• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

AMPEG SVT 4 PRO vs. MESA BOOGIE 400+

J

jepETC

Jan 21, 2009
15
1
Orange County, CA
www.myspace.com
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Basson Sound, Audix Mics, SIT Strings
#1
Ive checked out the svt 4 many times and i absolutely like this amp. Very versatile in tone control and overall performance.

BUT i've had my eye on a mesa boogie 400+ for awhile but havent had the chance to test one out.

Has anyone? pro's and cons?

Thanx
 
#7
Basson Cabs have that goofy minimum power you have to drive into the cabs to not destroy the cab. The 4 PRO would probably meet what you need, but the Mesa 400+ can do 500 watts of at 2 ohms peak - awesome spec, but I have a feeling you will not get enough power from the Mesa 400+ for the Basson cabs. Check the specs and go from there.

The Mesa 400+ is really growly, punchy, and plenty low for whatever you want to do. The 4 PRO is a warm/clean/tubey tone all the time. The growl and articulate punch of the 400+ is awesome - the 4 PRO is good sounding in its own regard, but it is not going to growl in the midrange at all.
 
#11
I did not realize the bassist from Mudvayne used the SVT 4 PRO. I know for the L.D. 50 album he used two SVT 2 PROs and the PR810hlf on stage. Then again, there surely is some studio magic and secret effect boxes going on here to make the 4 PRO sound so good. He did employ a DBX 160A compressor with the 2 PROs, and used SWR cabs for the high end during the L.D. 50 recording sessions...

Regardless, I am referring to power tube growl in the midrange frequencies of the Mesa 400+. The SVT 4 PRO can growl a little bit, but nothing like the 400+ would.
 
#12
Apples and oranges . . . the 4pro will give you a more classic Ampeg vibe, while the Mesa will have more "aggression" in the mids and raw thump in the bottom.

The 4pro will be as maintainence free as it is possible to have in a high powered amp; the Mesa will cost you big $$ come tube replacement time.

The 4pro has more versatility in tone; the Mesa, not.

For the mostest . . . buy both and slave the Mesa!!! I know a certain somebody who's done that!! lol
 
#13
they are two completely different beasts.

i owned a 400+. owned is the key word. while it was good and loud, i was never content with the tone i got out of it. too finicky as far as having to tweak all the time to be happy. i was happy when i used a stomp box with it because without modding it and messing with the warranty, i wasn't really able to get what i wanted out of it.
and i would in no way ever call a 400+ "growly". lot's of midrange low end? for days, but there was no growl.

svt 4 pro. i own one of these now. went from the 400+ to this amp and i haven't looked back since. does clean, with the right pre amps tubes it can get tube grit, can bump up the mids or thumb the lows. depending on the cab, it is very, very versatile head. the best part is, the eq never needs tweaking. i go to a gig, plug it in, hit a few notes and it's perfect. RARELY do i need to tweak, and if i do it's a slight adjustment on the rotary knobs, or the volume.
 
#14
Gearhead17 said:
Basson Cabs have that goofy minimum power you have to drive into the cabs to not destroy the cab. The 4 PRO would probably meet what you need, but the Mesa 400+ can do 500 watts of at 2 ohms peak - awesome spec, but I have a feeling you will not get enough power from the Mesa 400+ for the Basson cabs. Check the specs and go from there.

The Mesa 400+ is really growly, punchy, and plenty low for whatever you want to do. The 4 PRO is a warm/clean/tubey tone all the time. The growl and articulate punch of the 400+ is awesome - the 4 PRO is good sounding in its own regard, but it is not going to growl in the midrange at all.
Click to expand...

Minimum power to not destroy the cab? Speakers are destroyed by excess power. Remember, even running a 1000 watt amp, you'll probably be putting much less than that (RMS) into the cab. Total BS.

Also, the Mesa is a tube amp, it's 300 watts (actually, less than that), at both 2 and 4 ohms (and 8 ohms too if it has that setting). The peak thing is a bit of airy fairy number, don't go by what mesa is claiming on that one.


LedBelli Bass said:
Apples and oranges . . . the 4pro will give you a more classic Ampeg vibe, while the Mesa will have more "aggression" in the mids and raw thump in the bottom.

The 4pro will be as maintainence free as it is possible to have in a high powered amp; the Mesa will cost you big $$ come tube replacement time.

The 4pro has more versatility in tone; the Mesa, not.

For the mostest . . . buy both and slave the Mesa!!! I know a certain somebody who's done that!! lol
Click to expand...

I agree they will be different.

4 Pro being less maintainence? The whole tube amps being more expensive to own is an urban myth. Take care of any amp and it'll last for decades (factory mistakes aside).

More versatility isn't always a good thing, I'd rather have an amp with one good tone over an amp with a thousand bland ones ;)


I'm an Ampeg fan, but I must admit, the 400+ would be my choice, hands down. Or maybe wait and see what Mesa are going to replace it with, if they do (which they had better :bawl: )
 
#16
i_got_a_mohawk said:
I agree they will be different.

4 Pro being less maintainence? The whole tube amps being more expensive to own is an urban myth. Take care of any amp and it'll last for decades (factory mistakes aside).
Click to expand...

My post specifically stated that when it came time to re-tube the Mesa it will be spendy. I was not speaking in generalized terms; I was speaking specifically of re-tubing. Show me a high-power tube amp that hasn't been retubed in "decades" and I'll kiss the Pope's turtleneck.

The Mesa 400+ has 12 ea. 6L6 tubes on the power side(compared to 6 tubes in the power side of an SVT-2 Pro). Regular maintenence on a tube amp is tube replacement on the power side. The harder you drive it, the more often you'll need to replace the power tubes. It's a fact of life.

I once had an SVT-2 Pro that came due for tubes. A quality set of 6 tubes came to over $250.00 NOT installed (I installed them). Do the math . . .

So, I'll stand by my contention that, all things being eqaual, the Mesa is going to cost more to maintain when it comes time to retube.
 
#17
From Basson's site: http://www.bassonsound.com/b410b.htm

"""This cab is also a power hungry animal and will need an amp rated at 750+ watts at 8 Ohms"""

It's one of the first times I ever saw a bass company say such a thing. I am inclined to think it's all garbage, but I don't think it would be wise to go against it. There was a thread about this on TB, but it did not really get anything solved with this power issue. I would give them a call and find out what is really going on with required power ratings.
 
#18
I think you will find that while the Mesa has 12 tubes, they are considerably cheaper per tube than the six that are in the SVT2pro (read this on a related thread recently). FWIW I have been flogging my Mesa 400+ regularly for the past five years and the tubes are showing no signs of decay - in fact the amp sounds as good as it did new to my ears.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back