SVT 810e's...90's vs 2000's

JimmyM · #1 05-15-2010, 02:32 AM

two svt-cl/810e's on my gig in sandpoint, idaho tonight...one for me, one for peter noone's keyboardist. since peter was the headliner and my band played by ourselves, i wasn't able to choose between the two. both were slm, one was an original slm with the single 1/4" jack, the other one of the last batch from slm, not sure of the year, but from the 2000-2005 period i hate. i got stuck with that one. meanwhile, peter's got a keyboard player playing key bass with virtually no high end on it so he could have easily used the one i was using. i made it work, but there was no snap to it...very boxy. didn't even bother micing it. just ran the british pedal into the pa directly.

right after the show, i tried out his amp, and boom, there it was...the real 810 sound with all the treble i was missing and no boxiness! so tomorrow we're the headliner with bowzer and i'm using that one.

you know, it amazes me that the 2000-2005 810e's are so completely different than the others from any other time period. i just can't believe that they are so dark and muddy compared to every other 810. well at least now those who are looking for dark and muddy 810's know where to get them

some folks do prefer them, like doom bands and stuff. not me. i like my 5k.

JimmyM · #2 05-15-2010, 02:55 AM

btw, i had a total douche chill moment tonight on the first song. peter's keyboard player's rig was behind where i usually stand, and i didn't have a lot of room behind me. so the very first song, i run into his rig and step on the power strip where his stuff and my 1-spot for effects and wireless is plugged in. the strip shuts off, and my 1-spot pops out, and one of the prongs on it is bent sideways and it won't go back into the strip. so i panic and unplug from my effects and go into the amp, totally forgetting that i was using my british pedal as a di and bypassing it.

fortunately, one of the sound crew spotted me having trouble and ran up with a pair of pliers and fixed my 1-spot and plugged me back in, so i plugged back into the effects and got back up and running within about 30 seconds. but geez, what a thing to have happen on the first song!

craig.p · #3 05-15-2010, 05:44 AM

I'd love to have been able to dig into both those cabs and find out what they were using for drivers and how they were wired. I've seen some real horror shows in "provided" equipment. (As I'm sure you have.)

JimmyM · #4 05-15-2010, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig.p

I'd love to have been able to dig into both those cabs and find out what they were using for drivers and how they were wired. I've seen some real horror shows in "provided" equipment. (As I'm sure you have.)

i know exactly what's in them. there was a major thread on what went into the different slm cabs a while back. around 2000-2001 eminence changed suppliers for the cones and that's what led to them being darker. they said the cones were becoming unreliable so they had to make a change. believe it or not, though, the cabs made in vietnam and korea are made more like the old slm cabs with the correct brightness. just this one troublesome period.

craig.p · #5 05-15-2010, 06:22 AM

Ok, thanks Jimmy. I've been unplugged from what Ampeg's been doing since the late '70s.

rbonner · #6 05-15-2010, 06:43 AM

Ah geez, nothing like a major power failure and then making it worse. That's why I like a clear area around me in every direction, any peddle right next to amp. I'm not to stable these days, fall over a lot.

Last time I saw Peter Noon was in 1994 in Vegas, I came out of breakfast and there he was. I go to my buddy, you know who that is? He goes no. Never mind.

Sandpoint, ID... Bonner County; named after Uncle Edwin. I met this beautiful woman working in the 7-11 type store up there who just lit up when she saw me, 2004 just passing thru. Sidekick wanted to roll.

Beautiful country. I would have liked to have stayed. But I was still walking funny from the body cavity search trying to get back into the USA at Backwater, Washington.

BOB

mazdah · #7 05-15-2010, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

i know exactly what's in them. there was a major thread on what went into the different slm cabs a while back. around 2000-2001 eminence changed suppliers for the cones and that's what led to them being darker. they said the cones were becoming unreliable so they had to make a change. believe it or not, though, the cabs made in vietnam and korea are made more like the old slm cabs with the correct brightness. just this one troublesome period.

Well, you're right!
My friend has an older SLM (one of the first years of 800W stereo "fridges") and my recent purchase - '08 "nampeg" with US Made speakers (funny thing heh) sounds just like his. Amazing cabs

JimmyM · #8 05-15-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbonner

Ah geez, nothing like a major power failure and then making it worse. That's why I like a clear area around me in every direction, any peddle right next to amp. I'm not to stable these days, fall over a lot.

Last time I saw Peter Noon was in 1994 in Vegas, I came out of breakfast and there he was. I go to my buddy, you know who that is? He goes no. Never mind.

Sandpoint, ID... Bonner County; named after Uncle Edwin. I met this beautiful woman working in the 7-11 type store up there who just lit up when she saw me, 2004 just passing thru. Sidekick wanted to roll.

Beautiful country. I would have liked to have stayed. But I was still walking funny from the body cavity search trying to get back into the USA at Backwater, Washington.

BOB

wel all light up when we see you, bob!

remember the story of your uncle and think about it every time i hear bonner county.

as for pedals, since i sing a lot i need them at the mic stand. it's never an issue under normal circumstances. i'm awkward but not THAT awkward!

RickenBoogie · #9 05-15-2010, 02:24 PM

Jimmy, I've heard you mention the differences in the 810's before, is this the first chance you've had to do an actual A/B test with both kinds? Sounds like it proved your earlier theory correct.

Buster Brown · #10 05-15-2010, 02:33 PM

There is no doubting you Jimmy.....I have long said that the cabs had a MAJOR difference in tonal quality. That's why I was so excited about the Heritage cabs...a great step (backwards)

As for your "misstep".....similar thing happened to us a while back. We were doing a local show (complete with pyro and the like). Well, the guitar player had the footswitch to start all the nonsense.....a stagehand is crossing the stage prior to us going on - accidentally steps on the switch setting the whole shebang off.....sort of made the whole thing kind of "anti-climatic"..

JimmyM · #11 05-15-2010, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

Jimmy, I've heard you mention the differences in the 810's before, is this the first chance you've had to do an actual A/B test with both kinds? Sounds like it proved your earlier theory correct.

first chance to do a late slm vs early slm, but i've done late slm vs loud before. i've also done early slm vs my 73 with the cts's and believe it or not, it compared very favorably. not quite as good as the cts's but way more in the ballpark than the late slm's.

buster, this is why we put the switch for the flashpots somewhere besides the floor

origami · #12 05-15-2010, 03:13 PM

would the different cones be only for the 810 speakers between early and late SLM, or all the Eminence speakers in Ampegs at this time?

the reason- I just picked up a US made SVT410HLF (don't know the year), but it's definately seen the road, and might be older version. even factoring out the cab mechanics of boomy lows, it is noticably "darker" sounding than the other Ampeg 410s, 210s I used to have that were circa right before the SLM to Loud switch.

also I have a svt15en, and it was a bit darker sounding than the several 15e's I used to have, which were also circa right before the SLM to Loud switch.

just wondering if all Ampeg cabs would be "darker" during this period.

JimmyM · #13 05-15-2010, 03:23 PM

the 410he would...same speaker as the 810e. i don't know about the 410hlf or 15e, though i do think the earlier hlf model is noticeably brighter (i want to say pb410hlf but i don't think that's right). but i notice 810's because tha's mah thang for rented backline, and i started getting wildly inconsistent tones all of a sudden.

Akito · #14 05-15-2010, 03:58 PM

Sandpoint huh? Awesome! I would love to see you play and maybe get a chance to say hi- are you guys going to be playing anywhere else around here? I'm playing in downtown Spokane tonight.

JimmyM · #15 05-15-2010, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akito

Sandpoint huh? Awesome! I would love to see you play and maybe get a chance to say hi- are you guys going to be playing anywhere else around here? I'm playing in downtown Spokane tonight.

nope, just the lost in the 50's festival tonight and back home. sorry you can't make it but you're better off gigging anyway. we play it pretty much every year, though the acts rotate in and out.

Buster Brown · #16 05-15-2010, 04:11 PM

Quote:

buster, this is why we put the switch for the flashpots somewhere besides the floor

I couldn't agree more!!

As a "general" rule, our lighting guy handles those sorts of things...Hell...we're musicians, we can't multi-task worth a damn! Unfortunately, it was a benefit and space was at a premium so we decided to go that route. Trust me, I told our guitar player that "it was a bad idea...", but you know guitar players..........

chiplexic · #17 05-15-2010, 05:10 PM

OK , I'm trying to keep the timeline and differences in order.

2000-2005 - last years of SLM and those are the dark 810's.

Before 2000 SLM was still the owner correct ? But those pre 00' cabs didn't suffer the dark plague yet. So is there a date on those cabs or anything to look for indicating which cab is which ? Such as type of input jacks.

Is 05' the last year of SLM ownership? And any of the LOUD 810's after that ownership change, go back to being brighter again?

Particle board, when was it used and is it still ?

mazdah · #18 05-15-2010, 05:58 PM

SLM was the owner after 2005 as far as I'm concerned. I had 2006 SLM, US made cab.

downstairs · #19 05-15-2010, 06:24 PM

What makes it sound darker? Different speaker provider? Or different cab design? Maybe a thicker grill cloth?

alfredpunkjazz · #20 05-15-2010, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

btw, i had a total douche chill moment tonight on the first song. peter's keyboard player's rig was behind where i usually stand, and i didn't have a lot of room behind me. so the very first song, i run into his rig and step on the power strip where his stuff and my 1-spot for effects and wireless is plugged in. the strip shuts off, and my 1-spot pops out, and one of the prongs on it is bent sideways and it won't go back into the strip. so i panic and unplug from my effects and go into the amp, totally forgetting that i was using my british pedal as a di and bypassing it.

fortunately, one of the sound crew spotted me having trouble and ran up with a pair of pliers and fixed my 1-spot and plugged me back in, so i plugged back into the effects and got back up and running within about 30 seconds. but geez, what a thing to have happen on the first song!

i can't even begin to think of all the times it has happened to me, it is quite awful, hahahaha.