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In search for advice. Ampeg related.

Hello dear forum user.

Section 1: interlude.

I see you have pressed the link. Thats a good stepp in the right direction. 3 weeks ago. I made a thread regarding new cab's to work for my imaginary friend that i called Ampeg svt 7 pro. Some of u adviced me to get the 410HE cab to work with it. A great choice indeed but i went for the 810e instead. Some of you wanted me to go for that one aswell. I'm pleased and poor.

Now i've spent 2,5 week searching for the right amp head to go with it. NO succes there. To go and try one out is still not an option, neither is buying used gear. The reason for that is simple, i live in Sweden.


Section 2: The problem.

I play in a loud pop/punk/rock band (much like sum41, good charlotte, blink 182, paramore and what not) with loud members. My current 275 rms watt won't do the job. And it's behringer so lets call it a 100 Wattage misstake. We are about to reherse and go out on the stages. wich includes some outside giging with low PA support,decent sized clubbs and some ordinary pub playing. I want and amp that could satisfy me for years. Since i plan not earning much money in the future due to low paid gigs.

section 3: my suggestions.

Ampeg svt classic + 810e

Ampeg svt 4 + 810e

Ampeg svt 7 + 810e (think i might need something more powerfull.)


Things to concider is the usual, money and volume. Weight is no problem (for now).
 
SVT CL- all tube head, a true classic, heavy, but the tone is *the* tone. 4Pro, hybrid, high wattage, heavy, gets alot of love, but not from me. 7Pro, hybrid, high wattage, lightweight class D power, also gets alot of love. If it were me, I'd take the CL and not look back.
 
I own an SVT 4 Pro and a 1975 original SVT. The original might sound a bit better but became a real maintenance problem after a while. Taking a large tube amp on the road is a bit like owning and driving a high spirited performance car, it can be frustrating and expensive. After owning a 4 pro for 3 years now my original SVT will likely go to e bay as it is worth as much as 2 used 4 pro's now...

I vote for the 4 pro. It has everything you asked for and IMO the reliability is higher for gigging purposes than a SVT all tube head.

Just my .02
 
4 Pro and SVT-CL are both capable of horrific volume, have great tone and are quite reliable from my experience. However if cost is a concern I would consider 4 Pro.

As far as reliability I think 4 Pro is easier to transport and harder to break by rough handling. All things to consider for a gigging rig.

I have no personal experience with 7 Pro.
 
Any 3 of them would do the job. If you want tube growl and overdrive, the SVT CL would be the choice. If you want a clean Ampeg-style tone, the 4 PRO or the 7 PRO would be the better choice. You can always put an overdrive pedal in front of the other heads to get overdrive - not the exact same tone, but in a band mix, it will not matter too much. More of a personal choice here......

I say the 7 PRO over the 4 PRO though. I feel they create the same tone and the 7 PRO does it with MUCH less weight.

Also, the bands you listed are Ampeg users - especially Blink 182 and Sum 41. I am sure you can get the majority of tones you want with Ampeg gear.
 
If you have the $ and can handle the weight of the SVT-CL it is a perfect match with the 810E . These are your decisions to make not the forum's. Right now my CL is running (2) 210AV cabs in my studio. With the gain turned past 7 and the master volume down to 2, the grind sound is what everybody is after. If you already have an 810 cab then you are half way there. Good luck.....:)
 
I say the 7 PRO over the 4 PRO though. I feel they create the same tone and the 7 PRO does it with MUCH less weight.
I once did an AB of the 4 Pro and 7 Pro into an 810e. They do create similar tones, but the 4 Pro does it in a more solid state tight response way where the 7 Pro has more of a tube-like response that isn't so tight and precise like the 4 Pro.

And then I plugged in the SVT-CL that was on top of the 810e and said, "There you go." Tubes are it for me. Sure, I use SS often, but if I was a young dude in a punk rock band, that or the SVT-VR would be my choice.
 
So let's see, The ampeg svt Cl got the best "Tube like tone", what about volume? I've had problems with amps that i've tried out before, they peak/cut out way to early and can't handle the volume i am in need of. Wich one of these would handle the preassure i WILL be putting on it atleast 5 times a weak @ hours a day. I'm kind of scared going for the 7 pro becouse of this. Perhaps the 4 would fit me more? Altho im not in need of the EQ and i don't got any more cabs and there will take time before i use 2x810e.
 
Funny how that SVT-CL gets its tube like tone...I guess an amp full of tubes will make that happen ;)

If you're looking to be stupid loud to the point of never getting hired by anyone, I would say get the 4 Pro. The CL is loud and sounds awesome, but it is a 300w amp.
 
Assume an SVT-CL to be about 260 w RMS clean tube power. I've run into circumstances where that with an 810 was not enough. The volume levels were louder than any show I've ever been to before or after though so you should be fine. That said, my second choice and close contender would probably be the 7Pro for tone, weight saved, and power.
 
Hehe, yeah, that statement i will blame on new years eve. "tube like sound"


So you would say that both the 7 and 4 is louder than CL? Well the loudness is just for my ego, when im alone and will crank it up.

it would be so much easier if i could just listen to them, but atm the closest one for me to listen to is in germany. And thats to far.

I have my doubts on the 7 pro since i've seen all these posts about ppl having em shut down, even the revC00. The thing is, i don't want to crank the amp all the way upp all the time, but i want it to be able to, so that i will feel safe that i can handle the gig, no matter what. And as i said, my ego needs to me fed aswell.

Altho, i won't get another cab and maybe 1000w might be enough for my 800w rms cab?

Alot of questions....