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Amp shoot out tomorrow night.

father of fires

father of fires

Commercial User
Nov 29, 2006
5,361
4,759
BALTIMORE CITY
Disclosures
Chief of Medicine at Damnation Audio
#1
I've got a mountain of gear to try tomorrow.

Markbass Little Mark II
MTI SVT
SLM 810
2 x Ampeg 115E's
2 x Cheap Peavey 4x10's (one sounds like it has blown speakers)
SWR Golitath SR. 6x10

The SVT and the 810 belong to my guitarist but I have full use of them for the time being.

I'm trying to piece together my own rig for my new metal project so I don't have to rely on his gear. Plus, it'll be just my luck that the power tubes will blow when I'm using the SVT!

Anyways,

I'm not sure what's going to work the best but Markbass and the SWR are new and they have to be killer for me not to return them.

I'm kind of lost gear wise and I'm buying on whims trying to find out what will work for me.

Maybe I should just use the SVT and put some money aside in case I blow the power tubes.

Does anyone see and killer combinations in the above gear?
 
#2
I should mention I play a G&L SB1 with Roto 77 flats tuned to C standard. I just picked up a Bluebeard Fuzz so I'll probably be using that a bunch.

I've played clean for years. It's time to get a little dirty.
 
#4
Have fun playing! I suggest looking up the manuals for each amp head and making sure you know what the "Neutral" (no boost or cut) settings are for each amp head. Use the same settings on each speaker rig and stick to the identical cab route. That can be your "base line" test right there. If the rig sounds good at "Neutral" settings, then try adjusting the amp head and see if it still sounds good for you.

In general, stay away from switches on the bass heads - Ultra Low, Ultra High, Enhance and so on. Stick with the knobs first.
 
#11
Forget about that whole "gotta keep buying tubes" thing. It's another one of those myths that keeps getting spread around. If it's been checked out by a qualified tech and given a clean bill of health, it will be at least as reliable as the others if not more so as long as you don't do something dumb like drop it off the back of the truck. That all-tube SVT is perhaps the most heavily toured bass amp there is, at least in the US. That wouldn't be the case if they were unreliable or expensive to maintain.


That said, pick whichever one you think sounds best, gets loud enough and fits in your budget.
 
#12
will33 said:
Forget about that whole "gotta keep buying tubes" thing. It's another one of those myths that keeps getting spread around. If it's been checked out by a qualified tech and given a clean bill of health, it will be at least as reliable as the others if not more so as long as you don't do something dumb like drop it off the back of the truck. That all-tube SVT is perhaps the most heavily toured bass amp there is, at least in the US. That wouldn't be the case if they were unreliable or expensive to maintain.


That said, pick whichever one you think sounds best, gets loud enough and fits in your budget.
Click to expand...

I agree whole heatedly but I can't confirm that last time the SVT was checked and other bands in the space use it often.

Tonight I'm going to find out which setup sounds best and go with that.
 
#14
father of fires said:
I agree whole heatedly but I can't confirm that last time the SVT was checked and other bands in the space use it often.

Tonight I'm going to find out which setup sounds best and go with that.
Click to expand...

If that's the case, and you end up wanting that one, I would figure roughly $150 paid to a tech into your price negotiations. If it checks out good and all you're out is a bench fee, you'll be a little ahead moneywise. If it does need some minor work, tuneup type stuff, you may end up shelling out another $50 or so.

Know your tech, or have a friend take it in who knows his tech. Some "less than stellar" techs will sell you tubes whether you need it or not. They're a simple, easy job to charge for and many people already have it in their minds that it "must be the tubes". Sometimes it really is the tubes, but not as often as people think.
 
#15
Goliath Senior is a monster cab. Don't know if it will hold up to an 8x10, but I've never needed anything more. Mine is pre Fender and has the PAS drivers though. The new ones sport Eminence drivers. I've never tried the new ones so I have no reference. Probably best to keep trying different stuff until you find what sounds best to YOU.

I bet the SVT sounds killer through the SWR cab though.
 
#16
mellohawk said:
Goliath Senior is a monster cab. Don't know if it will hold up to an 8x10, but I've never needed anything more. Mine is pre Fender and has the PAS drivers though. The new ones sport Eminence drivers. I've never tried the new ones so I have no reference. Probably best to keep trying different stuff until you find what sounds best to YOU.

I bet the SVT sounds killer through the SWR cab though.
Click to expand...

My very basic research tells me that the PAS driver cabs would probably have banana plugs like my old Golitah II.

This cab has 2 x speakons. I'm gonna have to see if it says anything on the control plate.
 
#18
Alex1984 said:
Just wanted to mention SLM 810s after 1998 till about 2006 are well-known for being darker, if you want a bit more brilliance, you should try the current production 810.
Click to expand...

That's why I mentioned which 810 it was. I truly think the 610 is a better choice for me. I love big cabs so the 610 looks cute compared to the 18" folded horn I used to use.
 
#19
father of fires said:
My very basic research tells me that the PAS driver cabs would probably have banana plugs like my old Golitah II.

This cab has 2 x speakons. I'm gonna have to see if it says anything on the control plate.
Click to expand...

My Goliath Senior doesn't have the banana plugs or speakons - just 1/4" input and 1/4" parallel out. My cab was manufactured a few years before SWR was sold to Fender in 2003. Perhaps the earlier iterations of were equipped with banana plugs. When Fender took over, I believe that's when they began using the Eminence drivers. I could be wrong, so someone correct me it that's the case.
 
#20
So the 610 sounded great but the SVT was too much for it. It was barely turned up and the 610 was giving up the ghost.

The LMII was fine but at times it was too much for the 610 as well.

So, the 610 is going back because it might have a blown speaker or something. Either way I'm picking another 610 this weekend from a TBer because the cabinet really sounded great. The 610 was way better than the 810. Not all 810's but this one at least.

The LMII ran out of steam quickly but when maxed it was still a usable volume I just like to have a little extra oomph if needed so, I'll need to think about this one for another week.

I didn't experiment with the 410's or the 115's because I knew off the bat they wouldn't work for me.

Thanks for all of the help guys/gals!
 

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