Ampeg SVT 50th Anniversary Edtition

[Son of Wobble]

Yeah I have been following the Vintage Grill Cloth dilemma as well. I think it looks way better than black.

Not sure why I didn't respond to your thread on the 8-Pro .

I have written some pretty extensive posts on my impressions of the amp.

Got to try the Ampeg SVT 8 Pro...

I wrote multiple post in page 2 and 3 of this thread...here's page 2.
Whad'ya know about Ampeg SVT-8 pro?

Thanks for the link, I'm off to read that. An 8 came up for sale locally a year ago and I was tempted to hoard. I'll live vicariously
through your report instead.

Nice to see you all, @JimmyM fist bump!
Enjoy your Saturdays guys

 

[SactoBass]

I agree on the SVT-VR, I am only a layman but that remains the prettiest amp I have heard.

Yep, and I can understand why Ampeg senses the demand for a USA-made SVT that has the two different preamp circuits (and my guess is, one of those circuits is the same as the VR, and the other is the same as the CL, but again, I'm just guessing there).

 

[gwangi]

My guess is, some folks prefer the old "big iron" designs but with new components and a warranty, and other folks don't care for the old designs and prefer more modern amp designs. Different strokes I guess! Plus, some folks find the idea of an amp being made in the USA appealing, hence the Heritage series and now the soon-to-be-here 50th Anniversary SVT made in the USA. Choices are nice to have!

I'll say this: the tone and feel of the USA Ampeg SVT-VR that I used to have was, for me, mouth-watering! The only reason I sold it was the 85-pound weight (I'm 63 years old and I'm not as strong as I used to be, dang it!) But that SVT tone and feel is, IMO, awesome, and that is why I think Ampeg continues to reissue the SVT in its various forms.

Fortunately, the Fender 100T all-tube amp that I now own is only 48 pounds, which sounds heavy in today's world, but is a featherweight compared to the SVT-VR.

Keep in mind that the Heritage Series:

Designed and assembled in the U.S.A., the Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL is built with premium components and construction, delivering true Ampeg tone. Premium JJ tubes provide unmatched tone and classic Ampeg EQ offers flexibility and control. It's Ampeg's Heritage, but it's your gear... and has been for more than 60 years.


Look at the wording, Designed and assembled in the U.S.A, doesn't say Designed, Made and Assembled in the U.S.A., all the parts are from overseas that are brought over and assembled in the U.S.

 

[SactoBass]

Keep in mind that the Heritage Series:

Designed and assembled in the U.S.A., the Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL is built with premium components and construction, delivering true Ampeg tone. Premium JJ tubes provide unmatched tone and classic Ampeg EQ offers flexibility and control. It's Ampeg's Heritage, but it's your gear... and has been for more than 60 years.


Look at the wording, Designed and assembled in the U.S.A, doesn't say Designed, Made and Assembled in the U.S.A., all the parts are from overseas that are brought over and assembled in the U.S.

Yep, many of the electrical components are indeed made elsewhere. I'm good with that!

As for the timing of when the 50th Anniv SVT will become available for purchase, I agree with @JimmyM that Ampeg (Yamaha) will release it sometime this summer!

 

[ScottsTheLimit]

Keep in mind that the Heritage Series:

Designed and assembled in the U.S.A., the Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL is built with premium components and construction, delivering true Ampeg tone. Premium JJ tubes provide unmatched tone and classic Ampeg EQ offers flexibility and control. It's Ampeg's Heritage, but it's your gear... and has been for more than 60 years.


Look at the wording, Designed and assembled in the U.S.A, doesn't say Designed, Made and Assembled in the U.S.A., all the parts are from overseas that are brought over and assembled in the U.S.

And, they come from China as almost complete assemblies. Only the most basic "assembly" is done in the USA, such as screwing on the corners and handles.

 

[Wasnex]

Yep, and I can understand why Ampeg senses the demand for a USA-made SVT that has the two different preamp circuits (and my guess is, one of those circuits is the same as the VR, and the other is the same as the CL, but again, I'm just guessing there).

I don't think this is accurate. The 50th AV preamp has the same controls as the VR. Channel 1 has Bass, Mid, and Treble. Channel 2 only has Bass and Treble. Channel 2 may be voiced a bit more like a CL, but it will not have the CL's full functionality without the Mid control.

I actually prefer the basic tone of Channel 2 on the vintage amps to Channel 1 and wish they would have just added a mid control. Unfortunately that would entail major changes to the circuit requiring the addition of pots, switches. I believe the VR has two unused tube sections, so it's possible they may not have need to add any tubes, but the preamp circuit cards would need to be totally reworked to realize the desired functionality.

I think the actual change they implemented was probably just changing the values of some of the components to shift the basic voicing and gain of Channel 2 a bit. I will be surprised if the overall layout of the circuit is not identical to that of a VR, but I could be wrong.

Here's an image of the 50th.

Here's a VR.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Here's a nice, clean 69

 

[SactoBass]

I don't think this is accurate. The 50th AV preamp has the same controls as the VR. Channel 1 has Bass, Mid, and Treble. Channel 2 only has Bass and Treble. Channel 2 may be voiced a bit more like a CL, but it will not have the CL's full functionality without the Mid control.

I actually prefer the basic tone of Channel 2 on the vintage amps to Channel 1 and wish they would have just added a mid control. Unfortunately that would entail major changes to the circuit requiring the addition of pots, switches. I believe the VR has two unused tube sections, so it's possible they may not have need to add any tubes, but the preamp circuit cards would need to be totally reworked to realize the desired functionality.

I think the actual change they implemented was probably just changing the values of some of the components to shift the basic voicing and gain of Channel 2 a bit. I will be surprised if the overall layout of the circuit is not identical to that of a VR, but I could be wrong.

Here's an image of the 50th.

Here's a VR.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Here's a nice, clean 69

Very interesting!

I'll say this: if the 50th Anniv SVT sounds like a VR, then that would put a big smile on my face! I absolutely *LOVED* the tone and feel of the USA SVT-VR that I had!

 

[socialleper]

Ampeg makes plenty of modern equipment using modern tech. Meanwhile, know of any other amp that has been made continuously for 50 years? I don't.

Bye now.

Their website contains mostly desgins that are 30 to 50 years old. Even their class Ds are kludgy and awkward.
It just seems like they've gone to the well so many times that reissuing yet another design seems anticlimactic.

Something sticking around for a while doesn't make it objectively good. We know smoking will kill you but we've been doing it for centuries.
Ampeg's genius is built around their knowledge that musicians are a superstitious lot that wallow in nostalgia and silly concepts like "vibe."

 

[ScottsTheLimit]

I own two Vietnampeg VR heads. And they are incredible. (Besides the crooked loose grille cloth and loose transformer bolts.)

They have amazing midrange grunt, and are physically beautiful amps. The Vietnampeg era was not a good one, but I still prefer it to China. I just can't get with the prices they get for having something thrown together there.

Ampeg should ONLY stick to what they are known for. Their "innovations" (to put it nicely) have never succeeded. Remember those giant ugly supposedly premium 8000lb 410 cabs with what looked like painted 4" thick MDF and crap like the isovent thing? Those big chrome circle "a" logos? Cheeze with a capital YUK.

But now, with a REAL company leading them (Yamaha) it can ONLY get better. Yamaha's not really known for dicking around.

BTW...the Portaflex cabs are built GREAT. I'm kinda surprised they are current Ampeg offerings.

 

[JimmyM]

Their website contains mostly desgins that are 30 to 50 years old. Even their class Ds are kludgy and awkward.
It just seems like they've gone to the well so many times that reissuing yet another design seems anticlimactic.

Something sticking around for a while doesn't make it objectively good. We know smoking will kill you but we've been doing it for centuries.
Ampeg's genius is built around their knowledge that musicians are a superstitious lot that wallow in nostalgia and silly concepts like "vibe."

Not even worthy of a dismissive comment. There are plenty of places you can go to get a slappy tappy amp with no balls. God forbid Ampeg makes amps that people who like Ampeg amps actually want to hear.

 

[ScottsTheLimit]

Not even worthy of a dismissive comment. There are plenty of places you can go to get a slappy tappy amp with no balls. God forbid Ampeg makes amps that people who like Ampeg amps actually want to hear.

And yet you responded to him with a dismissive comment.

Ampegs will do a slappy tappy/no balls sound no problem if that's one's preference. Ever heard the innovative Class-D SVT-8Pro? Probably not, they all blew up.

 

[JimmyM]

And yet you responded to him with a dismissive comment.

Ampegs will do a slappy tappy/no balls sound no problem if that's one's preference. Ever heard the innovative Class-D SVT-8Pro? Probably not, they all blew up.

Sure will be glad when high school starts back up.

 

[ScottsTheLimit]

Sure will be glad when high school starts back up.

Will they have a woodshop or sewing class where they will teach how to properly make a cabinet grille?

 

[Wasnex]

Ever heard the innovative Class-D SVT-8Pro? Probably not, they all blew up.

We were just talking about the 8-Pro. My impression is the 8-Pro shot for the stars and it may have been killed before they got all the bugs worked out. I think they did an initial US run that were mostly provided to endorsers and then there was second run made in Vietnam.

I believe there was a lot of messy crap going on at Ampeg during the time this amp was being brought to market, and when the haze started to clear, they pulled the plug on the 8 Pro. This probably makes sense because the amp was technically complicated, and thus expensive to produce; so I doubt it would have been possible to sell enough of them to generate sufficient economy of scale to bring to the price point down to a reasonable level. Not many people need or are willing to pay for a 2,500W amp.

Mine sounds fabulous, but if it ever goes down I am not sure anyone will have the skills or parts to fix it. The power amp is supposedly a bit more complex than the average Class D. FYI, the amps designer told me the best place to send it for repair is LS Electronics in Hazelwood MO. He said they would probably contact him for guidance.

 

[ScottsTheLimit]

We were just talking about the 8-Pro. My impression is the 8-Pro shot for the stars and it may have been killed before they got all the bugs worked out. I think they did an initial US run that were mostly provided to endorsers and then there was second run made in Vietnam.

I believe there was a lot of messy crap going on at Ampeg during the time this amp was being brought to market, and when the haze started to clear, they pulled the plug on the 8 Pro. This probably makes sense because the amp was technically complicated, and thus expensive to produce; so I doubt it would have been possible to sell enough of them to generate sufficient economy of scale to bring to the price point down to a reasonable level. Not many people need or are willing to pay for a 2,500W amp.

Mine sounds fabulous, but if it ever goes down I am not sure anyone will have the skills or parts to fix it. The power amp is supposedly a bit more complex than the average Class D. FYI, the amps designer told me the best place to send it for repair is LS Electronics in Hazelwood MO. He said they would probably contact him for guidance.

Which leads credence to the argument that Ampeg should stick to what they know best...50 year old designs that are proven. They are not an innovative company (at least successfully) and to try to go that route would be foolish. They need to stick to what they know and what people know them for, which is usually just a generic backline amp at high-level TV gigs where the bass is always going thru a DI box sitting on the top left of the amp anyway resulting in a lame generic invisible low end rumble that is nothing like what is actually coming out of the amp. It's the look and legacy that matters. I haven't heard an SVT performance in years on a TV show or YouTube clip that actually SOUNDED like an SVT. It's more-or-less just a standard of the industry nowadays without regard for actual tone since the bass is always DI'd with the most sterile unexciting tone imaginable.

 

[SactoBass]

I guess there will always be folks who like classic designs, and folks who don't. That's very cool! I much prefer living in a world where different people have differing preferences. I would never want to live in a world where we all liked the same thing (that would be awful!) What's really nice is, we bassists have lots of amp choices!

I commend Ampeg for providing a product (the SVT in its various forms) for a whopping 50 years, and I hope that it continues well into the future! It's the buying public that determines the success of a product, so it's the buying public that is responsible for such an impressive 50-year legacy. SVT's continue to sell. That says it all, IMO! Good for Ampeg (Yamaha) to bring forth a US-manufactured SVT that is based on the classic circuitry. There is a reason *THAT* tone and feel is strongly desired by [some] bassists.

 

[socialleper]

Not even worthy of a dismissive comment. There are plenty of places you can go to get a slappy tappy amp with no balls. God forbid Ampeg makes amps that people who like Ampeg amps actually want to hear.

Yet you made one.
If "balls" means limited clarity and EQ, sure.

My point was that they've been kicking the same dead horse. How is it exciting to reissue something when all you do is reissue stuff?

 

[Wasnex]

Which leads credence to the argument that Ampeg should stick to what they know best...50 year old designs that are proven. They are not an innovative company (at least successfully) and to try to go that route would be foolish. They need to stick to what they know and what people know them for, which is usually just a generic backline amp at high-level TV gigs where the bass is always going thru a DI box sitting on the top left of the amp anyway resulting in a lame generic invisible low end rumble that is nothing like what is actually coming out of the amp. It's the look and legacy that matters. I haven't heard an SVT performance in years on a TV show or YouTube clip that actually SOUNDED like an SVT. It's more-or-less just a standard of the industry nowadays without regard for actual tone since the bass is always DI'd with the most sterile unexciting tone imaginable.

I hear plenty of recordings and performances that capture SVT-like tone, regardless of whether an SVT is used or not.

I think Ampeg's business model is basically similar to Harley Davidson. It's based largely on tradition and attitude. But I am not sure this business model can survive indefinitely, so I think it's important for the company to try and innovate. I would say they have successfully integrated tradition, attitude, and innovation with the PF20T and PF50T. The innovation is a compact, low-powered, all-tube bass amp that can be used without a speaker. Seems like a nice platform for the faithful tube-o-philes to get some authentic Ampeg tone into their IEMs without blowing the walls of the venue with an SVT.

The 8-Pro may have been a bit misguided because I don't think there's much of a market for amps at this price or performance level any more. The market has really turned significantly away from unlimited, touring quality amps, and is more focused on micro size and light weight, so the odds of making a profit on this type of product were probably pretty low to begin with. Then if there were any problems bringing the product to market, it would have pushed costs and made matters even worse; and as you have pointed out, there were some serious problems with the 8-Pro.

In reading various threads about the amp, it seems likely many of the problems could have been avoided, or at least managed a lot better. There seems to be indications that the project was mismanaged above the engineering level, which caused miscommunication between people who were designing and testing different components. I am not sure the lead designer even saw the project through to completion. At some point these problems caused so many cost overruns and so much damage to the amp's reputation that it probably made sense to just discontinue it. I believe the people responsible for the mismanagement were removed from the company a long time ago.

 

[SactoBass]

My point was that they've been kicking the same dead horse. How is it exciting to reissue something when all you do is reissue stuff?

Based on the popularity [to some folks] of the SVT (which is dictated by the buying public), I would suggest that the horse is not dead, but rather very alive and quite well!

Some bassists like that horse, and want to continue riding it, especially if it is new and comes with a warranty!

 

[slugger]

I haven't heard an SVT performance in years on a TV show or YouTube clip that actually SOUNDED like an SVT. It's more-or-less just a standard of the industry nowadays without regard for actual tone since the bass is always DI'd with the most sterile unexciting tone imaginable.

Bet the bassist had a big S#$@ eating grin on their face though, haha
Coincidentally, the very first time I fell in love with an SVT was a live experience. That was a looong time ago and I understand there are other amps more suited with tonal and DI amenities in todays world but Pbass+SVT+810 will always rule supreme LIVE on stage in my humbly sheltered existence.

If anyone is looking for AV grill cloth, I think I have a few yards rolled up (fliptop purchase) somewhere that I'd be willing to pass along for a few bucks. (I think I have enough to do an 810 iirc)