The Ampeg Family Reunion - Official Club Thread Part 4

[two fingers]

New old Ampeg day! Sounds amazing just through my Avatar 1-12. Can't wait to hear it through the big boxes!

[fivestringgecko]

Sweet! I love my old school V4B. Never tried it with a 1x12 though, I bet it's killer. Sounds awesome with my 2x10!

5sg.

[JvN]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Forget that! Here's what you do if you REALLY want badass DI sound out of an SVT that includes everything, including the power amp sound...buy a REDDI

Of course, I have been thinking about that (or the UA Solo/610). And then connect it to the Ext Amp - not between your instrument and the amp? SVT/V-4B pre- and poweramp sound minus volume? I know you're a REDDI addict, and given how you changed my life talking me into the Heil mike, I should really try. But I also like the sound and idea of the UA, which even has 2 tubes in it, plus the corresponding controls, which make it a bit more versatile, if at the price of some $300 more. How B-15-ish is the REDDI actually, soundwise? If I would buy a high end DI, it must be able to come as close to the SVT/V-4B sound as possible. And maybe that can be done through the Ext Amp, as you say. Never thought about it that way :-D.

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Failing that, take a DI that does speaker level DI such as the Countryman or some of the Radials and hook it up with speaker cables between your SVT and cab. Then you get the entire amp as opposed to just the preamp. (...) Have to add that it doesn't work so well if you're cranking into more than a light distorto-ville because it can blow tweeters in the PA, but Radial and Palmer make DI boxes that have speaker sims in them that will work better for distortion. Not sure if the Palmer works for bass, but Radial has an ad in the new BP for it that says it works on bass. I know the H&K Red Box definitely doesn't work for bass, though.

I have a Palmer PDI-09 which works perfectly fine with bass, but I don't like the speaker emulation and volume problems... which is why I am looking for something else.

[FloydianAnimal]

933 thedudebrah
934 two fingers

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by JvN

Of course, I have been thinking about that (or the UA Solo/610). And then connect it to the Ext Amp - not between your instrument and the amp? SVT/V-4B pre- and poweramp sound minus volume? I know you're a REDDI addict, and given how you changed my life talking me into the Heil mike, I should really try. But I also like the sound and idea of the UA, which even has 2 tubes in it, plus the corresponding controls, which make it a bit more versatile, if at the price of some $300 more. How B-15-ish is the REDDI actually, soundwise? If I would buy a high end DI, it must be able to come as close to the SVT/V-4B sound as possible. And maybe that can be done through the Ext Amp, as you say. Never thought about it that way :-D.

The REDDI sounds identical to a clean running B-15 running speaker level DI, except with a relatively flat response and less noise. The noise in my B-15 was slight running it that way, and likely nobody'd ever notice it, but the REDDI's a touch quieter. Having said that, there ain't nothing wrong with that Heil micing your rig, either! As for the UA, I don't know much about it. All I know is that in comparison clips I've heard, I liked it but I liked the REDDI more. Never thought to try it in the ext amp out of my tube amps, though. Didn't think it needed it.

I have a Palmer PDI-09 which works perfectly fine with bass, but I don't like the speaker emulation and volume problems... which is why I am looking for something else.

Well the volume problems are pretty difficult to overcome, but with a regular DI that does speaker level, you can overcome the speaker sim problem easily enough.

[TussinBot.]

Can anyone in hear comment on the tonal differences between the PF115He/hlf and the SVT15e? I currently use a diesel 1x15 which I love the tone of but i am having a really hard time find another one to pair with it. Its ported, but has really tight lows, the mids are very aggressive, and the highs sparkle. Im not a fan of tweeters, though I guess I could just turn it off if I got a cab that has one. Also I am superficial as hell, I hate the looks of the PF cabs but if they sounded great itd be tolerable. Havent seen svt15e's or pf cabs at my local guitarcenters or i wouldve tried them out.

[JvN]

Thnx Jimmy! And Happy Christmas to all.

Anyone else any experiences with putting a DI-box between the Ext Amp of an SVT or V-4B and the FOH...? Or using no DI at all (but then the signal is not balanced and isolated)?

Stiles - are you using a modern SVT head with an XLR out? Didn't have those back in the days, so the Ext Amp is all I have. But I like the idea of skipping the DI-box altogether, or just using a high-end clean 1/4" jack through XLR kinda thing, if such a thing exists...

Live, I am always miking my 810 used with my SVT or V-4B. Most of the time, I am surprisingly successful in talking the tech into using just that, thanks to the incredible performance of the Heil mic. But if he insists on a second channel for a DI (only a DI is out of the question, of course;-), I just want the cleanest possible Ampeg sound converted into an XLR-signal. Don't have those beasts just for monitoring, right? I have tried a speaker sim DI between the head and the 810 (Palmer PDI-09), but did not like the speaker sim. I can buy a REDDI, but even being the best DI in the traditional sense (tapping right from the instrument) it has little to do with the sound I am looking for. I know sound techs will kill me for not wanting to give them a clean signal straight from my (passive/vintage) bass, but hey - we're on a bass forum.

Now Styles72 set me thinking of tapping from the Ext amp-signal and using that for conversion into an XLR-signal and then to the FOH. Is that a stupid idea? What kind of signal is the Ext amp? Just Pre-amp, I thought... so very well usable for the PA imo. If my theory is correct, I just need the cleanest DI box on the market and feed it from the Ext amp. Brilliant, and the simplest and purest (and cheapest) solution for all of us vintage Ampeg users. Or am I missing something....?

David, is it correct that the signal out of the Ext Amp is pre-amp minus volume/power? I found some older threads with useful insights from, among others, you and Jimmy, but I haven't found the exact question above addressed. Old Ampeg manuals say the Ext amp can be used to feed the PA. So... the next question is how to convert the 1/4" jack to the desired XLR connection for the FOH. Just an adapter cable? Or a simple, passive DI from a trusted brand?

[Ale]

Can i join?
Love my 810. Been putting it on the side for a while now, sounds great.
VT-Bass to U5 to Glockenklang HR2 to 810.

[CDHawkins]

Originally Posted by JvN

Thanx Stiles - so going from the Ext Amp on the SVT/V-4B to your XLR extension cord or a high end passive DI box would give the pre-amp's sound, right?

That's what I do with mine, works like a charm.

[JvN]

Originally Posted by CDHawkins

That's what I do with mine, works like a charm.

Thnx CD - so how do you convert from the 1/4" jack to XLR? Via cable adapter or the simplest of DI-boxes? And - passive DI (Radial JDI?) or active DI? Man - I'll remember this Christmas for the rest of my life if this is working out...!

EDIT: see the Ampeg V-4 thread. Same discussion plus the Ext amp - DI solution!

[FloydianAnimal]

935 Ale

[JimmyM]

Really, I just wanted to show you all the depths to which I will sink to entertain a crowd, but it does give me a chance to show off my BA110. Had it for a while but never had the nerve to try it on a gig until a couple weeks ago. Brought it on an outdoor gig a couple weeks ago when it looked like it would be a total rainout. I also brought the Micro VR stack just in case the BA110 didn't work out, but I totally dug it, despite it being smaller and less power than our guitarist's 50w Mesa head and 112 cab.

Used it on 3 gigs now, and it's been a little champ as a stage monitor. Obviously we're not a high stage volume band, but we're not exactly quiet, either. Our drummer hits medium loud and we have horns and several singers who love loud monitors. But I was loud enough to get the job done, it sounded like what I'm used to hearing out of my bigger Ampeg stuff, and I didn't have to push it into the red. Had a lot of ass on it for a 110, too. Sure, it's an inexpensive little practice amp so my happiness with it is relative to its size and low cost, meaning I still enjoy using the bigger and more expensive Ampeg stuff better but I thought it did quite well and I had no complaints.

Definitely the smallest amp I've ever gigged with a full band, though I have done little quiet jazz quartet stuff with the BA108. But the BA108, with 25w and a single 8", couldn't hang with this band. Surprisingly, increasing the power by 10w and the speaker diameter by 2" made the difference between hanging and not hanging. Not an amp everyone will be able to use onstage, but it worked out for me. Sure didn't complain when I left the gig 10 minutes sooner than usual, either.

[ddbassGA]

I've had similar experience using my BA112, given full FOH support. That's about as small as I'd go.

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Definitely the smallest amp I've ever gigged with a full band, though I have done little quiet jazz quartet stuff with the BA108. But the BA108, with 25w and a single 8", couldn't hang with this band. Surprisingly, increasing the power by 10w and the speaker diameter by 2" made the difference between hanging and not hanging. Not an amp everyone will be able to use onstage, but it worked out for me. Sure didn't complain when I left the gig 10 minutes sooner than usual, either.

Originally Posted by ddbassGA

I've had similar experience using my BA112, given full FOH support. That's about as small as I'd go.

I just kinda re-did my rig for a similar thing. We're playing more places with FOH support, so dragging the big guns around are kinda pointless since I have to turn them down so much. I got a PF-500 to use as a rehearsal amp, but I think it's going to now be the FOH gig head. I dumped a 4x10 neo cab (other brand) and picked up a PF-115LF and a tilt stand. I've got 2 rehearsals and a gig w/FOH in the next 7 days and should be able to report back fully, hopefully with pics.

For the un-supported gigs, I plan on adding another PF-115LF, provided this one works out, and using the 4-Pro.

FWIW, those PF-115LF are just absolutely beautiful cabs. They're light enough to easily move, heavy enough to be taken seriously and the checkered covering is really cool...

[JimmyM]

Not played the PF115lf yet. Heard it goes super low, though.

The BA112 is a great little amp, probably my favorite of the BA line. But now that I know how well the BA110 hangs, I think I'm set for practice amps. I still got the Micro VR if I need serious volume, too

[JvN]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

I still got the Micro VR if I need serious volume, too

Jimmy - do you feel 1 SVT210 cab is enough for rehearsal and small gigs? I'm thinking about using 1 of those cabs with either the Micro VR or the PF500. Ideas?

Plus - what do you make of the SVT210 being advertised as 1/4th of an SVT 810?

[JimmyM]

It's plenty enough for me, but predicting someone else's volume needs is tough. And Ampeg doesn't advertise it as being 1/4 of an 810 that I've seen. The speakers don't take as much and the box size is smaller than a 210 compartment, so it's really not 1/4 of an SVT 810. Sounds really good, though!

[JvN]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Sounds really good, though!

Ever tried an SVT210AV with the PF500, anyone?

[Edword]

Not too much to report. My first "bass rig" was a VT-22 w/ a Fender 1x15 bottom



Picked up a few more pieces along the way







That's about it!

[PWV]

In case any Ampeg folks are looking for a killer Ampeg rig, I'm listing mine in GFS right now:

SVT VR and SVT 810 AV



*Hope that's ok to post here.... just looking to spread the word to the choir!