MESSE13: Ampeg Show B15N and Portaflex PF800

BASS! Small size big sound... oh Yeah!   16-Apr-13

Back in the day I used to be a bass player (I know, I know ;-) and I remember vividly the first time I came across a nice vintage Ampeg bass rig. Which is pretty impressive, cos there's not much I can remember vividly about those years at all, cough  ;-]

We were in a studio in LA, and the producer had hired in a load of gear for us to try out - there was a really beat-up scuzzy-looking old valve (tube) Ampeg head, and a battered 8x10 cab; I was't expecting much, but have to say, when I plugged into that old rig, it really rocked!

But being based in the UK, Ampeg rigs were a bit harder to come by, and I didn't come across all that many after that...

...which is why when I spotted the Ampeg stand hiding away at the back of Hall 8 at Messe, I had to go check out what they'd got.

And new stuff they certainly have:-

First up was a new version of the venerable B15 - the B15N.

And next was a disarmingly small, but pretty pokey Portaflex PF-800.

We asked Dino Monoxelos for a quick fly-by.

• check out the Ampeg website for more info