My first SVT - Help with Ton

thomasjbass · #1 01-05-2011, 05:02 PM

So I purchased on a silly deal a virtually brand new Ampeg SVT classic bass head. I haven't done too much with it except replace all power and preamp tubes. It sounds amazing right off the bat. I read up on a few forums and got great advice regarding power, when and when not to move the amp, etc. What I am curious about is that I am obsessed with tone. And I haven't quite gotten the tone I am looking for out of this yet. Wanted to reach out to this awesome community of musicians and friends and ask about this.

I search all over my albums and my records for exactly the tone I want from this. I am looking for something between Kings of Leon and Radiohead. Both use these heads and I am just really trying to learn to work with tone. Let me know your thoughts any help is greatly appreciated!

**jmattbassplaya** · #2 01-05-2011, 05:08 PM

If you go on Ampeg's website and look up the owner's manual for the amp, it lists some settings worth trying out as a starting place. Try those and see if you can work something out.

http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVTCL_OM.pdf

thomasjbass · #3 01-05-2011, 05:27 PM

Awesome, Thanks Matt!!

kranahan · #4 01-05-2011, 05:31 PM

Gain 10-11
Treble 12-1
Mid 12
Bass 4
Master to taste

Try that out

thomasjbass · #5 01-05-2011, 05:32 PM

Awesome, thanks kranahan!!

thomasjbass · #6 01-11-2011, 10:36 AM

My perception so far has been that older or "vintage" style equipment sounds better than some of my modern gear. Is this psychological, or do you guys think that some of the newer style of preamps and electronics don't do was well this this head?

bigdaddyforge · #7 01-11-2011, 10:42 AM

it's not just psychological, i've played the svt classic, svt vr, svt pros, and own early 70's svt, b-25b, and b-100 amps.

the new ones still have that ampeg sound, but it's cleaner and more modern sounding. they're not quite as 'fast and loose' as the old gear, which im sure is partly due to 40 year old components.

if you want that genuine sound from a specific era, it's easiest to simply get the real gear. if you want that 80's metal guitar sound you get a jcm 800, if you want that 90's tone you get a 5150, modern sound you plug an emg guitar into a dsl, 70's bass tone usually ends up being an svt or a superbass.

JimmyM · #8 01-11-2011, 11:12 AM

if you're comparing vintage svt's to svt-vr's, honestly, i find very little difference between the two. now vintage svt's vs svt-cl's, i hear what bigdaddy is talking about, but really, i find the difference to be pretty slight by comparison. my svt is vintage, but i would certainly take a cl or vr any day of the week.

bigdaddyforge · #9 01-11-2011, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

if you're comparing vintage svt's to svt-vr's, honestly, i find very little difference between the two. now vintage svt's vs svt-cl's, i hear what bigdaddy is talking about, but really, i find the difference to be pretty slight by comparison. my svt is vintage, but i would certainly take a cl or vr any day of the week.

yeah, the cl is a bit 'muffled' compared to a vintage svt. the VR is very close, but i'd still rather have a vintage svt especially with the outrageous $2000 pricetag for a new vietnam made svt vr vs ~$1000-1600 for a vintage usa model.

i definitely wouldn't mind having a cl or vr if it was cheap or free, but i'd prefer to buy the real deal if it's my money.

my guitarist is a tone snob and some of it's rubbed off lol i just love the bass tone that came out of the 70's.

johnk_10 · #10 01-11-2011, 11:20 AM

IME, your tone depends ALOT on what cab you're running it thru. you really can't use (or at least hear) someone else's settings unless you're using the exact same cab.

bigdaddyforge · #11 01-11-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk_10

IME, your tone depends ALOT on what cab you're running it thru. you really can't use someone else's settings unless you're using the exact same cab.

+1

the voicing of the speakers and their efficiency make a huge difference in how the amp sounds.

JimmyM · #12 01-11-2011, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdaddyforge

yeah, the cl is a bit 'muffled' compared to a vintage svt. the VR is very close, but i'd still rather have a vintage svt especially with the outrageous $2000 pricetag for a new vietnam made svt vr vs ~$1000-1600 for a vintage usa model.

compared to what other top quality new 300w tube amps go for (and even many 200w tube amps), i think the vr is a bargain, quite honestly. even the heritage svt-cl at $2300 is bargain priced compared to orange, hiwatt or reeves.

btw, just as an aside, they moved out of vietnam and into korea for production of the vr and cl since mid 2008.

i don't know...i like how this new group in charge of loud/ampeg is handling things...they were dealt a real mess from the former head idiot, and imho they've completely turned things around and made lemonade out of lemons, so i'm down with their current efforts.

johnk_10 · #13 01-11-2011, 11:47 AM

+1.
with used (mint) VR's going for $1-1.2K, i consider them a bargain for a great sounding 300 watt 100% tube head. mine sounds identical to my '69 (which has been running 6550A's in it for the last 15 years).

IMO, a vintage one is an awesome amp, but often the $1K that you pay for one will require a filter cap and retube job, adding another $500-$700 to it.

bigdaddyforge · #14 01-11-2011, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

compared to what other top quality new 300w tube amps go for (and even many 200w tube amps), i think the vr is a bargain, quite honestly. even the heritage svt-cl at $2300 is bargain priced compared to orange, hiwatt or reeves.

btw, just as an aside, they moved out of vietnam and into korea for production of the vr and cl since mid 2008.

i don't know...i like how this new group in charge of loud/ampeg is handling things...they were dealt a real mess from the former head idiot, and imho they've completely turned things around and made lemonade out of lemons, so i'm down with their current efforts.

it's definitely not of poor quality in the least, it just let a bad taste in my mouth when they were originally usa production units then went to vietnam and were still the same price.

i have two 810AV cabinets made in vietnam under my vintage svt and they sound fantastic so i'm not knocking the gear just the pricetag vs usa made or sought after vintage gear.

if i couldn't get my hands on a nice vintage head the vr was my next choice make no mistake!

thomasjbass · #15 01-11-2011, 01:03 PM

My thought was pairing this with the 8x10 aguilar cab I got a few days ago. I sold everything I pretty much had to get it and now I am really hoping that it has a good blend between vintage and modern. We play indie stuff so some of it rocks when you get that vintage tone. I play my Thunderbird pro or Lakland P for that, but when I wanna play some of the more rocky stuff, I play my Elrick or F bass for that. I just got rid of my MarkBass setup for a Valenti 5 String that I think will be a good blend of both tones and with the SVT running through the 8x10 Aguilar I am hoping to really cut through the mix on stage.

This has been really good to see your feedback everyone. I really respect the opinions of the bloggers here because most everyone is an experienced player that doesn't worry about expressing their opinion based on their experience.

Any insight you guys can give is greatly appreciated everyone. Thanks again!!

bigdaddyforge · #16 01-11-2011, 01:24 PM

i haven't used the aguilar cabs but any 810 and an svt is going to be loud and with the proper bass/eq definitely cut the mix.

good call on the tbird pro, i just picked one up myself and am very impressed by it. it's becoming one of my staples for home practice lol

you might even wanna try throwing some hotter pups and/or a set of flats on that P for some killer tone. i can't give away all my secrets but it definitely works

ive got some ~20k ceramics and flats in/on one of my p-basses and it's one of the best sounds ive ever had out of my svt for hard rock. id say it's giving my ric a hard run for its money, if not running circles around it. good cheap upgrade for that lakland if you wanna get froggy and spend ~$100 on it

zachoff · #17 01-11-2011, 01:28 PM

I have a Magnavox SVT and everything is pretty much in the middle. Mid shift switch is at 800 and the high and low boosts are off. Bass and treble are at 12:00 and my mid is +4. I love the way my rig sounds like this.

bigdaddyforge · #18 01-11-2011, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zachoff

I have a Magnavox SVT and everything is pretty much in the middle. Mid shift switch is at 800 and the high and low boosts are off. Bass and treble are at 12:00 and my mid is +4. I love the way my rig sounds like this.

nice!

my magnavox svt sits at bass at 3/6, mids at 4/6, treble at 5/6, and all the switches are off though sometimes i'll kick the bass switch to the middle position if it's a big stage or a weaker output instrument.

never had a problem cutting the mix or being distinct from either guitar player.

blastjv · #19 01-11-2011, 07:07 PM

I think any Aguilar cab will be ported rather than the sealed design of the SVT cabs. This is not necessarily 'bad', but it may make some of the advice you get about settings a little less relevant. I found the SVT amp to work a lot better with the sealed SVT cab for the sound I wanted.

-JV