(Search Police, please indulge me, it's been a hell of a week with gigs, gigs, and more gigs (and the accompanying rehearsals and logistics). I'm depending on the graciousness of the Ampeg folks for some info help. If I get admonished for not searching, those posts will be laughed at and pointed at...
)
I have a bunch of outdoor gigs on big stages coming up, the first one this weekend. So I decided to re-tube the Ampeg SVT-CL 810E rig I have on permanent loan. While I was letting the new tubes run the obligatory (so I'm told by our local excellent electronic guy) 30 minutes, I was playing through the amp. And it struck me, this is the sound I've been trying to get from my smaller amps (GK 700B, Hartke 3500, various 410 cabs with tweeters) and not totally satisfied. I had chalked up my unhappiness to being used to the sound of my IEMs, which I love and use nearly all of the time. Even at low volumes, the SVT had a sound very similar to what I'm hearing in my IEMs...full lows, balanced mid-range, nice high, a slight zingy tone from the strings, but without the tweeter sizzle that really skews the tone. Not to mention, very responsive to tone control changes. With both my Jazz bass and Stingray bass, the highs were clear and powerful, but not tweeter zingy.
So now, I'm looking for that sound, but in an obviously smaller rig. Can anyone point me to such rigs and amp/speaker combinations in the Ampeg line? I've been up way too late just enjoying the sound of this amp. I've used it plenty before, but never at home, sitting next to it, playing loud, soft, and in between.
Can anyone point me to some Ampeg solutions with close to the SVT quality in smaller sizes? Smaller tube amps, cabs, or combos? I have a Genz Benz M-Line 250 that seems to be somewhat similar to the SVT sound, but in a 210 kickback.
And yes, I'll continue to use my IEMs when at all possible. But all the guys in the bands I play with want me to have an amp. So now, I want my bass to have that Ampeg quality when I use an amp on stage.
Thanx for any ideas.
)I have a bunch of outdoor gigs on big stages coming up, the first one this weekend. So I decided to re-tube the Ampeg SVT-CL 810E rig I have on permanent loan. While I was letting the new tubes run the obligatory (so I'm told by our local excellent electronic guy) 30 minutes, I was playing through the amp. And it struck me, this is the sound I've been trying to get from my smaller amps (GK 700B, Hartke 3500, various 410 cabs with tweeters) and not totally satisfied. I had chalked up my unhappiness to being used to the sound of my IEMs, which I love and use nearly all of the time. Even at low volumes, the SVT had a sound very similar to what I'm hearing in my IEMs...full lows, balanced mid-range, nice high, a slight zingy tone from the strings, but without the tweeter sizzle that really skews the tone. Not to mention, very responsive to tone control changes. With both my Jazz bass and Stingray bass, the highs were clear and powerful, but not tweeter zingy.
So now, I'm looking for that sound, but in an obviously smaller rig. Can anyone point me to such rigs and amp/speaker combinations in the Ampeg line? I've been up way too late just enjoying the sound of this amp. I've used it plenty before, but never at home, sitting next to it, playing loud, soft, and in between.
Can anyone point me to some Ampeg solutions with close to the SVT quality in smaller sizes? Smaller tube amps, cabs, or combos? I have a Genz Benz M-Line 250 that seems to be somewhat similar to the SVT sound, but in a 210 kickback.
And yes, I'll continue to use my IEMs when at all possible. But all the guys in the bands I play with want me to have an amp. So now, I want my bass to have that Ampeg quality when I use an amp on stage.
Thanx for any ideas.
