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Ampeg SVT Head I Just Bought 1972

supershifter2

supershifter2

Apr 22, 2014
150
152
68
SoCal
#1
I just picked this up yesterday. I sent the guy a deposit 2 weeks ago to hold it. Guitar store in SF had it. I drove there. Played it through the cab it was sitting on. I did not buy the speaker cabinet. Its a 1972 with Sylvainia tubes. It was owned by Les Lizama bass player of SFO, Link Wray , Eddie Money , Steve Miller band and Quicksilver Messenger Service.... This amp has been used at CBGB's , Winterland , Fillmore etc just to name a few. Paid 2k for it. It will sit on my 1974 810 cabinet with the original CTS speakers.
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#2
supershifter2 said:
I just picked this up yesterday. I sent the guy a deposit 2 weeks ago to hold it. Guitar store in SF had it. I drove there. Played it through the cab it was sitting on. I did not buy the speaker cabinet. Its a 1972 with Sylvainia tubes. It was owned by Les Lizama bass player of SFO, Link Wray , Eddie Money , Steve Miller band and Quicksilver Messenger Service.... This amp has been used at CBGB's , Winterland , Fillmore etc just to name a few. Paid 2k for it. It will sit on my 1974 810 cabinet with the original CTS speakers. View attachment 2815718 View attachment 2815722 View attachment 2815724 View attachment 2815725
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Was he with Link during the late 1990's, early 2000's? If so I saw him with Link in Worc, Ma at Clark University. The bass player was playing a Dan Electro Long horn and had an SVT with an SVT (810) cab with wire mesh over the speakers. Nice head BTW, you can't beat them, I've been using them for over 40 years.
 
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#11
kranahan said:
Nice score!

I saw it on CL and eBay the last month or so. I was very interested but wasn't going to pay 2k for it.

I'm glad it went to someone who can appreciate it.
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Here in los angeles a 1970's SVT head in that condition will demand about $2500.00 "IF" you can find one for sale. I have been looking for a few years and wanted one that was close enough to drive to get.
 
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#12
supershifter2 said:
Here in los angeles a 1970's SVT head in that condition will demand about $2500.00 "IF" you can find one for sale. I have been looking for a few years and wanted one that was close enough to drive to get.
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I'm in LA right now, there's always heads for sale.
It's harder to find heads in SF.

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#13
somebrains said:
I'm in LA right now, there's always heads for sale.
It's harder to find heads in SF.

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I have lived in la since 1987. I have been looking for a 69-74 head for a while with no luck. I know a lot of musicians and those that have them dont want to sell them. The next head on my list is and original HiWatt DR201 not the newer copy. I found a DR200 for sale and its the power amp without the preamp and its in orange county.
 
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#14
supershifter2 said:
I have lived in la since 1987. I have been looking for a 69-74 head for a while with no luck. I know a lot of musicians and those that have them dont want to sell them. The next head on my list is and original HiWatt DR201 not the newer copy. I found a DR200 for sale and its the power amp without the preamp and its in orange county.
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There's one in my buddy's garage in Burbank, with a couple original cabs.
He also has a Pedulla 5 he won't play, won't sell, that ended up going off his wall and in the garage after I expressed interest in it.
I'll try to get a pic of it bc my blackline SVT is going to have to live in there until I get back down here for the next work trip.
 
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#16
somebrains said:
There's one in my buddy's garage in Burbank, with a couple original cabs.
He also has a Pedulla 5 he won't play, won't sell, that ended up going off his wall and in the garage after I expressed interest in it.
I'll try to get a pic of it bc my blackline SVT is going to have to live in there until I get back down here for the next work trip.
Click to expand...

I'm in the San Fernando Valley and with my burgeoning amp fetish, you seem like two good guys to know!

(Boy) Howdy!
 
#18
There was a blue line at the Hollywood GC for 5 months and it sold about a month ago for $1800.

supershifter2 said:
I have lived in la since 1987. I have been looking for a 69-74 head for a while with no luck. I know a lot of musicians and those that have them dont want to sell them. The next head on my list is and original HiWatt DR201 not the newer copy. I found a DR200 for sale and its the power amp without the preamp and its in orange county.
Click to expand...
 
#19
kranahan said:
There was a blue line at the Hollywood GC for 5 months and it sold about a month ago for $1800.
Click to expand...

I was there Monday.
The Justice League premiere screwed up Hollywood Blvd again, I got into the office late and had to move my car.
The LA office is on Hollywood/La Brea and anything at Kimmel or Mann's might mean I'm stuck until they strike.
Gives me a reason to hunt gear.
The San Ash right by the GC never has anything good.

That head was ok, I played it a few months back.
The one in SF was really good, that store was trying too hard to get value tho.
 
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#20
Those tubes look new or VERY low hours on them. 4 Sylvanias and the 2 outer look to be GE 6550As which are also nice. Find someone trustworthy that can test them to see if they are electrically matched up; all 6 of them. Having unmatched 6550s in an SVT will cause premature tube failure and other potential problems.
I had one of these 1972 amps about 10 years ago (in LA) that I totally went through to overhaul, retubed it and it came with a flight case, that I sold for $800. The amp was free to me from a bass player who had 2 other SVTs that he wanted me to go through and get working right. Oh well, easy come easy go... LOL!

One more thing... JJ KT88s will work well in this amp. A sextette isn't too expensive for these tubes. You can sell the sylvanias as a quad and more than make up for the price of 6 JJs.
 
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