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Ampeg SVT 50th Anniversary Edtition
- Thread starter Clap Trap
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I have my problems with them too.Kinda like that biggest company in basses--Fender!I guess there's room for all kinds in the market. I dig Mesa products too btw.
If an Ampeg product ever appeals to you, then I will know that it will be a marketplace stiff.
I thought I wasn't worth your time responding to? Especially since that conversation wasn't with you. I'm a little disappointed in you.
You have your place on TB to mark, and I have mine.
The one piece of Ampeg gear I have is a BA115HP combo amp. I purchased it around 2012 when i was pairing everything down, but wanted a combo that was worth a damn. A combo that isn't a POS is actually pretty hard to find. With 220w, a tweeter, solid enclosure construction, balanced out, built in tuner and headphone jack, it had the most features and was the only one I couldn't make dump in its drawers when I played it. Yes, it has the 80s design that they've been using for 40 years, but it is at least unobtrusive.
Also, in par for the course fashion for Ampeg these days, I've had to have serviced twice despite it never leaving my house, and you have to crank the tweeter and highs to get any definition out of it.
And you are partly right, they don't make it anymore. Is it because it is a dog? Doubtful. The people that have them, love them. I worked around consumer retail, and worked at a Sennheiser Neumann office for a while. I know how the game works. It was too good. It had too much power, too many features, and wasn't profitable enough for them. It various replacements have all been inferior in terms of features, power, construction, and tone.
The quality of a thing may matter to the people answering the phones, or the engineers, and of course the customers. But we all know that these people don't actually matter. An executive or VP somewhere runs the numbers, wants to squeeze every nickle they can out of their product for their stockholders (which they always are) and their bonuses. They will do the least possible to make the most possible. Ampeg knows its most hardcore fans aren't really interested in something new. They are lost in their mist of nostalgia. They know if they can sell some units without having to design anything, why not? Its lazy, and they are relying on its brand name, and "vibe" as a lifestyle brand (a la Harley Davidson, Marshall, Gibson, Fender) to sell stuff. It doesn't have to be objectively good, it just has to feed into the psychology of the "An SVT with a P bass is the voice of god" parrots that exist on TB.
I don't like being manipulated by marketing dweebs. If that doesn't bother you, cool. Enjoy your anniversary edition SVT.
I could be way off base here, but somehow I get the feeling that @socialleper will *not* be buying a 50th Anniv SVT!
It's all good! That's why we have so many amp brands and designs to choose from!
I would *LOVE* to own a 50th Anniv SVT based on the wonderful tone and feel that I got from the USA SVT-VR that I had many years ago. But nowadays, 80+ pounds is just too much for my 63 year old back to schlep. Dang it!!!
It's all good! That's why we have so many amp brands and designs to choose from!
I would *LOVE* to own a 50th Anniv SVT based on the wonderful tone and feel that I got from the USA SVT-VR that I had many years ago. But nowadays, 80+ pounds is just too much for my 63 year old back to schlep. Dang it!!!
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Respectully, no one is forcing you to buy or even consider an Ampeg. There are plenty of awesome amps from other companies. When it came time to buy a combo, I bought a GK 700RB/112 because it was the best amp I could find that would fit in the trunk of my Dodge Neon. Never been serviced and it is 15-20 years old. Today I would probably go a different route. The Mesa WD-800 looks mighty tempting IMHO. Seriously go check out some other gear. Ampeg is obviously not for you. There is no reason to take it personally.
There is nothing personal here. We are all just talking. Opinions of excitement for something are as valid as disappointment about something.
You wrote, "I don't like being manipulated by marketing dweebs. If that doesn't bother you, cool. Enjoy your anniversary edition SVT." This and some other things you have written seem pretty personal and offensive to me.
I don't think the 50th AV is some covert or overly thought out marketing scheme. My perception is customers asked for the amp and the company has indicated it plans to issue it.
My personal belief is the amp is nothing more than a slightly modified VR. I don't have any interest in owning one as I have a 69 and an 87 Skunk, but I am curious as to what changes were actually made to the circuitry and it's fun to read people's NAD postings.
Listen, nobody can snark up a conversation better than me except maybe Howard Stern, and I can spot a fellow wiseass better than anyone, too. So let's ditch the "nothing personal/just opinions" pretense here. You got very personal. Your entire vibe has been all about, "If you don't hate what I hate, you're an idiot living in the stone age." Hey, I'll defend to death your right to say it. And I'll defend to death everyone's right to call it out for what it is, too. Nobody's buying your cover story.
I'm curious about that too!
Same here. I haven't owned an all tube Ampeg head for close to 15 years. I can't say I was totally in love with the tone of the SVT-CL or the SVT-2 Pro that I owned, when they were cranked up, which is why I sold them both.
I recently tried an SVT-VR, and there was the tone I remembered from long, long ago. And it's the tone I've been chasing for over 30 years. I'm loving the 50th Anniversary's sound sample when he's playing through Channel 1. Channel 2 also sounds great to my ears. And combining both channels sounds fantastic.
Sorry if I missed it in this thread, but are the 50th Anniversary models manufactured in Woodinville, WA alongside the Heritage SVT-CLs?
Yeah, I had a CL as well, and it sounded good but not as good as I expected it to sound. I bought the CL and the matching fridge cab new around the year 2000, and perhaps it didn't wow me as much because that was back when Ampeg products weren't at the top of the game.
Yep! The USA SVT-VR that I owned about 10 years ago had *THAT WONDERFUL* tone and feel! It was mouth-watering!
Probably won't be Woodinville because of LOUD selling to Yamaha, which bases US ops in Cali. But it will be assembled in the US.
Yeah, I had a CL as well, and it sounded good but not as good as I expected it to sound. I bought the CL and the matching fridge cab new around the year 2000, and perhaps it didn't wow me as much because that was back when Ampeg products weren't at the top of the game.
Yep! The USA SVT-VR that I owned about 10 years ago had *THAT WONDERFUL* tone and feel! It was mouth-watering!
The SVT-VR sounded SO much like the mid 70's SVT I used to borrow! I just stood there with a goofy smile while I played through it at the music store.
I do regret selling my 810E when I sold my heads. I loved that cabinet, regardless of which brand or type of head I plugged into it.
When I can finally swing buying another SVT it's going to hopefully be a 50th Anniversary model, if not, it's going to be an SVT-VR. And I want another 810E. Hopefully the Heritage 810E will be offered with a grill that matches the 50th Anniversary/SVT-VRUnfortunately it's going to be a bit before I can buy the Ampeg setup. I'm in the process of adding another cabinet to my already ridiculous setup, (which will be awesome!
) and that took a bit of longterm sniveling to my wife to make it happen. 
The VR has the tone! And so will the 50th Anniv!
That would be "da bomb" rig right there!
Unfortunately it's going to be a bit before I can buy the Ampeg setup. I'm in the process of adding another cabinet to my already ridiculous setup, (which will be awesome!
Sniveling is an art!
The original SVT was debuted at summer NAMM '69. 2019 summer NAMM kicks off next week... hmmm...
“Hmmmm........yeah.........”
Google Image Result for https://thumbs.gfycat.com/KindlyLimpingGorilla-max-1mb.gif
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