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Ampeg SVT-II appreciation thread

#461
finally have a decent image of my beloved rig

ended my gas for the forseeable future thankfully, just need to stock up on applicable tubes before they dry up

basti_recs5_my2.jpg
 
#462
An interesting SVTII just popped up on the ol' radar. It was retired twenty years ago and stored in its original box ever since. Should I worry about all that time in the box? I figure I'll have to take it to my tech for a once over anyhow. Seller claims 20hrs of use before hibernation and wants $1000 for it. I'm very tempted.

Thoughts?
 
#465
astav said:
An interesting SVTII just popped up on the ol' radar. It was retired twenty years ago and stored in its original box ever since. Should I worry about all that time in the box? I figure I'll have to take it to my tech for a once over anyhow. Seller claims 20hrs of use before hibernation and wants $1000 for it. I'm very tempted.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The only problem I think there can be is (well, as long as it hasnt been sitting rusting somewhere), that the caps can dry out if not used for long periods (or just with age). Not sure how the "more modern" ones in the II would hold out over that length of time.

Either way, an awesome amp, buy one! :p

Awesome setup Pulse :)
 
#466
#467
hi guys--i just got mine--great sounding amp. no gigs on it yet, but i'm sure it'll be great.

quick question: i put it in the rack case i had available. it fits perfectly, but there isn't much room on the sides or above/below, maybe an inch on the side (see pic of back of amp). do you think this will be a problem for the fan and cooling? i've never owned a large tube amp that was racked up. i intend on finding a used shock rack, but was hoping this would work for now.
thanks
tim
 

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#468
Congrats Tim, looks like you got the same rig Rod and I use.

If you get to worrying about that case not venting enough, installing one of these would probably help:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I've only got about an inch of clearance on my cases fan side and I havent had any problems in a few years now...
(well, besides the cat and dog hair thing... ;)
DSCN1488-1.jpg
 
#469
thanks. the handle is right there on the rack case, though, so not sure that would work. looks similar to yours so i will probably be fine. this is 4 racks spaces, right, maybe i'll find a 5 or 6 space rack to leave a little more room for airflow
 
#473
Now that I look closer it does kinda look like that (pictured right side) rear rack-rail probably is blocking a good bit of air flow there... :eek:

I'm guessing they're just riveted in all the way through the case. If so, you could carefully center punch an indentation and then drill one end cap completly off each rivet. The remaining rivet shafts should then slide right out. If you ever wanted to reinstall the rail you could either re-rivet it or simply use some machine screws washers and lock nuts. (you'd only need to remove the fan side)
 
#474
finally got my hands on one of these... immaculate condition, it has a grill, and the SVTII is outlined, not solid.. (whats the diff there anyway?) but cosmetically its phenom, tubes sound phenomenal and its so clean its ridiculous... got a few pedals on order, cant wait to drive/dirty this beast up...
 
#475
The best amp I have ever heard in my lifetime. BUT! I had so many problems with it. 3 practices in I got this Huge grounding noise so I took it back and the tech fixed it (loose connection). Ok, No more problems I thought-until 3 months later another crazy noise but another easy fix. Then D DAY came.

The day my amps warranty expired. About 1o years after buying the SVT2, it started to give me problems again. It would stop working after about 15 minutes of moderate jamming levels. I had three service centers try to repair it with no success. I finally got a certified out of warranty service center to repair it. Now a year later I just blew one of the transformers and Im waiting to find out which one. Hopefully the cheaper one.

I have blown many amps in the past but never had as much problems as the SVT2. This amp is the best sounding of all SVT amps manufactured by Ampeg. If I could build a handwired amp myself I would try to replicate the circuit path as much as possible and eliminate the graphic eq. I prey that other SVT2 owners had better luck then I did.

Now that these are made in China you would think they would pass the price along to the consumer.
 
#476
These aren't manufactured in China and never were. These were only produced from 1989 til the early 90s (1992 I think?)

The SVT-II and SVT-2 Pro are different amplifiers. Also, I doubt you would ever get anyone wanting to handwire something like this. Would take forever! And if anything went wrong, good luck finding it! It sounds like there was some underlying problem with your amp if you had that many problems?

Adorable, As far as I'm aware, there is no real difference. The ones with the metal grill and outlined "SVT-II" were newer than the ones without the grill and the outlined "Ampeg". There is no difference to the internal components as far as im aware.
 
#477
Martizmo said:
SNIP

If I could build a handwired amp myself I would try to replicate the circuit path as much as possible and eliminate the graphic eq. I prey that other SVT2 owners had better luck then I did.
Click to expand...

Cheaper and easier to just find another example of this amp without the issues you've experienced. I think they are rather uncommon with the II. Never had a problem with mine of any kind.

Oh, just don't engage the graphic EQ button and it's removed from the signal path.
 
#478
HI guys, long time no type (ive been very very busy!!!)
the time has come for me to change tubes in my beloved amp. i am goin from 6550's to kt88's and i have scoured the internet and done all the searching of various sites i can bear!!!!. the ampeg site just brings up the preamp version of the svt2 non pro, and the schematic is not forth coming

anyone know how i should bias this? i'm pretty confident in my abilities rif i have the correct info.
many many thanks in advance guys
take it easy
r out
 
#480
roonjuice said:
HI guys, long time no type (ive been very very busy!!!)
the time has come for me to change tubes in my beloved amp. i am goin from 6550's to kt88's and i have scoured the internet and done all the searching of various sites i can bear!!!!. the ampeg site just brings up the preamp version of the svt2 non pro, and the schematic is not forth coming

anyone know how i should bias this? i'm pretty confident in my abilities rif i have the correct info.
many many thanks in advance guys
take it easy
r out
Click to expand...

IIRC, it's printed inside [the amp].
 

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