Ampeg rig question

[Cliff1908]

Hello everyone,

I'm making up my mind concerning purchasing a new bass rig. I'll go for an Ampeg rig but I'm still not sure which head and cab I'll buy.

I'm still thinking about two head and two cabinets: Ampeg SVT 3 Pro head, Ampeg B4R Head and a Ampeg BXT410HL4 and SVT 610 HLF Cabinet.

My question is: is it possible to hook up a B4R Head with a SVT 610 HLF Cabinet? I've tested a Svt 3 pro with the Svt 610HLF and the sound was really nice but the problem was that the SVT 3 isn't that loud enough. The louder it got, the worser it sounded (farting sound and a bad distortion sound).

The B4R sounds amazing (loud and fantastic sound) with the BXT 410 HL4 cabinet but I didn't had the chance to test it with an Ampeg SVT 610 Hlf.

If anyone could help me out here, I would appreciate it very much!

Take care,

Cliff.

 

[s9meyers]

why are you going all ampeg? in my opinion, ampeg solid state heads are typically over priced and below average capabilities.

however, if you like the b4r, and you have indeed tried a lot of other stuff... then go for it...

The 610hlf needs a lot of power, 1200w I believe. Neither of those heads will fully satisfy that cabinet.

I'd suggest either a larger head with that cabinet, or a different cabinet with either of the two heads you've selected.

If you're going with the svt3 or the b4r I'd recommend the 410. the bxt series is probably your best bet, but also check out the 410hlf. A lot of guys like that cabinet, but it's heavy.

I own a 410he and a 410hlf... they have very different tones. the hlf series have a lot more lows.

the 610 hlf has wonderful tone and a lot of low end, but if you're going big and bulky, save up $200 more and splurge for an 810. you'll be happier.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

the cab doesnt need that power . . . its a rating, it can run just fine with less power than that, aslong as you arent clipping the SS amp, but, that'll **** up most cabs

 

[s9meyers]

why buy a 6x10 1200w cab if you're only going to put at most 450w into it?you'd have to hear it i guess, but i suspect you are going to push the ss head really hard and not get the desired volume.

 

[8mmOD]

That 610 is rated 600 watt RMS and 1200 PEAK power. Its a good match wattage wize for either amp. If you are "farting out" a 3 pro before it gets very loud, it's the way you have it dialed in. My guess is you have the ulra low button engaged, which scoops the mids & adds lows and highs. the meat of your sound is in the mids. Turn off the ultra low. IMO, the 3 pro isnt the easiest amp to dial in, but when it is dialed in right it can get very loud and it can have a very nice tone. If you end up buying a 3 pro, PM me and I will send you over some tips for dialing it in.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

why buy a 6x10 1200w cab if you're only going to put at most 450w into it?you'd have to hear it i guess, but i suspect you are going to push the ss head really hard and not get the desired volume.

Why? because you might like the sound of that cab?

Do you buy cabs just for thier power rating? i know i dont

 

[Cliff1908]

First, thank you all for the help. I appreciate that a lot! Well, the reason why I choose ampeg is that I've been testing a huge amount of amps for the past year (SWR, Hartke, Peavey, Hughes and Kettner, Ampeg, Mesa,...) and Ampeg came out as the winner.

To buy a professional rig is a serious investment so it takes time to choose the propper amp.

Well, after testing many amps Ampeg came out as the winner because of it's volume, rating and sound. The other brands are all great but their sound were quite sterile and one dimensional. They were all very loud but loudness is not the only thing a great bassrig must have. The sound is something to take care of.

The Ampeg SVT 610 HLF cabinet is huge and fantastic and has a rating of 600 watts. The B4R has a rating of 1350 watts at 4 ohm so I'll think it will handle the cab with no problems. I play in a death metal band and my guitarplayer has a HUGE amp (Diezel V4H head with a 4x12 Rectifier cabinet). So I need a great bassrig and I'm saving up my money to buy one within two months.

The Ampeg SVT 3 PRo is a fantastic head but indeed, it's a very difficult head to seek the propper sound that you want.
8mmODD, thank you very much that you want to help me out if I would buy this head!

The BXT410 has a wonderfull and crystal clear sound but I think the SVT 610 has just that little more "punsh". At this point, I still keep on hesitating and thinking. If anybody could give some more help, I would appreciate it very much.

Thank you all who have given information, I've printed everything out and will read it and think about it.

Take care and see you soon,

Cliff