Well that's just silly reasoning. I bet you could take 100 people with the exact same SVT setup and let them set it up how they want and use whatever bass they want and you won't hear the same tone twice. They're common because they're great amps and they sound awesome.
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Botique SVT Killer?
- Thread starter tb420
- Start date
:scowl:
what makes you sound uncommon is your playing, not the gear you play. i've heard lots of bass players sound extremely ordinary on high end equipment. i've also heard a lot sound great on stuff you see every day.
- Feb 16, 2008
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IMO, that's like saying i don't want to play a p or a jazz bass because they're too common. (which, IMO is very silly). as stated above, your tone comes from your fingers and playing style.
or are you basing your preference on looks? also IMO, which is even more questionable, especially since, IMO, the meatsmoke looks like an amateur's 'homemade' amp, with no attention or effort put into its appearance.
for lead sled sound without the weight, look at the Orange Terror Bass 500
it's friggen' loud and ballsy!!
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it's friggen' loud and ballsy!!
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How come no Trace Elliot on your list? I think the new stuff gives you that "pushed tube" tone and you're not going to get better reliability, punch, etc. Second choice (for me, at least) would be Orange, but now you're talking HEAVY and the prospect of tubes taking a **** on you. Great if you have roadies, techs, and roadcases, etc...but if you're doing all the heavy lifting, I'd go for something else...
If you want an Ampeg like tone, and want lightweight, consider a TC Electronic Rh450. It has been designed to emulate the ampeg vibe, and weighs 9 lbs. They make killer cabs too. i just bought a TC rig and have sofar been really happy with it. There is a terrific review thread that has gone on for 3000 posts so you can learn all about it right here.
So you think Ampeg's over most of their issues, and seem to have made a comeback. That sounds like a good reason to buy a DB751.
Damnation by faint praise?
- Feb 16, 2008
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which i'm really not
well look munji, i'll still buy a vintage svt any day over a new one, but lately i've had nothing but good experiences with loud ampegs when renting. the cabs are definitely better than the last batch of slm cabs. so what can i tell you? will some of them have issues? probably. but so will some db751's.
Ive had a DB750 for a few years now and have gigged the crap out of it. It sounds great, however I have had continuous problems with the U7 tube slot becoming microphonic. I've changed the tube countless times, and it keeps going microphonic, so now i just isolate the head on foam pads and ignore it. (you wont hear that live. and yes i've gone to a tech about this...)
Aguilar is builds there stuff like tanks, I use all Aguilar cabs, and theyve resolved the tube noise issue with the DB751. I think the DB751 is probably your best bet for touring with an indie band. If you want the SVT sound though, you cant beat an SVT. No SS/hybrid amp can replace the tube sound, and in fact i'm considering switching to Ampeg VR or another tube amp. If i'm going to have tube issues then I may as well have a tube amp. Also as far as the SVT sound being generic, everyone from old motown and funk bands to rock and metal bands use them, and no two players sound alike.
Aguilar is builds there stuff like tanks, I use all Aguilar cabs, and theyve resolved the tube noise issue with the DB751. I think the DB751 is probably your best bet for touring with an indie band. If you want the SVT sound though, you cant beat an SVT. No SS/hybrid amp can replace the tube sound, and in fact i'm considering switching to Ampeg VR or another tube amp. If i'm going to have tube issues then I may as well have a tube amp. Also as far as the SVT sound being generic, everyone from old motown and funk bands to rock and metal bands use them, and no two players sound alike.
It's in the build and the quality of components. If you're touring, the gear could get knocked around pretty good. Jacks will get yanked on, smacked with plugs in them, Tube sockets will get rattled, knobs get torqued on, slammed into, etc. IMO for longevity its important that any component that comes in contact with the operator; knobs, switches, socket, jacks, etc. are chassis mounted. A nice clean layout is also very helpful if you dont have multiple backups and are on the road far from factory support, internal clutter and proprietary PCBs can be real time suckers for a tech whos not familiar with the specific amp.
Modern mass produced transistor amps are certainly a lot lighter and cheaper, but generally dont have the longevity of service of a hand wired amp; and since the OP said till I die, once the manufacturer quits making the specific PCB for a given amp, you could be S.O.L. if one get broken, or burnt up, etc.
But you can generally buy multiple transistor amps for the price of one hand built tube one, its a trade off that probably is best decided by your particular tonal preferences.
Here are some chassis pics I found:
This is a new Orange AD200. Not exactly like they were in the olden days. Yes, those are tube sockets, control pots, and jacks soldered directly to printed circuit boards.
Well, at least its priced like a hand wired boutique amp
Verellens not bad, decent routing, pretty stout looking overall but to me doesnt look "finished", kinda home made ish.
This Matamp is very nice IMO. Maybe a little cluttered, much more polished than the Verellen, not bad at all.
This Reeves has ultra clean layout and routing, very stout looking and polished.
- Feb 16, 2008
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I've seen and /restored/serviced zillions of amps and, IME that Reeves is as good as it gets. its attention to detail and quality of build reminds me of the old Hiwatts. it should run almost forever and if it ever did need repairs, it super simple to get to everything without tearing the whole amp apart.
well my svt is built very similar to the reeves, and it's had its share of problems along the way, too. but so far, a year of being used 4-5x a month since it was finally redone enough to be stage worthy and it's working as it should. the one good thing about tube amps is they can always be fixed. even if it has green pcb's, it can be fixed. i know people with old ss amps that can never be fixed, like the polytone mini-brute. there's one part in them that nobody makes anymore and doesn't exist nos, and it needs it to run. and with all these surface mounted components in amps today, people are just going to throw them out instead of paying a fortune to replace boards with a ton of surface mounted parts.
but who cares? does it work today? there's always a chance any amp will break down. haven't owned an amp yet that didn't need serviced along the way, except for my lmii and my 73 v4b.
but who cares? does it work today? there's always a chance any amp will break down. haven't owned an amp yet that didn't need serviced along the way, except for my lmii and my 73 v4b.
What prompted my post was the OP's reference to "till I die". How long should an amp last? Got me, but I've seen some current amps; not just entry level ones either, that are absolutely "throw-a-ways".
I personally have no problem with PCB's in an amp, just NOT as structural support.
I agree with this ONE HUNDRED PERCENT.
Often times trivial things havent been made since 1970 whatever, and IF there are any NOS out there, they cost an arm and a leg.
I'm fixing an ancient KUSTOM amp, and i need a certain kind of transistor, RCA part number 65860 i believe. I found ONE place on the entire internet that had them, and they wanted $34 PER TRANSISTOR... and i had to buy them per the dozen. PER THE DOZEN.
One question - do you like the SVT tone but are scared it will let you down, or are you just looking for something else?
My experience is with vintage 70s SVTs. I bought my first one in about 2000, took it straight to my amp tech and told him to do whatever it takes. I put about $700 into it on top of what I paid for the amp, but it was properly baselined and good to go. That amp was on the road for almost 7 years without ever coming home. *I* came home, but my gear went on to wherever the next tour would start. Never had a single problem with that amp, not one.
It finally needed a new set of tubes, and now that it's home it should go in for a check up.
So I'd say if you want the SVT thing, go get a nice 70s model, take it to a tech you trust that really knows these amps, have it serviced properly without cutting any corners, put it in a flight case, and go gig. Get a cheap GK or something for an emergency back up if you like.
FWIW, even after putting $700 into my SVT it was still cheaper than buying a new one. Same goes for the 72 I bought later - bought, baselined with new power tubes, still cheaper than new.
... or get the Reeves, that thing is beautiful
My experience is with vintage 70s SVTs. I bought my first one in about 2000, took it straight to my amp tech and told him to do whatever it takes. I put about $700 into it on top of what I paid for the amp, but it was properly baselined and good to go. That amp was on the road for almost 7 years without ever coming home. *I* came home, but my gear went on to wherever the next tour would start. Never had a single problem with that amp, not one.
It finally needed a new set of tubes, and now that it's home it should go in for a check up.
So I'd say if you want the SVT thing, go get a nice 70s model, take it to a tech you trust that really knows these amps, have it serviced properly without cutting any corners, put it in a flight case, and go gig. Get a cheap GK or something for an emergency back up if you like.
FWIW, even after putting $700 into my SVT it was still cheaper than buying a new one. Same goes for the 72 I bought later - bought, baselined with new power tubes, still cheaper than new.
... or get the Reeves, that thing is beautiful
You may need to really consider what tone you want for most of your playing time. A dirty sound for intros and maybe solos is a very small percentage of actual playing. If I were you I'd consider what "foundational tone" you want and then add onto that with an applicable overdrive. It's possible many of the hybrid amps out there will suit your purposes, along with a VT Bass or other preamp/OD pedal that supplies the distortion you want.
If you want both a clean and dirty tone, you're gonna really need a dual channel amp, or an amp/pedal combo or an A/B amp (stereo) setup that can be pedal switched at will.
Don't get me wrong, an SVT (or other quality tube amp) will provide an excellent, but specific sound. Decide if that's what you want, first. Then add your OD on top of that.
FWIW, if I were going for a pure, tube overdrive tone I'd go with the the hybrid or tube-based Orange (they both sound good to my ears), or (more likely) the Verellen Meat Smoke (listen all the way to the end with good speakers or high quality headphones...that thing really roars). If I wanted gooey, tubey, slightly OD goodness I'd go with an SVT. If I wanted an absolute tubey clean I'd go with a Demeter, or Alembic, or similar...based on taste...and then add a VT bass or other OD to complete the tone. JMO.
Further FWIW, I run a Demeter Pre-/Crown Power setup (which provides an incredible clean, open sound) and I'm considering putting together an alternate rig that does something a bit dirtier (maybe one of the Sansamp preamp models?), or adding a high quality OD/tone-shaping pedal to my rig: VT Bass, Aggie Tonehammer, etc.
Let us know what direction you decide to go, and how it works out.
