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Are Ampegs Over-Rated?

#21
chopthebass said:
I've never used the valve heads but some say they are the holy grail of bass heads. I had an Ampeg solid state 450w head (SVT 3-pro? can't remember). I was immensly underwhelmed by it in a live situation. It really didn't seem that loud and the tone was pretty average.
I have owned Peavey in the past and also used a number of different stacks and you can't beat them for bang-for-buck. I thought the 700w Fire??? head they made was pretty potent.
There are many, many bad reviews of the SVT valve head having reliability issues. I would never own a valve head as I would be worried about the roadworthiness. And I would never own an Ampeg after my experiences.
Ultimately you need to follow your ears. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Firebass 700. I just re-acquired one. They have a consistent track record of reliability and a very favorable dollars-to-watts ratio, especially now. I'm satisfied with the sound and performance.

If necessary I will trade a little tone for reliability and cost-effectiveness. No one hears your tone when your amp is broken or your power gets shut off because you didn't pay the bill. :)
 
#22
My completely subjective and uninformed opinion on this subject is yes, Ampeg rigs are overrated. I think Fender basses got the 'electric bass' design right a long time before Ampeg (or anyone else) got the 'bass amp' design right (enough). Bass amplification is tough business. I think you can get more of everything from another brand for the same or less $$.
I also played through a lovely Mesa Boogie rig the other day and thought, "Yeah, this is what Ampeg wishes it had".
Correct me if you will, but don't bother with flaming me :spit:
 
#24
The tube ampegs SVT Pro 2, Classic, VR etc are great, the others are hit or miss, when I started ampeg was "it", but after awhile you want to venture and try different things. If you have the means to haul it and able to lift it go ahead. Use what makes you happy, not what is the industry standard or any of that nonsense,.
 
#25
Ampeg is of course overrated. So is Fender, Gibson and many other brands that have been around long enough to have vintage specimens, as well as "vintage re-issue" models. Of course this does not apply to Musicman!
One issue I have with Ampegs reputation is that the brand has been owned by what 6 companies now? It just isnt possible that every SVT out there is equally as well built. There are dozens of marketing division designed Ampeg models with nary a tube in them, poor eq choices and plain bad tone. But most of the tube heads are good, and Ampeg hasnt suffered from ownership changes nearly as much as Trace or SWR.

Like many other topics on talkbass, there is no answer that will make everyone happy. The Ampeg haters will say they are heavy and sound like mud, one trick pony etc. The ampeg lovers will say its the classic that has stood the test of time.
Because there are so many lame ampeg models out there I would have to say as a brand its not that great. If you judged Ampeg just for the SVT it's pretty darn good.
There are other brands (like Mesa) that dont have as many dud models and have more than one classic model.
:hiding:
 
#29
Ampegs were the gold standard for a really long time, and a lot of people swear by them for good reason. You either like the tone or you don't.

I personally don't, because I feel like every bass that I plug into an Ampeg just sounds like the Ampeg.
 
#31
btw, as much as i love ampeg, i have played many other pieces of gear and loved them almost as much as my svt and b-15. so it's not like they're the only game in town. plus gear is meaningless compared to how you play. how you play overrides everything. you play like crap, an svt won't help. you play well and a cheap peavey amp will sound great.
 
#32
Yeah, I think theyre overrated. Their tube heads are great amps, and some of the older/USA cabs were of good value too, but other than that they really are overpriced/rated. Their SS/Hybrid amps are nothing to write home about.... I cant think of one that isnt underpowered for it rating.

So.... Im a BIG time Genz guy now, and have a soft spot for the Pre-Fender SWR stuff.

Mesa Boogie is another one that I think is overpriced. Great products, cant think of one that as even "ok"..... but youre just not getting for the cash what you could somewhere else.
 
#33
I have lots of Peavey gear, and I love it. I do love the ampeg tone though.

Vt Bass -> Peavey Probass 1000 -> Crown XLS -> Peavey 410TX = Ampeg

In all actuality. I have used my buddies SVT3 -> Ampeg 410 and mine is much much louder while still copping that "Ampeg" tone.

I also have a Ampeg ba115 combo... which I love for acoustic gigs.

There is more than one way to skin a cat.
 
#34
Early SVT is the sound and in no way overrated, perfection in design, not for some, but for many they got it smack on, and a design that its founders stood by, honest quality and reliable.
As for the 810, I feel the design stopped there, it just did the job of producing the sound and nothing special, I have also a Trace Elliot 810 and this is the same, well overrated and like the Ampeg 810 will fall well short compared to a nice reflex ported cab.
 
#36
IMO, the SVT-VR isn't over-rated at all. i just tried it for the first time, with my El Whappo Jr. cab and it sounds awesome. its easily on par with any of my high end rack channel strips ( UA 6176, Focusrite ISA430 MKII, or my Avalon VT737SP) with a crown xti2000 (2K watts bridged) power amp, and just as loud.

SVT-EWjr.jpg
 
#38
i was waiting for that to happen, john! i plan on doing a similar thing when i get the first of duke's cabs. i already tried it with his prototype and loved it as well. big air and purty sound! my 810 and b-15 cabs will be with me till i die, but i am looking forward to the merging of old and new.
 
#39
Ampeg has a varied history which makes it hard to pidgeon hole the name as good/bad or over-rated. I personally have had massively different experiences with Ampeg. 13 years ago my uncle let me use his B15 and what I'd heard about those amps all made sense instantly (I WILL own one before I die!) whereas I consider the SVT4PRO, despite its huge popularity, as the most dissapointing head I've ever owned.

There is as much Ampeg gear that I'd sever a limb for as there is that I despise.
 
#40
yeah Jimmy. it took me a while but it's been in the back of my mind (and the back of my amp room) for quite some time.

man, it has this mid bass and super low end that sounds absolutely gigantic. i like using the EW Jr. to get an idea of what a head sounds like, being that it has some, but alot less 'coloration' than most cabs.

last night i was experimenting with my studio channel strips using '63 telecaster guitar thru the EW jr. and it turns out that i could not only make them sound like a fender amp (clean only of course), but it was an exact match to the same settings that i normally use when i play bass thru them.
 

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