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Ampeg SVT 7 Pro Club
- Thread starter Verminaard
- Start date
I used to be a electronic tech back in the day. Here's my recommendation: -
as you have a spare chip - the board is more important than the chip, so using proper electronic side cutters cut out the chip leaving the legs sticking out.
Now you can desolder each chip leg - the objective here is to desolder without damaging the pad or the plate-through hole. Remove the pin, then use a solder-sucker to clear the hole of solder.
Instead of soldering in the new chip I would get a high quality ( mil spec ) 8 pin socket and solder that in.
carefully squeeze the 8 pin chip pins so that they align perfectly with the socket holes and insert the chip into the socket without bending any pins.
( optional extra - glue a little heatsink onto the chip top using heat conducting glue. )
Clean the work you've done of flux and you are done!
note if you dont have a good soldering iron for electronics, side cutters and pliers meant for electronic work, a solder sucker, decent solder, and iso propyl alcohol, and reasonable hand skills - then get a proper tech to do it. The chip is cheap, but the board isnt.
No risk to see the ship coming off with all the vibration from touring? Same question with a glued heatsink.
That is great advice, Pete. Thanks so much for detailing it. Unfortunately my problem is I just don't have the steady hands it takes to solder and never have. I've tried many times, have had limited success at best. I fixed a loose limiter switch in one of my amps once from when it fell off my amp hard onto a hard stage, but it only lasted a couple months and broke again. At best I'm only going to be 50/50 at it, so I gave up unless it's meatball stuff like two wires tied together or a big enough jack to wrap the wires around twice
>>Well, I screwed it up. Almost made it, but not quite. I’ll buy a new board.
nah just take it to a tech that can do board repair - its only an 8 pin chip. a tech should be able do track repair even if you left a smoking crater
You will have to put up with sighs and him/her rolling their eyes though.
nah just take it to a tech that can do board repair - its only an 8 pin chip. a tech should be able do track repair even if you left a smoking crater
You will have to put up with sighs and him/her rolling their eyes though.
Ok, I’m trying to wrap my mind around this.
I’m using a Zoom B3n pedal in front of the Ampeg SVT 7 Pro.
It’s going into the main input with the active pad button off.
I’m using the Zoom B3n to level out all of my basses so that they will all match up in volume whenever I switch between them.
I have three settings for each of my basses, each on its own bank.
Clean/Dirty/Dry Signal
The Dry Signal Patch matches the overall volume of the amp when it’s engaged compared to when the Zoom is bypassed entirely, this depends on the overall volume of each bass when it’s volume is up full. Each patch has a master volume setting.
The Clean and Dirty patches are then matched in volume to the Dry Signal Patch. Keep in mind that the Clean Patch is used to Compress/EQ each bass. This is what makes it different than the Dry Signal Patch.
If I bypass the pedal entirely using the tuner function of the Zoom, the volume will vary for each bass.
Thus...the Dry Signal Patch for each bass is necessary.
I’ve noticed that when I have the pedal engaged that the Dry Signal Patch, as well as the other patches, have the ability to raise the volume of the amp through the main input without pushing the gain of the amp itself.
I mean, shouldn’t the amp start breaking up as I add more volume into the main input?
I’ve tried bypassing the pedal by using the tuner function of the Zoom B3n and then raise the gain on the Ampeg until it starts getting gritty.
Then I switch back to the Clean Patch and Dry Signal Patch and the amp loses much of it’s natural gritty sound, yet it is much louder than before.
I don’t mind this at all though, I can dial in all the grit/dirt I want with the pedal, but none of this makes sense to me.
How am I sending more signal to the amp input without pushing the input gain of the amp?
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks!
I’m using a Zoom B3n pedal in front of the Ampeg SVT 7 Pro.
It’s going into the main input with the active pad button off.
I’m using the Zoom B3n to level out all of my basses so that they will all match up in volume whenever I switch between them.
I have three settings for each of my basses, each on its own bank.
Clean/Dirty/Dry Signal
The Dry Signal Patch matches the overall volume of the amp when it’s engaged compared to when the Zoom is bypassed entirely, this depends on the overall volume of each bass when it’s volume is up full. Each patch has a master volume setting.
The Clean and Dirty patches are then matched in volume to the Dry Signal Patch. Keep in mind that the Clean Patch is used to Compress/EQ each bass. This is what makes it different than the Dry Signal Patch.
If I bypass the pedal entirely using the tuner function of the Zoom, the volume will vary for each bass.
Thus...the Dry Signal Patch for each bass is necessary.
I’ve noticed that when I have the pedal engaged that the Dry Signal Patch, as well as the other patches, have the ability to raise the volume of the amp through the main input without pushing the gain of the amp itself.
I mean, shouldn’t the amp start breaking up as I add more volume into the main input?
I’ve tried bypassing the pedal by using the tuner function of the Zoom B3n and then raise the gain on the Ampeg until it starts getting gritty.
Then I switch back to the Clean Patch and Dry Signal Patch and the amp loses much of it’s natural gritty sound, yet it is much louder than before.
I don’t mind this at all though, I can dial in all the grit/dirt I want with the pedal, but none of this makes sense to me.
How am I sending more signal to the amp input without pushing the input gain of the amp?
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks!
A good question. I don't rightly know. It could be a question of the Zoom high passing your signal and cutting off lows that you may not be able to hear in your rig. That could possibly be why you get a volume increase without sending it into overdrive. But I don't know enough about the Zoom to know if it does that. Try asking this in Effects where people in there probably have a lot more experience with that Zoom unit than most of us.
Thanks Jimmy!
I’ll post this in effects as well.
...and what makes this even stranger is that through the Zoom it sounds more full with more definition than bypassed.
Almost like comparing a passive pickup to an active pickup.
Like I said, I’m trying to make sense of this.
Another bit of info is that all of the settings on the Ampeg are set flat and the compression is off since I’m using the Zoom for that as well.
Thanks again.
The question is how it does it. High passing could cause both of those things to happen. Depends on what "more full" and "more definition" are to you.
I hear ya man.
Next I’m going to try the Zoom through my old SWR and see if it does the same thing.
Got this rack box from Case Smith Customs a few weeks ago, for protection while transporting, and because it looks cool. The tolex and hardware are pretty much an exact match of my 410HLF. There is a strap handle on the top also.
Hello TB SVT-7Pro people!
Is it really worth repairing ?
Had mine for 6 years, and it failed hard at start of second set. Bad, bad, bad!
Plugged into a MIUSA SVT610 . Sounded famous, WHEN it worked.
Kept going and finished through house with DA, but it messed mon mix for the horns and drums, and band mates not happy.
After paying a tech to evaluate I have to replace, well really the entire amp except chassis and knobs, with part
(0032543-00) . Part is around $225.00 +/-. I’ll have to install myself.
$1M ( or $1 ) question
Am I repairing a poorly designed piece of junk built in a far away sweatshop, and exposing myself to more risk in poor reliability and embarrassing failure??
Or repairing an amplifier that will last a life time and perform consistently and reliably here on out in delivering the classic Ampeg experience??
The people I work with expect me to have professional equipment that doesn’t fail during performance or session. Period.
Ampeg was once a great brand, and I have owned their USA products without any issues.
Burned twice when trusted. I had an SWR SM-400 fail during an important rehearsal, dumped it, re- trusted years after with a SM-500. It failed. Left SWR brand after that . Also sounded great, but not reliable or consistent.
With SVT-7Pro, am I repeating mistake??
SVT-7Pro sounded amazing when it worked, but I’ve never had a drop dead amp failure in front of an audience. Hated it.
I’m leaning towards e wasting and taking a loss under assumption that Ampeg is now just a shadow of the brand it once was, and that Mackie, Loud, Yamaha, or whoever owns it now is using the name as a marketing tool to catch more fools.
For reasons of tragic loyalty and sentimentalism I’m wondering if any TBers would talk me out of this cynical assumption?
Repair or e-Waste?
What say thee my low frequency friends??.
Is it really worth repairing ?
Had mine for 6 years, and it failed hard at start of second set. Bad, bad, bad!
Plugged into a MIUSA SVT610 . Sounded famous, WHEN it worked.
Kept going and finished through house with DA, but it messed mon mix for the horns and drums, and band mates not happy.
After paying a tech to evaluate I have to replace, well really the entire amp except chassis and knobs, with part
(0032543-00) . Part is around $225.00 +/-. I’ll have to install myself.
$1M ( or $1 ) question
Am I repairing a poorly designed piece of junk built in a far away sweatshop, and exposing myself to more risk in poor reliability and embarrassing failure??
Or repairing an amplifier that will last a life time and perform consistently and reliably here on out in delivering the classic Ampeg experience??
The people I work with expect me to have professional equipment that doesn’t fail during performance or session. Period.
Ampeg was once a great brand, and I have owned their USA products without any issues.
Burned twice when trusted. I had an SWR SM-400 fail during an important rehearsal, dumped it, re- trusted years after with a SM-500. It failed. Left SWR brand after that . Also sounded great, but not reliable or consistent.
With SVT-7Pro, am I repeating mistake??
SVT-7Pro sounded amazing when it worked, but I’ve never had a drop dead amp failure in front of an audience. Hated it.
I’m leaning towards e wasting and taking a loss under assumption that Ampeg is now just a shadow of the brand it once was, and that Mackie, Loud, Yamaha, or whoever owns it now is using the name as a marketing tool to catch more fools.
For reasons of tragic loyalty and sentimentalism I’m wondering if any TBers would talk me out of this cynical assumption?
Repair or e-Waste?
What say thee my low frequency friends??.
Sounds like you made your decision already. Meanwhile there are plenty of stories about how replacing the motherboard with the new part that replaced the part usually responsible for the failures fixed their amps. Or they just replaced that part for much less money than a full motherboard and fixed it.
But don't blame Yamaha for it. Yamaha had nothing to do with it. As of yet, they haven't released a single product that they manufactured, and have been selling through stuff made by LOUD since they bought Ampeg a year and a half ago.
Thanks JimmyM - not blaming Yamaha - no sir, but did hear they recently acquired Loud and/or Ampeg.
I worked for Yamaha for years as rep in cons audio, and it is a Great company. If any company can restore the good name of Ampeg it’s them, and I sincerely hope they can and do.
Those crossed tuning forks on their logo go right to the heart of foundation in music and they back it up. I’ve heard the sound of a near (but not) perfect Yamaha piano sound board being entirely recycled/destroyed due to imperfection and not meeting QC standards.
They don’t produce a single thing of the questionable quality of my SVT-7Pro. It wouldn’t get out the door of a Yamaha facility.
Their involvement gives me hope. If Full Compass or another supplier had a 0032543-00 on the webbo that said “made by Yamaha” , I would have ordered and not posted question.
No decision yet, but obviously frustrated, shared perspective, and and polling TB to hear thoughts of others.
Cheers
Sounds like with what I got, the soldering iron approach is the best. Got another amp for gigs and sessions, so covered.
I'm not positive, but to my recollection I don't think I had to solder anything.
It's mostly just a few spade connectors and I think just a few ribbon-style connectors.
It's been a few years, I think. Rev H01?
It's mostly just a few spade connectors and I think just a few ribbon-style connectors.
It's been a few years, I think. Rev H01?
