have the D's toppled the SVT's?

[Al Kraft]

lol...I still remember during the cold war that our old S2F-3 Trackers were still using Soviet tubes in the old radios and other avionics. Right up until just after the wall fell.

During the Cold War construction of the SR 71, which used a lot of titanium in its construction, the US worked through shell companies and other countries to buy the necessary ore from the Soviet Union to produce the titanium components. In a number of high technology areas the US is heavily dependent on raw materials (and in some cases components) from other parts of the world.

 

[JGbassman]

My svt seems to only go out for bigger outdoor shows these days, but man when it does, it sounds great. I have a gk system that I use mostly for club gigs, because it is so portable. On the down side, the gk system, with its focus on being lightweight, gives up some reliability. I have blown a 12" speaker on a neo cab, and now the mb800 is not working. Neither were abused, just gigged a lot.

The Ampeg on the other hand, is a solid workhorse and shows no signs of slowing down. The 810 cab is from the 70's, and I bought it used from Throughgood music in Tampa in the early 90's. It sounds as good as the day I got it.

I like both systems but the Ampeg, in my opinion, is built with longevity in mind. I guess it just depends how much the sound is worth vs. hauling it around.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

Class D, at least at this time, have about as much chance of
having the sound and feel of an SVT as the SVT has of
easily fitting into a gig bag.
Different tools for different results.

 

[10cc]

I still see more SVTs on tv than any other amp. Hmmmmmm.

Also when I go out to see live music.

 

[mmbongo]

No. There will be a market for just about every tech out there.

I have two 100+ pound tube amps, a class D micro, a class D rack amp, and an old lead sled. All have their place and purpose.

When did you last buy a 100+ pound amp though? You can just scroll through the first page of the amp forum here and I'll bet you'll find at least 5 posts of somebody buying a new class D amp. I've bought 3 myself in the last 8 months. Last time I bought an amp over 15 lbs. was 12 years ago.

I'd say the market has definitely changed.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

lol...I still remember during the cold war that our old S2F-3 Trackers were still using Soviet tubes in the old radios and other avionics. Right up until just after the wall fell.

I crewed in the E1 - Tracer version of that on the USS Amercia. I had previously crewed on EC121P out of Argentia, Newfoundland. All tubes. In the EC121, there must have been thousands of tubes.

 

[quickfix]

I still see more SVTs on tv than any other amp. Hmmmmmm.

Also when I go out to see live music.

On TV? So in the larger world of bass players, one in a thousand.
Also, for local live stuff, I've seen nobody play an all tube SVT.
I did see an SVT-350 once, but there were no tubes to be found, and it weighed a ton...or so. That fella was very interested in my PF-800.

 

[Raw N Low]

Class D and neo cabs are a great choice for small gigs like pubs and bars. It also depends if you have a great PA behind you as that can make a difference as well. However, when I have big open shows of 100 or more with the time for proper setup, I will stick to my SVT's and cabs.

When Ampeg starts making proven class D amps that can take over where the not so successful SVT 8pro left off, then I will start fully supporting the tech. I just prefer to have tube throughout my entire EQ opposed to emulation or a single tube at the input level.

However, I do support neo cabs all the way.

 

[JSandbloom]

Bottom line is, the only thing that sounds like an all tube amp, is an all tube amp. Some class D amps sound good and attempt to get that tube sound but will always fall short. Why? Because they are not all tube. For those who have used SVT for years will agree that there is a huge tone difference between a SVT and somthing trying to sound like an SVT. The SVT tone is what all other amps are compared to. You may argue Bassmans or Mesa 400's or bla bla bla. They are not what set the bar so high. So therefore the SVT will always be around and very much realivant.

 

[10cc]

On TV? So in the larger world of bass players, one in a thousand.
Also, for local live stuff, I've seen nobody play an all tube SVT.
I did see an SVT-350 once, but there were no tubes to be found, and it weighed a ton...or so. That fella was very interested in my PF-800.

Yeah just about every band that plays these big festivals that Palladia channel airs. Some Austin City Limits. There is one backlined up in the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan my keyboard player used last week.
After looking at our towns weekly. It looks like there will be at least six bands playing this Friday night alone that I know use SVTs. So yeah I really do not see much class D stuff except for here on TB.

 

[Chris 'Wighat' Jordan]

If a solid-state amp (class D or whatever) works for a given bass player, great.

If a given bass player appreciates the all-tube feel and tone but doesn't deem it worth the weight, fine.

I'm not either one of those guys.

When technology truly achieves the all-tube tone and feel in a tiny, lightweight amp with enough power to drive a mega-excursion speaker in a petite carbon fiber cabinet, I'll be THAT guy in a jiffy.

 

[peterpalmieri]

NO

 

[pfschim]

I don't know the answer for everyone, but I will say that when my heaviest amp/cab combination (65lb all tube Fender Studio and 100lb Berg NV610) go out to a gig, I always find myself thinking twice about the haul/load-in/load-out. For the right gig, they go out for sure, but the 10lb Demeter + Tech21 VT Deluxe + 47lb CN212 go out waaaay more often, and no one ever complains about the tone of the lighter rig - only ever get compliments with it.

so, SVT/810 (or other heavy all tube gear) dead, killed by class D ? ... probably not, but is the SVT/810 closing in on a gentle glide into retirement ... maybe.

 

[RED J]

My argument is always the SVT is the only amp that has endured through the ages. Replace, heck no. However there are lots of nice options for most situations genres and venues.

 

[NKBassman]

I own one of each. An Aguilar TH500 and a Verellen Meatsmoke.
I'll admit the Aguilar gets 99% of the play time these days, but I still prefer the tone of the Meatsmoke at the end of the day.

Unfortunately laziness usually wins out and I just grab the Aguilar amp bag as I'm running out the door.

 

[Joey Cash]

Isn't the SVT-7 a class D amp?

 

[quickfix]

Isn't the SVT-7 a class D amp?

Yes...yes it is. But I don't think SVT hybrids are what they're on about.

 

[pfschim]

My argument is always the SVT is the only amp that has endured through the ages. Replace, heck no. However there are lots of nice options for most situations genres and venues.

really ? there are plenty of Fender amps out there, still happily doing gigs - other Ampegs too .. V4Bs, Sunn 200/2000's, Hiwatts, Traynors etc.....
SVT's ain't the only amp that have "stood the test of time" brother

 

[RiZzBot]

I'v been playing ss heads for well over a decade. Just last week, I finally decided to buy a tube SVT CL. I can honestly that I am officially done with ss heads. The first rehearsal with my tube head was all I needed to convince me.

 

[alembicguy]

No. I happen to own both as do the majority of players in my area.