Ampeg SVT II Pro, or an alternative?

[Rotohed]

Hi everybody, I have been playing bass on and off for more than 25 years now. I have recently rediscovered my passion... BASS!!! I still have my trusty Musicman Stingray (with Hipshot )but I have a huge dilemma.

I so do not know what to do for an amp, I'm totally stuck. I had a rig once upon a time which I sold a long time ago. ( I should not have done that ) SVT II Pro with an Ampeg 8x10 (I had to compete with a Marshal stack and a London City lol). I'm back on the market for an amp and a befriended bass player lent me his old SVT II Pro but it's dead. I loooooove the sound of the SVT but I'm not sure whether it's the tubes I like or the SVT sound itself. Also the thing weighs a ton and there are a lot of light weight cabs and amps around too. I just bought a Markbass 2x10 cab to test the SVT II pro with but the amp is vibrating and humming like crazy (a physical thing, so not through the cab but in it's own housing) could be loose transformers and other components because the thing has been gathering dust.

Are there any alternatives to this or should i just go and get the SVT fixed? I'm not sure. I started this thread because I am stuck basically. I haven't been playing amped in a long time and never followed amp development. To make things worse there is not a single shop which has all the amps I want to test.

I tested a Markbass 4x10 HF with a Little Mark tube 300 but it's nowhere near the sound that I so dearly love... put a portaflex PF-50T on it and boom!!! there it was, the sound... kind of, so I concluded I need and still love tubes.. but maybe it's compression? I pluck quite hard on my strings (probably due to playing un-amped for so long) I'm thinking of one of those new portaflex 500s but I have never been a fan of MOSFET stuff, again I tend to clip my input a lot (no control yet) working on that another friend of mine has an Eden w300 I believe and that sounded not bad at all through the cab.

So to conclude: have 2x10 Markbass cab, want an amp, love SVT II Pro, don't know whether to pay approx 1000 euros in total for an SVT and fix it blah blah or buy another amp that could sound like it. I hope you guys and gals can help? Much appreciated

 

[Dave W]

Paragraphs would make that wall of text much easier to read...

Is that Markbass cab a 4 ohm load? If it's an 8 ohm like I suspect I would not use it with the II Pro or any all tube SVT. They really want to see 4 or 2 ohm loads...

 

[two fingers]

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

As far as volume goes, that little 2-10 likely won't get it done unless you are playing with a reeeeeeally quiet drummer and guitar player(s).

As for "that sound" what are your volume needs and budget?

In lighter options, the Mesa D800+ seems to be building up quite a fan base for old school sound under ten pounds. Maybe check out some demo videos on YouTube for that one.

Also, maybe get a repair shop to give you am estimate on repairing the SVT II. You already love that sound.....

Best of luck. You are now on the same quest we are all on.... finding a balance between volume, tone, weight and money. It's a never-ending quest!

 

[Rotohed]

Paragraphs would make that wall of text much easier to read...

Is that Markbass cab a 4 ohm load? If it's an 8 ohm like I suspect I would not use it with the II Pro or any all tube SVT. They really want to see 4 or 2 ohm loads...

I thought I had paragraphs... yeah it's 4 ohm.. that's also a new thing holy!@#$ almost no 4ohm cabs anymore!

Budget around 500 Euros/Dollars I could go up to 700

 

[Rotohed]

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

As far as volume goes, that little 2-10 likely won't get it done unless you are playing with a reeeeeeally quiet drummer and guitar player(s).

As for "that sound" what are your volume needs and budget?

In lighter options, the Mesa D800+ seems to be building up quite a fan base for old school sound under ten pounds. Maybe check out some demo videos on YouTube for that one.

Also, maybe get a repair shop to give you am estimate on repairing the SVT II. You already love that sound.....

Best of luck. You are now on the same quest we are all on.... finding a balance between volume, tone, weight and money. It's a never-ending quest!

I think the 2x10 will be ok for now... thanks for the welcome

 

[wolfkeller]

If that is the sound you love, fix it and be done. Far as alternate choices, this SVT 4 is a good choice or an svp preamp with a lightweight poweramp. The tubes really do contribute a lot to that sound for sure as well as that oomph factor. Just can't replicate that force

 

[anderbass]

the amp is vibrating and humming

Sometimes a defective guitar cord, wanky voltage from the power outlets or certain types of lighting in the building can cause hum Issues. Try using some different power outlets on a different circuit, with all lighting and other electrical devices switched off . Also, don't place your cell phone on top or near the amp...

Have you already tried adjusting the bias?
You'll find Instructions here: http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVT-2PRO.PDF

______________

The amp only rattles when placed on top of the cab, right?

If the Amp is in a rack case, the rattle might be caused by the case itself or some sort of debris like a screw or something resting between the amp and cases floor.

Its pretty easy /safe to remove your amps top-cover to take a peek inside, you might discover the rattle is just a broken tube retainer spring or something...

 

[bobyoung53]

Fix the SVT-II, nothing sounds as good as an Ampeg tube amp (IMHO) and the sound from the them is at least partially from the tubes, SS Ampegs don't sound quite the same although the timbre is right. Another thing to think about almost all Ampeg tube amps appreciate in value over time if that's important to you.

 

[bobyoung53]

I thought I had paragraphs... yeah it's 4 ohm.. that's also a new thing holy!@#$ almost no 4ohm cabs anymore!

Budget around 500 Euros/Dollars I could go up to 700

Many Ampeg cabs are 4 ohm, all the 810's are and I think the Pro cabs are although not certain on that.

 

[Raw N Low]

All tube SVT's are always worth fixing. You can't have a high performance car without it seeing a mechanic on a regular basis. I would check out Ampeg preamps mixed with a good power amp, as a possible standby.

Still waiting for Ampeg to release a all tube front end on a class D amp.

 

[Rotohed]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. It’s all very much appreciated. Opened the amp up a minute ago and found one of the ax tubes to be the culprit... I think... haha. Also tightened up all the loose screws I could find...

When a tube isn’t glowing when the amp is on is that a defective tube? I’ll be looking around the internet for more info...

 

[Artman]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. It’s all very much appreciated. Opened the amp up a minute ago and found one of the ax tubes to be the culprit... I think... haha. Also tightened up all the loose acres I could find...

When a tube isn’t glowing when the amp is on is that a defective tube? I’ll be looking around the internet for more info...

They all ought to glow. Don’t replace just one preamp tube. Change them all.

 

[Artman]

And I would fix the svt. If you want something lighter and more compact, you can always sell a working svt, but I’d at least keep that at home.

 

[rodl2005]

Some pre amp tubes might'nt glow much. Some so little that they're very hard to see if they're going at all. But. Yes they SHOULD all glow.
Be aware that the 2Pro thru a 210 isn't gonna get you anywhere NEAR the volume of the same amp thru an 810.

 

[Rotohed]

Some pre amp tubes might'nt glow much. Some so little that they're very hard to see if they're going at all. But. Yes they SHOULD all glow.
Be aware that the 2Pro thru a 210 isn't gonna get you anywhere NEAR the volume of the same amp thru an 810.

Thanks for the info, I’m not in a place/position where I need an 8x10 anymore. Even a 4x10 seemed like overkill to me. I won’t be playing huge stages for a while... YET haha

 

[Rotohed]

I think I’m going for the SVT it looks (and feels) like it only needs a tube replacement. All the internals seem solid... to be continued!!

It feels weird and silly actually the cab being almost 4 times lighter than the head. Also an Ampeg on top of a Markbass

 

[moogieotter]

You rock that SVT-II Pro on that Markbass 210 and love it all day! I bet it sounds awesome! Welcome to TB!

 

[Davesdamnbass]

I had an SVT II years ago. Can't beat that tone. That was back when I was young and could carry that monster. Now I use a tone hammer 350 and an ampeg porta flex 15. I run to the board and back through the monitors. People laugh until they hear how it sounds.

 

[somebrains]

Finding someone local to fix it isn't easy as it was 25 years ago.
My SVT is sitting bc work got stupid busy when I was down there, and my back feels wrenched everytime I pack it in my trunk.

SVP-CL preamp and a class D power amp works fine, won't kill your back.

Your area may not have many 4ohm options, mine does.
The new 4x12's are nifty if you have the cargo space.

 

[Triad]

There's basically no replacement for an all tube power section, I'm afraid. The dynamics, even the smell, they can't be replaced.
I owned SVT2, SVT2Pro, Marshall VBA400, Trace Elliot VA350, Ashdown 427, a couple of Sound City120 (both bass and lead), Hiwatt Bass 100, Mesa 400 and 400+, the smaller brother... I loved them all.
If you can, try to find an used Ashdown 100w (can't remember the name of the model) or a Sound City. They don't sound as "thick" as an SVT but they're very powerful for their wattage... the Sound City is definitely even louder (at least to my ears) but the active eq. is noisy.
I liked the SVT2 MUCH MORE than the Pro version, though. The tube swap isn't cheap but it's not something you face everyday, so if you have a honest tech, it's not too bad.
Also, remember that SVTs are made for 4 and 2ohm impedance cabs, while smaller 100watters are usually made for 8ohm. The SVT will work with higher load but honestly, I'd avoid doing it.