Early 70s Ampeg V2 found in the trash

[Ampeg Student]

Ive read some stuff on teh V2 online. I found an old V2 out by the street in someones garbage. I thought it was junk but I picked it up any way. All tubes seem original. All tubes fire up.

I want to learn more about this preamp? Was this a good find? Whats it worth? Is it desireable?
I can supply pics.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing form you.

[John_H]

Cool find! Don't turn it on without a speaker hooked up!! Sure it's desirable.

[Ampeg Student]

Thanks for your reply. My Bro in law has a cabinet that I plan to try it out on. Will turing it on w/o speakers damage/ burn out the tubes?

[Tom Phillips]

...Will turing it on w/o speakers damage/ burn out the tubes?

Tube amps can be damaged if you try to run a signal through them without a speaker load. Parts at risk include the output transformer and the power tubes. Many designs use a shorting speaker jack to protect the amp when the speaker cable is not present. The Ampeg V2 is one of those designs.
However, it's good practice not to turn the amp on without the speakers connected. You might a well wait until you have speakers before you turn it on again.

The V2 is a very nice amp.

Have fun,
Tom

[Ampeg Student]

How much is this amp worth in used working condition? Roughly?

[Tom Phillips]

How much is this amp worth in used working condition? Roughly?

Depends on who is selling and who is buying. The person you got it from thought it was worth nothing.

Check out this ebay page to see what one recently went for. You can compare the condition to yours and apply your own price adjustmnet.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-AMPEG-V-...QQcmdZViewItem

Tom

[mac1amps]

I personally think V2's are one of the better 70's model Ampegs (for guitar, of course). In my experience, they could break-up nicer than V4's (even though they are identical amps other than the output network) without having to crank up the mid range so much, which used to make alot of V4's sound "nasal" like. Good catch! (but I strongly suggest having it overhauled by an expert, especially since you found it "abandoned")

[ElTeye]

V2 vs V4

The V2 and V4 are -except double the number of output tubes for the V4- identical in schematic, yet they sound different. What no one ever checks is the power section. The V4 is rated at 100W, the V2 at 60. A V4 with half the tubes would do 50W gentlemen, not 60...

When you look at the voltages inside the amp, the V2 runs the entire amp on 50 extra volts. Which explains three things:

1. The amp sounds different;
2. The amp is 60 W instead of 50
3. The amp fries tubes more easily than the V4

Both are 70's Ampegs, but to always just say that the V2 is the V4's little brother, is simply not correct.

Anyone wants to sell me their V2, V3, or B25(B) heads?

[olddawg]

70s V2...Think Rolling Stones. A great and increasingly hard to find amp. The biggest problem is usually the rocker switches, but they usually clean up nicely if you know what you're doing. Don't butcher it. It's worth at least $400 in any usable condition at all. Great score.

[JHow]

Wow! My neighbors never throw out anything nearly so interesting. Guess it sometimes pays to live in the big city.

[PapaMidnite]

I picked up a mid 80's Dean Markley CD 60 at the local transfer station .Retubed sounds sweeeeeeeeeet