I miss my SVT rigs....

[bobyoung53]

ahead of their time came with a foot switch to toggle Chanel’s A or B graphic in or out fx loops etc etc.
Probably graced more stages than an SM57
Louder than an SVT and 8x10. I did get to play both side by side in a music store

They're both rated at 300 watts I believe, the cab you used with the acoustic may have been more efficient, did you use a 4 15" cab in the store?

 

[Jim C]

I think you forgot something.

I've got an:
SVT-CL
SVP-CL / Ampeg 1600 power amp
SVIIP / Crest CA6

Marshall Major - Never even seen one in the flesh!
Ronnie Wood bass amp w/ Jeff Beck Group (may he RIP)

 

[Drredplate]

They're both rated at 300 watts I believe, the cab you used with the acoustic may have been more efficient, did you use a 4 15" cab in the store?

yes used the 4x15 in the store versus the svt rig. Two of the 15s were sort of horn loaded it was a weird design.
Back then nobody seemed overly concerned about mind numbing volume.
A megalomaniacs delight. (Also the staff knew I was poised to spend some serious money)

 

[bobyoung53]

yes used the 4x15 in the store versus the svt rig. Two of the 15s were sort of horn loaded it was a weird design.
Back then nobody seemed overly concerned about mind numbing volume.
A megalomaniacs delight. (Also the staff knew I was poised to spend some serious money)

I've heard they were really loud but have never tried one, 360/361's are pretty loud too out on front of them.

 

[bobyoung53]

I've got an:
SVT-CL
SVP-CL / Ampeg 1600 power amp
SVIIP / Crest CA6

Marshall Major - Never even seen one in the flesh!
Ronnie Wood bass amp w/ Jeff Beck Group (may he RIP)

Ron Wood's bass sound is one of my favorites. You have to really crank them to get that sound though and they're loud.

 

[Drredplate]

Ron Wood's bass sound is one of my favorites. You have to really crank them to get that sound though and they're loud.

I have seen one but never played one. They were ultra linear which is why you had to really crank them.
If you blew one up they did so with a vengeance. In the Uk would be running kt88 tubes.
200 watts RMS at say 4 percent thd. Would easily deliver 280 watts cranked.
You needed a lot of speakers just to handle the power. Hence you could move lots of air hence loud.
Modern cabs 2x10 for example will handle big wattages but just won’t do loud.

 

[bobyoung53]

I have seen one but never played one. They were ultra linear which is why you had to really crank them.
If you blew one up they did so with a vengeance. In the Uk would be running kt88 tubes.
200 watts RMS at say 4 percent thd. Would easily deliver 280 watts cranked.
You needed a lot of speakers just to handle the power. Hence you could move lots of air hence loud.
Modern cabs 2x10 for example will handle big wattages but just won’t do loud.

Yes, there are different mods to tame them if you're going to be cranking them, I doubt I'll ever play that loud again that I'd need to do them although I'm crossing my fingers. They need KT88's, the plate voltage is really too high for 6550's, even though when I was a kid I bought one with those in it and left hem in through ignorance. I run mine (with KT88's) through an old Ampeg 810 flatback like the ones in my avatar, it sounds good. Yes, Ron must have had his on eleven.

 

[Drredplate]

Yes, there are different mods to tame them if you're going to be cranking them, I doubt I'll ever play that loud again that I'd need to do them although I'm crossing my fingers. They need KT88's, the plate voltage is really too high for 6550's, even though when I was a kid I bought one with those in it and left hem in through ignorance. I run mine (with KT88's) through an old Ampeg 810 flatback like the ones in my avatar, it sounds good. Yes, Ron must have had his on eleven.

pure guess plate voltage 900v? Bias point 40 percent max plate dissipation?

 

[bobyoung53]

pure guess plate voltage 900v? Bias point 40 percent max plate dissipation?

Honestly I don't know but I do know that they'll arc at one of the power tube pins if you push them to much with pedals. I'm not a tech, I just know enough to hopefully not kill myself. No, I did got to tech school forty years ago but forgot most of it as I never did it as a vocation. SVT's are about 700 volts and they run with 6550's so Majors must be higher than that. I'll check around later on today.
The funny thing is that when I had my first one it had 6550's in it, good ones and they lasted and never blew up so. How about this:
I bought an SVT head out here in Lima twenty years ago and someone had put used 6L6GC's in it from old Fender amps (I could see the claw marks on the bases) and they didn't glow, I thought it had been modded for them but nope. I took them right out when I realized and one set of three was biased all the way hot and the other three were biased all the way cold. It sounded like a big Fender, the tubes actually changed the sound of it, I mean very noticeably, it actually sounded pretty good.

 

[bobyoung53]

pure guess plate voltage 900v? Bias point 40 percent max plate dissipation?

Here may be some answers for you, here it says 700V plate and 600V on the screen but with modern voltages those are both likely to be higher since it's ultralinear and the screen and pate pins would arc sometimes but it's a very long discussion, I'll get into it later on.

 

[chadds]

One of my fave rigs in the old days was a '70s single coil Telebass through a Marshall Major into a flatback SVT cab. Yes it was heavy and I was a 150/160lb bass waif. But the sound! We were playing a lot of Gentle Giant like stuff so a rig like this would respond well to chords.

 

[Grinderman]

Dammit!

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

One of my fave rigs in the old days was a '70s single coil Telebass through a Marshall Major into a flatback SVT cab. Yes it was heavy and I was a 150/160lb bass waif. But the sound! We were playing a lot of Gentle Giant like stuff so a rig like this would respond well to chords.

1970 Fender Telecaster Bass

 

[chadds]

View attachment 4970719
1970 Fender Telecaster Bass

Mine was one of those Fender put together from decades of parts. Single coil with lollipop tuners. Those and Marshalls just wow!

 

[bobyoung53]

One of my fave rigs in the old days was a '70s single coil Telebass through a Marshall Major into a flatback SVT cab. Yes it was heavy and I was a 150/160lb bass waif. But the sound! We were playing a lot of Gentle Giant like stuff so a rig like this would respond well to chords.

I have a vintage II 1954 P bass on order for exactly that reason, putting a different bridge on it and Rotos. The early Teles were pretty much early P bass copies.

 

[chadds]

I have a vintage II 1954 P bass on order for exactly that reason, putting a different bridge on it and Rotos. The early Teles were pretty much early P bass copies.

I have a MIJ '51 P. Now with OEM adjustable body or bridge through bridge and Rio Grande single coil. We will be banned for talking about this over here. So uh....Marshall, SVT.
SVT.

 

[Drredplate]

Here may be some answers for you, here it says 700V plate and 600V on the screen but with modern voltages those are both likely to be higher since it's ultralinear and the screen and pate pins would arc sometimes but it's a very long discussion, I'll get into it later on.

Thanks that’s interesting I shall have to do some research. The arcing is bad news on tube sockets as it’s very difficult to remove all traces of carbon. I always replace with ceramic sockets.

john Chambers (vintage amp hospital In Nottingham ) builds 1000watt all valve amps using 813 tubes! If I had the money and a valid excuse I would be tempted

 

[bobyoung53]

Thanks that’s interesting I shall have to do some research. The arcing is bad news on tube sockets as it’s very difficult to remove all traces of carbon. I always replace with ceramic sockets.

john Chambers (vintage amp hospital In Nottingham ) builds 1000watt all valve amps using 813 tubes! If I had the money and a valid excuse I would be tempted

The later Majors have ceramic tube sockets, they changed at a certain date because of the arcing, mine's a 1970 and has them. That thread kind of fizzled out after a few pages.

 

[Jim C]

I keep thinking that $3,800 for a used tube amp is ridiculous but then wonder how much magic and fairy dust comes with it?
I've been playing bass 40 years and I've never seen/heard one other than recorded.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

Once you go stack, you may never go back....