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Ampeg SVT-II Pro Premiere Edition

B

bassplayin

Dec 5, 2005
59
13
#1
I picked mine up in 1997 and have used it often since: toured and gigged with it a bunch, recorded with it a few times, and recently have been using it a lot- what a great amp! I'd like to know more about it though and over the last few years I've looked around for more information about this series of SVTs but haven't had much luck- does anyone know the scoop?

According to the placard on the front of the amplifier, only 250 were made and I'm also curious to see how many of these we can hunt down here on TalkBass. If you've got one, let's see it!

Mine: #239

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#2
Interesting. I've never heard of the Premier Series. I'm going to keep following this thread.

Is there anything on it (other than cosmetics) that appears different from a normal 2 Pro? What sizes of tubes are in it? Do you have any pics of the guts? What does the back panel look like?
 
#4
I almost purchased one off of Ebay about two years ago, but I could find so little information about it at the time that it made me hesitant to pull the trigger. I am pretty sure if memory serves that I contacted Jerrold about it and he wasn't even familiar with it. Looks cool though.
 
#5
The preamp tubes in order are 3 -12AX7's in a row, 1 -12AU7, and then another 12AX7...then we've got 2 -12AU7's in the back (I'm assuming these are for phase inverting) and then one more 12AX7 (effects loop maybe?). Six 6650's for power tubes.

Total tube count: Six 6550's, Five 12AX7's, and 3 12AU7's.

Maybe someone from the "old guard" at Ampeg is lurking around here and will chime in with more info on this cool amp.

Here's a couple more photos...

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#6
I just bought one of these today and I can't find much info on them either. I got a real good deal on it and the guy I bought it from just had it re-tubed and it came with an anvil case as well. It sounds great! Number 77 out of 250. I'll put it through it's paces this week and try it out with the band this weekend. I have an SVT-CL at our rehearsal space that I'm going to A/B and see what the differences are.
 

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#7
Well, I definitely qualify as "old guard" 'cause I was around when Ampeg arrived in St Louis.

That doesn't mean I remember every model. I don't. I don't even remember every model I designed, let alone all the others.

But, the tube quantity is same as any other 2PRO, 5, 3, and 6. And in the same places.

As with "anniversary" models, a lot of "marketing versions" were made, with minimal or nonexistent changes to the innards, but different colors, tolex, etc. They came and went, and aside from someone who had to come up with a special bill of materials for them, they often didn't have much impact for the designers.

The only "really special" numbered series I recall was the original so-called "skunkworks" SVTs. ("skunkworks" is a trademark of Lockheed, actually).

They were the first SLM produced SVT, and the ONLY ones EVER made like that by SLM, with the same part hand-wired, part PWB setup as old ones.
 
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#9
Thanks for the reply Jerrold. I've never seen or heard of this model either, but it does sound really good. The anvil case had a band name on it "Grissle" so I googled it and it turns out to be a punk band out of Tempe. It explains the sticker residue I noticed on the placard.
 

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#12
I'm loving the replies so far and I hope more people come out of the woodwork on this one. Jerrold, thanks for popping in! Any idea when these amps were produced? If you recall anything else, please post. Your insight is appreciated!

A few years ago I was at NAMM and asked a couple of the Ampeg reps about the amplifier- one said "oh yeah- that's one of the last of the handbuilt SLM amps". The only thing the other guy could tell me was that he heard a rumor that some fella in Japan paid an insane amount of money for Premiere Edition #001. Hmm.

This is the first and only SVT that I've owned and it's been a big part of my history as a musician. I've had the chance to play though a couple of Magnavox-era SVTs, a few newer SVT Classics, more than my fair share of backlined SVT IIIs and IVs, a few B2Rs, and recently a B1RE as well. While there's certainly some differences in tone between all those amps (some more than others), for straight up/no bs/totally solid bass tone, Ampeg is really hard to beat.

El Whappo- let us know how your comparison shakes down! And what kind of tubes are in yours? I retubed the whole amp a year ago, replacing the original factory installed tubes with some Svetlana 6550s, JJ 12AU7s, a few JJ 12AX7s and couple of old Mullard 12AX7s. Mine sounds excellent, but I'm still curious about what some KT88s would sound like in there...
 
#13
What i've heard, so dont take this as nessicarily true.

The SVT-II Pro Premiums were the first incarnation of the SVT-2 Pro, and they were released when the SVT-II (non-pros) were discontinued, just prior to the release of the 2 - pros.

Timeline something like this:

- SVT-II
- SVT-II Pro Premium
- SVT-II/2 Pro

But, take that with a pinch of salt.
 
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#14
i_got_a_mohawk said:
What i've heard, so dont take this as nessicarily true.

The SVT-II Pro Premiums were the first incarnation of the SVT-2 Pro, and they were released when the SVT-II (non-pros) were discontinued, just prior to the release of the 2 - pros.

Timeline something like this:

- SVT-II
- SVT-II Pro Premium
- SVT-II/2 Pro

But, take that with a pinch of salt.
Click to expand...

It's possible,

So.... bassplayin:
Maybe the serial number from that one would help out. So what IS the serial? You can PM it to me if you'd rather not post it.
 
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#20
Thank you for dating my amp and the info as well, Jerrold. Nice of you to take the time to look it up for me. Sleepmonkey, yeah- it's a beast! Those transformers are huge. In the roadcase it's well over 125lbs...which is exactly why it's not in the roadcase currently. I think my next purchase is going to be one of those nifty SKB roller rack cases- that'd be perfect for this amp.
 

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