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Flamers Prepare: Ampeg and Fender

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#41
About Ampeg reliability- I think a well built one is quite durable. I've heard there are QC issues with newer units. But I have seen an older SVT fridge/head fall over onstage, the head hit the floor and bounced down a flight of stairs. The wooden case was cracked and bent, the cable ends were snapped off, a couple of broken knobs, but it still worked fine. Dude played the rest of the night with new cables, no problem.
 
#42
TrevorOfDoom said:
honestly, at this point in my career, whenever i see someone loading an Ampeg Fridge,SVT 3Pro, and P bass into a small club, my first thought is always "Oh, he must have been a guitarist who switched over because he thought it was easier."
of course, should that person start grooving like no other, i'll change my mind. but sadly, a good majority of the time i'm right.
i'm not against that sound or those companies, but i feel like it's the easy way about things. it requires no thought, no individuality or personality to your tone.

Disclaimer: i mean no disrespect if Fender/Ampeg is your bag. there's many people who rock this combo and mean it, and i'm all for that. but if you roll this way because you've never tried anything else, you're missing out.
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This is what I've been getting at. Sure, it isn't bad, but the individuality isn't there. It's as if the combination is supossed to sound inherently good, so they don't even bother trying out different options. Then again, if they HAVE tried other options and seen that that combination is for them, then congratulations! That's what it's about.

When I play, I hate hearing "Oh wow, your rig sounded almost like an SVT." No, it sounds like a GK.

Let me just reiterate once more that having discussions like this on a forum is great and I love hearing both sides, whether I agree or not, because it could very well happen that someone changes my mind ;)
 
#46
Honestly, I think that alot of it is marketing and branding. Fender and Ampeg have both made some great products--and still do in alot of ways-- but now, I think that their marketing departments are more responsible for their popularity than their product department. I'm not saying that they are bad instruments or amps---but they have alot of financial moxy to become behemoths in their market.

Some people take pride in playing well on simple gear. That's cool. Nothing wrong with that--but there are alot of great players who play well on nice gear. I prefer to hear people play on what makes them comfortable.

I like fine handcrafted instruments. I feel that I play pretty well on them. They are comfortable and I'm glad to be able to support a smaller craftsmen.

It's just personal preference. I dig the Ampeg/Fender tone. I have an Ampeg and a Fender. I play them alot. Most of the time, though, I play other gear.
 
#47
I will weigh in. As a guitar player thet recently took up the bass in the past year, I have been a tone freak way to long with the guitar to start being a tone freak all over again with the bass. After starting with a low budget amp, and speakers I built about 20 years ago for pa, I went for what I thought was the coolest amp and cab that was held in high regard.
Vintage SVT and 810 cab
There is plenty of other amps, and gear, and I don't knock any of it.
Some of my favorite bands used SVT's since the 70's, and many of my children's favorite bands use them today.
To each his own.
Whether I would want to carry the heavy beast into a small venue is questionable, but I'm not ruling it out.
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#48
Illbay said:
it's Ampeg amps and Fender Bass. What is the mentality behind this?

I wonder what's behind the mentality of criticizing what other people want to play, myself.

What's it to you if the majority like that combination?
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If I came off as bad mouthing your gear, that wasn't the intention. As you said, why should people criticize what other people choose? Yet, this still happens when people don't choose these two names, IME. For musicians, especially those without much money, there shouldn't be bias towards a certain product just because it WAS the standard. It seems unrealistic for people to be able to readily attain a vintage SVT. Wouldn't it be easier to even the playing field?
 
#49
I think it's pretty straight forward: it is a formula known for greatness. If you have a Fender bass and an Ampeg amp, and you sound sucky, you KNOW it's not the rig, it's YOU.

Yes, there are bad Fenders and bad Ampegs. But you know that there are good ones, so if your's sucks, it's because you don't know how to pick and maintain a good one.

So it takes "gear" out of the sound equation, which makes it much easier to work on your technique and sound. Anyone CAN sound good with that line-up--it's just a matter of how hard you want to work.
 
#50
BTW, I should mention that Ampeg did, indeed, invent the first dedicated bass amp, as well as the first upright bass pickup, called the Amp(lified P)eg. It wasn't much more than a mic element on a peg, though. Both were instant hits with top jazz bass players.
 
#51
DeluxeRed said:
So it takes "gear" out of the sound equation, which makes it much easier to work on your technique and sound. Anyone CAN sound good with that line-up--it's just a matter of how hard you want to work.
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Thank you, this is one of those posts that actually go a step further than give the answer that most people expect. And I can totally understand how that can make sense, especially in those people that don't have alot of money, like myself, and can't afford to experiment with different rigs.
 
#53
i do auditions from time to time. i always bring a fender... i usually do well

there are plenty of ampeg models i do not care for. my svtII is the best head i have owned. it doesn't do everything. what it does, it does very well. its also reliable.

i am not a fan of all fenders either. i feel the 2008 usa fenders are the best ever.
my 08 US jazz 5 is an excellent bass (after a proper set up job)

fender set the tone for bass many years ago. since then, some newer designs
have shown to be just as good, but not better, just different. these basses are
really more similar to a fender than they are different.

on a recording, a passive fender sits in the mix very well with a minimum of
fiddling

i too am a fender/ampeg guy
 
#54
JimmyM said:
BTW, I should mention that Ampeg did, indeed, invent the first dedicated bass amp, as well as the first upright bass pickup, called the Amp(lified P)eg.
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Everrett Hull and Jess Oliver did that. Ampeg, as it is today, is a much different company than it was in the 60's. These guys were 'in the trenches.' They were getting their hands dirty and flying by the seat of their pants. There was an air of excitment around what they were doing and how far they could push the limits of modern (by 60's standards) amplification.

Same with Leo Fender.

I think that this attitude is why they were able to become the 'industry standard.' Today, it's different. They still make nice gear, but there are alot of other small builders who are continuing on with their spirit.
 
#56
NickyBass said:
Everrett Hull and Jess Oliver did that. Ampeg, as it is today, is a much different company than it was in the 60's. These guys were 'in the trenches.' They were getting their hands dirty and flying by the seat of their pants. There was an air of excitment around what they were doing and how far they could push the limits of modern (by 60's standards) amplification.

Same with Leo Fender.

I think that this attitude is why they were able to become the 'industry standard.' Today, it's different. They still make nice gear, but there are alot of other small builders who are continuing on with their spirit.
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Well since Everett and Leo are no longer around, hard for them to be in the trenches ;) I think those who kept it going have been doing a pretty admirable job so far. Maybe not what Everett or Leo would do, but pretty good.

BTW, before Jess, it was Stanley Michaels in 1948.
 
#57
NickyBass said:
That is true for pretty much any rig.
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Not so, IME. I don't KNOW that a Squire and a Rumble--or a Lakeland and an Ashdown--can do a good Jamerson or Dirnt. I don't KNOW that they can survive the rigors of gigging. I'm pretty sure the Precision/Jazz, and the SVT, have a proven track record. With Fender/Ampeg, I know what I'm getting--or at least have the potential to have.

Not all of us have tried everything out there. Some of us just want to plug-n-play.
 
#58
I've visited and played in several countries and speaking of world, although Fender is really the standard on basses, you see way more GK800RB's than SVT's... WAYYY more... As TalkBass is an international site I feel confident to say that GK is the standard in bass amplification, not Ampeg.
 
#59
DeluxeRed said:
Not so, IME.
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I was referring to this:

If you have a Fender bass and an Ampeg amp, and you sound sucky, you KNOW it's not the rig, it's YOU.

I would say that if you have any rig, and you sound sucky, you KNOW it's not the rig, it's YOU.

As to the other stuff. I DO KNOW what my gear sounds like and what tones it is capable of. I know that it is roadworthy and how it sounds in the mix. I'm plug and play too. But, I tried alot of stuff to see what worked for me.
 
#60
allexcosta said:
I've visited and played in several countries and speaking of world, although Fender is really the standard on basses, you see way more GK800RB's than SVT's... WAYYY more... As TalkBass is an international site I feel confident to say that GK is the standard in bass amplification, not Ampeg.
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Now this is something nice to hear! Being the GK convert that I am, this sure is a relief :D
 
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