Bass Amp History

[John Cubbage]

We're collecting some good information on the history of bass amps. Maybe it will help somebody if they try to restore an amp.

I remember the Ambeg Bass Amp in the early to mid 1960s. I saw two models, a B-18 and I think there was a B-15 (I'll stand corrected on that). They were made of thick plywood with a dark blue vinyl covering that had a parquet pattern embossed in about 3/8" squares. Corners were capped in nickle plated metal. The top lifted off which contained the tube amp. You flipped it over and sat it back on the top of the speaker box. There was a translucent piece of plastic (Lucite?) that lit up and said "Ampeg" when the amp was turned on. It had 4 wheels on the bottom and boy it needed them. These units were heavy!

Ampeg was a good brand. My brother had an Ampeg guitar. It was solid body, good pick-ups, and had a red finish. Real quality. They made bass guitars, too.

Ampeg also made a pick-up system for acoustic double basses. It had a mike on the top of a long end pin. A wire connected to the end pin above the rubber tip. The other end of the wire plugged into the bass amp. In addition, the microphone system also had a heavy chrome plated contact mike that had a volume knob and sat under the arch of the bridge. A screw held this mike in place with pressure against the top of the bridge's arch. It was a sound killer in that it acted like a mute when playing without the amp. A wire connected this contact mike to the mike inside the bass. I cut the contact mike off and just used the inside mike on the end pin.

Ampeg also made the "Baby Bass." It was an electric upright with a small fiberglass body and a long end pin. It was probably the original electric UB. I still have the original demo record distributed to dealers that Sy Lowy at Red Bank Music (NJ) gave me. Guess who demonstrated the instrument? That's right, Gary Karr! He played some impressive stuff and spoke the sales pitch for the instrument.

I digress, but you were speaking of Manny's Music Store. I bought my first double bass there in 1963. Manny's was recommended to me by a big band arranger and teacher of mine at Red Bank School of Music, by the name of Parker Lee. The bass was a used John Juzek (sp) 3/4, viol shaped, carved, factory bass. $250 and it's yours, kid. This bass had a neck almost as thick as a baseball bat. Later, I got the courage to trim the neck down.

Good information, people. Maybe a book can come out of this.

- Dr. C.

[Michael Cahill]

I owned a couple of those Ampeg Portoflex amps and they were great. My first one was lost in a fire along with a Fender Precision and a plywood upright. The second one had "The Royals" etched into that plastic piece. A piano player using a Roland keyboard introduced the band as Roland and The Royals on a GB gig. That amp was brought to Japan by a sax player who had a bass player eagerly waiting there. I use a Polytone now and years ago, had one of their pickups.

[John Cubbage]

Yes. I think the Ampeg bass amps in the 1960s that had the flip top were called "Portaflex." Thanks for that detail.

- Dr. C.

[John Cubbage]

Fender amps had an excellent reputation up until the mid to late 1960s. At that time, Fender sold the amp division to CBS. When that happened, the Red Bank Music store began to get a lot of returns from the CBS factory productions with amp problems and blown speakers. The new company stopped using Jensen (blue/green) speakers and began installing their own (painted black) without a label. At the time, many players longed for the older Fender amps. Soon after that I went to college and stopped keeping up with the bass amp news.

Many popular groups used the two piece Fender Bassman and Dual Showman amps. A lot of groups performed at the Asbury Park Convention Center on the Boardwalk. The Beach Boys appeared there a number of times with their Fender amps. On at least one occasion the Beach Boys rented Fender amps from Red Bank Music for their performance.

- Dr. C.

[John Cubbage]

Fender bass amp circa 1959 was one piece plywood covered in a tan material with a darker brown small hound's tooth print on it. The speaker grill was a dark brown color (woven) material.

Later in the early 1960s the covering material went to a light tan solid color (no print) with a kind of hide grain or pebble impressed on it. The Fender bass amp went to two pieces: the large speaker box and the smaller amp box that went on top of the speaker box. The speaker grill remained a woven dark brown color.

In the mid 1960s the covering material went to a a solid black color with a pebble finish. The speaker grill material went to a silver grey woven material.

-Dr. C.

[Gerry Grable]

Originally Posted by John Cubbage

Yes. I think the Ampeg bass amps in the 1960s that had the flip top were called "Portaflex." Thanks for that detail.

- Dr. C.

I just spent an hour writing a story of my first Ampeg B-15 and Fender Jazz bass which I bought in 1969 and still use.
Unfortunately, when I clicked "send" it told me I was no longer logged in, and poof the post was gone.
What a system!
Gerry Grable

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Gerry Grable

I just spent an hour writing a story of my first Ampeg B-15 and Fender Jazz bass which I bought in 1969 and still use.
Unfortunately, when I clicked "send" it told me I was no longer logged in, and poof the post was gone.
What a system!
Gerry Grable

Sorry about that but many systems to log you out if you wait a real long time. What I have done in the past if it's going on and on and taking breaks is, copy the text written in case that happens.

Ever do banking on line? You take a phone call, come back and.. you are logged out!

Stuff happens.

[Gerry Grable]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Sorry about that but many systems to log you out if you wait a real long time. What I have done in the past if it's going on and on and taking breaks is, copy the text written in case that happens.

Ever do banking on line? You take a phone call, come back and.. you are logged out!

Stuff happens.

Yes. Sorry for getting annoyed. Maybe In the future I'll try to write it, I don't know where? and try to cut and paste or copy and paste?