Help a dinosaur male: Why wouldn't one buy a VT pedal?

[Jim C]

I use a SVT-CL or a LMII
I like the Ampeg tonality
I like the tone I get now although I sometimes use a slight amount of outboard compression
I rarely ever use pedals (1 or 2 songs max)
All the guys have VT pedals except me
Is there a reason NOT to buy one?
Anybody not like them?
Last few times I checked, my local GC didn't stock one to try

Help and old dinosaur male, won't you?
What am I missing?

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by Jim C

I use a SVT-CL or a LMII
I like the Ampeg tonality
I like the tone I get now although I sometimes use a slight amount of outboard compression
I rarely ever use pedals (1 or 2 songs max)
All the guys have VT pedals except me
Is there a reason NOT to buy one?
Anybody not like them?
Last few times I checked, my local GC didn't stock one to try

Help and old dinosaur male, won't you?
What am I missing?

You really need to plug one in and hunker down over it for awhile.

I did. I decided I could live without (and I love my Sadowsky outboard pre/DI). Lots of players decide they can't live without.

YMMV.

[LiamPodmore]

Some people dont like or have use for the tubey, Ampeg sound, so why would they need one? Personally i dont want one as i am not keen on the Ampeg sound myself (Yet im a punk/rock bassist) so i will probably never get one.

Liam

[iamdenialNJ]

Everyone is doing it. Why would you not want to follow the crowd?

[bassist4dalord]

Subscribed. Just sold a Hartke VXL, and I'm wondering if some type of pedal makes that much of a difference. I don't use effects now, but I wouldn't mind a pedalboard with something like a VT Bass, a nice direct box, and a tuner pedal.

[alembicguy]

I don't use one because I get plenty of tubey goodness from my SVT.

[Chrisk-K]

All the guys have VT pedals except me

I just returned mine to MF. I didn't like it. I much prefer tones I get from my TC450H and LD150.

[Art Araya]

It's not the same as the real thing. It just doesn't move air in the same way and there's not the same depth of tone as the real deal.

I have an SVT-VR and I have the VT pedal.

I would only consider using the pedal on a gig if I didn't want to lug the big rig around and would be satisfied with a tone that is pretty close to an Ampeg.

[Wild_Cat]

Simply put, the VT is the Ampeg sound, complete with massively-overdriven tube power amp section, inside a tiny box. No more, no less.

Therefore, its advantages over an actual SVT head are as follows:
- cheaper (200 euros)
- more reliable (tubes are *fragile*)
- lighter (Little Mark Tube + VT = roughly 2 kilograms, compared to, er, how much does an SVT head weigh again?)
- works even at very low volumes (want the "pushing the power section as hard as I can" sound without waking up your neighbors? can do!)

Last but not least, it can be disengaged, which gives you extra versatility in your tone. The great thing about modern-sounding heads like my LMT is that you can use a pedal to make them sound vintage when you need, whereas making a vintage head sound modern is at best a nightmare.

From a strict "tone" point of view, though, this and working at any volume are the only things VTs have over actual Ampegs. If you have an Ampeg already, it works, you don't care that it weighs 16 tons and you never need to sound modern, I doubt you'll find much use to a VT.


Oh, wait, one last thing. The VT (and the VT deluxe even more so with its XLR out) is great for recording. Plug your bass into the VT, the VT straight into the audio interface, and BAM! Instant awesome, even with the EQ flat. No lugging cabs around, no micing issues, no VSTs, no problems with the neighbors when you're home recording at 3 AM, just that classic great tone, right here, right now. That's what I've been using to record ever since I got into it a few months ago, and the results sound great.

[bassblasta01]

Originally Posted by iamdenialNJ

Everyone is doing it. Why would you not want to follow the crowd?

Only reason why I do anything in the first place.

[plangentmusic]

Okay, here's one. I don't like it. It dirties the sound to me. I like a pure, clean solid state sound. That's why one would want a powerful head -- so there's lots of head room without distortion.

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by Jim C

I use a SVT-CL or a LMII
I like the Ampeg tonality

Based on those two statements alone I'd advise you buying one from somewhere with a generous return policy to try it out for a while.

Basically if you want 90% of the sound of your SVT when using your LMII OR want the sound of your SVT cranked at much lower volumes than it takes to crank your SVT then it makes a LOT of sense to have a VT Bass.

[agreatheight]

Originally Posted by Art Araya

It's not the same as the real thing.

This. Emulations are approximations that are usually cheaper and/or more convenient. And it's a very good emulation, but it's not the same. Live or in a recording mixed with other instruments it's pretty convincing, but you playing it live in front of the cab? A little less.

[Brick Top]

I had one for a few months...and it worked pretty good and I was happy with the tones till I got my LDS cabs. Then I couldn't dial in anything I really liked enough to justify having it. My Sanaamp DI gets me a decent tube sound without sounding over the top like the VT seemed to produce with the LDS cabs. I find I get great tones without the VT now through the LDS's.

I don't believe the VT is for every rig or ear.

[stiles72]

I asked the same question a while ago. All of the amps I use onstage are Ampegs (B15, B100R, V4BH, 3-Pro). The only application I could see myself using one for would be to take along to jam night, where the provided bass amp is usually just a PA head or some other pawn shop Frankenstein rig. Seems redundant to me to use one if you're allready running an SVT-CL, and also have the Mark Bass which cops a good Ampeg tone on its own.

[iamdenialNJ]

Originally Posted by bassblasta01

Only reason why I do anything in the first place.

[kevteop]

Bleh, I don't want to sound like all the rock bassists of the last 30 years, screw the VT Bass.

I had a sansamp once. Not for long.

[beggar98]

FWIW, I think the OLC Flipster does a much better job emulating the Ampeg tone than the VT does.

[wiseguyst]

Finally picked one up this weekend before a Halloween show. I had tried it a couple times in store, but their rig did not do it justice. That night, I received many compliments from the other band astonished that I had such massive tone from a head that I carry in a laptop bag (Ibanez Promethean) and Ashdown 410 cab. I owe it to the VT. You can go SVT or Fliptop with the twist of a couple of knobs. Sure it's not the real thing, but I gig at least once a week and I can load in all my gear in just one trip. If discerning musicians are impressed, than me too. That's why.

[billoetjen]

How about this - because Jimmy likes it?

But serious, it's an incredible tool. Not for everyone, or every combination (axe/rig) or every situation. Just a couple of hours ago I brought it along to a recording session. I used one carefully selected setting and left it on. Overall it made a significant and in some ways subtle contribution. I'd call it "awesomeness." Sometimes I leave it out of the signal chain because it seems to muddy up the tone in some situations.
For instance, tonight, with a simple four-piece Electric Blues, the awesomeness came through just right. Another time (same axe), doing a hugely over-dubbed "wall of sound" Glam kind of production, the mix was better dry. I guess, in that mix, there was already enough "awesomeness" that the Ric 4003 tone was preferable.
I think of the VT Bass as a little box of perfection. I'm planning on getting a whole array of mods to it to take on tour with me. I wish more bassists hated it; I can live without the competition....