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Just played an SVT VR head.....

JGR

JGR

The "G" is for Gustav
Commercial User
Jun 29, 2006
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Huntsville
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Disclosures
President, CEO, CFO, CIO, Chief Engineer, Technician, Janitor - Reiner Amplification
#1
...and WOW, I am pretty impressed, so much so that I just put it on layaway!! :eek: Before we go any further, this one was made in the USA which was a plus, not to say the overseas units won't be up to par, but time will tell...

Let me also say that I owned the reissue preamp for a short time and sent it back as it didn't mesh as well as I had hoped with my DB728's - nice sounding and I can see why people dig it, but it was just too clean for me, and I didn't like the way the eq presets worked.

Anyway, I think some of the reviews around here have been a bit mixed/lukewarm, so I haven't really put any effort into trying one out (not to mention I need amother amp like a hole in the head), but there it was today in my local store, on top of the matching 8x10, so I HAD to give her a whirl.

I tried the head out with two Fender USA jazz's, one active, and one passive, as well as a USA Fender P-deluxe I think? - (the one with the humbucking J pickup and active EQ). Played the head through the matching 8x10, as well as a NOS Berg HT322 for something different.

I have to say, it killed with all the basses, and through both cabs. I turned the tweeter off on the Berg, and the head sounded great with the added clarity- really brought out the grind. Suprising how nice it sounded given these cabs are ported and generally billed as more modern. I ran the head with the master at about half way, and with both the bass's and amp EQ set flat, everything sounded wonderful. The amp had more grind than I expected given my previous experience with the preamp. And unlike the preamp, I really liked the EQ switches and what they did for the overall tone. All very useable. Just huge, round tone for days. Compared to the SVT CL's that I used to own (and like very much), the tone just seemed bigger and clearer with none of the murkyness. It took me a minute to figure out which input to plug into :rolleyes: - played mostly through the first channel that has the midrange control - the other input for this channel was a lot lower in volume - still fuzzy on the layout of all the inputs, but once I found the right one, it was tonal bliss! It's so wonderful to just be able to plug into an amp set flat, turn up, and have perfect tone! No fiddling necessary, though I dig the ultra low and high switches as they were both very musical sounding.

I don't have any basis for comparison to an original that has been maintained and functioning properly, so I can't comment on how close it is - all I know is that it sounded damn good. Stock power tubes were Sovtek, and I would imagine the amp will sound even better with some Svet's and NOS preamp tubes...

So looks like it will be an expensive new year paying this thing off... and the pair of new NV610's it is just begging to be paired with... :eek:

So in summary, I think it's definitely worth plugging into one if you happen to be strolling by. It may just be your cup o'tea, albeit an expensive one. :)

Cheers!

JR
 
#2
Sounds awesome :D

I think the P bass thing is a big bloc? or something similar to that in name.

I like the sound of it, it sounds similar to the comparisons i made between my SVT-II and the current SVTs (well, CL and 2 Pro at the time)

I think the best friend to the SVT is the variable mid range, gotta love pumping those lower mids :D

Also, on another note, arent all SVT's being made in the US still? I was under the impression it was only the "B" series that was being made in vietnam?

Really wouldnt mind trying out an SVT with a Berg, it sounds like a match made in heaven!
 
#3
I just looked on the Fender site, it was an American Deluxe P

Invalid Link Removed

The three position midrange selector on the VR sounded much sweeter than the 5 position on the CL. The highest position really added some grit to the sound. I wish Ampeg would put a manual for the VR online.

Now that you mention it, I do remember talk of only the B series moving; maybe Mr. Tiers can confirm?

Cheers,

JR
 
#5
no worries, it was a good guess!

i would imagine the boost/cut frequencies are the same as the preamp version, just with rocker rather than rotary switches. i guess i just want to double check because they sounded so good with this amp and i really didn't like them with the preamp - i found the preamp to get a bit woofy in the low end if i wasn't careful. there is no denying the beauty of an all tube power section, especially when designed in conjunction with the preamp as a whole.

JR
 
#9
JGR said:
no worries, it was a good guess!

i would imagine the boost/cut frequencies are the same as the preamp version, just with rocker rather than rotary switches. i guess i just want to double check because they sounded so good with this amp and i really didn't like them with the preamp - i found the preamp to get a bit woofy in the low end if i wasn't careful. there is no denying the beauty of an all tube power section, especially when designed in conjunction with the preamp as a whole.

JR
Click to expand...

I think the difference may have been in power amps really, ive heard the SVT-IIP into a SS power amp, and i have to say, i could hear the similarities, but it was just not the same as when it has an all tube power section :hyper:

galore said:
Email ampeg and ask them for the manuals, they will send you i'm sure - i got them this way.
Click to expand...

Or PM Jerrold Tiers? He was ace and sent me a copy of the old non-pro manual, damned nice bloke!
 
#10
i_got_a_mohawk said:
I think the difference may have been in power amps really, ive heard the SVT-IIP into a SS power amp, and i have to say, i could hear the similarities, but it was just not the same as when it has an all tube power section :hyper:

Very true. I did play the SVP CL preamp my the DB728 which is one heck of an all tube power section, but they didn't like eachother that much. That's the beauty of using something that is an all in one system - everything is designed to work together. Matching can be hit or miss, even if both pieces of gear of great.

Part of the problem with the DB728/SVP Cl combo I suspect was the ultrawide and flat frequency response of the DB728 due to its massive filtering and torroidal trannies - it really amplifies everything, even the lowest fundamentals, and there was just too much of that going on with that preamp. The less efficient SVT power amp, with the big old traditional iron trannies, is a big part of the sound - I find there is more compression and rolloff of the extreme low end which works amazing in that configuration.

Its worth noting, I also had a SVT CL head at the time, and the SVP Cl preamp sounded very nice through it's power section as well, better than through the 728. Some may scoff at pairing the Tech21 RBI/RPM preamps with the DB728, but it turned out to be a much better matched combination for what I was looking for. The Tech 21 preamps don't have a lot of extreme low end voiced into their EQ's, and the 728's add just the right amount of that to make things really balanced.

Cheers

JR
Click to expand...
 
#15
i_got_a_mohawk said:
Master volume but no pre gain i believe
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I recall reading in some SVT thread a while back that the original SVT had a volume only, and it controlled the gain for the preamp. PBG, IIRC, ran some tests on his vintage rig and noted that much of the vintage SVT growl came from the pre rather than power section. PBG, if you read this, please confirm.

Which sort of explains why older SVT's start distorting when the volume knob gets to 11, even though there is plenty more loudness to be had.
 

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