It's been a while... Eminence, Delta, LF's perhaps, but not neos. I recall that the numbers matched up pretty good with the internal volume. I got the cab unloaded for a song, so it was a great complement to the V-4 head, which is kinda' wide. Its definitely not made for that head, as the feet on the head don't match the cups on the cab perfectly. Still works great.
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70's Ampeg V4 head and V4 4x12 cab $800?
- Thread starter Outlaw_son
- Start date
It's been a while... Eminence, Delta, LF's perhaps, but not neos. I recall that the numbers matched up pretty good with the internal volume. I got the cab unloaded for a song, so it was a great complement to the V-4 head, which is kinda' wide. Its definitely not made for that head, as the feet on the head don't match the cups on the cab perfectly. Still works great.
- Feb 16, 2008
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- John K Custom Basses
Wait a minute! If that 4X12 cab is the same mid-70's guitar cab that I have, it's not open-backed... like I said, it's sealed. I'm not sure it would sound very good w/mid-70's guitar speakers in it, but if you seal two holes in the baffle and mount 2 bass speakers in the others, you get a great-sounding (if heavy) sealed 2X12 bass cab. BTW, this thread is ancient and I'm sure OP solved his problem long ago.
yes, all V4 4x12 cabs are sealed back, but i think for a minute there, they were talking about a VT22 combo (which has an openback).
i have three 1970 V4 4x12 cabs, and i think that they sound great for bass. one them has its four original speakers (w/original cones), one has four original (but reconed by Orange County Speaker Repair in the 80's) speakers and the third one has four new Eminence Deltalite 2512's.
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,638
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- John K Custom Basses
i've never heard of a 150/150 watt SVT either. i would think that with six output tubes it would be hard to do that
Rather than seal up the two remaining holes, why not put in a new baffle? That way you could position the speakers where you like.
Gale
Gale
Sure, you could do that w/quite a bit more work. I simply used a "diagonal" orientation for mounting the speakers: lower left and upper right. I used thin plexiglass to seal the other two holes. It was very easy to do. It ended up a 4 ohm cab.
Ampeg made TWO different 4x12 cabinets back in the day---the V2 cabinet, which had ports in the front and was taller than a regular 4x12, and the V4 cabinet (pictured in the OP) which is a sealed 4x12. No holes in the front to be closed.
I have a V4 cabinet, and it is one of the best sounding guitar cabinets I've ever heard. I would not use it for bass because I would not want to risk damaging those great-sounding 70s speakers.
I have a V4 cabinet, and it is one of the best sounding guitar cabinets I've ever heard. I would not use it for bass because I would not want to risk damaging those great-sounding 70s speakers.
I wouldn't - and it's not the cab, it's the head.
I've owned two 70's V4B heads and sold them. They're underpowered and they DON'T sound like the old SVT - nowhere close.
That cab is worth around $200 so you're paying $600 for the head. I bought my two for $200 and $250 each back in the late 90's. Even for $400 or $300 I wouldn't. For $800 you can find a Mesa 400+ or an SVT CL, both of which sound way better than the old V4B.
And, yes, that IS a V4 cab. It's a guitar cab. 4x12, sealed
I've owned two 70's V4B heads and sold them. They're underpowered and they DON'T sound like the old SVT - nowhere close.
That cab is worth around $200 so you're paying $600 for the head. I bought my two for $200 and $250 each back in the late 90's. Even for $400 or $300 I wouldn't. For $800 you can find a Mesa 400+ or an SVT CL, both of which sound way better than the old V4B.
And, yes, that IS a V4 cab. It's a guitar cab. 4x12, sealed
I had band practice last night with two guitarists and a loud drummer who it's the snare way too hard. . . My setup: An early '70's V4 into a SVT-410HLF with a P bass, it was plenty loud enough, I had the volume @ 12 o'clock, and the sensitivity on -9db. The sensitivity switch helped keep it clean, I was plenty loud. I guess it depends on personal preference. To my ears, it craps all over any solid state head I've ever used.
Well Tom, I have the V-4, not the V-4B, so it's probably different. Anyways, the very left switch on the V4 has three sensitivity switches, -9db, -6db, and 0db. It changes the input gain of the instrument. So when you crank the volume a little more, you can turn the sensitivity all the way left to -9db, keeping the input signal a little less hot, giving it a little cleaner sound. Just my experience.
V4's have an input sensitivity rocker switch that uses resisters to lower your basses input level down a bit before the signal enters the preamp stage. Its kinda like turning your basses volume down just a bit and this sometimes allows this amp to stay cleaner sounding at louder volume levels. Lowering the amps (and/or active basses) bass knob settings down below 1/2 way also helps this.
Yeah I think I read that it was supposed to be for guitarists who were starting to use a lot of effects that caused volume boosts. Seems kind of odd that they wouldn't put it on both models, but I guess it saves some parts and money to only do it on one.
Probably it was because bass players who used effects were ultra-rare back in the day.
I bought a v-4 about 2 years ago. It was a 1975 and in decent condition. I heard it was a mini svt but to me it wasnt the same. It was my first tube amp and it sounded good but being a noob i didnt realize the tubes were bad. I traded it and a bass for an svt classic. My car broke down and i was forced to sell my svt, it killed me but i had to. I was again on the market for a head and found a v-4 on craigslist that said it was in excellent condition so i decided to check it out. I got there and it was in PRISTINE condition. New tubes caps and filters. I plugged it in and was amazed out how much louder and better it sounded than my previous v-4. It sounded just like my svt but doesnt have the same volume. So i bought it for $600. I brought it to practice and my guitarist and drummer were amazed at how loud and clean it was. I have a loud drummer and it was plenty of volume. I played through a peavey 1-15, which isnt a great cab but it still sounded awesome. Just make sure you have good tubes! Mine has 6l6gc and i love it! i just need a good cab now
Great amp indeed! For you bargain hunters out there with a little bit of carpentry skills, you can often find a VT-22 for cheaper than a V4 or V4B, & cut it in to a [V4] head-cab (and leave an inch or two of height too if you want, to make tube-switching easier or accommodate taller tubes --I left the 2x12's cab "A" logo where it was & looks cool as a head logo). I have pics of the whole process but I'm a bit of a noob so hesitant to post 'em but for anyone interested I'll email the pics to you
PLUS, you can sell the two VT-22 12" gtr spkrs to offset your cost further!It seems I've heard numerous times over the years of a "VT-22 head". I've also heard that some were shipped as such if they ran out of "V4" labeled chassis parts and faceplates, and it is reasonable to assume that some were converted to head boxes along the way. Some back panels were labeled "V4/VT22"
The misconception that the V4B is a "mini SVT" amounts to an assumption based on the preamp and mid-EQ design - probably by people who have not played through both. I own all three amps and I can tell you that while the all bear the distinctive "Ampeg growl" with bass, the V4 and V4B have more grit than the SVT. It is good, useable grit, however, and was part of my sound for years (along with a '76 Thunderbird).
Another myth is that the V4 cab is no good for bass. Ampeg offered Altec speakers as an option so power handling was not an issue. If you dig the sound of an old-school sealed box with 12"s, the V4 is all there. Again, it does not sound like an SVT, though. Even Ampeg's sealed 4x10 of that period, the B40, doesn't sound exactly like "half an SVT", although it's pretty darn good.
The misconception that the V4B is a "mini SVT" amounts to an assumption based on the preamp and mid-EQ design - probably by people who have not played through both. I own all three amps and I can tell you that while the all bear the distinctive "Ampeg growl" with bass, the V4 and V4B have more grit than the SVT. It is good, useable grit, however, and was part of my sound for years (along with a '76 Thunderbird).
Another myth is that the V4 cab is no good for bass. Ampeg offered Altec speakers as an option so power handling was not an issue. If you dig the sound of an old-school sealed box with 12"s, the V4 is all there. Again, it does not sound like an SVT, though. Even Ampeg's sealed 4x10 of that period, the B40, doesn't sound exactly like "half an SVT", although it's pretty darn good.
