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Ampeg B-15S Portaflex tube amp

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2023 10:03 am
by bloke
I've withdrawn the guitar from being offered for sale, but I'll still sell this amp. I think it needs to be local pickup. I can't imagine shipping it. I'll entertain offers. Just to set anyone's concerns aside, I'm not just screwing around. If someone offers me something that sounds like a price I'm willing to take, I'll say yes. Please don't offer something like $250. Everyone knows it's worth a lot more than that, but I also want to make it clear that if I happened to get multiple offers around the same time (and I don't expect to) that I will not orchestrate a bidding war. I don't want to put it on Facebook marketplace because you know what will happen there: a whole bunch of BS. I don't want to put it on Craigslist for the same reason. I think this is a nice group good friends, even though we're spread apart. It seems to me that the ideal place for this amp would be to sit in a recording studio so that when needed, a bass player can get "that sound" which other amplifiers can only attempt to imitate.
Some of the rhetoric below may not make any sense, because I've only edited a way a little bit of this original ad that included the bass guitar.


The amp fires up, works, fine, sounds fine, and shows a bit of wear.

I'm not taking either of these in for "servicing" (no pots-cleaning, no tube-testing, as-is).


Additionally, someone really ought to consider just bringing their money coming here, letting us put them up overnight, and spending some time trying the amp out, so they can decide whether or not they really want it based on how it plays, rather than buying a pig in a poke.

I'm advertising here FIRST, because I sort of KNOW you folks. I really don't care to deal with the "guitar crowd".

Just to be absolutely crystal clear, this is NOT a so-called "re-issue" This is the real thing.

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Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2023 7:42 pm
by matt g
Really good deal here. Hope it sells quickly!

Re: amazing half-century-old Ampeg B-15S Portaflex tube amp

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:10 am
by bloke
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Re: amazing half-century-old Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2023 4:04 pm
by bloke
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Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2023 1:44 pm
by Three Valves
Does the volume go to 11? :red:

Re: amazing half-century-old Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:16 am
by bloke
Three Valves wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 1:44 pm Does the volume go to 11? :red:
Sadly, no. It's old vacuum tube technology. Those only go to about 9.2

Joking aside, in their day these were considered pretty big amps, but they are more treasured for their tone than their power. The modern versions look the same and don't have any scuffs when bought new, but don't sound the same.

Re: amazing half-century-old Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:32 pm
by bloke
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Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:45 pm
by martyneilan
Cut it to CC!

Re: amazing half-century-old Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2024 1:52 pm
by bloke
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Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:41 pm
by BopEuph
DUDE.

That Fender looks like early 70s. Geddy Lee's Fender is practically identical to this one, which is a '72 Jazz Bass in the exact same color scheme. How old are those Labella 0760M strings?!

That Ampeg has some serious mojo in it, too.

This is absolutely a steal. If you haven't sold this yet, it would be snapped up on TalkBass before you had a chance to browse away from the submitted post. If I had the spending cash, I'd be hopping in my car and driving from Florida at this very moment!

Re: amazing half-century-old Ampeg B-15S Portaflex tube amp

Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2024 12:39 am
by bloke
BopEuph wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:41 pm DUDE.

That Fender looks like early 70s. Geddy Lee's Fender is practically identical to this one, which is a '72 Jazz Bass in the exact same color scheme. How old are those Labella 0760M strings?!

That Ampeg has some serious mojo in it, too.

This is absolutely a steal. If you haven't sold this yet, it would be snapped up on TalkBass before you had a chance to browse away from the submitted post. If I had the spending cash, I'd be hopping in my car and driving from Florida at this very moment!
I'm completely aware that it's priced to sell. Just like when I sell tubas, I never have to negotiate my prices down. Most of my stuff sells within a week or so. This hasn't sold, because this isn't an electric bass website.
I'm really hesitant to put it on a bass guitar forum, because I would get too many offers for trades (from people who don't have any money, but have stuff that I don't want) and all that sort of crap. I just want somebody to buy it and go home with it without all that noise that I would know would come with listing it on such a website. Additionally, there would be negative comments, people challenging this that the other, like a little bit of the crap that goes on here - except on steroids.

Re: Ampeg B-15S Portaflex tube amp

Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 9:45 pm
by bloke
BUMP.
BASS GUITAR WITHDRAWN FROM SALE.

THE AMPEG B15S PORTAFLEX IS STILL FOR SALE.

I'M ENTERTAINING OFFERS PER THE ALTERED FIRST POST IN THE THREAD.

Re: Ampeg B-15S Portaflex tube amp

Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2026 6:33 am
by iiipopes
I got to play one of these in band camp jazz band section in the late 70's, complete with the original XLR connection for the speaker. I concur that the tone is superlative. What makes them great is that for the small cabinet size the speaker is very compliant, so it interacts perfectly with the output transformer of the amp to get great tone, not ear-shattering volume. I have also seen these amplifiers with the speaker "upgraded" to something less compliant, ruining their tone. This amp is the real deal. Especially if you have small gigs or recording sessions, this is a great amp. So why am I not purchasing it? I don't do that much bass guitar work anymore, and I don't have room for it with all the other hardware I own. Otherwise, I would make the drive.