ampeg v4 offered to me in trade

vegedge · #1 01-30-2013, 03:17 PM

so i have a 200s and someone offered me an ampeg v4. is this a no brainer trade? i have been worried the 200s would not be loud enough for a loud band. i love the 200s sound so i am not certain what to do.
i have herd many v4s and yeah its great. but i am torn. this might be a once in a lifetime deal

B-string · #2 01-30-2013, 03:40 PM

That is a tough one! V4 has about twice the power and both are great sounding amps though slightly different. What kind of shape is the V4 in?

chillerthanmost · #3 01-30-2013, 05:13 PM

Sure a v4 might have twice the power but the Sunn will stay cleaner longer. My V4 was always a little on the dirty side. Also never really cared for the eq curve. My 200s is smooth and balanced. Breaks up real nice and its just as loud if ran through efficient speakers. On top of being of much better build and quality parts, I would keep the Sunn. A lot of V4's always tend to have maintenance issues, for the most part. I had two, one was perfect and never gave me issues but it really only sounded its best when I spent a good amount of money on tubes for it. The second one was always having issues left and right. I seem to be one of the few that don't really care too much for v4's as much as the hype does, and I've had two of them. I've only had one Sunn but I found it far more pleasurable. I haven't been using mine lately since I have multiple amps, but when I used to play it through two SRO 15's, it was pretty loud. YMMV

chadds · #4 01-30-2013, 06:37 PM

The Sunn is the rarer one.

subbasshz · #5 02-02-2013, 09:16 PM

save the sunn wait for the scratch to buy a V4 then run in stereo. trust me dude. . .

two fingers · #6 02-02-2013, 09:29 PM

All you need to do is A/B them through your cab. Then let your ears be your guide. Simple as that. Don't worry too much about which one is worth more to some imaginary market that fluctuates faster than we can keep up with. Play them both in the same room, with the same bass, through the same cab. Take home the one you like best. Who cares if the V4 is worth more if you get it and don't like it as much as the Sunn? (And this coming from a guy who is still in the honeymoon phase with his recently acquired V4.)

1) Close mouth.
2) Open ears.
3) Play both.
4) Go home with the one you like best.
5) Come back here and post pics of whichever one wins.

rllefebv · #7 02-02-2013, 11:28 PM

two fingers speaks the truth... It's all about what sounds best to you... FWIW, I had an uber-clean '71 V4 as well as a smokin' '70 200S... Both killer amps, albeit different animals...

From time to time I regret getting rid of the Ampeg, but to my ears, and for my playing, there wasn't even a contest. Sunn all the way! Of course, knowing that the V4 went to a good home with an appreciative and cool bass player helped greatly

-robert

subbasshz · #8 02-03-2013, 08:09 AM

to me the sunn is more HI FI then the ampeg. the sun will let you know what your bass sounds like in a wonderful way. the ampeg colors the tone more but its a good color. that might help. . .

vegedge · #9 02-07-2013, 07:15 PM

it turned out to not be a v4 but the vt22 combo ripped out of the combo and turned into just the head.. i guese im not doing it then

mattbass6945 · #10 02-07-2013, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subbasshz

save the sunn wait for the scratch to buy a V4 then run in stereo. trust me dude. . .

this is the answer to every thread!

Lee Bruton · #11 02-07-2013, 07:42 PM

I've had both, back in the day, Sunn always gave me problems, Ampeg not so much, between the 2, I'd take the 200s

B-string · #12 02-07-2013, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vegedge

it turned out to not be a v4 but the vt22 combo ripped out of the combo and turned into just the head.. i guese im not doing it then

BTW a VT-22 is a V4. It becomes a VT-22 when sold in the combo. Same amp.

nashvillebill · #13 02-07-2013, 08:00 PM

Yep, exact same amp. On the back of the amp it even says both V4 and VT-22.

JimmyM · #14 02-08-2013, 01:33 AM

Ya, as long as the headcase is built well, it's the same amp.

BogeyBass · #15 02-08-2013, 03:46 PM

Darn hard choice, would want both in my collection.

both would need new caps and tubes and a overall run through

but if your gonna gig with the thing and juice is more important
the Sunn is either 60 watts or 80 and the V4 is gonna be around 120 to 130 watts. both are gonna need a decent amount of cab and speakers to work.

I used a 810 with my V4 and that was wonderful, my 200s needs work and I have never gigged with it. Kinda looking for a matching 2x15 for it too. That is really the only thing i would care to use it with.

The V4B has more output tabs on it.
Mine was a V4 with the reverb and i remember at the time a few of the tubes were a pain in the butt to find. Could be different now.

Collector value the 200s use to be dirt cheap, but getting harder to find. Likewise the V4's use to be dirt cheap too. But i have not been able to find one locally for awhile and the ones I did find were overpriced.

Darn it is a tough call, both are gonna need money dumped into them to work well.

Moon Fetus · #16 02-08-2013, 03:53 PM

I would keep the Sunn... I haven't had much experience with them but they seem to have more novelty, haha.

Nice to see XVX around here as well... The world would be a better place with more of that ideology. I'm not entirely edge but definitely hardline veg.