Do I need an Ampeg SVT all tube head???

[Mudfuzz]

Want ta bet !??!

I've been with the "same" drummer in 4 different bands over the past 30 years.

In all those load-in/load-outs he's never once offered to help carry any of my gear!

/shrugs... maybe it was something you said...

 

[Jeff Scott]

Want ta bet !??!

I've been with the "same" drummer in 4 different bands over the past 30 years.

In all those load-in/load-outs he's never once offered to help carry any of my gear!

In all my decades of gigging, i never once asked anyone to help me during load-in/out. I make sure I can handle all my own gear and be self sufficient. Greatly simplifies life.

 

[shoot-r]

/shrugs... maybe it was something you said...

In all my decades of gigging, i never once asked anyone to help me during load-in/out. I make sure I can handle all my own gear and be self sufficient. Greatly simplifies life.

No this goes beyond me and my personal gear.

He'll carry his drums in, set em' up, tear em' down, carry them out.
Then he'll stand and watch the rest of the band deal with our personal gear plus everything else.

WON'T help with PA (even though his drums are miced), WON'T help with monitors ( he doesn't have a problem complaining if his monitor isn't where he wants it, but won't help to put it there, he won't even run the cord back to it), WON'T help with lights, WON'T help with ect., ect., (you get the picture.)

It's been 30 years, threats from the bands have been made, pay has been with held, physical violence has come close at times.....no effect.

As a band family we just except and joke about it now.

 

[Jeff Scott]

No this goes beyond me and my personal gear.

He'll carry his drums in, set em' up, tear em' down, carry them out.
Then he'll stand and watch the rest of the band deal with our personal gear plus everything else.

WON'T help with PA (even though his drums are miced), WON'T help with monitors ( he doesn't have a problem complaining if his monitor isn't where he wants it, but won't help to put it there, he won't even run the cord back to it), WON'T help with lights, WON'T help with ect., ect., (you get the picture.)

It's been 30 years, threats from the bands have been made, pay has been with held, physical violence has come close at times.....no effect.

As a band family we just except and joke about it now.

Both the singer and the rhythm guitarist in my last pop-rock band were the same way. As to the "lead" singer, all he brought was his own microphone and stand, I owned, hauled, set up/tore down/maintained the PA system. He was a lazy SOB. Eventually, I decided to sell off the PA gear and gave him first dibs. He declined, so off it went to new, different owners and he pissed and moaned about what the rest of the band replaced it with (inferior gear). The "lead" singer still didn't do anything to help out.

The rhythm guitarist - whatever amount of time we had for load-in and set up, be it ten minutes or two hours, is exactly how long it took him to take care of his own gear.

 

[Turlu]

Thanks to Bassboysam here, I was able to try an Ampeg SVT ( era 1978-1979 with the two channels ). I tried it with two MarkBass 1X15 cabs. It is an absolutely delight to hear the warmth of the tubes and the head is thirsty to push Tone on an 810 or a 610 minimum to get the full experience out of her entirely!!!

Do I need an SVT now ??? I compared side by side with my MarkBass rig ( Jeff Berlin combo with the two 1 X 15 cabs )..... the MarkBass is surprisingly warm and give me the edge I am looking for ( I am using a Darkglass VMT pedal and a Seymour Duncan studio compressor )..... and this without breaking my back.... I was reminded how heavy the SVT was when I brought it back to my friend!!! Ouch, my back was sore the next day!!!

So, do I need an SVT??? Yes, as it is the best all-tube head out there and pushes some serious tone!!! I just cannot justify having an 810 or a 610 cab in my basement nad haul it for gigs or rehearsals.... and I really think that an SVT needs to push some air to really shine!!!

If I were to go on the all-tube adventure, I would probably lean towards acquiring a Traynor YBA 100 or the 300 version, which truly have fantastic voicing and have tons of warmth, and all this at very reasonable weight!!

I will stick with my MarkBass rig for now, and this rig has been with me for the past two years now and is simply the best I ever had!!!

Thanks everyone for your input!!! Greatly appreciated!

 

[tony caskey]

Thanks to Bassboysam here, I was able to try an Ampeg SVT ( era 1978-1979 with the two channels ). I tried it with two MarkBass 1X15 cabs. It is an absolutely delight to hear the warmth of the tubes and the head is thirsty to push Tone on an 810 or a 610 minimum to get the full experience out of her entirely!!!

Do I need an SVT now ??? I compared side by side with my MarkBass rig ( Jeff Berlin combo with the two 1 X 15 cabs )..... the MarkBass is surprisingly warm and give me the edge I am looking for ( I am using a Darkglass VMT pedal and a Seymour Duncan studio compressor )..... and this without breaking my back.... I was reminded how heavy the SVT was when I brought it back to my friend!!! Ouch, my back was sore the next day!!!

So, do I need an SVT??? Yes, as it is the best all-tube head out there and pushes some serious tone!!! I just cannot justify having an 810 or a 610 cab in my basement nad haul it for gigs or rehearsals.... and I really think that an SVT needs to push some air to really shine!!!

If I were to go on the all-tube adventure, I would probably lean towards acquiring a Traynor YBA 100 or the 300 version, which truly have fantastic voicing and have tons of warmth, and all this at very reasonable weight!!

I will stick with my MarkBass rig for now, and this rig has been with me for the past two years now and is simply the best I ever had!!!

Thanks everyone for your input!!! Greatly appreciated!

the 8-10 moves easier than the 85 lbs head

 

[beans-on-toast]

An SVT makes a dandy space heater on those cold winter nights. So that's a plus.

Go to a store, plug into an SVT with an 810 and stand back. There is something special about the sound of a tube amp in a band setting. It comes down to how you feel the sound balances with transporting a heavy rig.