ampeg v4
 

i have recently come across a 1970's ampeg v4 a, but it has been modified to become a v4b.

i have wanted a decent head unit for quite a while so was quite happy when i was offered one.

i have a few questions tho, it needs a good service as it looks like it has been a while since the last one, so im wondering how much is something like this worth ?

is it better than a classic SVT ? or should i hold out and try and buy one of them ?

I paid $600 for my V-4B about 5 months ago in good, un-messed-with condition. at 100 watts it's plenty loud into my vintage squareback 8x10 and breaks up a lot quicker than my SVT. fantastic gritty tone. I paid a local amp tech $65 to give it a once over and replace a bad resistor (basically an hour's labor).

It can be quite costly to service V4's. The tubes are worth over $200, a cap job is more like $250 and will need to be done soon if it hasn't already, and it's a rather elaborate design so just tracking problems can be time consuming. You should really insist the amp be inspected before buying, ideally agree on a price before inspection unless repairs are too high, and offer to split the inspection cost if you don't buy it. If the seller won't agree to that, don't buy it.

I'm a v4b fanboy. I have both, it and a 75 svt. The SVT hasn't left the house since I got the v4 over a year ago and it's not because of the weight. With two fifteens and any fender it's the best bass sound I've ever had.

It can definitely stand up to the SVT tone-wise if you don't need super high power. It should be loud enough for most gigs.

I run an SVP-CL preamp and an IPR power amp. It weighs ~15lbs and it can drive four 8x10's to tears. I love V4's but I don't regret selling mine.

A cap job on a V4 shouldn't be more than $150. If you pay $250 you're getting ripped off. Even the cap job on my SVT wasn't that expensive.