give me your opinion on the ampeg 'fridge'!

So you think you made up the "fridge" thing? OK...but you should know that a 610 is not considered a fridge...but an 810 is.



610 sounds good but very deep in the low end and uses a tweeter to make up for its lack of high end. Give me a 90's or before 810e any day over it, but many do like it, so it's not a bad cab by any means.

 

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Nothing else really sounds like an Ampeg 810. It has more punch than you could imagine. If you're into that sort of thing, there's nothing else that compares. Plus, it has the looks to scare people, that's worth something by itself.

 

A fridge is a fridge. JimmyM and the 'peg faithful will say the quality varies from generation to generation but from my experience, using one from the 80s, one from the 70s, and a nampeg one, they all have the same distinct tone that you'll either like or hate.

I personally like the way it pushes air into my back but I'm not crazy about the tone of the things. But they do sound good in a mix and thats really all thats important when playing large venues. I would say if it's a USA and they isn't anything mechanically wrong with it, rock it with the cosmetic defects. I think a thrashed 810 looks pretty damn cool.

 

you'll be surprised at the extra volume 8 speakers can muster from even -300 watts

also, either go for a SVT classic, a VR, or a peavey VB-2. I'm not sure what the dubby people use but you should be able to grasp an appropriate tone from either box

 

i used to use a hartke ha3500 with mine. its def loud enough

 

A 250w amp is plenty for a fridge. I've used it with a 30w B-15N head and it's plenty, especially in church.

 

I'm afraid to play in church. I keep looking up even at Christmas just in case.

BOB

BTW: my evil twin lives in Bradenton.

 

Uniquely powerful punch.

You'll be noticed.
That said, it's definitely not the sound I pursue.

 

The 610 is a mini-fridge!!

 

Punch for pound ration is about even. Have worked with Ampeg 2X12(reverse-mounted magnet to magnet) cab and it is respectable but nowhere near the punching power of the fridge.

I power my with an SVT Pro III: reliable; tube pre-amp; and heavy!

-richard

 

ampeg 8x10 is a ballsy cabinet. all the other ampegs are just..cabinets. the 8x10 definately stands out.

 

I had one in the late 70'.Great Punch & Volume..............but you'll get tired of lugging that BEAST around from gig to gig and your bandmates will start to whine and hate you !!!.....of coarse I'm not 25 yrs. old any more. The head alone was 100lb. I now use an Acoustic 4x10 w/ horn cabinet and a Hartke 3500. Much more compact with lotsa punch & volume.....but that's just my personal preference.

 

Nothing sounds quite like an early 70's SVT8x10. I powered mine with either an SVT or the V4B depending on the size of the room. I got to old and the cab got to heavy.

 

All of the replies here are pretty right on.

An 810 is it's own beast. It's a wall of sound. Old 810's have a mid forward tone to them, but also can have some nice lows if you tame the mids. For small bar gigs? Well, probably overkill, as they're hard to play quietly and take up more space than many small stages have.

You may also want to consider if you can transport one. It can be a problem since its hardly a 'portable' cab.

I played an old Ampeg 810/SVT when I first started playing bass in high school, and it was great fun.

I've also had them provided as backline over the years, and on stage its a very tactile cabinet. It reaches out and touches you...from your ankles up to your neck, and you'll be heard on stage no matter what (I remember liking it because I wasn't pinned to a location right in front of the amp). I have nice memories of the house SVT at Sound of Brazil in NYC from way back...