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Ampeg SVT-II appreciation thread
- Thread starter i_got_a_mohawk
- Start date
What @anderbass said. You might also reach out to Bruce at Fliptops directly. He sometimes has a line on alternate sources for this sort of thing.
Off-topic a little, but I've been digging what I'm calling my "mini-Behemoth" SVT-IIP / vintage 800RB setup lately. At just under 20 lbs, it sure is nice when I have to load in to a second floor venue with no elevator and is a reasonable facsimile, sound-wise to my beloved SVT-II.
There is a guy online that was selling some that were similar to the factory units, but not 100% the same. They are slightly thinner than the ones Ampeg used. I may have a couple left over and can check. He was selling them for aprox $18ea...
Should be able to just go up a screw size, drill and tap the handle, drill the case and you're back in business.
It would be cool if GK released the 800rb low side power section as a discreet power amp.
100% agreed. Nothing technical to back it up, but I always thought the RB's special sauce was in the power section. I used one for years with just a SansAmp in front of it with a 2x15 Peavey cab and it sounded great. Gotta say, with the SVT pre in front of it it's even better. Not to diminish the preamp in the RB at all (it's great in certain situations) but yeah that power amp is phenomenal.
The thing is, the SVT-II and II-Pro were designed to go in a rack case. There's no holes in the bottom chassis to accommodate feet to match the top of the SVT cabinets. Ampeg sold a head case with feet on it (called the SVT-RC I believe) for those who wished to use it in that configuration. The photo below is missing a foot, but you get the idea.
so the only place in my research I have seen a quality rack case that would make this more of a head unit or an enclosed case is this website.
Link Removed
then adding the feet to align with the 810. The issue is the 16” depth.
Since they do custom work I was also going to see if they could route a grill panel in on the fan side to make sure it still kept it’s cool as well.
just haven’t pulled the trigger as other gear has drained the gear fund for now.
Somebody makes headcase for them much like the svt-rc, I have one but I can’t remember who. If you’re google-fu is strong I’m sure you could find them.
I honestly didn’t know this was a thing! Many, MANY years ago I was told I had to buy a svt 2 pro pre amp and it was the beast I never knew I needed. Is there any difference in the ampeg pre amps? Glad to chime in fellas.
The main difference is the same classic vs pro thing with the modern SVT’s: Master volume vs no master volume. I’ve always gravitated towards the non-master volume amp models and the preamps are the same. They just sound better to my ears and are definitely more suited to my sound. Plus, as an added benefit, fewer knobs to fiddle with.
Or just the switch. I had to replace the the power switch on one years back - so it's a possibility. On mine the issue was obvious though - when I switched it on - it sparked and smoked right in the switches housing IIRC.
Got my SVT-II stack out of storage, cleaned the tolex- some scuffs, scratches and small tears but nothing major. Fired it up, works great, it's been ages since I used it on a live gig but it was professionally serviced a few years ago. I've been using class D Aguilar rig live for five years now.
I bought that Ampeg rig new in '91, I looked up the serial number on the amp, it's from 1989 which was the first production year for the SVT-II. I took it out of storage with the idea of maybe selling it but now.. maybe not after all.
I bought that Ampeg rig new in '91, I looked up the serial number on the amp, it's from 1989 which was the first production year for the SVT-II. I took it out of storage with the idea of maybe selling it but now.. maybe not after all.
