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Ampeg SVT 7 Pro Club
- Thread starter Verminaard
- Start date
When mine needed repair, Ampeg had me drop it off at the closest authorized repair facility, which you can find here: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
You'll need the original receipt to verify the date of purchase. When it's repaired, could you let us know what board revision they're currently using?
Good luck.
You'll need the original receipt to verify the date of purchase. When it's repaired, could you let us know what board revision they're currently using?
Good luck.
One more 7 Pro bites the dust. Bought mine used about 18 months ago, ran fine until a few months back when it started rebooting intermittently during rehearsals. Once it's warmed up, it now does it about every two minutes even with no signal going through it. Rev C00 on the case, rev D on the main board. I suspect an overheating ICE module, kinda like this guy:
Ampeg SVT-7 Pro - Reliability? | Page 4 | TalkBass.com
Though mine hasn't burned out yet, it does get fairly hot. I'm going to try sticking a heat sink on it to see what happens. If that fails, I guess I'll be shipping it off to Fresno to see how much a repair will run me.
Ampeg SVT-7 Pro - Reliability? | Page 4 | TalkBass.com
Though mine hasn't burned out yet, it does get fairly hot. I'm going to try sticking a heat sink on it to see what happens. If that fails, I guess I'll be shipping it off to Fresno to see how much a repair will run me.
Fascinating. I fabricated a heat sink from a piece of aluminum bar stock I had laying around. I just snipped off a 1/4" x 1" piece, bent it into a U shape, and stuck it to the ICE module using a high temp gasket adhesive I had in my tool box. Not a single failure since. My fear is that the overtemp condition is caused by some other problem in the amp, and that I'm treating a symptom, and not the actual problem. Time will tell.
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Interesting!Fascinating. I fabricated a heat sink from a piece of aluminum bar stock I had laying around. I just snipped off a 1/4" x 1" piece, bent it into a U shape, and stuck it to the ICE module using a high temp gasket adhesive I had in my tool box. Not a single failure since. My fear is that the overtemp condition is caused by some other problem in the amp, and that I'm treating a symptom, and not the actual problem. Time will tell.
I got a SVT 7 pro during the week and practiced with it today for the first time (through my Matamp 4x10) and it was honestly amazing
s0c9
Supporting Member
I LOVE mine and have done quite a few gigs with it since it arrived DOA and I replaced the pre-amp tube.
One issue I have encountered is output levels... not speaker but line out.
With an active bass - EQ set at middle,and guitar volume full - the signal into the X32 is too hot for the channel.
[NOTE: The X32 does not have an input pad like many analog mixers do.. choices are gate/compressor.]
The -40dB pad on the line out on the back of the amp is too much "cut" and induces noise into the channel when upping the X32 channel gain to compensate (which is no surprise).
So.. I have been using the 15dB input pad on the front panel to compensate, which is prone to error as it's near the input jack and I could accidentally disengage it.
I do not mic my cab...
Anyone come across this type of issue before??
Hey SVT7 owners, I am considering picking one of these up for my next amp. Has anyone paired it with a PF410HLF? Also, are the rack ears removable? Finally, after looking through a few pages of this big thread I've read what appears to be quite a few posts about malfunctions. Is this common to the amp?
Not done it with a PF410hlf, but the rack ears are definitely removable. As for the malfunctions, can't say it doesn't have some of them along the way, but a series of updates was done on it and it seems to have worked because the newer ones over the last 2-3 years have way fewer complaints from what I've seen.
I got my SVT 7 Pro used on eBay, from a musician who said he used it for 6 mos., and it was 'a workhorse'. I have had it for a year now, and use it often and have not had any issues with it at all. I love the sound (I play mostly blues and blues/rock, as well as in a rock cover band) I get with it. It is paired with an Ampeg SVT 410 HLF cab. That being said, I recently purchased a 'backup' head (Gallien Kruger solid state 200 watt) just to be on the safe side; last thing you want it a catastrophic failure at a gig! I totally recommend the SVT7Pro!
I recently sold my COO but not for reliability reasons.
It never missed a beat in the two years I owned it.
Based on this board MANY, have had QC issues.
I don't believe that one can make a decisive decision on the reliability of this amp unless we could compare the number sold vs. the number broken.
OTOH, I seem to recall more complaints than praise although it is human nature to complain about the bad and forget about the good.
So, IMO it gets much more bad ink than GB or GK products but we have no idea of the quantities sold.
As a huge Ampeg fan (I still have 4), I have been frustrated that the PF500 and SVT 7Pro have had more complaints than any other brand I can remember; the other side of the coin is that they have sold a huge number of them.
I don't see how anyone can argue the fact that this amp has gone through more revisions than any other piece of MI gear ever made; not my opinion but that of my local registered Ampeg repair facility. It was released prematurely and they continue to have an issue with the fix; after they got to a COO amp, they are now up to level G on board replacements? That speaks volumes.
Regarding the single preamp tube.
Great tone; the tube lasts a really long time (mine was bought used and was sold with the same tube with zero issues); it does not respond much to tube rolling but that has been common to all the hybrid amps I've owned with the Mesa Walkabout being the exception.
Lastly, an older one that never broke may be the best yet although the failure rate on the revised boards is an unknown quantity; one could make a case that they would never be at the G rev. level if the problem was actually fixed earlier.
Jimmy is a great guy and loves Ampegs as much as I do.
He worked hard to become an Ampeg endorser and is a smart guy.
He knows not to bite the hand that feeds him!
I've said many uncomplimentary things about certain recently made Ampeg gear since I've become an endorser. I pay Ampeg for gear...they don't pay me to use it. If I speak about it, I speak my truthful opinions always.
You are right that we don't have the complete story about failure rates of any amps. You are also right that the 7 Pro has had some failures and some revisions along the way. But more than anything else ever? Really? I find that hard to believe. Look at how many revisions the SVT went under in just the first two years, let alone how many revisions it's had since. Plenty of other amps have been revised as well, some extensively.
Was it originally just a 7 Pro followed by at least 3 different revisions as labeled on the top?
Did they go from A to G on main board revisions?
I can't think of another major brand with this many teething pains.
I would be interested to hear the opinion of a tech on this forum as to how many changes and why.
I don't recall any uncomplimentary things since your endorsement deal and no ill feelings from me as a result.
The constant and immediate defense of a company that has been slow and inefficient to correct a known problem is old, especially if they don't pay you
You have definitely helped sell tons of product so that's cool.
Did they go from A to G on main board revisions?
I can't think of another major brand with this many teething pains.
I would be interested to hear the opinion of a tech on this forum as to how many changes and why.
I don't recall any uncomplimentary things since your endorsement deal and no ill feelings from me as a result.
The constant and immediate defense of a company that has been slow and inefficient to correct a known problem is old, especially if they don't pay you
You have definitely helped sell tons of product so that's cool.
Well of course I'm not going to start the TB Pitchfork Mob over it, but I've never liked the B2RE or its descendants and never once said anything nice about it. I also don't care for their cabs that are voiced really deep in the lows. You have participated in some of those discussions so I know you saw it.
But as long as Ampeg makes it right to those who bought defective products that broke under warranty, why wouldn't I defend them?
But as long as Ampeg makes it right to those who bought defective products that broke under warranty, why wouldn't I defend them?
