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I got a sweet trade offer. Someone wants to trade their Ampeg VT22 2x12 (with Texas Heat speakers) for my Mesa F-100 head. I play in a really heavy band, and run all my dirt with pedals through the clean channel. I like the idea of an Ampeg because of the huge low end. Here's the thing: I know the Ampeg weighs a ton, and its prob a bad idea for me to tour with this thing given that I have constant rib injuries. However, I'm so tempted to do it. Maybe I can cut it down into a head? Is it worth it? Thoughts dear ILF?

How old is the Ampeg? Are you likely to have to perform maintenance on it while on tour?

You will have an easier time finding a V4, which is the head version of that amp (which is what you really want), than you will of finding another F-100, and the F-100 is actually a brutally underrated amp anyway.

D.o.S. wrote:You will have an easier time finding a V4, which is the head version of that amp (which is what you really want), than you will of finding another F-100, and the F-100 is actually a brutally underrated amp anyway.

This, keep the Mesa, save up buy a V4. Run both at the same time, gain pedals into the V4, high gain from the Mesa. More volume is always the answer.

and yeah, echoing - the F-100s are KILLER amps

Plus cutting the VT22 basically destroys your chance of reselling or trading it for the value at which it is while uncut. It's not cocaine.

you could just build a different head shell for it and pull the amp chassis and mount it in there for the head. then if you want to sell just stick it back in the combo chassis. won't hurt the value. a v4 head alone is insanely heavy and i wouldn't envy the idea of touring with the vt22 combo. the v4 is just a killer amp and i love them, but i'm with DOS. the f-100 is awesome and hard to find. and probably worth a little more than a vt22. it wouldn't be the worst trade in the world, but i wouldn't exactly say it's in your favor.

Value on the two would be a bad call for you IMO; the "upgraded" speakers hurt the future collectability/resale aspect by a mile.

Also Ampeg stuff in guitar amps is a very, very niche market - I've seen that market collapse a few times in the last twenty years.

If the guy is in Niagara Falls, that's my old VT-22!

If you have any specific questions about it PM me. I can give you the full run down.

Fuzzy Picklez wrote:If the guy is in Niagara Falls, that's my old VT-22!

If you have any specific questions about it PM me. I can give you the full run down.

Was it a 1971 non-master volume with Eminence Texas Heats? If so, then it's likely the same one.

After reading everyones comments (btw, thanks everyone!!!), I decided to keep the F-100 and save up for a V4. The trade Value/Resale, the maintenance prob required (plus the ease of swapping tubes on a Mesa, particularly for touring), and the weight of the VT-22 were too many variables. Once again ILF helps navigate my gas!

Ahh. Mine was a master volume version. But it did have texas heats and currently resides in Niagra Falls. I assumed there couldn't be many of those.

And yeah, they weigh a million pounds. Unfortunately, V4s are always going to be costly to repair. If you're looking for a good tech to fix old Ampegs when you get one, I know a couple techs who deal with them on the regular.
Some guys will butcher them.