Ampeg 412-HE bass cab?

I didn't know such a beast existed. Then again I'm no Ampeg expert. I did a search of "Ampeg SVT412HE" and came up with some sites selling these cabs. They are running anywhere between $659 and $759. Hope this helps.

 

...isn't that their guitar cab?

 

I've played one in a music store. It was used, they wanted around $500 for it. 4 Ohms, I forget the wattage. It sounded great, very full, and powerful. Couldn't really put it through its paces in the store. I ended up buying an old 8X10 instead, it was cheaper and I was on a tight budget. Seemed like a great cab from what I could tell though.

 

Played one at GC a few times. It's got the typical ampeg sound and everything. To me it sounded about the same as the svt410hlf. I didn't really get to turn it up too loud, but it's ampeg, really cant go wrong there.

 

I've posted before about the ampeg 412 that I have. I've had it for about 6 months now. It's a great cab. Goes really well with my vintage svt. I chose this cab over the 410hlf because it is a sealed cab, making it sound more like an older ampeg sealed 810 vs. the modern sounding 410hlf. My only gripe is that it is a little more boxier, making it more difficult to transport and pickup alone.

 

Sorry but the 412He is a ported cab...

 

Are you sure that it is a ported cab? When I bought it from the guys at bassnw.com they told me otherwise. The told me that it was a sealed cab. Hmmm. Still sounds great though!

 

I'm also nearly certain the 410 HE is back ported as well.

 

Looking at the pictures you can see two front ports between the upper ad lower speakers.

 

I played through one of those this past week at Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center. They have about 15-20 cabs on a rotary dial--Ampeg, Aguilar, Eden, Peavey, Fender, Genz Benz, etc. All you have to do is play and twist the knob to compare cabs.

Any 412 cab and this Ampeg in particular are relatively lower on midrange punch and relatively higher on low end boom. This is a good cab for a rocker with a tube head. It is NOT the cab to choose if you play fingerstyle funk and like to dig in for a midrange burp. The cab is large and square, as opposed to the GS412, which is narrow and tall. The Ampeg reminded me a lot of a "supersized" 410.

 

Those aren't the best specs you'll find on a cabinet....but given the wide variance among manufacturers in the way this data is tabulated, you're best off playing through the cab to see if you dig it. That's what really matters.