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I Can Finally Say I Played Through An Ampeg
- Thread starter capnsandwich
- Start date
tHIS - TO MEE - IS An interesting POST!!!!
PArticularly the line- " There is a differece between S.S. loud & ALL TUBE loud" !!!!!!! I couldn't agree more
While I DO like the sound of the GK rigs I've used in the past, & I DO LOVE my LMII & think there's PLENTY of room in our bassing world for ALL amp types- & ALL differrent ppl's differrent opinions on what pleases THEIR ears!!!
I DO LOVE my all tube amps! & think there's NOTHING like a cranked all tube bass amp pumping out thru a great cab-pref. a sealed cab too!!!! I've not heard ANYTHING comparable that I like as much!
Were you trying to show the versatility of ampegs? That's what I got from it. George Porter Jr's SVT-4Pro vs some kid with an SVT-CL trying to play sabbath in his bedroom. Wildly different tones. Something for everyone I guess?
+1. The tones are dramatically different. If you chased down this clip by a kid in his bedroom--which was recoded at too low a volume and the EQ is way too bass-heavy--to attempt to say something negative about Ampeg, you're really reaching. Substitute any amp you want, that kid's tone is not going to improve.
Man...Let me know what you think when you do plug into that. I had an SVT in the 70's, so my memory is fond, yet hazy. I used to play it through one of those old Sun Coliseum cabs with the folded horn and two "15's. My memory say's "warm, yet not as clean as modern circuit/tube preamps." Could be wrong though......mucho time has expired since.
Anyway....I just joined the Ampeg family again with a B2-RE. I guess the old B2 was 350 watts @ 4 ohm, but the B2-RE is 450 watts @ 4 ohm. I've done 3 gigs so far. Only one of them was with a band that was real loud, and it still keep up. Anywho......I like the tone, and I'm happy so far. Oh, I'm running it thru a Avatar 4X10 4-OHM.
Played a SVT-CL a few weeks ago and it was an eye-opening moment. The tone that spewed forth from that beast was like the voice of God! Def wanted one after that.
Glad to hear you tried one out!
Seriously though, try an SVT-CL or SVT-VR....it will seriously rock your world lol. As for the tube watts/SS watts argument, just listen with your ears and not with your eyes (reading the specs sheet). Trust me, the SVT-CL's are PLENTY loud.
Seriously though, try an SVT-CL or SVT-VR....it will seriously rock your world lol. As for the tube watts/SS watts argument, just listen with your ears and not with your eyes (reading the specs sheet). Trust me, the SVT-CL's are PLENTY loud.
Watts are watts. The reason tube amps around 300 watts are about as loud as solid state is because you have to DOUBLE your wattage to increase volume by 3db. So in other words, there is not much difference to the human ear; 300 watts vs. 500 or more.
Speakers, SPL's and efficiency go much further. Also I agree tube amps smell very good.
Speakers, SPL's and efficiency go much further. Also I agree tube amps smell very good.
The Ampeg SVT-CL has an ohm switch for 2 or 4 ohms can you use and 8 ohm cab with this and if so does it have enough power to really drive it?
Short answer: no.
There are a ton of threads on ohms/tube amps, but what it boils down to is the output transformers are designed to see certain loads and large variations from those loads (ie using an 8 or 2 ohm cab when in 4 ohm mode) isn't good for them. That's not saying it can't be done (I ran mine with a 5.3 ohm cab), but it's really not a good idea and can lead to an 80lb paper weight.
Tubes are generally run at a higher distortion level, making the "300 watt" spec less meaningful. Tube amps compress the signal, making the spec even less meaningful. Watts are watts, but specs don't tell the whole story.
I've never played through an all tube SVT. My "100 watt" all tube Traynor Mark II sounds great and is surprisingly loud, even just running through a 1x12 cab.
At rehearsal last night the bassist was playing through an SVP (? Ampeg SVT preamp from a decade ago or so) into a power amp into a single 15". I really love the sound of that rig.
I love the idea of an all tube SVT, but it makes no sense for me to get one. My Mark II is enough.
KO
I had been playing for 21 years before I played through my first Ampeg. I went to a Guitar Center and plugged a Geddy into a SVT-CL into a (I think) HLF410...and, holy crap! I was blown away.
It was exactly the sound in my head and I have wanted that set up ever since. I did end up buying a used SVT-III (no pro) which is a hybrid that sounds pretty good, but I have a line on an early 70's SVT and once I get some cash flow moving its mine.
So, I know where you are coming from. Im an Ampeg guy now (although that Markbass LMII is intriguing! Hmmmm....)
It was exactly the sound in my head and I have wanted that set up ever since. I did end up buying a used SVT-III (no pro) which is a hybrid that sounds pretty good, but I have a line on an early 70's SVT and once I get some cash flow moving its mine.
So, I know where you are coming from. Im an Ampeg guy now (although that Markbass LMII is intriguing! Hmmmm....)
Somehow or another, tubes have been inappropriately tagged as being only for players who like distortion, while nothing could be farther from the truth. Yes, they can distort, but that's one minor aspect of their appeal. I like their clean tones way better, too.
Thanks thats what I thought. I know its alright to use a SS amp with higher ohms but tube amps need to be matched.
Thanks
Thank you for that very sensible comment.
"Distortion" is the last thing I think about when I use my V4BH for old-school R&B. Of my several rigs, it holds a special place in my heart *sob* Of course, If I WANTED some grit and tube distortion from that head, I can find it!
Seriously, I like Ampeg, can ya believe it?? To the OP, the PRO series were designed to have the tube preamp front section (or thereabouts) of the SVT, with an FET power section, so assuming that a lot of the tone is shaped in the pre-amp circuit, you get the classic Ampeg tone, but without the full "bloom" as it's been called, of an all-tube power section.
To those of us who like that bloom, it's a beautiful thang-
I get it 2 ways, from my V4BH and my Mesa Buster, and along with my other beloved SS and hybrid heads, it makes playing the bass guitar lots of fun. Which is the point, for both George Porter and the kid in his bedroom.
The "tube vs SS wattage/power" thing is boring to me-
We all need and want different volumes, headrooms, and tones for what we wanna do.
And oh yeah, finally- amongst the players who don't favor the Ampeg tone, which is fine; a personal preference for sure, there's a "cadre" of about 1/2 dozen or so who repeatedly bash the brand...
Why? Who knows? A way of establishing a personae on TB perhaps??!
How lame. But---
DO what you wanna do, and play what you like to use.
That's what I do anyway.
I agree. I think a distorted tube amp (power tube) still kinda sounds like an overdrive pedal of some sort. And the SVT cranked all the way up is real harsh. It's just distortion to me. A little grit is good, but I'll take it clean any day. A clean SVT just has that beautiful warmth and lots of mids.
That distortion might not be in your face grind or you might be running light enough not to be hitting it at all. I'd be willing to bet that you're getting a touch of distortion and compression here and there. It's part of the tone and a good thing. A blues distortion, not a raging rock distortion.
As always there are variables regarding how loud the band is and how efficient your cab is.
This thread reminds me how much I want to try different (SVT-ish) drivers in a sealed 4x10 cab I have and hate as it stands now. It'd be fun to get the Mark II (in the same class as the V4B) into working rotation.
KO
+1
A tube amp can attain a nice "clean" tone at THD percentages that will usually have a transistor sounding like garbage.
A watt is a watt is a watt, period. It's simply a measure or power; one joule of energy per second, whatever device is used to produce it. However, put a 50 watt transistor amp side by side with an all tube 50 watt amp (both rated at the same frequency, THD percentage, load, etc.), same bass, same speaker, etc. and see which one stays "clean" louder.
Tubes get "rich" before they get "warm" before they get "growly" before they get "raging" before they get "nasty", and all of this can happen at a THD level that will have a transistor begging for mercy.
Transistors generally go directly from "sterile" to "nasty" to "useless" in pretty short order.
I'm not a solid state basher, I use and like transistor amps, and they are usually far more practical in most applications, and almost always easier to shlep around.
You just generally need more power to emulate a tube amps percieved volume and headroom.
It is what it is.
