Haven’t been able to find a comparison, but for anyone that has both the SGT and the Ampeg Suite, if you had to pick just one, which way would you go and why? I really want the SVT sound for practice and home recording, and the suite is currently on sale…
I've been meaning to do a review on this preamp pedal for a month now but summer laziness got a hold of me. That is until I saw this question posted. Besides the SGT, I also own the SVT Suite, B15N and SVT-VR Classic by Brainworx, besides plugins of Softube's Eden WT800, and Brainworx's GK 800RB and Fender Bassman called BassDude. So yeah, I am familiar with plugins vs. pedals.
To answer your question, and sorry if I'm late here and you've already made a decision if I was gonna make a purchase it would definitely depend on my uses for any of these products. If I'm a DIY recording enthusiast who is unlikely to play out, I'd go for the plugins and hold off buying the SGT. The Suite gives you everything the pedal does and more. It's pretty intuitive and makes a huge difference in comparison to my original recorded track. It alone may be all you need, again if you're only recording. the Brainworxs plugins are also very good, especially the B15N which was mentioned.
The reason I bought the SGT was to capture separate B15 and SVT tones that not only could be used to record but more importantly, used to gig with. Otherwise, the SGT is redundant and I'd be better off using the $400 on something else. The pedal, both preamp and SGT circuit, are very good though, and worth having available if you plan on playing out and want either of those tones. The preamp is the default Ampeg Classic pre, but a notch up from the SCR-DI, which I previously owned, due to the sweepable midrange control. Then add the SGT, which I also enjoy using on my Rocket Bass 112 combo, and you have a powerful tool on the floor alongside your other pedals. the Ultra Lo and Hi are probably more to one's tastes but provide nice tonal options just the same.
Moving to the cabinet options, I myself found the six IRs to be functional, especially the SVT 810 and 212 cabs, but the others are fun to mess with. The B15's cab is decent but sometimes sounds muddy to me. I like the numerous cab options on the Brainworx B15N better and think they tend to sound better. That said, I do like having the cab sims available on the SGT as yet another of its plentiful options.
So right now, how do I feel about the SGT? It's a definite step up from the SCR-DI, but if you have your live rig covered with all you need and are looking more into amps for recording, I'd vote for the SVT Suite. If you typically use a power amp live and separate preamps and are looking to snag some Ampeg vibe, this pedal couldn't be a better choice. It'll give you most of what you need, yeah, I'm not crazy one way or another about the compressor, for not only live gigging but also when it's time to record a track or two.
gruidl, feel free to ask any questions you may have if you're still on the fence about buying the SGT. Finally, this has been a really interesting thread with great points made by numerous contributors. Nice job, all!
Pictured below is my currently downsized pedalboard with the SGT and my Broughton HPF and tuner.
