Ampeg VL-502 - tell me about this amp

  • Thread starter Thread starter Neeklaus
  • Start date Start date
ugh this is becoming painful waiting for this amp to arrive..... :gethim:
 
try the 6550s' they are great for the low end stuff.
i have tung sols in mine.
 
that's what I'm hoping is installed when it arrives! but I'm also interested to hear el34s too....I've heard it doesn't make much impact though...confirm deny?

wow I am really hyping up this pending NAD....I hope it isn't lame lol
 
Hard to imagine there would be little impact between 6550's and EL34's unless you we're only using bedroom volumes. I really like how they hold together with volume! Damn Nick, you've sure sparked my interest and I can't wait to hear this MF'er
 
yeah dude, i'm pretty anxious to get the amp and try it out.

i've heard the loop isnt' too great

how does a lead tone with delay in the loop sound? worth a damn?
 
i'll give ya that one, the fx loop sucks, it has a button for off and on. the footswitch is cool but if you don't have a two button switch like a fender or marshall, check lees' site he sells a footswitch for the amp. just a reminder when using the attenuator put main volume around 5 or 7 the atttenuator volume around 4 and fun to be had. :thumbsup:
 
ah well I'll see what I can manage with the loop.
cool.

I wish USPS had a better tracking system....
 
I think the loop is great buffered by a tube...These amps rule you just have to get one that sounds...Right I guess..
I had both when they first hit the scene...I have had 9 of them trying to find ones that actually sound like the ones I had when they first came out ,,,finally found 2 that are worthy of keeping..
 
Neeklaus":1ussvkva said:
ah well I'll see what I can manage with the loop.
cool.

I wish USPS had a better tracking system....
Click to expand...
Yeah not much for tracking but hopefully it won't arrive fucked up like it does with UPS
 
just42dave":1jtor9bu said:
I think the loop is great buffered by a tube...These amps rule you just have to get one that sounds...Right I guess..
I had both when they first hit the scene...I have had 9 of them trying to find ones that actually sound like the ones I had when they first came out ,,,finally found 2 that are worthy of keeping..
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the loop is solid state on the VL. It's OK, but not great. I agree the 3 and 4 on the mid sweep are more usable. Changing tubes will have some impact, but I wouldn't expect it to change into a different animal. I have noticed that preamp tubes make a big difference. Certain tubes will make it sound dull. Also, the reverb in those things is harsh. Changing the tube to a 12at7 will help.

As for speakers, I use 12-65's with mine. They sounded much better than the 75's, IMO. Also on mine, the gain will start to muddy up when you get past 1 or 2 o'clock. But, they are decent amps for the money.

Schaf
 
The effects loop is solid state, hence why there is no Tube position listed above where I listed the tube positions..
 
meh. The ones i've tried were pretty thin sounding, not much lowend punch. Pretty unreliable and a bit thin sounding. I see some on the GC used site for between $250- $325, not a bad deal for a tube amp, but i would spend a little more and get something that inspired me.
 
I've heard some really cool clips of this amp. I'd like to play one someday.

I've got one of Paul Gilbert's old Ampeg V-4 cabs that needs restoring. It would be cool to have an Ampeg head to put on top of it, along with an MP-1 to complete the Racer X rig.
 
OldSkoolNJ":3jva1uhc said:
The effects loop is solid state, hence why there is no Tube position listed above where I listed the tube positions..
Click to expand...
As ive said I have had nine of these and even on the early ampeg ads It stated tube buffered effects loop.
If you would have scrolled down more and read the rest of the page it is tube bufferd and solid state as the 6th tube is the buffer and eq
Ive had 3 of these worked on by Lee
"It is a hybrid of tube and solidstate, whereas the XLS is all tube with individual trim controls.Don't get me wrong, I love the VL's, ampeg made me put the effects loop in to save money, other than the loop the amp rocks." :cry:
 
I have owned both purple stripe and white stripe models. A friend of mine owned two white stripe models and they sounded great on his album. The ones i had sounded thin and harsh.
 
just42dave":36q8h0ei said:
OldSkoolNJ":36q8h0ei said:
The effects loop is solid state, hence why there is no Tube position listed above where I listed the tube positions..
Click to expand...
As ive said I have had nine of these and even on the early ampeg ads It stated tube buffered effects loop.
If you would have scrolled down more and read the rest of the page it is tube bufferd and solid state as the 6th tube is the buffer and eq
Ive had 3 of these worked on by Lee
"It is a hybrid of tube and solidstate, whereas the XLS is all tube with individual trim controls.Don't get me wrong, I love the VL's, ampeg made me put the effects loop in to save money, other than the loop the amp rocks." :cry:
Click to expand...

Yeh that loop was always a deal breaker for me with those..
 
Amp showed up today, great condition sounds good, plan on retubing just for my own sake...it's got the original pre amp tubes- SLM Hotrods lol
question though- where is the reverb tank usually stored? and how it is usually mounted?
reason I ask is mine is in a pouch made of some sort of material stapled to the inside of the head cab. it works fine just looks odd...is that stock??
 
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