Ampeg SVT-15EN vs SVT-410HLF which is more vintage?

mazdah · #1 04-17-2010, 09:08 AM

I have 410HLF cab, and it seems that I can't find my tone with it.

I love the tone of Duck Dunn, James Jamerson. I have P-bass US Vintage '62 with LaBella flats and SVT-3PRO amp.
So everything should be perfect ... except it is not.

I get very soapy, floppy, soft sound with tons of low end. I hate this floppiness and there is this guy who wats to get rid of his 15EN and wats some 410.
I always liked '15 speakers, but I have no chance to try Ampeg's '15 before.

As I said I'm looking for ol'skool thump with that great punch. I am pretty sure that my amp and bass can do that. Just not sure about the cab ...

Any suggestions?

JimmyM · #2 04-17-2010, 02:48 PM

it can, yeah. the 410hlf will also do it if you turn the tweeter off, but its giant low end is very non-vintage. still, it can be tamed with eq. all a matter of taste, bro.

RickenBoogie · #3 04-17-2010, 03:32 PM

+1, and one thing is for sure, swapping the 15 for the 410 will mean you get ALOT less volume, reguardless of the tonal goals. 2 15's is much closer to the output of a 410 than a single 15, in most every case.

mazdah · #4 04-17-2010, 04:43 PM

First of all the 3pro is a power monster in my band. With 410HLF it's very hard to handle. It's just too loud and boomy. And I cant get this oldschool sound without too much boominess.

I've tested SVT 810E today and I WAS TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY!
This cab is totally AWESOME ... this is THE CAB.
I wonder could the 410HE would sound as "half of the fridge"
Maybe I should get the HE?

RickenBoogie · #5 04-17-2010, 04:48 PM

Good choice, except the HE is an 8 ohm cab, where your HLF and the 810 are 4 ohms. That would mean you get less wattage from the 3Pro.

JimmyM · #6 04-17-2010, 04:52 PM

i'd say the 410he is 33% of the 810e. it does have the same basic sound, and two of them sound remarkably like an 810e, but the bigness + doubling the driver count makes quite a difference that a single 410he doesn't quite deliver. still, i think the 410he is a great 410 and very underrated by folks on here.

mazdah · #7 04-17-2010, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

Good choice, except the HE is an 8 ohm cab, where your HLF and the 810 are 4 ohms. That would mean you get less wattage from the 3Pro.

That doesn't matter. 275W is much more than I need. Heck, 100W is a killer in my current band

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

i'd say the 410he is 33% of the 810e. it does have the same basic sound, and two of them sound remarkably like an 810e, but the bigness + doubling the driver count makes quite a difference that a single 410he doesn't quite deliver. still, i think the 410he is a great 410 and very underrated by folks on here.

I think this may be it. I'd love to have a 810E, but It's too big and heavy.
Today I just set tone in my P bass to 0 and enjoyed the sweetness of CL / 3pro with 810E...
It's impossible to play on HLF with tone set to 0 :/
Cutting lowest freq. on my hlf doesnt quite do the trick :/

As I said i play very quietly with my band, so I don't need that huge amount of sound that 410HLF and 810E delivers...

JimmyM · #8 04-17-2010, 06:07 PM

i hear ya. i guess i'm an oddball. i play pretty quietly onstage too but i like big cabs. i think you'll dig the 410he. it does cop the sound.

mazdah · #9 04-17-2010, 06:23 PM

Thanks Jimmy

I'll try to do some tests tomorrow and maybe do some exchange with my friend :]

akaTRENT · #10 04-18-2010, 10:54 PM

I would say the hlf probably isnt to vintagey. Once you add ports, you get a low end mud that is totally unvintage

rodl2005 · #11 04-19-2010, 12:52 AM

Outta the 2 cabs- the HE is a far more 'vintagey' tone IME. I found the HLF too boomy also

deepbluesuk · #12 04-19-2010, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

i think the 410he is a great 410 and very underrated by folks on here.

A big +1 to that! I sometimes use mine with a V4BH of GK 700RB-II and both deliver a lot of punch when the gig doesnt require my 4ohm 2x15. An excellent cab.

LowDown Hal · #13 04-19-2010, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mazdah

That doesn't matter. 275W is much more than I need. Heck, 100W is a killer in my current band

I think this may be it. I'd love to have a 810E, but It's too big and heavy.
Today I just set tone in my P bass to 0 and enjoyed the sweetness of CL / 3pro with 810E...
It's impossible to play on HLF with tone set to 0 :/
Cutting lowest freq. on my hlf doesnt quite do the trick :/

As I said i play very quietly with my band, so I don't need that huge amount of sound that 410HLF and 810E delivers...

I recently retired my 410HLF in favor of an 810E.
I like the sound better and it is actually easier to move than the 410 was/is. IMHO

brettf · #14 04-19-2010, 07:23 PM

i dont like the hlf and its overextended bottom.
I do like 810E, and also 15E.
I would say the 15 sounds pretty vintage, no horn is a plus.

derridiandrift · #15 04-19-2010, 08:17 PM

I much prefer the 410he to the hlf, but that's just 'MY' ears. I run my 410HE with my SVT-CL sometimes and I think it sounds great, regardless of the lower power output from my amp. The SVT has plenty of power to spare in my applications.

To my ears, the 15E doesn't sound as 'vintage' as the 410HE (I always have the horn turned off). The 15E has a surprising amount of upper mids and highs and provides a great deal of articulation. It also goes very deep too. It's a great cab but I wouldn't call it "vintage."

xray · #16 04-19-2010, 11:18 PM

Sounds like you need a frig. I have the HLF and love it, but that's me. It does have a big low end but that's what I like. I also have two 15E which I don't like as much. They'll be on CL's list before long. I would have definitely bought a frig if I had the space. My wife barely agreed to the HLF but it was priced right!

The 8x10 is the signature vintage tone Ampeg is all about. For those artists you listed the frig is the one for you!