Ampeg SVT 7 Pro, 410HLF and 810e QUESTION

[AlexanderB]

Wow. Where to start?
The SVT-410HLF (which means "Horn", "Low Frequency", IIRC) comes in two flavors; the older US made ones that sound notably darker than the newer, Asian ones. I guess the US models have created the "bad" reputation as I get a fairly even response with my Asian ones. More mids is only a knob twist away, anyway...

My cabs work great when given about 700-900 true QSC Watts each, but their limit is in that range.

I am certain that the baked in Ampeg voicing + compression does not help at all. Your heavy technique is also not good when striving for loud, even and authoritative tone.

 

[AlexanderB]

The sealed SVT-810E is rolled off in the lows and much more forgiving to sloppy technique, uneven volume across strings, room acoustics etc. Easier to live with, so to speak.

 

[kennyrodg]

I did an outdoor gig at the weekend with my Warwick Thumb NT, 7pro and "sealed" Laney NX810. The seating area in front of the stage was approx 100ft x 100ft.
I had plenty of volume at 2 oclock and fantastic tone with no PA support. You'll have plenty of compression with the 7 pro at 9 oclock on the dial, no need for any more than that.
I have to say that standing in front of that sucker was a great feeling. It's so worth owning that cab even though it gets to play out maybe three times a year.

 

[JimmyM]

That's what's up. Ive seen a lot of your posts Jimmy and much respect to you for being on the ball w your responses. If you don't mind me asking, how much would be a fair value to sell my 1976 810 to a fellow thumper?

The best scenario for me would be to get $1000 for both 410 and 810 then pay down the credit card I used to buy the Heritage. I just put them up for $400 and $600 on craigslist hoping to get some action on it

Sorry but I got in trouble once for discussing price with a non-member. But it's all about condition and availability in your area.

 

[JimmyM]

Is that really what HLF stands for?! Haha excuse my ignorance, I'm pretty much a newbie here but I haven't been able to find/figure it out.

Close...it stands for High Low Frequency. High because it has a tweeter, Low Frequency because...well...

 

[spego]

I should probably mention I have the compression turned up to 3 o'clock and sometimes higher. I really dig into the strings, more than your average bear, and I find that it helps eliminate the 'thwack' sound of the strings hitting the pickups.

This is part of the headroom issue.......WAY too much compression. Back that down to 9 o'clock or so. You can't have headroom if you're squashing everything you put into it.

The clanking/thwack is a setup (bass) and/or technique issue. Drop the pickups or raise the action/adjust the neck if you cannot correct it with technique. I play heavy handed too but learned too much compression can ruin good tone......when used correctly you can barely tell it's on.

I also had a HLF which I just sold a few days ago. Mine was a newer one. It sounded good......but still IMO scooped and not my thing at all. I'll stick with my 810E and my 8x8.