How to get that 'Ampeg' sound, w/o an Ampeg

[tlr1293]

- not a statement - a question .

How might any here go about getting that Ampeg SVT sound without actual Ampeg equipment?

The rules:
- amp can be anything but an Ampeg
- NO pedals (ahhh, VT bass, you lose for now)
- cab cannot be 8x10 (but saying 2, 4x10's is OK)
- new equipment please


Why do I ask? Ampeg is downright expensive, I love the tone (as do most of us), and would like to see if a decent rig can be had that comes close to it, but at nowhere near the cost. Doesn't a good SVT VR and 810 add up to about 4000 - 4500 new?

"Buy used." Everyone says that, but it's really not as easy as it sounds.

Anyway - if you can cop that mighty SVT tone or have an idea as to how, post. YouTube and sound-clips are desirable - thanks!

[80'sRocker]

Possibly any Tech 21 product such as the Sansamp RBI pre-amp or Bass Driver (pedal, oops, no pedals :>)) w/ a power amp or through a normal amp. Cabs? On the cheap, find a newer Fender Bassman 1x15 - I bought (2) for &150. each (almost like new) and was surprised to say the least. I even had a Crate 1x15 "carpet cab" (very used) for $50 that killed (I even gigged it a few times)! Sounded close to an Ampeg

[Scutterflux]

My little Traynor YBA-1A has allot of the tone and punch of an SVT but with less power, more SVT-ish if you don't jump the inputs, use only the normal input, and tone down the highs, and you get mighty close to a round warm punchy ampeg sound. This amp reacts very well with tubes, so you could fine tune it, and mod it for 6550's to get even closer.

[JimmyM]

vr + 810e is about $3000 new. still a chunk of change. but you know what? there's a reason why people still buy them...everything else is still an imitation. some are excellent imitations, but none give you that visceral experience like the real thing.

so new stuff...tech 21 is coming out with a 300w vt amp soon. line 6 has a couple modeling amps that do pretty well, but for me the vt is king of the ampeg modelers. i have not tried it myself, but i've heard people say the peavey vb-2 does a very good job of copping ampeg-like tones, and it's a real tube amp so it's got to be good

[Rick Auricchio]

The TC RH450 does a pretty good job.

[Robotsatemygma]

Dunno what to say that's a pretty strict and limiting criteria for such a specific outcome. But I can understand why.

Aside from pedals (vt and bass driver) the only thing not mentioned is a Bugera. Manufactured specifically to be the poor man's Ampeg.

[80'sRocker]

Originally Posted by Robotsatemygma

Dunno what to say that's a pretty strict and limiting criteria for such a specific outcome. But I can understand why.

Aside from pedals (vt and bass driver) the only thing not mentioned is a Bugera. Manufactured specifically to be the poor man's Ampeg.

Yet made by Behringer..yikes

[eyeballkid]

a 2/3 cranked tube drive or more on an Ashdown ABM into sealed 410s is really close if ya EQ it right!

[rmkesler]

I'm sure I missed it but why not use the VT bass?

[eyeballkid]

uh oh.. you lose.

[rmkesler]

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

uh oh.. you lose.

Yeah, I know. Story of my life. So now that I have no chance of winning, why not the VT bass?

[eyeballkid]

LOL!!!

[jpTron]

THat reverse engineered behringer garbage

[MN_Bass]

Line 6 HD 400 or 750, it has a very convincing SVT tone.

[blastjv]

I don't think it's much cheaper, but an Aguilar AG500 into an Aguilar GS412 sounds great, and Ampeg-ish. I actually think the Genz Benz GBE750 sounded pretty Ampeg-ish through the Aguilar GS412 also.

The truth is, as much as people want to talk about the "Ampeg sound", they really are so versatile that you can't say "Brand X amp sounds like an Ampeg". You could certainly do a blind test and EQ an Ampeg in such a way that NO ONE would ever guess it was an Ampeg.

These quests are usually more productive when they start with "how to get THIS sound" with some links to examples, than trying to find one rig that sounds like another. Too many variables.


-JV

-JV

[RandyRyan]

Sorry, but I have tried the very thing that you are doing and guess what? I'm about to purchase an SVT-3! There is just no other way to get that "sound" that you are referring to. What's funny also, is that my favorite Ampeg tone really relies more on the 10" cabs more than I realized. I had purchased a B2RE to push a 15" enclosure while using my Mesa Boogie Walkabout to run an Ampeg 2x10 cab. I thought that the solid-state would just run my low-end and the tube amp to run the highs. It sounded, "okay" but just for the hell of it, I ran the 2x10 cab with the Ampeg and BAMM! It sounded like "AMPEG". So, I learned that the cabinets play more of a role than I originally thought. Sorry, that doesn't help you but just know that if you REALLY want that "sound" then you will just have to save up some more bread.

Oh, I also have the SVX plug-in for my DAW and it really does sound like Ampeg, also. I was pretty surprised. I think that the bass player from the Dave Mathews band uses it on a laptop running a cabinet but I am hesitant to try that yet.

[stiles72]

Also depends on what you define as "The Ampeg Sound". If we're strictly talking an SVT into an 810 - there's a plethora of tones and sounds you can get out it. Personally, I would set the volume as clean as possibe, engage the ultra lo swtich, boost the bass knob, set the mid to 800 dialing it down a bit, and leave the treble at noon. Other folks tend to boost the mids and never engage the ultra lo, and crank the volume to get as much drive as they can stand. Neither one of those approaches sounds the same, so it all depends on what kind of sound you are after .

There's very few non-Ampeg rigs that I've played that I haven't been able to get some sort of usable "Ampeg Tone" from - I just might have to work harder and tweak more knobs to get it. And, if you get a chance to listen to an original B15 - you can hear how in some way shape or form, a good majority of all bass amps out there today owe some of their tonal DNA to Ampeg whether they realize it or not.

[Vinny D]

For buying brand new and getting an Ampeg'ish type tone I think the only thing that comes close is Traynor.

I purchased a DB800H head & (2) TC115 cabs new for right around $1400.
It has plenty of volume and a selectable tube/solid state preamp so you can get a bit of natural overdriven grind from the preamp stage.

It is a solid rig, no...it's not an Ampeg.....but it's not bad

[BryanSwift]

Originally Posted by jpTron

THat reverse engineered behringer garbage

Originally Posted by jpTron

I like it a lot. Since I view the character knob as a "high mid" knob, I set the sweep knob for more low mids and then boost the mids to 1-2 oclock. Gives lots of umph in the midrange. It helps balance it out when I have the mids and character knob in the 2 oclock position

Behringer bash? That's kind of funny..

[michricker]

How does an Aguilar DB750 compare?