Good head for ampeg 410hlf

[JimmyM]

Was thinking this as well, but everyone's keeping it very tasteful.

BTW, I pair a SVT4 Pro with an 410HLF and it's pretty solid. Not the all tube sound I have with my other amps but this thing can get very loud and is very versatile. My feeling is you need a lot of power to push the HLF and the 4Pro can do it, no problem. No experience with the 3 Pro but I assume it's similar.

Ya, the 410hlf goes way low, so it will take a bit more power to get the same levels out of it as a higher tuned cab like the 410he. PF800 would easily handle the job, though. Actually, the Micro VR would handle the job for me, but I'm not looking to kill babies.

 

[VeganThump]

I say 7 pro all the way. I love mine and haven't had a problem since I got it about 6 months ago. It's a fantastic amp and definitely would be able to push a 410hlf nicely.

 

[greengoblin]

+1 with wig hat..

Find a nice V4 or V4b..

 

[VeganThump]

+1 with wig hat..

Find a nice V4 or V4b..

The OP states he has a $500 budget, can those heads be has for $500?

 

[JimmyM]

They've gone up a little but they're still in the $500-700 ballpark depending on condition.

 

[Jdog568404]

What is a V4 or V4b? And I don't buy new by the way ... only used.

 

[greengoblin]

If you are patient some still sell for below this range even though prices have gone up...

Jdog, google Ampeg v4 or v4b(or search here).. Ampeg 100 watt all tube amp with classic Ampeg tone...

 

[jason the fox]

+1 on the 3-Pro. I usually play an SVT 3 Pro with an SVT 410HE. Through a 410HLF, it'd sounds killer with that extra low end.

 

[popgadget]

I have used an Eden WT-400, Shuttle 9.0 and a Streamliner 900 with a 410HLF, all with good result. Probably liked the Streamliner the best.

 

[bludog]

What is a V4 or V4b? And I don't buy new by the way ... only used.

V4B's are awesome heads but for me it just does not have enough power to push the HLF. It's better suited for a cab with a higher tuning. Seems there's just not enough clean headroom with the HLF. It's either too quiet for a live band or it starts to distort too heavily for my needs. If you don't need clean headroom then go for it - it's a REALLY GREAT all-tube amp!! However if you do, you might want to consider one of the other options mentioned... all depends how loud you need to be.

EDIT: See update in post #50 of this thread. Volume/clean headroom should not be of great concern with this combination of amp/cab. Depends on conditions but should typically work out just fine.

 

[Bass 45]

My vote is for a used SVT-3.

It falls within the op's budget and it is a great combo (edit: the SVT-3 & the SVT410HLF is a great combination).

 

[Jdog568404]

right now I'm leaning towards the svt 3 ... just watched this sound demo and was pretty much sold ...

 

[Jdog568404]

how reliable is the 3 pro for everyone who has one or who has heard people owning one? I want to buy an amazing amp and not have to replace it (if at all possible) for a while.

 

[JimmyM]

Very. Every now and then you might lose a tube, or you might have to take it in to get the MOSFETs rebiased if you start getting distortion at low volumes. That's an easy job that takes a tech 5 minutes on a scope, or you could do it yourself if you're handy with a multimeter. It's very touchy and you can burn your amp up if you don't know what you're doing, so best to take it to a tech if you're unskilled like me, but it should be years before you need that. I still see plenty of old 3 Pros out there working.

 

[Immigrant]

A little late to this party but I recently replaced my SVT-CL (hard times) with a PF-500 into a SVT410HLF. I haven't had the issue that others have and it sounds fantastic. The frequency selector seems to help un-muddy the cab better than the CL did.

 

[Bass 45]

how reliable is the 3 pro for everyone who has one or who has heard people owning one? I want to buy an amazing amp and not have to replace it (if at all possible) for a while.

For many years the SVT-3 was Ampeg's biggest selling amp (before the very inexpensive PF series came along) - the same can be said for the SVT410HLF in the speaker cab dept.

This is regardless of the fact that these items are certainly not cheap when bought new.

I know of no dedicated threads concerning suspect reliability of either of these products.

Jimmy is right though - tubes and bias are a concern when getting a used SVT-3 - but they are both cheap fixes.

 

[Spaldo]

I got good results with a Markbass F1....

 

[Bass 45]

right now I'm leaning towards the svt 3 ... just watched this sound demo and was pretty much sold ...

I just watched the video link and I agree that is a very good demo. It displays the versatility of the SVT-3-Pro (without even using the 9 band eq much). If I have one complaint - the player could have changed his right hand position to display tonal options without knob twisting - also, he could have lost that that twangy sounding bass.

I use mine a lot - and even though it is 20 years old - it never even occurs to me to bring a back up when I play out with it.

 

[onegunguitar]

Good - it's not just me. Carry on - I really tried to resist, but bad taste and a sophomoric brain ultimately won.

Hahaha

 

[jason the fox]

I like my 3-Pro a lot. Great range of tones. More than enough power (especially @ 4 ohm, like your 410 HLF).

I've gigged with mine a few times since I bought it, and haven't had any problems.

I've read that the most 'authentic' classic Ampeg tone from the hybrid amps comes from the 7-pro, but I haven't had a chance to play through one.

The 7-Pro might be another option though, tons of power and if you can find a used one, it would be well within your budget (sell for around $800, new).