need some grit!!

[bassboy1076]

So, my main rig is an SVT-2 pro, with 2 of the now discontinued PR-410 HLF cabs. Modulus Q5 with P & J emg pickups. Needless to say lots grit and great awesome tube distortion in my very beefy tone. I play mostly hard rock, lots of guitars that I need to cut through. Anyway, I've tried to downsize because I don't have a full crew to carry my stuff anymore, I bought an SVT-7 pro and I'm using it through an Avatar 4 X 10 neo cab. sounds fine, but I just can't get the warmth of the good ol' tube amp. Also, the mids, (I'm not sure if it's the head or the amp), are just not there. Any recommendations for a small rig, maybe a preamp to warm up my tone. What do y'all have that's portable loud and beefy?

[AwkwardLoudness]

The character of the mids is affected by the amp, EQ, the speakers, the bass. It's likely that the SVT-7 pro is limiting the desired mids the most, but I am not certain.

I also have a pair of PR-410HLF cabs. They sound great but are super heavy. I choose to deal with the weight as I use wheel dolly carts to move them except when dragging them on stairs. There are certainly some louder and bigger cabs for less weight if you're willing to spend a bit. Try a pair of the new Avatar TB153 cabs stacked vertically or a pair of Mesa powerhouse 1x15 cabs also stacked vertically. Most importantly, use a tube SVT like the 2 pro eventhough it's heavy. The best way to get the drive and sound of tubes is to use real tubes.

[JimmyM]

good question. there is a reason that with all these class d amps on the market that ampeg hasn't discontinued the all-tube amps but with a tube in it, i would think the 7 pro would have some of that pre tube grind in it, though i must admit to not having tried it yet. i've been enjoying the tech 21 vt pedal a lot for that purpose since it came out, since it simulates svt's and b-15's, it won't have the low end response of the hlf cabs. but www.putnamguitars.com does tech 21 mods and could install a speaker simulator defeat switch in one plus a di and a few other things.

[Sartori]

The gain and mid knobs are all the way up and you're still not getting the grit and mids you want?

You could just go back to the 2 pro.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by bassboy1076

So, my main rig is an SVT-2 pro, with 2 of the now discontinued PR-410 HLF cabs. Modulus Q5 with P & J emg pickups. Needless to say lots grit and great awesome tube distortion in my very beefy tone. I play mostly hard rock, lots of guitars that I need to cut through. Anyway, I've tried to downsize because I don't have a full crew to carry my stuff anymore, I bought an SVT-7 pro and I'm using it through an Avatar 4 X 10 neo cab. sounds fine, but I just can't get the warmth of the good ol' tube amp. Also, the mids, (I'm not sure if it's the head or the amp), are just not there. Any recommendations for a small rig, maybe a preamp to warm up my tone. What do y'all have that's portable loud and beefy?

The first thing I'd do is try the SVT-7 with your PR HLF cabs to isolate the impact of the cab from the head. That will most likely give you all the info you need to make a decision regarding needing a different lightweight head versus a different smaller cab.

You might want to check out the TC Classic450 or RH450 head with the RS210 x 2... warm, fat but mid punchy, and a nice tube overdrive sound if you want it.

[bassboy1076]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll try all of them, but yeah, just can't beat the big ass cabs and the tubes.