty much always played bass. Her father, Kim Gardner was a professional bassist, having played in groups like The Creation and The Birds. Eva has a personal connection with the Ampeg B-15 and wanted to share her story. 
Eva Gardner’s B-15 Story I was a little girl when I was first exposed to the Ampeg Portaflex….My dad who was a bassist had one in his studio as I was growing up. That blue glow on the face of the amp is one of my earliest childhood memories…and I remember thinking how cool it was that the top flipped over and you could latch it up into a nice neat package! But it wasn’t until I was about 11 years old that I really remember the Ampeg B-15 at work. I was at one of usual family gatherings at “Uncle Andy” Johns’ house. I was running around in the yard, when I remember hearing a rumble coming from Andy’s study. He and my father were talking shop and Andy was showing Dad his vintage Ampeg B-15. It sounded like it was definitely turned up to eleven! It was shortly after that that I began to play bass and I wanted to explore that Ampeg B-15 on my own. Sure enough, I plugged in a bass and was ready to rock ‘n’ roll. With the Heritage B-15, I feel like I’m that kid again, discovering the world of bass all over again…it has that nice warm tone true to the vintage Portaflex. Plus I love that you can choose between the ’64 and ’66 bias, allowing for additional tone options. The fact that the Heritage B-15 is hand-built and hand-wired is another feature that shows that this amp is rock-solid. I’m confident that this amp will be in my family for years to come. 
I know there’s a lot more of you out there with your own B-15 story. Email it to us at ampeg.news@loudtechinc.com if you’d like to share.
 If you have ever dreamed of learning from and hanging out with master musicians Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Pat Mastelotto here is your chance. Adrian, Tony, and Pat will host a music camp at the Full Moon Resort, a beautiful 70-acre facility tucked away in the Catskills, from August 22 through 26th. These three King Crimson members have played with just about everyone. Imagine the experiences and knowledge they can pass on to you. There will be personalized classes, performances, campfire chats, and much more. The camp is open to all: musicians and non-musicians. To find out more and register now go to: www.threeofaperfectpair.com. Tony Levin is a long-time Ampeg endorser and currently plays a number of Ampeg pieces, including a rig with an SVT-7PRO head and Pro Neo enclosures. We will have more info about this exciting camp as the date approaches.
We recently ran our first “My B-15” story. It was from Eva Gardner of P!NK and you can check it out here. Soon after, we received an email from none other than Brian Perry, former bassist for Prong. Since playing with legendary shock rock band, Lizzy Borden, Brian has held down the low end for a fat list of awesome players: Prong, Jake E. Lee, Flood, Dirty Looks… Jammed/worked with/for the likes of Disney, Vinny Appice (Heaven and Hell/Black Sabbath/Dio), Dave Lombardo (Slayer/Grip Inc.), Ray Luzier (Korn/DLR/Wicked Alliance), Randy Castillo (Ozzy Osborne), Eric Singer (Kiss/Alice Cooper), Nick Menza (Megadeth), Ivan De Prume (White Zombie). A couple of notable guitarists are: Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osborne/Badlands/Wicked Alliance), and Tommy Victor (Prong/Ministry/ Danzig). Not too shabby. But, that’s not what this is all about. Brian loves his B-15 and wanted to share his B-15 story.
Brian Perry’s B-15 Story: When I was about 14 years of age and living in Scranton, PA, I used to walk a few miles with bass in hand through rain, sleet and snow to go and jam at a friend’s house in West Side. I would do my best to keep the bottom but, because I didn’t have a proper bass amp, I used the same friend’s brother’s amp. He had a very nice all original B-15 from the ‘60s. Needless to say that little amp sounded incredible, and I eventually I bought it from him for $75.00. It served me well for sometime, but on a sad note the B-15 was destroyed in a rehearsal room fire a few years later… It was never replaced and was sorely missed. Fast-forward to 2008: One evening while on eBay I spied a 1965 B-15 that was bought at an estate sale! Not a scratch! All original including the tubes! The price was right and I bought it on the spot. Upon opening the amp I noticed a mass card for a woman by the name of Lena, and at that I decided to investigate who Lena was. After a few phone calls I found out… Lena played the organ for her church. She died in 1979 in Whitefish, Montana. The amp was stored in an attic ever since. I took it to Amphole here in Los Angeles and was told it was the cleanest, best sounding B-15 Bob (the owner) has ever seen. I’ve since used this amp along with other vintage basses for many a recording and all who hear will concur “It’s the best sounding amp they have ever heard”. And to think this amp went into the attic and stayed there for 30 years untouched! Unbelievably, it was put up there right at the same time I bought my first B-15. Thank you Jess Oliver and thank you, Ampeg, for all the years and the monstrous mountains of sound! - Brian Perry
I know there’s a lot more of you out there with your own B-15 story. Email it, with pics, if possible to ampeg.news@loudtechinc.com if you’d like to share.
Eva is a bad ass bassist. She's played with The Mars Volta, Veruca Salt and now she plays with P!NK. Eva has pretty much always played bass. Her father, Kim Gardner was a professional bassist, having played in groups like The Creation and The Birds. Eva has a personal connection with the Ampeg B-15 and wanted to share her story. Eva Gardner’s B-15 Story I was a little girl when I was first exposed to the Ampeg Portaflex….My dad who was a bassist had one in his studio as I was growing up. That blue glow on the face of the amp is one of my earliest childhood memories…and I remember thinking how cool it was that the top flipped over and you could latch it up into a nice neat package! But it wasn’t until I was about 11 years old that I really remember the Ampeg B-15 at work. I was at one of usual family gatherings at “Uncle Andy” Johns’ house. I was running around in the yard, when I remember hearing a rumble coming from Andy’s study. He and my father were talking shop and Andy was showing Dad his vintage Ampeg B-15. It sounded like it was definitely turned up to eleven! It was shortly after that that I began to play bass and I wanted to explore that Ampeg B-15 on my own. Sure enough, I plugged in a bass and was ready to rock ‘n’ roll. With the Heritage B-15, I feel like I’m that kid again, discovering the world of bass all over again…it has that nice warm tone true to the vintage Portaflex. Plus I love that you can choose between the ’64 and ’66 bias, allowing for additional tone options. The fact that the Heritage B-15 is hand-built and hand-wired is another feature that shows that this amp is rock-solid. I’m confident that this amp will be in my family for years to come. I know there’s a lot more of you out there with your own B-15 story. Email it to us at ampeg.news@loudtechinc.com if you’d like to share.
If you have ever dreamed of learning from and hanging out with master musicians Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Pat Mastelotto here is your chance. Adrian, Tony, and Pat will host a music camp at the Full Moon Resort, a beautiful 70-acre facility tucked away in the Catskills, from August 22 through 26th. These three King Crimson members have played with just about everyone. Imagine the experiences and knowledge they can pass on to you. There will be personalized classes, performances, campfire chats, and much more. The camp is open to all: musicians and non-musicians. To find out more and register now go to: www.threeofaperfectpair.com. Tony Levin is a long-time Ampeg endorser and currently plays a number of Ampeg pieces, including a rig with an SVT-7PRO head and Pro Neo enclosures. We will have more info about this exciting camp as the date approaches.
We recently ran our first “My B-15” story. It was from Eva Gardner of P!NK and you can check it out here. Soon after, we received an email from none other than Brian Perry, former bassist for Prong. Since playing with legendary shock rock band, Lizzy Borden, Brian has held down the low end for a fat list of awesome players: Prong, Jake E. Lee, Flood, Dirty Looks… Jammed/worked with/for the likes of Disney, Vinny Appice (Heaven and Hell/Black Sabbath/Dio), Dave Lombardo (Slayer/Grip Inc.), Ray Luzier (Korn/DLR/Wicked Alliance), Randy Castillo (Ozzy Osborne), Eric Singer (Kiss/Alice Cooper), Nick Menza (Megadeth), Ivan De Prume (White Zombie). A couple of notable guitarists are: Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osborne/Badlands/Wicked Alliance), and Tommy Victor (Prong/Ministry/ Danzig). Not too shabby. But, that’s not what this is all about. Brian loves his B-15 and wanted to share his B-15 story.
Brian Perry’s B-15 Story: When I was about 14 years of age and living in Scranton, PA, I used to walk a few miles with bass in hand through rain, sleet and snow to go and jam at a friend’s house in West Side. I would do my best to keep the bottom but, because I didn’t have a proper bass amp, I used the same friend’s brother’s amp. He had a very nice all original B-15 from the ‘60s. Needless to say that little amp sounded incredible, and I eventually I bought it from him for $75.00. It served me well for sometime, but on a sad note the B-15 was destroyed in a rehearsal room fire a few years later… It was never replaced and was sorely missed. Fast-forward to 2008: One evening while on eBay I spied a 1965 B-15 that was bought at an estate sale! Not a scratch! All original including the tubes! The price was right and I bought it on the spot. Upon opening the amp I noticed a mass card for a woman by the name of Lena, and at that I decided to investigate who Lena was. After a few phone calls I found out… Lena played the organ for her church. She died in 1979 in Whitefish, Montana. The amp was stored in an attic ever since. I took it to Amphole here in Los Angeles and was told it was the cleanest, best sounding B-15 Bob (the owner) has ever seen. I’ve since used this amp along with other vintage basses for many a recording and all who hear will concur “It’s the best sounding amp they have ever heard”. And to think this amp went into the attic and stayed there for 30 years untouched! Unbelievably, it was put up there right at the same time I bought my first B-15. Thank you Jess Oliver and thank you, Ampeg, for all the years and the monstrous mountains of sound! - Brian Perry
I know there’s a lot more of you out there with your own B-15 story. Email it, with pics, if possible to ampeg.news@loudtechinc.com if you’d like to share.
Eva is a bad ass bassist. She's played with The Mars Volta, Veruca Salt and now she plays with P!NK. Eva has pretty much always played bass. Her father, Kim Gardner was a professional bassist, having played in groups like The Creation and The Birds. Eva has a personal connection with the Ampeg B-15 and wanted to share her story. Eva Gardner’s B-15 Story I was a little girl when I was first exposed to the Ampeg Portaflex….My dad who was a bassist had one in his studio as I was growing up. That blue glow on the face of the amp is one of my earliest childhood memories…and I remember thinking how cool it was that the top flipped over and you could latch it up into a nice neat package! But it wasn’t until I was about 11 years old that I really remember the Ampeg B-15 at work. I was at one of usual family gatherings at “Uncle Andy” Johns’ house. I was running around in the yard, when I remember hearing a rumble coming from Andy’s study. He and my father were talking shop and Andy was showing Dad his vintage Ampeg B-15. It sounded like it was definitely turned up to eleven! It was shortly after that that I began to play bass and I wanted to explore that Ampeg B-15 on my own. Sure enough, I plugged in a bass and was ready to rock ‘n’ roll. With the Heritage B-15, I feel like I’m that kid again, discovering the world of bass all over again…it has that nice warm tone true to the vintage Portaflex. Plus I love that you can choose between the ’64 and ’66 bias, allowing for additional tone options. The fact that the Heritage B-15 is hand-built and hand-wired is another feature that shows that this amp is rock-solid. I’m confident that this amp will be in my family for years to come. I know there’s a lot more of you out there with your own B-15 story. Email it to us at ampeg.news@loudtechinc.com if you’d like to share.
If you have ever dreamed of learning from and hanging out with master musicians Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Pat Mastelotto here is your chance. Adrian, Tony, and Pat will host a music camp at the Full Moon Resort, a beautiful 70-acre facility tucked away in the Catskills, from August 22 through 26th. These three King Crimson members have played with just about everyone. Imagine the experiences and knowledge they can pass on to you. There will be personalized classes, performances, campfire chats, and much more. The camp is open to all: musicians and non-musicians. To find out more and register now go to: www.threeofaperfectpair.com. Tony Levin is a long-time Ampeg endorser and currently plays a number of Ampeg pieces, including a rig with an SVT-7PRO head and Pro Neo enclosures. We will have more info about this exciting camp as the date approaches.
|
 |
|
|
©
LOUD Technologies Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
We recently ran our first “My B-15” story. It was from Eva Gardner of P!NK and you can check it out here. Soon after, we received an email from none other than Brian Perry, former bassist for Prong. 
When I was about 14 years of age and living in Scranton, PA, I used to walk a few miles with bass in hand through rain, sleet and snow to go and jam at a friend’s house in West Side. I would do my best to keep the bottom but, because I didn’t have a proper bass amp, I used the same friend’s brother’s amp. He had a very nice all original B-15 from the ‘60s. Needless to say that little amp sounded incredible, and I eventually I bought it from him for $75.00. It served me well for sometime, but on a sad note the B-15 was destroyed in a rehearsal room fire a few years later… It was never replaced and was sorely missed.
