My local music store has a used SVT 7PRO for $500 that I am thinking of picking up. I tried out a few of the other used amps they had, and liked the way this one handled power the best. Does anyone use this amp for reggae? If so, what cabinets would you recommend to go along with it? I really want to get a 410 of some sort, with the flexibility to add another cab later, if needed.
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Ampeg SVT 7 Pro Club
- Thread starter Verminaard
- Start date
I use mine with 2 410 HEs and it sounds awesome. Would definitely work for reggae. I have also used it with an 810. 1 410 might sound kind of weak though. Supposedly the 410 hlf has more low end.
I would think a lot of 4X10's would work great for that. I prefer modern 2X12's to 4X10's myself. Though, I use my SVT7Pro to drive my Baer ML115 to ridiculous and great sounding volumes. That would be a great Reggae rig too. I play a little but nothing serious. Two ML115's would just be silly. Awesome, but silly.
The 7 Pro is stable to 4 Ohms, so be careful which 410 you choose. I used the Amp SVT 410 HLF and it sounded great - it is a 4 ohm cab, so I couldn't have added another. I now have two Ampeg PF 115 HE's, which are 8 ohms each, so I can use both or just one with the 7 Pro head.
hello, I'm in a classic rock band, and sub with a hard rock band. smaller gigs, ampeg svt 410he. medium gigs, svt 15he & svt 210 he, large gigs, svt 410he & svt 15e. or two svt 15e (old skool). all SLM cabs. i am on my 3rd 7. 1st two blew up, third one a charm. shipped directly from loud, WA. i carry an ampeg b2-re with me when i gig, just in case-gafabid.
PS, I had a 410hlf. . . . didnt care for it. 2 hard to move, lacking definition (subjective). muddy (subjective).
Each to their own. ...but I wouldn't buy a 7 Pro 2nd hand. ...or without a good warranty.
I liked mine a lot. .. but at that time there was lotsa talk about failures in the 7 Pro. Sold mine as I wanted to go back to all tube amps.
But. ...altho mine had no probs while I had it. ... I'd still only buy one with a decent warranty.
Hopefully someone will show me different and no doubt many have had their 7 Pro for ages now and with no probs. I hope that's the case with most and that if you buy one used. ...that you have years of good trouble free use outta it. They are great sounding and powerful amps.
I liked mine a lot. .. but at that time there was lotsa talk about failures in the 7 Pro. Sold mine as I wanted to go back to all tube amps.
But. ...altho mine had no probs while I had it. ... I'd still only buy one with a decent warranty.
Hopefully someone will show me different and no doubt many have had their 7 Pro for ages now and with no probs. I hope that's the case with most and that if you buy one used. ...that you have years of good trouble free use outta it. They are great sounding and powerful amps.
Thats a fair price for the SVT 7 Pro head. I got mine used for somewhat less, but that's within range. It's been 3 years now, and, while I don't use it excessively, it has given me zero problem! Great head, especially when paired to any Amp cabinet! I'd advise you to get it!
I sold mine a while back because I got paranoid reading posts about failures and my warranty had expired. I have since learned that the main boards are readily available for a reasonable price - if I knew this, I likely would have kept mine. Now, the worst case scenario costs less then a set of 6 6550 tubes - and the early issues that caused the failures are likely resolved.
So I thought I'd pass this on in case it would help anyone else to feel at ease with buying a 7 Pro used - or keeping yours.
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So I thought I'd pass this on in case it would help anyone else to feel at ease with buying a 7 Pro used - or keeping yours.
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Not a bad price. I bought mine used and just upgraded the chip that is supposed to be the main reason for failure. I detailed it awhile back. Haven't had any issue so far and while it is in the back of my mind I forget after I start playing. I do carry a back up to paying gigs but do that regardless. Had a higher end head crap out on me at a gig so am never letting that happen again.
I really like my 7pro. I have other amps but mainly use the 7Pro because of the power/sound combination. I picked it up at a reasonable price used because I knew I liked them and figured I'd keep it as a spare or backup amp. It ended up being my go to head. funny how things work out like that.
+1. Probably takes more time to remove the 49 screws on the top panel than to actually replace the board.
So despite all the horror stories, I've just gone from a GB Streamliner 900 to an SVT 7 Pro. I spent so much time trying to get the Ampeg sound out of the GB (without using a pedal) that I figured I was better off just buying the real thing. Got a second-hand one for £320, which seemed like a decent deal and opening the lid reveals board revision F, but with the newer ICE2A265 chip in.
From reading through everything so far, I have a few thoughts:
How many of these failures were amps that were rack-mounted? Particularly in close-fitting cases? Or where airflow aroung the unit was limited? From what I've read so far, the ICE chip failures and cut-outs seems to be thermal issues - even a cursory inspection of the internals of this thing make it obvious that not only is the airflow path poor, but the ICE chip itself is placed particularly badly if it needs to be kept cool. On top of that, the exhaust fan seems remarkably weak, unless there's some form of speed control that I've not managed to trigger yet.
So because I *need* reliability, I've had a few ideas that I'm hoping will help with mine:
1. Fit a 12v fan to the outside of the inlet vent, blowing inwards.
2. Fit 1 or two fans to a blanking plate on the front of the rack, pulling air in to the case (potentially switchable). This will ensure that the air pulled in through the inlet will be fresh(ish) rather than recycled straight from the exhaust fan.
3. Heatsink on the ICE chip. This one seems like a no-brainer.
I've a bunch of spare 12v PC fans that I'll run at 9v off a pedal supply (which also powers the wireless receiver that sits in the rack). Hopefully this will be enough to ensure longevity of the setup.
From reading through everything so far, I have a few thoughts:
How many of these failures were amps that were rack-mounted? Particularly in close-fitting cases? Or where airflow aroung the unit was limited? From what I've read so far, the ICE chip failures and cut-outs seems to be thermal issues - even a cursory inspection of the internals of this thing make it obvious that not only is the airflow path poor, but the ICE chip itself is placed particularly badly if it needs to be kept cool. On top of that, the exhaust fan seems remarkably weak, unless there's some form of speed control that I've not managed to trigger yet.
So because I *need* reliability, I've had a few ideas that I'm hoping will help with mine:
1. Fit a 12v fan to the outside of the inlet vent, blowing inwards.
2. Fit 1 or two fans to a blanking plate on the front of the rack, pulling air in to the case (potentially switchable). This will ensure that the air pulled in through the inlet will be fresh(ish) rather than recycled straight from the exhaust fan.
3. Heatsink on the ICE chip. This one seems like a no-brainer.
I've a bunch of spare 12v PC fans that I'll run at 9v off a pedal supply (which also powers the wireless receiver that sits in the rack). Hopefully this will be enough to ensure longevity of the setup.
I actually considered modding mine when I replaced the ice chip but ended up not doing it. Thought about enlarging the vent holes. Seems the fan is choked by the available air to intake.
A ways back someone did add a heat sink to their ice chip.
Buying another amp soon. I borrowed an Ampeg 7pro years ago and loved it but was too worried about the issues to pull the trigger. How's the reliability these days?
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,636
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
i installed the new ICE chip mine and added a small heatsink to it. it hasn't exhibited any issues since, so i plan on making it my 'go to' gigging amp again. for me, it just has a certain tone, response, and punch that my ST-900 (which has been extremely reliable) doesn't quite have. here's a pic of the new chip with heatsink:
so i used my 7 again this weekend after my local tech says nothing wrong other then a loose screw inside maybe shorting something. . first hour sounded great and i'm thinkng wow am i lucky..... HA HA about hour twenty into the first set. it starts to cut out. for a second or 2. happened about 6 -8 times then shut down. john is that similar to your shutdown??
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,636
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
if your offer still stands about fixing it i am interested. also need some help figuring out the last pedal.
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