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holy lord.....

Which head? in your opinion

  • Ampeg SVT4-Pro

    Votes: 14 20.6%

  • Mesa/Boogie Bass 400+

    Votes: 54 79.4%
  • Total voters
    68
K-Funk

K-Funk

Sep 24, 2007
1,182
21
Auburn Hills, MI
#1
OK, this past weekend I was doing a gig with my metal band, and there were two other bands playing as well. Anyway, I was using my Ampeg SVT4 pro, and after the show the bassist from the third band came up, said he was looking for my amp, and offered to trade me his Mesa 400+ head for it. We went out to his van so I could inspect the amp, and this thing was pretty much brand-new. Not a scratch on it, and he said he'd throw in the case for free.

What should I do? I really dig my SVT4, but I've always wanted a 400+ since I got started in 9th grade, but have never been able to afford one. I also know they stopped making the 400+ and demand for them will probably skyrocket in a couple years or so. Also, my rig never consists of more than two 8x10s, making all the crazy biamp-rigging capabilities of the SVT4-Pro nill.

So, in all, which of the two amps would you recommend? Whichever head I get will be used 95% of the time for freaking big, loud, and energetic progressive metal. For my other stuff (I also play in a jazz fusion group, go figure) I'll keep using my little 800RB. What would you recommend?
 
#2
K-Funk said:
OK, this past weekend I was doing a gig with my metal band, and there were two other bands playing as well. Anyway, I was using my Ampeg SVT4 pro, and after the show the bassist from the third band came up, said he was looking for my amp, and offered to trade me his Mesa 400+ head for it. We went out to his van so I could inspect the amp, and this thing was pretty much brand-new. Not a scratch on it, and he said he'd throw in the case for free.

What should I do? I really dig my SVT4, but I've always wanted a 400+ since I got started in 9th grade, but have never been able to afford one. I also know they stopped making the 400+ and demand for them will probably skyrocket in a couple years or so. Also, my rig never consists of more than two 8x10s, making all the crazy biamp-rigging capabilities of the SVT4-Pro nill.

So, in all, which of the two amps would you recommend? Whichever head I get will be used 95% of the time for freaking big, loud, and energetic progressive metal. For my other stuff (I also play in a jazz fusion group, go figure) I'll keep using my little 800RB. What would you recommend?
Click to expand...

I think a lot will depend on what cabinets you use. The Mesa will be loud but I don't know if the 400 can keep up with the Ampeg if you want a clean tone. But if the Mesa is in good shape and you're willing to put up with the sometimes more demanding chore of maintaining a tube amp, go for it. The 400 is harder to find at a good price than the SVT4Pro. And it is a sought after amp. But first, I'd do a little investigation and find out what the other bassist finds lacking that he'd want to switch. And try it out first.
 
#4
well, I mostly use rented or borrowed Ampeg 8x10's and occasionally a 6x10. I already tried it out after the show; everything seems to be in great shape. And I definately asked him why he wanted to trade, and he said that A) he can't afford to take care of it, and B) he really wants a biamped rig.

With me, I can afford to change the tubes every couple of years, and I don't really have an interest in biamping. And I do prefer a more gritty, punchy sound; however, I never cared for Ampeg all-tube heads as they sound too muddy for me. The Mesa's got a lot more clarity, but it retains the dirt. My SVT4 is extremely clear at high volumes; it's almost a bit too polished for me. I've been borrowing an SVP-Pro preamp off a friend for the last month or so to give my SVT a bit more nastiness, and that seems to work pretty well.

This is hard! I'm still finding very redeeming qualities about both amps, but this is just making it harder...... The SVT's cheaper to maintain, but the Mesa's got all-tube tone, the Mesa runs cooler, the Ampeg is louder, the Mesa is sought-after and going extinct, but the Ampeg is the last of the American ones............... I could go on all day. Any more advice?
 
#7
Go with the mesa. No contest IMO. I have owned two of them, great amp. And re-tubing shouldn't be that expensive if you order from a place like thetubestore.com.

I never experienced the 400+ getting dirty like some other people here have experienced. Actually, I know alot of guys that didn't like the 400+ because it was to clean at high volumes.

I generally used the padded input as it has a tighter bass response, so maybe that is why.

Also, two 8x10s?!?!? Damn.
 
#8
Sounds to me like the Mesa is the amp you've been looking for. A tube amp with alot more clarity/presence than the Ampeg tube amps. I owned an SVT-4 for a couple years, and it is no competition in my opinion to the 400+ for rock music. I could never get the headroom from the Ampeg I needed, and if you like grittiness the Mesa wins hands down. The biamp setup on the Ampeg reduced the headroom significantly more when I used it- really pretty useless unless you have a couple of them running at once. Oh yeah- and the power amp on my SVT4 fried after less than a year- luckily it was still under warranty! I just don't trust newer Ampeg gear any more...

As far as the Mesa- different tubes will make a huge difference in my experience. If he still has the stock Mesa/Sovtek tubes in there, then you're in for a big surprise if you try a different brand. JJs are popular in that amp around here- I personally used JJs in the preamp and some Shuguang 6L6s in the power amp. The Shuguang 6L6GC is apparently fairly close to one of the more sought after original 6L6s (according to Lord Valve), but they cost about the same as the Sovtek 5881wxt tubes that are stock in the Mesa. The Shuguangs have alot more headroom than the Sovteks had, and sound alot more musical when they are pushed to overdrive. The low end is alot tighter in general with the Shuguangs too. Make sure you buy new tubes from Lord Valve or someone similar that can give you a set that will match the "hard-bias" of the 400+.

Karl
 
#11
Something else to consider: now that Loud has discontinued authorized repair centers and no longer supplies repair parts, where could you get your 4Pro fixed if it went down? The Bass 400+ uses off-the-shelf components that are pretty much standard and easy to come by, Mesa repair center or not. That's not the case with the SVT 4Pro.
 
#12
Metropolis_488 said:
Also, two 8x10s?!?!? Damn.
Click to expand...

I only did that once; biggest venue I've ever done :p Normally, it's either one 8x10 or an 8x10 and a 6x10. I really need to buy my own cab :hmm:

I just called him today and told him that we're good to go! I also asked what tubes he had in it; he said JJ's, and they're only 4 months old. We're doing business tomorrow! I can't wait!!

I'm basically brand-new into the world of all-tube amps, anything I should be looking or listening for specifically?
 
#14
I would try it out in band practice first to see if its your thing. I was the same way in wanting a 400+ and have owned both the 400+ and SVT4. I had the same sort of decision to make as you. I ended up buying the 400+ used on my credit card while holding onto my SVT4. I figured I would use them both for a few weeks and see which one really worked best. They are both good but I ultimately liked the SVT4 better in the end and sold the 400+. At that time I was in a more traditional classic rock band and not a metal band so perhaps it was just too wooly for our music at that time for me? As for tubes, I had JJ's in mine too and they sounded great.

As a reliability sidenote, I find Mesa to be much better. I currently have the Mesa Mpulse 600 and have had no problems with it or the 400 I used to have. The preamp went out on my SVT4 within several months of owning it, as did my bass teacher's SVT4 a few months later. Luckily we were both under warranty still and I've had no problems since then. I think he ended up with a Glockenklang as of late.

Good Luck!
 
#15
K-Funk said:
I only did that once; biggest venue I've ever done :p Normally, it's either one 8x10 or an 8x10 and a 6x10. I really need to buy my own cab :hmm:

I just called him today and told him that we're good to go! I also asked what tubes he had in it; he said JJ's, and they're only 4 months old. We're doing business tomorrow! I can't wait!!

I'm basically brand-new into the world of all-tube amps, anything I should be looking or listening for specifically?
Click to expand...

this i think we can all agree on is a decision you will never regret, im kindof an ampeg guy and i think the 400+ was a far superior amp from the few times ive gotten to play both
 

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