# 1968 Ampeg Reverbrocket II



## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Right off I have to thank Traynor Garnet for selling me this baby.
Yes you may have seen this on the For Sale Forum back a little while ago. 

What a great little amp (well not that little) about 20 watts, 1 x 12 speaker. Glorious reverb and trem !!!! Head room galour !!!! Not what you expect out of a small amp. I haven't used it at a gig yet but I will be. 

When I got the amp there was some erractic noises, from shipping across the country. But basically it sounded great. I took it to my tech who said that one of the power tubes was funky and he replaced them. I also had him slow down the tremelo (it was way too fast at it's slowest setting) and now it is a swamp thang with that deep slow pulse and dripping reverb !!!! I also had him gain it up slightly so with a Les Paul the amps gives it up at about 2 o'clock. I also changed the speaker to an old G12H greenback......sounded better than the original speaker.


The I most like is that is doesn't really sound like anything else I've had. Sort of Fendery but bigger and darker, sort of like the older Ampeg amps but higher fidelity.

I am usually a nut for finding out facts about stuff I own but, with this amp, I know nothing. TG told me that this Rocket II was made for two years (68-69). that's all I know. If any of you are Ampeg nuts out there and can help, let me know.
Cheers
pete


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## Guest (Nov 5, 2009)

Niiiiice. A Reverbrocket is tops on my list when I get around to rebuilding my tube-based rig next year. How's it sound with that green Tele plugged into it?


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Hi Pete,

Sorry to hear that the amp had an issue. It left here working perfectly so perhaps the one 40 year old tube simply couldn't handle Canada Post's oh so "gentle" treatment . . . 

It is certainly a cool amp. An Ampeg nut on TGP said he had never seen one like this (it's transitional).
TG


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Ampegs are nice. I have had GAS for Flip top.. don't know why but .. You know how that works.

So what's this about an LP. I thought you have had trouble messing with them, judging by the number that have hit the green blanket.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I have a Reverbrocket II, but it's a 66' and looks NOTHING like the one pictured, so I don't think I can be of any help.


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

iaresee said:


> Niiiiice. A Reverbrocket is tops on my list when I get around to rebuilding my tube-based rig next year. How's it sound with that green Tele plugged into it?


I didn't plug the green Tele into it. But I have run my 51' into if and all I can say is ...ahhhhhhh



traynor_garnet said:


> Hi Pete,
> 
> Sorry to hear that the amp had an issue. It left here working perfectly so perhaps the one 40 year old tube simply couldn't handle Canada Post's oh so "gentle" treatment . . .
> 
> ...


Hey TG.....I'm sure it did leave to good shape. Yeah Canada Post's Love had something to do with it. Funny there is not a bit of info ANYWHERE !!!!
I do know it is not like any Reverbrocket I've ever owned or played.



shoretyus said:


> Ampegs are nice. I have had GAS for Flip top.. don't know why but .. You know how that works.
> 
> So what's this about an LP. I thought you have had trouble messing with them, judging by the number that have hit the green blanket.


Well believe it or not I have completely bonded with not one but two Les Paul's. It's all I've used at gigs for the past couple of months. I got a new 09' R7 Goldtop that is FANTASTIC !!! And I just got back my 56/58 conversion. This is the third time I've owned it  But I think it's here for good now. See you can teach an old dog..................



torndownunit said:


> I have a Reverbrocket II, but it's a 66' and looks NOTHING like the one pictured, so I don't think I can be of any help.


Yeah Hugh Hardy (Bluehugh2 here on the forum brought his over and it is exactly like your's. A 66' and it SCREAMS !!!!!! I loved it. I used to have one wayyyyyyyyy back and it brought back fond memories. Completely different in every way from this 68'. It would be nice to have both and A/B them at a gig. Use the 66' for soloing and all things organic and use the 68' for cleaner bigger tones (Stones circa Let It Bleed/Sticky Fingers etc). When my tech serviced it, he said it was a completely different circuit to the models that came before. He actually had never seen one of these before and he has been repairing amps since 74'.


Thanks All for the comments. This is a very cool amp.
Cheers
pete


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Ya, I would love to try some other Ampegs. The one I have is so fantastic and unique sounding. I wrote a thread about it when I got it, but it sat in the original owners basement practically unplayed until I bought it. It literally looks brand new. Best part is I got it for $250!


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## garretrevels (Mar 9, 2007)

right on!! I don't think I've seen any like that before, maybe one or two that allude me now.

I've been gassin over Ampegs for a while now, I got to record with a Reverberocket a few times and loved it.


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## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

Well, it's a funny old world, eh?
I've been collecting helmet-head Ampegs for years, and the one I couldn't find until recently was the Rocket II. Only a handful have ever come up for sale over the years - it's a REALLY rare one, even though Ampeg theoretically made it 1968 - 1970.

Here we are, four years later, and here is one that's been resting comfortably at Casa Pete in the GTA all along (looking super-cool but a bit chilly without a nice green blanket to rest on), whereas mine took a very long drive in December to find its way here. Ha! It's a killer amp, perfect for playing small clubs, and dead simple in its features and layout. You want to wail? Stick a box in front of it. You want some chorus/phasing/delay/envelope fabulation etc? Stick a box in front of it. It sounds bigger than the comparably spec'ed GU-12 ...because of the bigger cabinet, and it's more of a pain to move around …because of the bigger cabinet. 

The circuit is pretty much the same as the earlier blue-check versions of the Reverbrocket II shown above, but re-engineered onto the Ampeg Flintstones PCB, fit into the new metal chassis and in the same cabinet used for the fancier G-12 and the G-20 combos. In other words, lots of empty space to store stuff. Sadly, it was replaced in 1970 by the much more compact GU-12, with the same 2x7591 power, 1x12" speaker, different circuit and much smaller cabinet. I'm running mine with a lovely old Altec 417-8C …mmm…vintage AlNiCo goodness.


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Wow a revival of this old thread. Very cool.
Here's what's happened in the mean time. I sold that Reverberocket II to Steve Stepanic (SSdeluxe). As soon as I did I realized I should not have. I missed it immediately. 
Steve also fell under the spell of the RR II goodness and to this day uses it all the time. I was not able to wrest it back from him. So I went looking….and looking…..and looking for a replacement.
I originally made the post in late 2009, I think I sold the amp to Steve in the following spring and only late last year (2013) did I find another. So I can attest to the rarity of this particular model.
These are not expensive amps (it would be nice if it stayed that way) so it was not a matter of not being able to afford one. It was literally not seeing one for sale from 2009-2013.







torndownunit said:


> I have a Reverbrocket II, but it's a 66' and looks NOTHING like the one pictured, so I don't think I can be of any help.


In a recent transaction, I also acquired this very amp from Torndownunit. It's killer also. sounds very different from the 68'.
thanks for this baby…I've been playing it lots.





Hammertone said:


> Well, it's a funny old world, eh?
> I've been collecting helmet-head Ampegs for years, and the one I couldn't find until recently was the Rocket II. Only a handful have ever come up for sale over the years - it's a REALLY rare one, even though Ampeg theoretically made it 1968 - 1970.
> 
> Here we are, four years later, and here is one that's been resting comfortably at Casa Pete in the GTA all along (looking super-cool but a bit chilly without a nice green blanket to rest on), whereas mine took a very long drive in December to find its way here. Ha! It's a killer amp, perfect for playing small clubs, and dead simple in its features and layout. You want to wail? Stick a box in front of it. You want some chorus/phasing/delay/envelope fabulation etc? Stick a box in front of it. It sounds bigger than the comparably spec'ed GU-12 ...because of the bigger cabinet, and it's more of a pain to move around …because of the bigger cabinet.
> ...



Well right there is more info than I ever found out about these amps. Of course I should have consulted the Ampeg Guru….doh !!!!
Altec 417-8C ?…..Very nice. I love those speakers. I'll have to try one in mine. Mine has the original Jensen in there. "Flintstones PCB" and "Helmet Head Ampeg's" Ha !!! That's a good one.
Glad you found one Steve….congrats. we will have to get together and play through our respective RR II's.
I'll have to do a new pic with both amps.


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## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

These are great amps as well. One of the cool things about them is that the cabinets got shallower and shallower from '65 to '68, which affects the sound a bit. Fairly easy to find - these were a big hit for Ampeg. 



faracaster said:


> Well right there is more info than I ever found out about these amps. Of course I should have consulted the Ampeg Guru….doh !!!! Altec 417-8C ?…..Very nice. I love those speakers. I'll have to try one in mine. Mine has the original Jensen in there. "Flintstones PCB" and "Helmet Head Ampeg's" Ha !!! That's a good one. ...


Helmethead is standard nomenclature, I think - it covers off the original Unimusic amps as well as the Magnavox ones - pretty much '68 to '78. It's pretty easy to place any of them in that rather strange decade. "Flintstones PCB" - they have almost nothing in common with today's perceptions of what "PCB" means. I've repaired traces on them with jumper wires, heh.

I assume you have seen these pix of my Ampegs. They're only slightly out-of-date, but I don't think I'll be reshooting them anytime soon. Let's see…Austin, San Francisco, Erie, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Orlando, Buffalo, Toronto, Ottawa.


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## fernieite (Oct 30, 2006)

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy my first Ampeg amp. I'm kinda looking for a lower wattage 1970's style combo that can give me the Rolling Stones Ampeg sound. (Studio, not live) I know they used the VT-22 in the studio and perhaps the VT-40. GU-12 and others.

What amps would you recommend to check out? Searching on this site and others I've narrowed it down to three models: The GS-12r Rocket II (like the original post) the G-12 Gemini 12, and the GU-12; but open to any suggestions. 

Thanks.


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## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

Well, the GU-12 is probably the easiest one to find of the three you mention, and is also the most compact (the  GS-12r Rocket II and the G-12 Gemini 12 share a common, larger cabinet), as per the pix in post #9. I have two of them…and only want to keep one. Check your PM.


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## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

Hey, seek and ye shall find. 

You want a G-12 - here's a G-12 for you:
http://www.loudmusicseattle.com/Misc_Amps.html
http://www.loudmusicseattle.com/uploads/1970_Gemini_G12.JPG

Atomic Music down in the D.C. area had a Rocket II - they may still have it.
It looked beat to shit, but was apparently working fine.


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## jrgroove (Oct 3, 2014)

I also have one of these 68 Rocket II's. When I bought the amp some of the cabinet parts were missing including the chassis mounts. I can't figure out how the chassis mounts into the cabinet. 

I'm hoping you can post a few close up pictures of the chassis mounts. 

Cheers


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Miss my Ampeg lot's, but I am mainly glad to see it's getting use. I have moved 3 times since I sold it, and wouldn't have been able to use it in any of the places including where I am now.

The guitar player in my band got one of those newer GVT Ampegs, and that thing is fantastic.


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## jrgroove (Oct 3, 2014)

jrgroove said:


> I also have one of these 68 Rocket II's. When I bought the amp some of the cabinet parts were missing including the chassis mounts. I can't figure out how the chassis mounts into the cabinet.
> 
> I'm hoping you can post a few close up pictures of the chassis mounts.
> 
> Cheers


 Can anyone help with a few pictures? I'm in a real jam. I have no idea what the original chassis mount looked like. :sSig_help:


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Someone at fliptops might be able to help you:
http://www.fliptops.net/catalog/cat-100020/Chassis-Supports


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## jrgroove (Oct 3, 2014)

jb welder said:


> Someone at fliptops might be able to help you:
> http://www.fliptops.net/catalog/cat-100020/Chassis-Supports


I actually have already spoke with Fliptops. They said the chassis mount is similar to the V22. They also explained that the chassis sat on rubber mounts that were bolted to some kind of L bracket. He suggested I get a bracket at the hardware store.


I appreciated their input but it doesn't really help me. In this case, a picture is worth 1000 words.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

fernieite said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm looking to buy my first Ampeg amp. I'm kinda looking for a lower wattage 1970's style combo that can give me the Rolling Stones Ampeg sound. (Studio, not live) I know they used the VT-22 in the studio and perhaps the VT-40. GU-12 and others.
> 
> ...


There is a VT22 on Calgary kijiji now. His price seems a bit high.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-amp-pedal/ca...bo/1023763905?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

jrgroove said:


> I actually have already spoke with Fliptops. They said the chassis mount is similar to the V22. They also explained that the chassis sat on rubber mounts that were bolted to some kind of L bracket. He suggested I get a bracket at the hardware store.


Sorry, but there don't seem to be any pictures that I can find.
These are the shock mounts: 







They bolt up to the bottom of the chassis. For the V4, those side panels I linked before are screwed to the cab sides. The bottom of the shock mounts bolt into the top of those side panels.
For your amp, it sounds like they use L-brackets screwed into the cab sides instead of the side panels.. The bottom of the shock mounts would bolt to theL-brackets.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Pics to the rescue...all the way from Miami!!

Nice work jb welder!

Cheers

Dave


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

I used to have some of those exact part replacement Ampeg shock mounts but I have no idea where I put them. I did find these though with standard 8/32 threads. If you have any trouble finding some, I can gladly send you some of these. Sorry for the bad pix...


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