Rickenbacker B-16 Supersonic
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Rickenbacker B-16 Supersonic
Anyone had any experience with a Rickenbacker B-16 Supersonic. A friend of mine is picking one up and wants me to go through it. It's the non-tremelo type. I have a schematic and have dug through the interweb for images, joined a number of "Ricky" forums, but not a lot of information is floating around out there. It's been said that it's a fairly rare amp. There are a couple of videos on YouTube, but that's about it.
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BLT
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Stevem
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There are no curve balls in it, it's your basic tube Guitar amp so do not fret!
From what I have seen with these you might want to start off with replacing the standby switch if the amp has seen a lot of use .
From what I have seen with these you might want to start off with replacing the standby switch if the amp has seen a lot of use .
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
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Stevem
- Posts: 5144
- Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:01 pm
- Location: 1/3rd the way out one of the arms of the Milkyway.
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Now that I look back the 8 years ago when I had one on the bench I did do some up grades besides the normal overhaul stuff.
1) install 470 ohm 5 watt non wire wound secreen resistors.
2) kick up the output tube bypass cap to 150uf@ 75 volts.
3) increase the first power supply node filter to 60uf ( two 30s) from 40uf.
4) replace the 1/2 watt PI plate resistors with 1 watt.
1) install 470 ohm 5 watt non wire wound secreen resistors.
2) kick up the output tube bypass cap to 150uf@ 75 volts.
3) increase the first power supply node filter to 60uf ( two 30s) from 40uf.
4) replace the 1/2 watt PI plate resistors with 1 watt.
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Re: Rickenbacker B-16 Supersonic
Good to know. Design wise very straightforward. But the way they did things then vs. now, made me think it could be beefed up in certain areas. Thanks for the info.
BLT
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Stevem
- Posts: 5144
- Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:01 pm
- Location: 1/3rd the way out one of the arms of the Milkyway.
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Beefing up? Get it in 100% working order for the guy, have him play it as he will want/ need to and at that point see if it needs to be made fatter, thinner, louder, dirtier, or cleaner.
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
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Stevem
- Posts: 5144
- Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:01 pm
- Location: 1/3rd the way out one of the arms of the Milkyway.
.
Well with 460 plus 2015 volts on the output tube plates it should be loud thru 4-10" drivers even if it's only pumping out 30 watts of clean power if the speakers are in the 92 db or better SPL range!
A nice up grade / boost would be to pack in a interleaved OT from a Fender tweed 4-10 Bassman.
A nice up grade / boost would be to pack in a interleaved OT from a Fender tweed 4-10 Bassman.
Last edited by Stevem on Sun Oct 18, 2015 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Re: Rickenbacker B-16 Supersonic
Didn't somebody like St Louis Music make these amps for Ric?
Seems like they hired a company to build their amps?
Seems like they hired a company to build their amps?
Tom
Don't let that smoke out!
Don't let that smoke out!
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Stevem
- Posts: 5144
- Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:01 pm
- Location: 1/3rd the way out one of the arms of the Milkyway.
T
I need to ask at this point what your after, are you at a loss that there is no mod info to be found on line in regards to this amp?
In that case it makes sence since not many of the amps where sold!
If you go look at the GE or RCA factory tube spec sheet for the output tubes you will see what can be had in terms of output power with regards to the plate voltage,current drive and OT impedance you have, or will have if you make a change!
If your looking for a bit more volume and punch ( and unfortunately less low volume sing) then with less than 20 bucks in parts convert the amps output stage over to a fixed bias set up.
In that case it makes sence since not many of the amps where sold!
If you go look at the GE or RCA factory tube spec sheet for the output tubes you will see what can be had in terms of output power with regards to the plate voltage,current drive and OT impedance you have, or will have if you make a change!
If your looking for a bit more volume and punch ( and unfortunately less low volume sing) then with less than 20 bucks in parts convert the amps output stage over to a fixed bias set up.
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Re: Rickenbacker B-16 Supersonic
I'm just looking for general information on it. I'm asking has anyone owned one, knows someone who owned one, and their general impression of it. Until I get one actually in front of me I won't know if the schematics are accurate, or if people tend to mod them to the point where they're unrecognizable. If there is no info, I understand; as I said up front, it's proving to be a rare amp. There's a chance I won't even see this amp up close, much less work on it. But the 2 video examples I heard on YouTube, intrigued me enough to reach out and see if anyone else had run into one.
BLT