Any "non-OSB" Ampeg SVT-210HE?

AlexanderB · #1 05-27-2010, 05:44 AM

I know this somewhat rare (at least in Sweden) cab was offered only for a few years. It is in my SLM era broshure but is obsolete since at least a couple of years.

Does anyone know if these cabs were all made from OSB?
I am looking to buy one, so it would be good to know about different "versions".

And by the way, it seems they use the same cast frame drivers that went into the Pro series? I had kind of hoped it used the HLF speakers, but the Pro series are perhaps as good...

/Alexander B

RickenBoogie · #2 05-27-2010, 05:40 PM

The SLM era SVT series cabs were all baltic birch. The 210he is a nice cab, not much good by itself, but paired with an SVT15e, not too shaby.

AlexanderB · #3 05-28-2010, 12:09 PM

Thanks for the reply!
In many other threads people say that during the SLM era, enclosures were made out of OSB. Do you know when the transition took place?

/Alexander from Sweden

JimmyM · #4 05-28-2010, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

The SLM era SVT series cabs were all baltic birch.

bzzzzt! sorry, ricken. but many slm era cabs were, indeed, made out of osb chipboard. not sure of the exact years, but i'm guessing between 2000-2005.

Wes Whitmore · #5 05-28-2010, 12:53 PM

SLM SVT-410HLF is made of OSB with a partical board divider, and a plywood baffle.

hover · #6 05-28-2010, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

The SLM era SVT series cabs were all baltic birch.

they were? that's news to me. My old 610hlf was very much osb. I should know, I used to source their woods for the current changeover to overseas production...about 4.5 years ago.

RickenBoogie · #7 05-28-2010, 05:19 PM

Well, ok then, but there certainly *were* SLM cabs made from birch. I had a pair of them, '06 production I beleive.

hover · #8 05-28-2010, 06:15 PM

IF they were "slm" era, they were transition cabs...what is your knowledge of them being slm? the crossover label?

The reason I ask is I have a N'ampeg 410hlf, of roughly the same "vintage", and all the drivers are stamped "slm".

RickenBoogie · #9 05-28-2010, 08:58 PM

Only that the back panel read manufactured by SLM, St Louis, and nothing more.

JimmyM · #10 05-28-2010, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hover

IF they were "slm" era, they were transition cabs...what is your knowledge of them being slm? the crossover label?

The reason I ask is I have a N'ampeg 410hlf, of roughly the same "vintage", and all the drivers are stamped "slm".

they had stopped the use of osb before they sold to loud, so it's entirely possible ricken's 06 cab is made of wood and came from slm.

AlexanderB · #11 05-29-2010, 02:33 AM

But by then, the 210 was taken out of production? Or is there a chance to find a 210 made of plywood?

hover · #12 05-29-2010, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

they had stopped the use of osb before they sold to loud, so it's entirely possible ricken's 06 cab is made of wood and came from slm.

I know this, hence my earlier post. That transpired a lot quicker than you think.

rbonner · #13 05-29-2010, 08:32 AM

Yes on top of all that, the EARLY plywood cabs were not BALTIC BIRCH, they were regular good old plywood.

This new fangled fad of suposedly higher quality - more inexpensive baltic birch plywood is a modern phenomina...

Hardly anybody used quality USA made cabinet plywood (for use in like kitchen cabinets) in musical instrument cabs as it was way too expensive until our Russian friends started importing megatons of plywood from the likes of the now independant baltic states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

SO what is Baltic Birch plywood? It's cheap plywood made in the baltic states... Finland used to be concidered a baltic state back in about 1900 before WWI, so some plywood out of Finland maybe called Baltic Birch too.

Apparently Hover would know where the plywood came from a few years back when they were moving production if he was sourcing materials for AMPEG. I doubt plywood from Estonia is being shipped from there to Vietnam either, so that is most likely not baltic birch in the current cabs.

So when slinging the magic words "Baltic Birch" around just know you really mean Cheap-assed Russian kitchen cabinet plywood...

BOB

AlexanderB · #14 05-29-2010, 09:12 AM

Hey, hey, hey... Wait a minute, rbonner...

The key thing about "baltic birch" is probably to point out that it is made of trees growing in cold climate. The cold weather made the trees grow slowly, thus giving a denser and stronger wood, very suited to touring equipment. And the high quality baltic birch plywood from Finland and Sweden sure has been around since decades before the former Soviet states exported any volumes of their products.

In Sweden you will find the plywood graded in A, B, BB, BX and X (perhaps there are more levels?) Those say more about the strength and appearance than the generic word "baltic".

/Alexander from Sweden

rbonner · #15 05-29-2010, 11:05 AM

Oh I didn't say it was bad stuff. The USA birch is like unobtainium probably easier to find a post cold war russian nuke than a truck load of USA.

Where I come from is all cold, then we get ungodly blasted hot for three months and cold again. Just ask my 100% Swedish bred wife, her family moved to Minnesota when they got off the boat. HAHAHAHAHA... Around Minneapolis is a HUGE Swedish population. Up north a heavy Norwegen and Finnish population. Thats where the "Funny" accent in the movie Fargo comes from.

My marriage is a product of the Stockholm syndrome.
BOB

AlexanderB · #16 05-29-2010, 05:27 PM

Haha, Stockholm syndrome!

And that accent in Fargo, well...

"So when slinging the magic words "Baltic Birch" around just know you really mean Cheap-assed Russian kitchen cabinet plywood..."The 13 layer "baltic birch" stuff I see here is very strong and knot/void free plywood used for truck beds, for scaffolding walkways and for lining pits (before pouring concrete into them) when building basement walls etc. And it sure has found its way into some touring PA boxes, too.

And even here in Sweden it costs about threee or four times as much as MDF, by the way.

Now if I just could find an SVT-210HE - regardless the cabinet material...

And Wes, thanks for excellent pics!

/Alexander

hover · #17 05-30-2010, 07:29 PM

No, rbonner is right. the "Baltic Birch ply" actually comes from China...from veneer logs sourced from Russia. Most all of this grade ply comes from Russian logs. The stuff from Finland is usually finish-grade and thus more expensive...a no-no if yer gonna throw some tolex or spatter paint on it. Oh MAN the stories I could tell you about what went down with some of that wood....let's just say, if you weren't buying exterior grade...well....naw, I can't.

birminghambass · #18 05-31-2010, 10:11 AM

I've owned 3 SVT 210's. All were OSB.

Wes Whitmore · #19 05-31-2010, 08:43 PM

It have some BB ply with China stamped on it. It came in a 4x8 sheet. I also have some very nice 5'x5' BB that cost me a ton and I sourced it from a high end cabinet woodworker store. Both are better than the 5 ply stuff that we get from Lowes, Home Depot, etc. My made in Vietnam SVT 410HLF was made of some pretty good BB. Good enough for a speaker cabinet.
Wes