going to the darkside....ampeg questions.

grendle · #1 08-27-2011, 01:02 PM

Gotta be murphy's law. After singing the praises of my Hartke 3500 which has served me well for over 18 years. It had one good show left in her last night and gave up the ghost today. The tube side of the transformer let go. I could fix her ( the SS side still works fine) but think a change would be cool and overdue. So I'm looking at ampeg. The front runner would be a svt-3 pro, although it spears to be down a bit on volume, I need to take a closer look at them. I don't need a ton of Watts 350-400 I believe is enough, after that your fighting the pa usually. But I'm open to what ever. Im interested in getting that ampeg tone but with versitility as well. What do you ampeg guys suggest? I prefer a tube pre with SS power. Lots of svt3's around me for cheap also.

locriansharpsec · #2 08-27-2011, 01:57 PM

if you like the svt 3pro how about the svt6 pro. I like mine and got it for $400 on CL. They say its like the svt3 but with more power. I run mine thru an ampeg 8x10 and it rocks.

grendle · #3 08-27-2011, 02:35 PM

I didn't see it on their website. Had to search for it. That looks pretty good. Different looking from the other pro series. I'm curious / confused as to why you would need / want/ or how you would have driver tubes for a mosfet power amp. But I'm sure it works .

I don't know much about the ampeg models but I see most don't like the 350h / 450h . What are the differences tone / build wise from the pro series?

grendle · #4 08-27-2011, 02:51 PM

Ahhhh I get it now, that's pretty cool, they stick a tube at the end of the signal chain and basically let you dial in some grind if you want right before the power amp. That's a cool idea and gives you the chooce to keep the preamp clean if you want but get some grind on the end of the signal chain. Nice! I can feel the GAS comming on...

Mojo-Man · #5 08-27-2011, 02:56 PM

I used a 3500 for 9 years.
Great sounding head, ran it through a Ampeg classic 6x10 cab.

grendle · #6 08-27-2011, 03:01 PM

Major differences between the svt6 and 4 pro ? Besides power did they just swap out the paramedics section for a graphic eq? Do the different pro series have different tones? Or the same tones with different power options?

grendle · #7 08-27-2011, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojo-Man

I used a 3500 for 9 years.
Great sounding head, ran it through a Ampeg classic 6x10 cab.

I ran mine through a 2x15 and 2x12 for a wile, and through a svt 8x10 for the last 12 years or so. Great head.

dhsierra1 · #8 08-27-2011, 03:13 PM

Grendle, not to derail your thread, but just wanted to clarify from you and any other satisfied Hartke owners which 3500 you're talking about, there's a couple of different variants from what I can tell, specifically those w/and those w/o the MOSFET power section.

I'm seeing a bunch of used 3500s here in town for excellent prices, and having used one in the past once w/happy results would like to add one to my "amp library".

Thanks

GrowlerBox · #9 08-27-2011, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grendle

Besides power did they just swap out the paramedics section for a graphic eq?

Paramedics section? A bass amp with a built-in defibrillator. Wow! That's the one thing my RH450 is missing (aside from a truthful power rating, of course).

grendle · #10 08-27-2011, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhsierra1

Grendle, not to derail your thread, but just wanted to clarify from you and any other satisfied Hartke owners which 3500 you're talking about, there's a couple of different variants from what I can tell, specifically those w/and those w/o the MOSFET power section.

I'm seeing a bunch of used 3500s here in town for excellent prices, and having used one in the past once w/happy results would like to add one to my "amp library".

Thanks

There have been some variations over the years I believe, mine was a mosfet version I bought new in 92-93

grendle · #11 08-27-2011, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrowlerBox

Paramedics section? A bass amp with a built-in defibrillator. Wow! That's the one thing my RH450 is missing (aside from a truthful power rating, of course).

Lol Damn auto correct! Heart attack? No problem! I'm playing an SVT! Lol

meatwad · #12 08-27-2011, 03:40 PM

I can vouch for the SVT-III PRO having great tone, and plenty of power if used properly. The blinky red light is your friend... Keep it on more than off when playing along steadily. And, running at 4 ohms is also very important if you want to get the most out it.

When I was using one a few years ago, I ran an Alesis Nanocompressor with mild settings in the fx loop, and it really helped to fatten things up and give the amp a bit of a tube "sag" feel. Honestly, I nearly retired my SVT-CL in favor if the 3.

JimmyM · #13 08-27-2011, 04:30 PM

Used to have a 3 Pro and really liked it. I've got a PF350 now and LOVE it, and I like the SVT 7 Pro even more than it, though I have no use for 1000w, so I got a PF350 instead. Some folks love the lead sled sound so if you're one, try the 3 or 4 Pro or any of the lead sled SVT Pros, but I'm more about tube amps and micros, so the SVT 7 Pro and the PF series heads are my favorites. Still have yet to try the 8 Pro, but that one's got so much power that I'd get fired just for having one