need help yet again...ampeg svt II non-pro

pros: tube tone, tube tone, tube tone. durable.
just got one a few months ago. mainly playing rock/alt. rock & the thing sounds sweeeet. have used it through various cabs, w/ my favorites being the a/groove 210 or the schroeder 410.
what type/style of music are you playing? what tone(s) do you like or want to go for?
cons: heavy, heavy, heavy. can be expensive to re-tube. may not always get to utilize the full tube tone @ lower volumes.

just my 2 cents..wait to hear from i_gota_mohawk..think he's had one much longer than i've played mine.

 

+1 on pros & cons!

i had one for awhile and while being the best sounding amp i'd ever heard or played, it weighed a frickin ton, so i had to get rid of it, and now run the old'school SVTII-P preamp through a QSC poweramp, doesn't sound 100% the same due to the SS poweramp, but close enough for me. If i could have afforded it, i would have kept it for home/studio use, but had to trade it in.
I was actually discussing these amps the other night with Mass Giorgini(bassist for the bands Squirtgun and Screeching Weasel, owner/my boss at Sonic Iguana studios) and he basically agreed, they sound amazing, but for some of us, the wieght and other issues for those older tube amps aren't worth it. I guess he still has his around for occasional use in the studio, but live, he still uses the same GK 800rb he's used since the early '90's(although with a sansamp rackmount in front of it).

 

Pro's : Sounds amazing, has fairly basic controls (all you need, but a pre gain might have been nice), is LOUD, is rackmountable, can handle 2 ohm loads

Con's : . . . erm . . . not sure!



It isnt as heavey as people are making out, bloody fairies, and a retube with good quality tubes isnt that much ( cost me ~£150 earlier this year), i will point out that that was the first time the amp had been retubed, when i got it, it still had the original tubes in it (mine was made in 1989), and it had bee a workhorse amp and had been rented out alot and stuff, it is very reliable and one of the better sounding SVT's, especially compaired to modern stuff

 

Now, for the bait










mmmmm yummy, you know you want one

 

shortbuscubed, I've got 3 of them, and they have given me no problems at all. Heavy, yes. Tone is just super. Line out is nice. graphic eq is nice, but I normally leave it off as it sounds so good as it is. Rackmountable yes, but I just have mine in a carry case, and put it on top of the cabs as is. Don't block the fan...its on the side, and some rack cases (skb) don't have vent space for the fan. 2 or 4 ohm capability. Built like a John Deere, should last you for your life.

 

I got mine dirt cheap too

 

sweet pix mo..never had mine that apart..was not aware the fan was on the side..mine get pretty hot in the tolex covered case.
like your "reverse" smiley EQ..pretty close to how i run mine, though not as cut in the lows. do you really have the bass knob turned that far left? hmm, interesting.

BTW, how much is the killa' deal you are getting on the II?

 

The EQ isnt quite as drastic as it used to be, the curve is the same rough shape, but not as extreme, turned the bass up a bit, but its still only at 3, i use the mid on about 6 or 7 with the mid freq at either the lowest or the second lowest notch, and the treble at about 3 aswell, so im making up for the lack of bass by boosting the low-mids , and trust me, with my cabs, i get enough bass

Thats a sweet deal! pretty close to what i had for a fair while, very nice cab and a very sweet deal! Make sure when you get it to take it to a tech, just to give it the once over, make sure everythings ok, if its still got the stock pre tubes you might want to change them for JJ or something, if its the same stock power tubes as mine had, they are **** hot

 

"The EQ isnt quite as drastic as it used to be, the curve is the same rough shape, but not as extreme, turned the bass up a bit, but its still only at 3, i use the mid on about 6 or 7 with the mid freq at either the lowest or the second lowest notch, and the treble at about 3 aswell, so im making up for the lack of bass by boosting the low-mids , and trust me, with my cabs, i get enough bass"


What is your definition of "enough bass"? Is there a sound bite of you playing with these setings? I'd like to hear it.

 

I'll see what i can do about recording it, only got vocal mics and no stands!

 

Did you guys ever run your SVT-II with the original (SLM Hot Rods) tubes these heads came with? If so, how did they sound?

Here is a picture of one of the tubes.

 

From what i was told mine came with Philips ECG 6550A tubes in the power section (sylvenias), i had a few hot rods in the pre aswell as some other ones

Got JJ's and Svetlana's now