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Ampeg SVT-II appreciation thread
- Thread starter i_got_a_mohawk
- Start date
I'm going to be replacing my power tubes in the next week or so. Does anyone have any idea what a good starting bias point might be for the power section on an SVT-II? I know it's sort of subjective but I'd like to get a baseline reading before I start messing around with it too much.
Thanks for the hint. Yeah, dropbox is a little strange to use. I now realised that if you generate the link to to share the picture with dropbox, you have to add "?raw=1" to the end of the link to get the plain image.
Example:
Generated Link: dropbox.com/s/c1comkclyunza9m/Amp1-Resized.jpg?dl=0
Change it to: dropbox.com/s/c1comkclyunza9m/Amp1-Resized.jpg?raw=1
So, learned another thing.
well, it was retubed 9 years ago and then i was sitting in a studio. I got it for 1000 Euro, it's not a real bargain, but in this condition and the fact that it was 2 hours away i ended up with it.
@JimmyM: Well, i'll blame you to think about an Heritage 810, ditching the vt deluxe and getting a lowpass.
I use it with two FMC 2128 (2x12 Neos) at the moment, so 4x12 in total. But oh well, that amp has to go with a fridge, doesn't it?
I'll post some soundclips if you're interested.
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Played it the first time in rehearsal last night. I have to admit, that svt sound is uncomparable. I have a Mywatt 400, a german handmade hiwatt 400 clone ([This invalid link has been removed] and that is a great amp on its own. It got that shimmering highs and that gorgous clear lowend, but in the bandmix, i felt like missing some punchy mids as the mywatt/hiwatt preamp has a natural mid scoop.
The ampeg is just round and full - not as detailed as the mywatt, but very responsiv and that natural compression is georgous.
I'm not sure if the 4x12 neo cab is a good match - i really don't want that fridge, but i guess as soon as i play trough one, the GAS will strike me again.
The ampeg is just round and full - not as detailed as the mywatt, but very responsiv and that natural compression is georgous.
I'm not sure if the 4x12 neo cab is a good match - i really don't want that fridge, but i guess as soon as i play trough one, the GAS will strike me again.
Played it the first time in rehearsal last night. I have to admit, that svt sound is uncomparable. I have a Mywatt 400, a german handmade hiwatt 400 clone ([This invalid link has been removed] and that is a great amp on its own. It got that shimmering highs and that gorgous clear lowend, but in the bandmix, i felt like missing some punchy mids as the mywatt/hiwatt preamp has a natural mid scoop.
The ampeg is just round and full - not as detailed as the mywatt, but very responsiv and that natural compression is georgous.
I'm not sure if the 4x12 neo cab is a good match - i really don't want that fridge, but i guess as soon as i play trough one, the GAS will strike me again.
Hey there, yes I agree, there's really nothing quite like the SVT tone. I don't know what cabs you're playing as they all EQ differently but something to try (you may already have) for some presence in the mix is set your mids for 800 hz and don't be afraid to crank that dial. IME, it's not until after about 3 o'clock before you really start getting some nasally honk. Also the GEQ will help you with adding more detail by pushing 2000 hz. There's also a 750 band there too which will add to the "high mid" push.
Also worth noting is the SVT's make a prodigious amount of low end. Cutting the bass some will help with the perception of more mids and a little less of the 120 hz bump that they have in spades. All of this in my experience.
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Thanks Husky! I got a 4x12 Neo cab setup wich handles the lows very stable and without any "mudiness". But yeah, cutting the bass a little in the graphic eq helped alot with a cleaner band mix in the rather "boxy" rehearsing space. And It takes dirt pedals so well!
I also tried the vt bass deluxe directly in the poweramp section and I'm starting to dig this pedal again - it seemed that with the mywatt preamp, it was just not a really good combination.
Another thing is that i started to love the mywatt 400 again with bass directly in the mywatt - a total different flavor, but a very very good one, too.
So, a lot of options to go. could not be happier.
I'll do a video with a comparison. Just for fun. EDIT: Here's a crappy pic of the full rig:
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Thanks Husky! I got a 4x12 Neo cab setup wich handles the lows very stable and without any "mudiness". But yeah, cutting the bass a little in the graphic eq helped alot with a cleaner band mix in the rather "boxy" rehearsing space. And It takes dirt pedals so well!
I also tried the vt bass deluxe directly in the poweramp section and I'm starting to dig this pedal again - it seemed that with the mywatt preamp, it was just not a really good combination.
Another thing is that i started to love the mywatt 400 again with bass directly in the mywatt - a total different flavor, but a very very good one, too.
So, a lot of options to go. could not be happier.
Yes any all tube SVT sure does take pedals well. Something about putting that choppy sound wave through all that glass makes it come out the other end in the most glorious fashion. Keep tweaking with it especially in the mix. SVT's can be very versatile especially the 2's because of the added, footswitchable GEQ. It's one of the top 5 best amps ever made IMO.
Ok guys, I need all my fellow SVT II owners to unite and give me your advice, so my amp recently started cutting out while playing, I took it to the best local music store I know of (Big Dudes in downtown Kansas city) to have it checked out. After the tech checked it out they informed me that the tubes need replacing (all 12 of them?) and that it would cost around 500 bucks? This is with no mention of what kindof tubes they will be putting in. This sounds excessive to me. So my question is what could make all the tubes go bad? And where would you recommend buying the tubes from and what kind of tubes?? Im going to stick with 6550's I think unless there is a good reason to go to KT-88's. Also if I put the tubes in myself with 6550's, which are already in the amp will it still need to be biased? I found a SVT II tube set on ebay for 200 bucks, which includes all the tubes in the amp, I could do this and have the tech put them in and save 200 bucks, but im guessing they are cheap tubes. This is my first time having my tube amp serviced and I want to get it right, but I just feel like it could be done for cheaper than 500, what do you guys think?? What should I do??? HELP!
Check out the link I posted above on this page.
I highly doubt all of the tubes are bad too.
$500 is excessive but without knowing what they're putting in its hard to say for sure. A set of GE 6550's or =C= are going to run you about that...and that's just the power tubes.
Yes, you would need to bias the amp if you change power tubes even if they're 6550's.
I highly doubt all of the tubes are bad too.
$500 is excessive but without knowing what they're putting in its hard to say for sure. A set of GE 6550's or =C= are going to run you about that...and that's just the power tubes.
Yes, you would need to bias the amp if you change power tubes even if they're 6550's.
If I used all JJ's, which are what Ampeg uses in the Heritage SVT-CL, I could buy the tubes myself for $300. Putting them in and biasing it would take no longer than an hour. Would definitely asked if he ran every tube through a good tube tester or not. But while I'm always suspicious of anyone who wants to do a full retube, there are times it's needed. It's a little excessive, though, $500. I would think $400 would be more reasonable if he's using JJ's or lesser. At any rate, should you allow him to do it, make sure to get all your old tubes back, especially if they're good NOS brands like RCA, GE, Sylvania, etc. It's no accident that amp repair folks have awesome tube collections.
Matt, in addition to bypassing the preamp and poweramp for troubleshooting purposes, have you tried playing it through the Bright input for a period of time? Can you replicate the problem or is it intermittent? Does it start cutting out immediately or after you've been playing for a while? Do you have an auxiliiary fan blowing into the back of the amp (highly recommended)?
Throwing $500 worth of tubes at a $700 amp may still not actually correct the problem so try to do some simple cost-effective troubleshooting first before you drop it off at the tech.
Throwing $500 worth of tubes at a $700 amp may still not actually correct the problem so try to do some simple cost-effective troubleshooting first before you drop it off at the tech.
The SVT II has a protection circuit built in that has failed on one I worked on before. It would randomly cut out and turn off. I ended up bypassing the circuitry and it has been running great ever since.
Even if a couple tubes "went bad", they would have blown the internal resistors etc and the amp would still work.
Might try another "repair" shop because that one doesn't sound very promising.
Even if a couple tubes "went bad", they would have blown the internal resistors etc and the amp would still work.
Might try another "repair" shop because that one doesn't sound very promising.
