Ampeg BA115

[sk8er31191]

Hey so I don't know much bout basses but my bass player just got an Ampeg BA115 and it sounds good and all but if anyone has used one of these before thenyou probably know what I mean when I say it hisses a lot. I heard of people disconnecting the tweeter to fix this and I was wondering if that's in any way bad for the amp (or void the warranty) and how you would go about doing so; or would buying some type of noise suppressor pedal be sufficient. Thanks

[Jaded]

it'll be bad for his tone. you need the tweeter to reproduce the higher frequecies. A lone 15 inch speaker will sound pretty muddy. is it really noticeable while you guys are playing?

[DBoons Ghost]

The hiss is a major design flaw to some extent.

I've owned the BA115 and the BA115T. They're lemons. You can disconnect the tweeter as people have said or even replace it but it won't do much. I sold the BA115 but the BA115T is on a shelf in my garage. The warranty has nothing to do with what boils down to a major design flaw.

Jaded it's noticable enough to drive you insane, even if you have the uncanny ability to drown out the white noise. The hiss just hisses louder as you crank it. I do my best to kill any possible interference and of course the type of cables you use reduces it, but nothing you dial out on the bass will help. Effects make it worse.

I used to be a huge Ampeg fan but these kinds of things are killing them. I love my vintage Ampeg gear and that's what I stick to.

[Moon Flavor]

I got a BA115HP had it for at least 3 years now...never hisses played plenty of shows with it back in the day still sounds as awesome as it did the day I got it, which is to say it sounds awesome.

I dunno if it's cuz mine is an HP because my friend does have the regular BA115 and it does hiss although you don't even notice when you're playing through and you got drums going.

[DBoons Ghost]

Yeah the BA115 is not as bad as the BA115T with the hissing but the BA115HP is 220 watts and is a far superior amp to the others mentioned. It's also a couple hundred bucks more, and is 20 pounds heavier.

I assume a lot of people buy the BA115 for practice at home and some minor recording and in those scenarios the hissing is unbearable.