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Ampeg SVT-II appreciation thread
- Thread starter i_got_a_mohawk
- Start date
Had my first full noise band practice with the SVTII. The authority of the clean sound is unparalleled in my experience. I turned it up real loud to see how it ODs but to my surprise it stayed pretty clean way up past 12oclock. Then it would get to a point where it went flat and flabby rather than transitioning to gritty grind. Not sure whether it was the head or speaker cab (NV610) that gave up first but it didn't have quite the rolloff into OD I was imagining. The head is loaded with KT88s so perhaps I'll experiment with some 6550s to see if they OD earlier and in a smoother, grittier way... the clean sound was very impressive and it responded well to fuzz pedals by keeping them full and unmuddied. The SVTII and NV610 combo is *very* loud and clean and immediate punch. And seemingly cleaner and louder and faster punch than my SB300 and NV610.
Maybe you can try experimenting with the level on the eq section (the slider on the right) before changing the tubes out.
What I found useful was being able to trim a teensy bit of bottom end by subtly tweaking the graphic EQ. This was enough to even the room and minimize the boom.
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This is how I get mine to drive.
First I up the graphic on the very right (volume) to almost max, everything else middled. Then just bump up or cut the frequencies you want.
I get mine to drive very nice, but I did notice that it will give you a little hiss/noise artefact when upping the graphic. When I took my amp to the tech for a routine service, I mentioned it to him. He popped the top and took a look. Turned out the wiring loom for the graphic passes very close to the transformer, hence the problem with noise, so he shielded it and grounded the shielding. Now I can boost the eQ to get a subtle to medium level of drive all I like.
Love my SVT II - by far the best tuber I've owned. I have heard some very good SVT's over the years tho....
The KT88s have more headroom and won't break up as soon as the 6550s. I chose them because the SVT sits better in the mix of our trio with a crunchy guitar.
My '98 SVT-II PRO is finally home after being with Dave Ryan for a few weeks. One of the 12au7 sockets was loose and he touched up a bunch of solder joints for me.
IT has a full fresh set of Tungsols in it.
IT has a full fresh set of Tungsols in it.
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Awesome rig and Spector ! I luv the Tung-Sols in my SVT-2 Pro! I do all my own tech work (used to be my job years ago) and redid a lot of soldering in this unit when I first got it.My '98 SVT-II PRO is finally home after being with Dave Ryan for a few weeks. One of the 12au7 sockets was loose and he touched up a bunch of solder joints for me.
IT has a full fresh set of Tungsols in it.
that is a sexy tube shot right there. Yeah I have ran Tung-sols in other amps and liked them for their gain characteristics. So I went ahead and ordered a full set for the SVT-II Pro. Quite costly, but at least it isn't a Mesa 400+
Have been chasing the idea of an SVTII non pro for over a year now. Finally found the right deal and a weak moment with my wallet.
Great tone, compliments my V4b reissue and Jule MoniqueM2500 perfectly. It may be the heaviest 70lbs I've lifted, it's going to take a special gig to drag this one out of the house. I keep a restored '71 flat back in the garage, will be interesting to fire that up but the NV115s is pretty much heaven.
Great tone, compliments my V4b reissue and Jule MoniqueM2500 perfectly. It may be the heaviest 70lbs I've lifted, it's going to take a special gig to drag this one out of the house. I keep a restored '71 flat back in the garage, will be interesting to fire that up but the NV115s is pretty much heaven.
^ that's awesome!
I just picked one up too:
Serial number dates it to March '89.
Sounds sooo nice. But man it's heavier than I thought it'd be.
I just picked one up too:
Serial number dates it to March '89.
Sounds sooo nice. But man it's heavier than I thought it'd be.
Mine is apparently '89 too haven't checked the serial number.
My V4b is my go to amp, it can be limiting with smaller cabs as far as clean headroom. That is where the Jule M2500 comes in. But I then lose the punch of the tube power section, hence the SVT II.
I'm not sure I will use it much with my flatback 810 I get plenty of headroom with the V4b. It's the NV15s that can use a push. With the 210AVs the cabs start to break up with the V4b so I don't tend to need additional clean headroom there.
Really great choices to have, it's a bit more then I "need" but going to enjoy it none the less.
My V4b is my go to amp, it can be limiting with smaller cabs as far as clean headroom. That is where the Jule M2500 comes in. But I then lose the punch of the tube power section, hence the SVT II.
I'm not sure I will use it much with my flatback 810 I get plenty of headroom with the V4b. It's the NV15s that can use a push. With the 210AVs the cabs start to break up with the V4b so I don't tend to need additional clean headroom there.
Really great choices to have, it's a bit more then I "need" but going to enjoy it none the less.
Congrats, glad you found one. According to the manual they are around 85 pounds, but some would say that is the cost for tone perfection. Peace
I always liked the Svetlana for the amp tubes and Tungsol for the pre's any thoughts?
Mine has Svetlana power tubes and it sounds great!
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I have the same cab with a II Pro. I picked up a new old stock SVT with warranty a couple years ago. We sometimes use a hand truck for the amps and heavy stuff if there's any distance. When a lot of stairs are involved, it can be a pain, literally. I like playing gigs with it and the other band members prefer it as well so I'm fortunate enough to have help hauling it.
Mine came to me with Svetlana's but they were so worn out I can't really comment on how they sounded.
