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Good head for ampeg 410hlf
- Thread starter Jdog568404
- Start date
I'm reading reviews on musician's friend and some people are saying that the 450w is not enough ... but then others (and people on here) say the HLF pro-3 combo will have plenty of headroom. I don't want to be running at 9 or 10 all the time just to be loud enough
Do you mean for gigs or rehearsals?
For gigging, will you be running through a sound system too? I've never had a volume issue with mine, even with a single 410he (8 ohm), you'd have way more to work with if you plan on running through the 410hlf @ 4 ohm so I wouldn't worry too muh about a lack of power - unless you'll be playing medium (and larger) venues right off the floor with no house system.
For gigging, will you be running through a sound system too? I've never had a volume issue with mine, even with a single 410he (8 ohm), you'd have way more to work with if you plan on running through the 410hlf @ 4 ohm so I wouldn't worry too muh about a lack of power - unless you'll be playing medium (and larger) venues right off the floor with no house system.
I have the same cab. I run a Mesa Walkabout head, my '71 Ampeg V4-B, and my Ampeg '73 SVT. All sound excellent through this cab IMHO.
Due to a planning error on my part (didn't have time to pick up my cab between work and show) I ended up borrowing one of these cabs to use with my Ashdown Little Bastard. It sounded wonderful, and I can now confidently say that I would play it again.
For $500 I'd get a sans amp and a pa power amp. The sans amp pres work really nice paired with ampeg classic cabs. You can get a pa power amp that'll do 1000w at 4 ohms bridged pretty cheap these days.
The "underpowered" reviews are from people who don't realize that the light by the gain knob doesn't indicate clipping but level. So they turn it up to where it barely starts to blink on a loud note and miss out on a whole lot more power. That light should be either lit up pretty well at all times or it should be ignored. When I had one, I used to ignore it and just turn up the gain until I actually heard distortion, then I'd back down slightly.
The reviews saying the 7 Pro is "tubier" sounding than the 3 Pro are somewhat legit. I've said it before. Starting to change my mind a little, though. The 7 Pro has a tone that reminds me of a tube amp being pushed a little bit. Some might call it "sag." Definitely not a dead ringer for an SVT tuber but has that vibe. But recently I've come to appreciate the sound of the 3 and 4 Pro more than I used to. They're tighter than the 7 Pro, and IMHO sound more solid-statey than tubey, but there's something very cool about them that you don't get with the micros. Either way you go, you'll have great sound, but they are definitely two different animals, Ampeg's micros and hybrids with trad solid state.
Hrmm interesting. I was sort of debating between the 7 Pro and 3 Pro, and 'settled' for the 3 Pro (partially due to finding a great deal on a used one). Never had the chance to spend much time with a 7 Pro though (mostly just read reviews), so I've been wondering if I'm really missing out on anything.
All I know is a lot of reviews on the 7 Pro rank it ahead of the 3 Pro when the two are compared. Who knows though.
I wanted a good solid state amp that offered some 'tubey vibe'. I feel like the 3 Pro comes close. I've never had to really run it wide open so far, always had enough volume for rehearsals (1 or 2 guitars, and a LOUD drummer), and live situations is basically for stage volume since I either run DI with the Sansamp or use the amp's line out into the house system. And that's been almost always with just a single SVT 410HE.
Dude, the best piece of advice I can give you is "F the reviews!" If you are happy, that's all that matters.
*Redacting (or really editing) this reply from before - want to make sure that anyone doing research has a more accurate picture.
I just gave the V4B another try with my 410HLF. It's actually pretty damn loud and stayed clean for the gig. Prior to that my experience with this combo was in my practice space which is very cramped and has some odd acoustics. I think the cymbals/drums are just crazy loud in that space and it makes everyone have to turn up which then pushed me into the breakup zone on the V4B.
In light of recent events (playing in a better environment with a more sensitive drummer), I would say that anyone looking to use the V4B (or V4) with this cab should not be too concerned about clean headroom - just depends on the conditions. Probably won't change the decision of the OP but valuable for anyone searching through old threads.
SVT-3PRO (I suggest the SVT-IIIPRO) is a stellar head, I really regret selling mine. The SVT-7PRO is a little "grindier," has a little more tube sag, sounds more like an SVT-VR, but doesn't do clean as well, and doesn't articulate as nicely.
If you like clean tube sounds, -3 pro, if you like a little dirt, -7 pro.
Another great hybrid (and the option I finished with) is the Ashdown DT series - amazing "old school" sounding heads.
If you like clean tube sounds, -3 pro, if you like a little dirt, -7 pro.
Another great hybrid (and the option I finished with) is the Ashdown DT series - amazing "old school" sounding heads.
I have an Ashdown MAG600 with my 410hlf. It's a good sound, the power isn't quite matched up so I wouldn't push to the max but I have no complaints in terms of versatility and tone!
But then again it is only my first bass amp, so take my anecdote with a pinch of salt, as I have nothing to compare this set up to.
But then again it is only my first bass amp, so take my anecdote with a pinch of salt, as I have nothing to compare this set up to.
I'm still undecided which way I'd go. Probably 7 Pro since it's lighter and I just use solid state when it's too inconvenient or I'm too lazy to bring a tube amp.
Right now, I'm sold on the 3 pro! I don't mind the heaviness for now. If y'all know of anyone selling either of these: Ampeg 410 hlf or ampeg svt 3 pro. Tell them I'm interested and to message me. Thanks guys for all the suggestions/help.
Or, they're by people that have directly compared the 3Pro to amps by other manufacturers(Mesa, G-K, Genz-Benz, Peavey, etc...) with similar ratings, and found it to be underpowered by comparison, regardless of settings/clip light - just sayin'...
- georgestrings
This was my experience with the little bastard, it's only 30 watts. I was turned up to just shy of half on the master volume at stage volume. This combo would work for probably 80% of my gigs since we usually have FOH support.
I've had an HLF for a little over two years now and here's my experience; it sounds best when driven by a fairly high powered, clean, solid state amp.
Here's what I've found with each amp;
Fender Studio Bass all-tube 200 watt head: the cabinet sounds great at low volume. As you go up in volume, the definition starts to suffer.
GK MB150: sounds good up to as loud as it will get, but the 150 watt amp isn't enough power.
Peavey T-Max: sounds better than the previous two amps, and better tone shaping. This is the right amp, but a little more headroom would be good to have.
Crown XLS 1000 with the GK MB150 preamp: this is the best for what I've tried. 1100 watts bridged provides plenty of headroom. Clean, bright, clear.
My theory is that the cabinet already has plenty of deep, round tone designed in, and doesn't need the same added from tube amplification.
Go with a big powerful solid state amp.
Here's what I've found with each amp;
Fender Studio Bass all-tube 200 watt head: the cabinet sounds great at low volume. As you go up in volume, the definition starts to suffer.
GK MB150: sounds good up to as loud as it will get, but the 150 watt amp isn't enough power.
Peavey T-Max: sounds better than the previous two amps, and better tone shaping. This is the right amp, but a little more headroom would be good to have.
Crown XLS 1000 with the GK MB150 preamp: this is the best for what I've tried. 1100 watts bridged provides plenty of headroom. Clean, bright, clear.
My theory is that the cabinet already has plenty of deep, round tone designed in, and doesn't need the same added from tube amplification.
Go with a big powerful solid state amp.
mancefine
Guest
- Jul 7, 2013
- 255
- 64
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Orange Amplifiers and Spector Basses
I've owned everything ampeg from a 3pro to the svt classic, and IMO you should look into the orange terror bass 500. I have the terror bass 1000, but with a 410 the 500 would be great for you, and close to your price range. The orange is a great hybrid head with tons of headroom, and has a very simple eq. A simpler eq is much better than having to dial in an ampeg head with its band eq plus all your standard controls. It leaves a lot less room for error, but is still versatile. Plus the orange looks awesome and only weighs ten pounds.
