Ampeg 8x10s thru the years

[DavidEdenAria]

I know a bit about Ampeg 8x10s, my bud has a mid 70's with an early SVT head, sounds killer as we know (even with cheap crappy basses).

Right now, i have a cheap Acoustic 8x10 but i braced modded the inside as it was totally open basically (no pun intended) that i play at home at low to medium volumes and it sounds way better after i braced it up with 2x2s.

That said, i am ready to start looking a Ampeg 8x10s used....i would invest in something that is very desirable and easier to resell, though i know 8x10s have fallen out of favor.

Some say the 1st Gen Ampeg 8x10 with the alnico speakers are the best...what say you folks?

Which are the best and which less desirable (if any)...my biggest fear is blown/damaged drivers and i need it to sound very full at lower volumes at home.

I like the fact the 8x10 is at ear level when i sit or stand to play and i can move it around without actually lifting it like a 4x10 and the 8x10 is no bigger footprint than many cabs...plus an Ampeg 8x10 is a beast on the stage!

 

[sharkbait130]

There are lots of folks in here with more knowledge than me so lets hope they chime in also. As for what I do know about them , here goes. While the earliest cabs sounded good , they didn't handle as much power as the newer ones (270 watts as opposed to 800 for the newer ones) so if you need a lot of power I would avoid these cabs for this reason only. There was a run of cabs in the early 2000's that used chipboard and different speakers (2000 to 2005 or 06.) These are considered the "Dark Era" cabs and some people didn't care for the darker sound of these cabs. They were made out of chipboard instead of plywood and are also a bit heavier than the plywood cabs. I have heard that the chipboard cabs are not as durable as the plywood cabs but this has not been my personal experience with them. Personally , I have no problem with them and two out of the three cabs I own are this type and were (and still are) the cabs I gig with when I'm using an 8 10. The Heritage series cabs are said to sound most like the first cabs , handle the full 800 watts and are considered VERY desirable although a bit more expensive than the standard cabs. Personally , I don't think you will be disappointed with the sound of any Ampeg 8 10 you can get your hands on. The tolex on all of them I consider to be a bit sub par and gets chewed up easily. Two of my cabs looked like disasters when I got them. A razor knife and a can of black paint got them looking tolerable enough to go on stage.
I have run these cabs with an SVT Classic head , a PF 500 head (current) a Peavey mark 6 head and a Yamaha 100 watt head. They all sounded good through this cab.
Also FYI the closest sound to an 8 10 without the weight I have found is an Ampeg 2 12 AV cab which I am currently using for most gigs. Hope this helps.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

There are lots of folks in here with more knowledge than me so lets hope they chime in also. As for what I do know about them , here goes. While the earliest cabs sounded good , they didn't handle as much power as the newer ones (270 watts as opposed to 800 for the newer ones) so if you need a lot of power I would avoid these cabs for this reason only. There was a run of cabs in the early 2000's that used chipboard and different speakers (2000 to 2005 or 06.) These are considered the "Dark Era" cabs and some people didn't care for the darker sound of these cabs. They were made out of chipboard instead of plywood and are also a bit heavier than the plywood cabs. I have heard that the chipboard cabs are not as durable as the plywood cabs but this has not been my personal experience with them. Personally , I have no problem with them and two out of the three cabs I own are this type and were (and still are) the cabs I gig with when I'm using an 8 10. The Heritage series cabs are said to sound most like the first cabs , handle the full 800 watts and are considered VERY desirable although a bit more expensive than the standard cabs. Personally , I don't think you will be disappointed with the sound of any Ampeg 8 10 you can get your hands on. The tolex on all of them I consider to be a bit sub par and gets chewed up easily. Two of my cabs looked like disasters when I got them. A razor knife and a can of black paint got them looking tolerable enough to go on stage.
I have run these cabs with an SVT Classic head , a PF 500 head (current) a Peavey mark 6 head and a Yamaha 100 watt head. They all sounded good through this cab.
Also FYI the closest sound to an 8 10 without the weight I have found is an Ampeg 2 12 AV cab which I am currently using for most gigs. Hope this helps.

Thanks! I am definitely putting the Heritage cab at the top of my list! Im not too concerned with tolex rips etc, ive used bedliner spray on one of my TL 606 15" cabs with great success.

Ive studied Ampeg 8x10 cabs a bit and definitely the Heritage looks to be a top, if not THE top choice....plus im guessing 'issues' with speakers maybe less with a Heritage cab given its power handling but maybe not.

My amps; Sound City 120, Music Man 150 HD, GK 800RB and a fav is my Eden Metro (450 watts into 4 ohms) which i converted into a head cabinet...my 73 Carlsbro 60TC is another beast with bass guitar, it will bury a Fender Bassman or even a Showman.

I use outboard EQ and compressor too fwiw.

 

[JimmyM]

I know a bit about Ampeg 8x10s, my bud has a mid 70's with an early SVT head, sounds killer as we know (even with cheap crappy basses).

Right now, i have a cheap Acoustic 8x10 but i braced modded the inside as it was totally open basically (no pun intended) that i play at home at low to medium volumes and it sounds way better after i braced it up with 2x2s.

That said, i am ready to start looking a Ampeg 8x10s used....i would invest in something that is very desirable and easier to resell, though i know 8x10s have fallen out of favor.

Some say the 1st Gen Ampeg 8x10 with the alnico speakers are the best...what say you folks?

They are but the Heritage 810e is as close as it gets and won't blow up when you dime an SVT.

 

[Erasmusman]

I agree with your sentiments about 8 by 10's, the "footprint" isn't that much larger than a combo set-up. I too like the ability to play standing-up and having the setting on the head close by for easy adjusting. Since my Ampeg cabinet weighs 212 pounds and I'm not a gigging bassist, meaning that the cabinet isn't going anywhere anytime soon, it suits my purpose well. In addition, the cabinet can easily support 150 pounds of Ampeg amps, the SVT 1000 and SVT 50th Anniversary model. IMO, the "beast" sounds great with both amp options. I'm not sure whether the speakers inside are alnico or not. On a side note, I have a Marshall full-stack next to my Ampeg cabinet. Why would I spend money on a wall in my mancave in the corner of the basement when my bass/guitar cabinets can provide a wall of their own?