Ampeg BA300 & BA600 Bass Combos
By David Bell
| Posted in Guitar
When it comes to bass amplification, American manufacturers Ampeg certainly set the standard. Ampeg have always been renowned for their large, heavy and powerful, valve driven SVT stacks. Now, Ampeg are earning themselves a good reputation for producing lightweight, portable but yet powerful valve bass amplifier combos, rivalling the likes of Markbass and Gallien-Krueger’s solid state combos.
Thanks to their tube preamps, Style control, 3-Band EQ, and Ultra-High/Low switches, the Ampeg BA bass combo range offers all of Ampeg’s tone-shaping you’ve grown so acquainted to. The BA range is unmatched for tonal versatility and is ideal for any bass player seeking that high-powered Ampeg tone in an extremely versatile and portable package.
The BA range is comprised of the BA300, a medium-powered, 300 watt bass guitar amplifier combo and the BA600, a high-powered, 600 watt bass guitar amplifier combo. These no-compromise bass amplifiers feature a tube preamplifier, a Class-D power amplifier and a switching power supply.
The BA300 comes in two versions: the BA300-115 has a single 15″ speaker and the BA300-210 has two 10″ speakers and the same goes for the BA600, which comes in the same two speaker configurations, BA600-115: 1×15” combo and BA600-210: 2×10” combo.
With a high-frequency horn, variable compressor, effects loop, and selectable pre/post XLR and 1/4″ direct outputs in a compact ported enclosure, other than the 300 watt power difference between, most features on the amps are identical.
To make things easier for everyone, I have bullet pointed the additional features found on the BA600:
- Extra 12AX7A tube (along with the origional 12AU7A tube) in the vacuum tube preamp
- Two-channel operation: Vintage: Tube preamp with two-band EQ and volume control and Modern: Solid-state preamp with three-band EQ, gain control, and Ultra Hi and Ultra Lo switches
- Footswitch-selectable mute and channel select
About David Bell
It’s all about the Bass for me! I was given my first Bass on my 12th Birthday, since then I’ve spent every available penny on basses of all varieties, 4 string, 5 string, upright, you name it!…
I play a range of different styles of music, from Pop/ Rock to 50’s; I’ve even appeared on the main stage at the Country Musik Messe in Nürnberg, Germany. When I’m not playing live I spend a lot of time writing and recording in the studio.
I’ve worked in the Guitar industry since 2005, running one of London’s most foremost Bass guitar specialists. I’m currently enjoying working in DV’s Web/ Graphic Design team. I’m most exited to be able to share my interest, experience and knowledge about Bass gear here on the DV blog.
Tags: Ampeg, BA300, BA600, Gallien-Krueger, Markbass, Pre-Amp