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Ampeg SVT 810 Cabinet Differences

cjac9

cjac9

Apr 21, 2008
279
84
Nashville, TN
#1
I've been reading about the differences between the various SVT heads over the years but haven't heard much about the 810 cabs. Are they considered interchangeable or are some more desirable than others?

Sorry if this has been covered, can't search on the TB iPhone App.
 
#2
Wait for JimmyM to chime in. He knows this stuff. Cabinets from the late '90's (mine being the earliest I know of, a '98) until the mid 2000's (2005?) are generally regarded as the worst 810 cabinets. They've been called too dark for the most part. They were also made of cheaper materials and I'm not sure if the speakers were different. I don't know much about the older cabs, but they're coveted for their original square magnet drivers if I recall correctly. Those would be straight-back(?) cabinets without the "towel bar" on the back.

Someone come and correct me. I'm sure I'm partially off base.
 
#5
christw said:
Wait for JimmyM to chime in. He knows this stuff. Cabinets from the late '90's (mine being the earliest I know of, a '98) until the mid 2000's (2005?) are generally regarded as the worst 810 cabinets. They've been called too dark for the most part. They were also made of cheaper materials and I'm not sure if the speakers were different. I don't know much about the older cabs, but they're coveted for their original square magnet drivers if I recall correctly. Those would be straight-back(?) cabinets without the "towel bar" on the back.

Someone come and correct me. I'm sure I'm partially off base.
Click to expand...
right, that's the approx. timeline as best i can figure for the osb (a type of chipboard/strandboard). the speaker cones were changed in 2000, though, and i think that might have been a bigger factor than the osb. i don't see how the osb by itself could make those cabs as dark sounding as they were. but it's an inferior material for cabs, especially big ones that might get banged around.

any other 810 cabs they made at any other point in their history are great with the original early 70's flatbacks being the best sounding, although they don't handle a lot of power. have not got to play one but i hear the heritage 810e is way closer to that tonal ideal than anything else they've made in their history. i would love to do a comparo between them and the old flatbacks.
 
#6
JimmyM said:
right, that's the approx. timeline as best i can figure for the osb (a type of chipboard/strandboard). the speaker cones were changed in 2000, though, and i think that might have been a bigger factor than the osb. i don't see how the osb by itself could make those cabs as dark sounding as they were. but it's an inferior material for cabs, especially big ones that might get banged around.

any other 810 cabs they made at any other point in their history are great with the original early 70's flatbacks being the best sounding, although they don't handle a lot of power. have not got to play one but i hear the heritage 810e is way closer to that tonal ideal than anything else they've made in their history. i would love to do a comparo between them and the old flatbacks.
Click to expand...

If you haven't noticed, I pay attention to what you say. I just don't remember it all yet. :cool:

I can vouch for my '98 being about normal tonally. Frankly, I find that an SVT-CL into a current SVT810E is a lot darker sounding than my cabinet is with my SVT-II. Although, my cab does have those Jensen MOD10-50's in it but sounded pretty "normal" before I dropped them in. It sounds surprisingly clear with a 1001RB so I'd blame at least a part of that darkness in the OSB cabs on the driver change.
 
#7
christw said:
I can vouch for my '98 being about normal tonally. Frankly, I find that an SVT-CL into a current SVT810E is a lot darker sounding than my cabinet is with my SVT-II. Although, my cab does have those Jensen MOD10-50's in it but sounded pretty "normal" before I dropped them in. It sounds surprisingly clear with a 1001RB so I'd blame at least a part of that darkness in the OSB cabs on the driver change.
Click to expand...
since the svt 2 is non-master and the cl is gain/master, i could see that as being the cause, although i haven't had the opportunity to compare the two cabs with the same head.

but that's very interesting that you find yours normal tonally, even before the mod mod. so that tells me it was the cone change in 2000 that caused it and not so much the osb.
 
#8
Last week I did a test. I used:

SVT head 1973
SVT head 1978
SVT Heritage CL
SVT VR (Vietnam)

SVT 810 straight back
SVT 810 VR (Vietnam)
SVT 810E (US made about 5 years old)

My conclusion: The straightback cabs to me still sound the best. What's best for me?

brighter, tighter and punchier than the Heritage cab.

The Heritage cab is great as well, but a bit muffled. Like there's a little blanket in front of the cab. Not as much as the 810e from a few years back, but still.

I know it's all a matter of taste, and the Heritage 810 is great nonetheless.

The VR cab didn't come close. It sounded nasal and thin.

If I was to buy something new I'd definately go for the Heritage cab. But I like the older and it still sounds better in my ears.

Sorry for the extremely crappy picture but it was way too dark in that studio for my iPhone.

foto5.jpg
 
#11
no doubt. i'd love to check it out vs all those heads, too. i've yet to be able to try out the 6146b svt and the 6550 svt in the same cab. honestly, i don't hear much of a difference without the benefit of a direct ab, but i'd like to think mine sounds better ;)

but for sheer looks alone, i'd love to have a heritage 810e. if they ever sell that grillcloth separately, i'm on it for my flatback!
 
#12
interesting thread that needs more info to be relevant. here's my two cents...

I have 2 ampeg fridges, a 1979 magnavox-era, and a 1994 810e. the '79 sounds significantly better than the '94, punchier w/ a more even response. the '94 isn't bad, but it is a little darker.

i have to give props to JimmyM for helping me date the cabs.
 
#14
I just talked to the People at Ampeg. Ampeg SVT 810e Cabinets were and are still made from Void-free Birch Plywood...as ADVERTISED! He said MAYBE, repeat MAYBE a few Cabs around the year 2000 was made MDF, but there's NO RECORD of it.
So, in any case the VAST Majority of ALL Ampeg SVT 810e's were made with Void-free Birch Plywood. (13 ply, if I recall.)
I don't know why somebody started this non-sense about Particle-board Cabs...but can you imagine the weight?
There. That's the word from AMPEG.
 
#15
Particle board cabs were heavy and some of them were prone to shattering when dropped.

They were a fad that bean counters beset upon us. Fortunately, most MI companies switched back to ply. Unfortunately, some low end combos are still made with the stuff.
 
#16
elkkid2 said:
I just talked to the People at Ampeg. Ampeg SVT 810e Cabinets were and are still made from Void-free Birch Plywood...as ADVERTISED! He said MAYBE, repeat MAYBE a few Cabs around the year 2000 was made MDF, but there's NO RECORD of it.
So, in any case the VAST Majority of ALL Ampeg SVT 810e's were made with Void-free Birch Plywood. (13 ply, if I recall.)
I don't know why somebody started this non-sense about Particle-board Cabs...but can you imagine the weight?
There. That's the word from AMPEG.
Click to expand...

So you got some bad info from Ampeg/LOUD Tech and made it a personal mission to spread the disinformation on every thread you could find? One word DECAF :)
 
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#17
elkkid2 said:
I just talked to the People at Ampeg. Ampeg SVT 810e Cabinets were and are still made from Void-free Birch Plywood...as ADVERTISED! He said MAYBE, repeat MAYBE a few Cabs around the year 2000 was made MDF, but there's NO RECORD of it.
So, in any case the VAST Majority of ALL Ampeg SVT 810e's were made with Void-free Birch Plywood. (13 ply, if I recall.)
I don't know why somebody started this non-sense about Particle-board Cabs...but can you imagine the weight?
There. That's the word from AMPEG.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but that's not true. I've seen it firsthand. I've seen cabs as early as 92 and as late as 2005 with boogerwood. It was OSB, not MDF, but it's still not as good as plywood. Cabs made since 2006, however, are plywood...void free Baltic birch, as you said.

And just as an update...I got a Heritage 810e last year, and it rules all! Honestly, I think it's even better than the flatbacks. The sound is pretty much the same, but they handle way more power.
 
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#19
elkkid2 said:
I just talked to the People at Ampeg. Ampeg SVT 810e Cabinets were and are still made from Void-free Birch Plywood...as ADVERTISED! He said MAYBE, repeat MAYBE a few Cabs around the year 2000 was made MDF, but there's NO RECORD of it.
So, in any case the VAST Majority of ALL Ampeg SVT 810e's were made with Void-free Birch Plywood. (13 ply, if I recall.)
I don't know why somebody started this non-sense about Particle-board Cabs...but can you imagine the weight?
There. That's the word from AMPEG.
Click to expand...
I have the 810 cabinet made of particle board it's loaded with Eminence Speakers
 
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