For years people have argued form over function. Once in a while, in some cases, you can have both. I have an Ampeg V4 guitar cab I have played for years. At some point during the 80’s the grill was lost and replaced with individual metal grills. At the time I thought it looked more “metal.” As the years rolled on my amp took a few hits over the years, and the sum of all of my gigs had it looking like a battered piece of garbage.
Part of me wanted to roll the amp out to the curb until I reflected on the lineage of these great cabs. Guitar greats like Nuno Bettencourt and Paul Gilbert are big fans of these cabinets. In one interview Nuno said they give him a sweeter tone than the Marshalls. It is easy to see why. Ampeg V4 cabinets are made of ¾ birch the construction is a throwback to days when things were built to last.
I decided to keep the cab, restore it and bring it back to its former glory. My parts list to was lengthy. Not only was I going to restore the cabinet, but I also planned on converting it into a bass cab. After a good amount of research on the web, every blog and forum post I saw pointed me back to FlipTops.net.
The name FlipTops pays homage to the old Ampeg amps that housed their heads inside the cabinet. The head could be flipped up to sit on the cab and flipped back inside for storage. Finding parts for these amps is difficult, FlipTops.net not only stocks these parts but also everything I needed for my vintage Ampeg V4 restoration.
Clicking through the pages of FlipTops.net not only did I find everything I needed for my project but they also have parts for vintage Fender, Marshall, Vox, Sunn, Hiwatt, and Traynor amps. Fliptops is also now proud to offer our line of high-end speaker cabinets including the new 810N stack cabinet system.
Back to my project we replaced the original speakers with the new Celestion Pulse 12 inch bass speakers. Put on a new grill, badge, and a new handle. The coasters were also upgraded with more modern wheels. The original V4 coasters was a dolly that had two large screws it to the cabinet. This was replaced with a set of Ernie Ball pop-out casters.
If you are curious about how this baby sounded when we got done, you can check out our review of the Celestion Pulse 12 inch bass speakers.
You can find Fliptops online at Fliptops.net
Fliptops Ampeg Parts
675 Auburn Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14222
Phone Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-5pm EST
Shop Hours: By Appointment Only. Please Call.
716.886.1585
