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Mesa prodigy/strategy vs. Ampeg SVT Cl

Your favorite amp


  • Total voters
    102
No mesa lovers?

I have a D800 and am M9. Also love the 400+ and Strategy. The Prodigy ain’t quite what I’m after. Wish it was, because the size and weight is certainly attractive. Not a bad amp by any stretch. You might love it!
 
The V4-B didn’t do it for me in any way, shape or form, it may just be me but I just found it tubby and soft - absent of any real character. I know there are a lot of V4-B lovers out there, but I didn’t get it.
Fair enough. I still think the O.P. should give the V4B a spin.

Marc

What about the v4b does it sound like a SVT?
Some people said it is the same only with less power. Some other people said it different (less power in mids)
 
I have prodigy and markbass little mark 3 and I only tested SVTs in stores. Prodigy is a absolutely tube amp. difference between lm3 and prodigy is like day and night. Also, it is not muddy(mentioned before). It is very light for tube amp, I am very happy for that. I can not compare it with SVTs but I made A/B test before buying the prodigy and I choosed portability because I could get tube sound.

I will buy a 10 band EQ for for connecting it to prodigys send/return chain for fixing mid EQ problem, easy/peasy.
 
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I have never liked the sound from Mesa amps and cabs for either bass or guitar. I prefer my SVT over anything else. It's really a matter of personal taste and what you are looking for. Paul McCartney has used Mesa for years. My old guitar player uses Mesa amps. To me, the Mesa amps and cabs always seemed like they sound was being held back. Almost like a blanket had been thrown over the speakers.
 
This. I REALLY wanted to like the Prodigy, but I could never get the warmth I wanted out of it. Had too much of a sharp edge to it, not enough roundness. Having played through SVTs before and liking the Ampeg sound in general, I went with the V-4B thinking it'd be closer to what I wanted and I loved it. Ultimately though, I wanted something that I didn't have to worry about tubes in, so now I have the Mesa D800 and it's a great amp. It's seems to be able to get a much warmer tone than the Prodigy. I've always liked the Ampeg ultra low function and really like the deep switch and voicing control on the D800. I wish the Prodigy would've had similar tone controls. It was a great amp, just not my thing. I like the SVT better.

The SVT is a tough act to follow.
 
You mean the strategy?

Dies UT sound similar to the prodigy?
Yes the strategy.
Oddly though I haven't herd it. At the time I didn't need all that extra power so I thought.
I don't need to be loud. When the prodigy is pushed hard and pumpin you'll be running a lot of gain
Which gets you away from the cleaner side of things:bassist: I like that.
But it doesn't plow through like a freight train so wonderfully as the ampegs will.
But I can't have both at this point in life.
Tubes are wonderful and come with there price.
Try as many as you can is my .02
Good luck and have fun
 
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I chose the V-4B over the SVT to power the SVT-212AV. Lighter weight, and a good Ampeg tube sound. I like the V-4B sound better than the SVT.
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The SVT is the Voice of the Gods. The only amp I have ever had that induced vertigo and nausea. Loved the warm tone with a P, but my back couldn't take the load in/out anymore. If I had a studio and never had to move it, I would still have it. Still - I wanted tubes and the Prodigy entered my life. It never seemed capable of the same lows, but it did seem to offer a broader tonal palate. Lighter, easier to move, and let's face it, the only one who can tell a difference at a gig is you.
 
This. I REALLY wanted to like the Prodigy, but I could never get the warmth I wanted out of it. Had too much of a sharp edge to it, not enough roundness. Having played through SVTs before and liking the Ampeg sound in general, I went with the V-4B thinking it'd be closer to what I wanted and I loved it. Ultimately though, I wanted something that I didn't have to worry about tubes in, so now I have the Mesa D800 and it's a great amp. It's seems to be able to get a much warmer tone than the Prodigy. I've always liked the Ampeg ultra low function and really like the deep switch and voicing control on the D800. I wish the Prodigy would've had similar tone controls. It was a great amp, just not my thing. I like the SVT better.

Everything he says here. I've had the same experience and the SVT is just way better.