Ampeg SVT-115E Question

[Aeroprof]

I am looking to buy a used cab and according to the seller it is an SVT-115EN. However, all I can find when I search on the Ampeg website is the SVT-115E (no "N") model. Are there really two different models of this cab? Is so, what does the "N" signify?

Thanks in advance for your replies!

 

[punkrockmike]

Im pretty sure they're the same cab. i used to own a svt 115 and im pretty sure mine was an EN and i had the same question and if i remember correctly it just has to do with when they were made. (now that i think about it there is a good chance that im wrong. but for some reason my head is telling me they're the same)

 

[Bill Staudt]

When Ampeg first started equipping cabs with Speakon connections they suffixed the model with an “N”.

 

[Aeroprof]

Aha! That makes sense. Many thanks!

 

[TravTrav]

I'm going to use this thread for another question:

At any point were these cabs manufactured using particleboard/MDF rather than plywood?

 

[AlexanderB]

As far as I know, neither particle board of MDF has been used. However, OSB (with a low grade plywood baffle) was used in general for the cabinets for many years until production was moved to Asia.

 

[JimmyM]

Unfortunately, the timeline on OSB was pretty much the entire run at SLM except for the last year (2006). Since then they've been made out of actual wood.

 

[Jerrold Tiers]

Unfortunately, the timeline on OSB was pretty much the entire run at SLM except for the last year (2006). Since then they've been made out of actual wood.

hey.... OSB is "actual wood".... At least if you believe Electro-voice, they used it for years....

We just don't LIKE OSB..... using it was a rotten idea..... but it didn't get used for baffle boards..... at least as far as I know.

Also.... even for 810 that were made of ply, the inner pieces were sometimes made of OSB..... so if you look at them thru the speaker hole you might think the whole thing was OSB... IIRC OSB was not used on Ampeg prior to somewhere in the mid 1990s.

 

[beans-on-toast]

hey.... OSB is "actual wood".... At least if you believe Electro-voice, they used it for years....We just don't LIKE OSB.

Here's how EV characterized their version of OSB and rat fur:

The enclosure is constructed of RoadWoodTM​, a structural material made of layered and selectively oriented hardwood strands strongly bonded together with phenolic resins. This high-strength shell is covered with densely woven, abuse-resistant black carpeting.

I'm not a fan of OSB. It has let me down with other cabinets. I have to admit that my EV SH-1502 cabinets have never let me down. My only complaint is that they weigh a lot. Other than that, they've taken 27 years of abuse and are great performers.

 

[String Theory]

When Ampeg first started equipping cabs with Speakon connections they suffixed the model with an “N”.

And now that all of their cabinets have speakon connectors, the "n" has been dropped.

 

[TravTrav]

Unfortunately, the timeline on OSB was pretty much the entire run at SLM except for the last year (2006). Since then they've been made out of actual wood.

Is their way I can tell what year a cab was made by the serial no. or some other identifier?

 

[RSNG]

I've never really thought too much about it, but my BSE-410HLF appears to be made of OSB. It's really heavy for it's size. I've moved it all over the place, and thrashed the heck out of it with my SVT3PRO. It's still rock solid and tight. I bought it 9 years ago, and it's held up really well.

In the late 60s, I remember a guy who made cabs saying that particle board was better than plywood. He said that plywood has more of a tendency to rattle and buzz. I suppose that has a lot to do with the quality of the plywood.

 

[JimmyM]

Is their way I can tell what year a cab was made by the serial no. or some other identifier?

www.unofficialampeg.com/dating.html

 

[TravTrav]

Hmmm, I'm thinking of buying this one on GC used and the serial is:
A8WD020045

I'm guessing their modern serial no's work differently now....

 

[TravTrav]

Found this picture, and it looks like it's serial # goes by a different pattern, too:

 

[beans-on-toast]

Hmmm, I'm thinking of buying this one on GC used and the serial is:
A8WD020045

I date it as 2002 from the 0. On one of my amps they used a number zero instead of the letter "O" on their serial number.

The cab in your second image is 2008.

A call to Loud's customer service will give you the answer.

 

[TravTrav]

That makes sense, BOT. Thanks.

Looks like I'll stay away from that used one then.

 

[JimmyM]

LOUD did change their serials in 2008 (obviously after that one was made), making the 12th digit the one you use to look up the year. Same exact scheme as the SLM scheme starting with 2008 = A. But I don't think they're using it anymore. I've seen some recent stuff with the serials not following along with the plan.

 

[beans-on-toast]

It would be nice if all the current numbers and letters in the code were explained. As Jimmy said, they've revised it.

 

[TravTrav]

I got one more question about these cabs (for now at least), were the USA made SVT115EN made of legit plywood?