Ampeg svt3pro, svt7pro or svt6pro... with a 410hlf ampeg?

lucaflea80 · #1 07-15-2011, 12:18 PM

Hi...
I'm wondering which of these heads do you prefer/suggest with the 4ohm ampeg410hlf 4ohm/500w (and sometimes with a 210traveler mark bass).

I tried the 7pro and... it sounds good but...
I tried the 3pro and it's wonderful! very warm and punchy when needed but only 450w...
I tried the 6pro and it's almost like the 3pro but heavyer (and maybe not suitable as the only one head i have to carry... from very small venues to big stages...).

What do you think?

Luca

Marton · #2 07-15-2011, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucaflea80

I tried the 3pro and it's wonderful! very warm and punchy when needed but only 450w...

Luca

Then this amp, is probably not for you, as it's really quiet for its rated 450W.

lowendgenerator · #3 07-15-2011, 12:22 PM

I would go with the 7pro. I've been eyeballing it a lot, and it's got THAT sound.

I had a 3pro. Didn't like it too much. The trick to getting volume out of them is to jack that graphic EQ level slider all the way up.

Toastfuzz · #4 07-15-2011, 12:34 PM

Never have a problem with volume on the 3Pro, going either 8 ohms or 4. From the research I've done here on TB from user experiences and from my own, the 3Pro volume issue is a myth. Playing it for the first time, I was initially disappointed by the volume, but that was before I knew...
A. The clip light is really supposed to flicker with every note, and its not harming the amp
B. The Master volume (on the right side) should be maxed, and volume controlled with Gain knob on the left (I actually keep master around 3/4 usually)
C. If even more volume is needed, the last slider on the EQ can be maxed and it will pump out more volume
D. The Ultra Low sucks a ton of watts and is muddy unusable crap in a band setting, even if it sounds so sweet alone

But I agree with you that out of the SVT Pro line, the 3Pro has the best tone (did not try the all-tube 2Pro, as it was out of my price range.)

Currently, I even use the input padding button to drop the input volume, so that I can max the Master volume and crank up the gain to around 3/4 to get epic tone. Without the pad, the Master has to come down and you dont get that same magic.

MN_Bass · #5 07-15-2011, 12:39 PM

I've owned the 3 & 6 pros and tried a 7 pro at a GC. I would go with the 7 pro, it is IMO the most Tube sounding and tons of power on tap.

RickenBoogie · #6 07-15-2011, 01:29 PM

As a former 6Pro owner, it gets my vote here. It is essentially two 3Pro's in one box, minus the graphic eq. Solid head, great tone, mucho power. That said, the 7Pro is a class D lightweight, and not a bad choice either.

lucaflea80 · #7 07-15-2011, 04:50 PM

For the last year i played in smal-medium situations with my f500 + markbass 210 so i wasn't so worried about the 450w of the svt3....

Plus... last week i played in a very big stage with my ampeg410hlf and the svt-350h and the volume was enough...

I tried the svt7 when choosing the svt350h but i preferred this one becouse it was "cleaner and rounder" but now i need a head for any situations (and room in my car

).
Hope you understand what i mean...

I usually don't know these things... if i buy a head that supplies more power than the power handled by the cabinet (svt6 or 7) is it better than chosing a 450/500w?

KsPiNeSh · #8 07-16-2011, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucaflea80

I usually don't know these things... if i buy a head that supplies more power than the power handled by the cabinet (svt6 or 7) is it better than chosing a 450/500w?

The 7-Pro doesn't put out a continuous 1000 watts, just like any amp does not put out its maximum wattage continuously. As long as you're careful and pay attention the 7-Pro will be fine, as your speakers will tell you if they're being overworked. I would usually rather have a more powerful amp than a less powerful one; you can always turn a powerful amp down, but you can't make a weak one suddenly have more headroom.

lokikallas · #9 07-16-2011, 09:51 PM

In my opinion the 3 pro was built for the 410hlf, and the 7 pro was built to match a paired pn210 and pn15. That said, if the 7 is in your budget get it. Forget the 6, it is heavy, and unless you just need the exercise, the 7 is a better deal.

GizmoTheOne · #10 07-16-2011, 10:03 PM

In my case, the 3-Pro was a liiitle bit too quiet with my 410HLF.

The cab is not very sensitive and doesn't get very loud nor does it cut through very well, so I would take the 6 or 7 over the 3-Pro so to have more headroom.

Of course it also depends on what tone you are going after. If you like the tone coming out of a clipped amp (little distortion/breakup), you will love the 3-Pro, since you will most likely be pushing it very hard to be heard clearly in your band.
If you like a "cleaner-but-still-Ampeg-like" tone, I'd say get the 6-Pro if you can find one. The awesome tone of the 3-Pro, + what it seems to lack a bit, power.

The 7-Pro wouldn't be a bad option either, but my opinion is if you like the tone of the 6 more, get the 6. An amp is an amp, you have to carry it anyways, and as far as I'm concerned I always carry my amp separately from the rest of my gear, or else I feel like I'm not focused enough to give it the attention it needs. So weight and dimensions for me are not that important when compared to actual tone.

JimmyM · #11 07-17-2011, 01:58 AM

Only 450w...LOL!

Me, I'd go for the 7 Pro, but it sounds like you like the lead sled amps more, so go with one of them. I don't know that a single 410HLF will take much more than a 3 Pro can give it...btw, it's not underpowered...you just need to push the gain past noon...around 3:00 is its sweet spot. Used to own a 3 Pro and just used a 4 Pro into a 410HE on a gig tonight and it sounds huge but not distorted right around that point. Since the 410HLF goes so low, it's not the loudest 410 on the market, but it'll get loud enough to irritate people with a 3 Pro. But if you're really concerned about clean headroom, get a 4 Pro or 6 Pro.

rodl2005 · #12 07-17-2011, 05:52 AM

I used to be able to get the 410HLF to ' fart-out ' using the 3 pro. Jimmy's correct in saying the 410 is tuned very low, so maybe that was a reason it didn't handle that much power, I dunno.
But I was able to get plenty of headroom out of the 3 pro, often by using the graphic eq's volume slider. Seemed I could get ay least another 1/4 more power-or something like that-simply by sliding that level control up full

kurt1420 · #13 07-17-2011, 08:06 AM

Why not look at the 4 pro?

DeltaPhoenix · #14 07-17-2011, 08:13 AM

I like my 3 pro a lot. It punches people in the guts.

geeza · #15 07-17-2011, 08:20 AM

I've had a III Pro for a long time and I've never found it lacking in any situation.

lucaflea80 · #16 07-17-2011, 04:18 PM

hi guys...
i'm not that worried about the lack of "power" 'cause i actually play on a f500 markbass + 210 mark (250w on 8ohms) and my band (a beatles homage) is not that loud.
In some loud situations i used to play with that rig and a good nearfield monitor.
The only loud situations are when i play with the red hot chili peppers tribute... 1 or 2 times in a year.

Anyway i'm trying to understand which head is the most "ampeg" and professional head...

I'm thinking also about a nice pre-d.i. box for the gigs without my amp...

GizmoTheOne · #17 07-17-2011, 04:54 PM

In this case, don't waste money, get the 3-PRO. For what you are using it for, it will do the job just fine. I have a 3-PRO and whatever else I try, I seem to always be coming back to it. Just sounds too good.

As for the "preamp", many recommend a Sansamp Bass Driver by Tech21 (see which one you like best). Seems like they are good boxes, but I don't know much about them nor do I care all that much since I always bring my amp.

JimmyM · #18 07-17-2011, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucaflea80

hi guys...
i'm not that worried about the lack of "power" 'cause i actually play on a f500 markbass + 210 mark (250w on 8ohms) and my band (a beatles homage) is not that loud.
In some loud situations i used to play with that rig and a good nearfield monitor...

The cab is the limiting factor. 210's aren't as loud as a 410.

lokikallas · #19 07-17-2011, 09:06 PM

I have to laugh when I hear people say the pro3 and the hlf combo isn't very loud. I play in a thrash metal band with two guitar half stacks and a crazy drummer. We must wear earplugs at rehearsal. I can't turn the master past 4 or 5 without COMPLETELY drowning out the rest of the band. This is why I decided that a 410 driven by around 500 watts is as much as anybody really could ever need. Is 1000 watts into an 810 cool? Of course. Any stage large enough to warrant anything larger will have pa support.

GizmoTheOne · #20 07-18-2011, 11:10 PM

Yep, you turn up to 5, and then you start to clip your amp, IME.