I just received mine last week and I am very pleased. I don't know if there is no fan, but I have yet to hear one. Its a very quiet amp.
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New Ampeg Venture Series
- Thread starter Jtown690
- Start date
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
If you are talking about the 410HLF kind of tone, I would agree that this isn't really the natural voicing of the Venture cabs. To my ears, though, the Venture 112 and 115 seem fairly closely voiced to the SVT-212AV, which is one of the more clear/articulate Ampeg cabs, IME/IMHO, and perhaps not as warm/round as some other models.
My experience was the same. I tried a V3 amp at Guitar Center and thought the amp was difficult to dial in. There are lots of knobs and options but finding a nice tone was complicated. The amp did not have the Ampeg tone right off the bat. The distortion options sound more like a distortion pedal than a tube amp generating the distortion. The form factor is impressive, it's small and it weighs nothing. I would recommend that potential buyers try one before jumping in. The speaker out label is also confusing, it says 300W @ 4 ohms. I assumed it was 8 ohms compliant but I had to ask the store and they were not really sure either.
That’s what I eventually did. I liked the V12 when I tried it with the VB212; I wasn’t expecting it to replace my SVT-CL or my V4B with SVT212AV, but I thought the sound was decent. I didn’t like the SGT circuit at all though; it just sounded rough at anything above the lowest setting. And the compression was uneventful to me. But I did like the mids and the rest of the amp.Wow… made it through 44 pages of “research”, and still don’t really have a great idea of what to expect with these amps (other than scratched finishes and weird/low volume pot tapers). My thoughts at this exact moment are “well, I really need to try a TT800 and a WD800”
But I eventually tried the Mesa route you mentioned and have a WD800. It is a great amp and has a lot of nice features, but it’s also not going to replace my SVT or V4B either…it’s just a different sound (albeit great one) and different use-case. That being said, with a bit of time learning the layout and controls, I think you can get a pretty convincing big tube head sound out of it.
I still wouldn’t mind having a smaller Venture amp as a backup for my heavier Ampegs; I think a lot of the sound is still in there.
Yeah, I generally agree. I don't care for the SGT circuit when it's solo'd, but on lower settings when it's in the context of a live band, for me it's a reasonable enough overdrive/distortion sound. Kind of reminded me of something like a Way Huge Pork Loin, I think. It's not going to replace my go-to OD/DST pedals but I can use it if I need to.
Actually, my reference tone for Ampeg has been a combination of SVT/810 provided backlines and my own 12-year-old PF-500 through a series of cabs: SWR Goliath II 410, Eden 210XLT, Acoustic BN210 and current front ported Acoustic B410 Classic with after-market Eminence BP410's and an upgraded tweeter horn (similar tone to the Eden 210XLT with more oomph of a 410 and only slightly more weight).
FWIW, I'm currently using an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 on gigs, an amp that does the vintage warmth thing with infinite levels of drive without the need for pedals. I still use the PF-500 as a backup and on occasional gigs; It still delivers the goods more to my liking than I was able to get anywhere near with the Venture I tried.
I'm open to the idea that maybe I haven't yet stumbled on the right settings; Hence the request for clips "out in the wild".
I’ve been underwhelmed by this thread..Wow… made it through 44 pages of “research”, and still don’t really have a great idea of what to expect with these amps (other than scratched finishes and weird/low volume pot tapers). My thoughts at this exact moment are “well, I really need to try a TT800 and a WD800”
Just got my VB410 after reading this thread nonstop for the last few days. I couldn't be happier so thanks for the input y'all. I'm going to get a second one to get a super lightweight and modular "810". Went from an Avatar 212 over a 115 so it's just a straight upgrade regardless, but even still, it's honestly night and day. Cannot believe how tight the low end feels.
I tried the Darkglass 410 and I prefer the VB. Gets the right amount of midrange growl I was looking for without any of the harshness in the higher frequencies. It is going to work wonders for the Doom/Sludge/Death metal stuff we're playing and I'm itching to plug this into the AD200B at the rehearsal space.
I tried the Darkglass 410 and I prefer the VB. Gets the right amount of midrange growl I was looking for without any of the harshness in the higher frequencies. It is going to work wonders for the Doom/Sludge/Death metal stuff we're playing and I'm itching to plug this into the AD200B at the rehearsal space.
I have the VB410 that replaced my SVT212 and have played it at gigs. To my ear it has a really controlled lows, good mids that punch through the mix. What I have found is that I do crank up the treble a lot more than than the 212 to get a good pick attack. I'm an Ampeg guy after trying so many other options and I think that the VB has the Ampeg DNA with a slightly different flavour, but significantly without the weight. Taking a 410 to a gig so easily is transformational for me.
Maybe a thing with 10's in general? I went from 15's to 10's long ago after my first experience using an 810 fridge backline.
Yeah there're times when I'll go to a jam and play through 12's - mostly either a couple Subway or Barefaced 12 cabs belonging to friends. I love both, but give me the tightness and immediacy of 10's.
New 8x8 cab on website now: Ampeg – Bass guitar amplification
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Yeah, I've been sitting on that advance knowledge for a while, now. Can't wait to check this one out!
The web site mentions using 2 VB88 cabs with a v12 for earth shattering performance. I notice the cabs are 4 ohms each, so I don't see how one v12 could could power these, that would be 2 ohms that the v12 doesn't support. Unless they are going to offer an 8 ohm version of the cab?Yeah, I've been sitting on that advance knowledge for a while, now. Can't wait to check this one out!
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
That's a good catch. You could use a series cable to hook them up as an 8-ohm load, but otherwise, I think you are correct in saying that you should not hook up two of the 88's to the V-12 using conventional speaker cables.
Or was there a spec update and the v12 does indeed support 2 Ohms?
Or are they doing something like TC did, where they knew enough about their own speakers to be more specific about combinations of cabs per amp?
I write marketing copy for a living and what I think we’re seeing is a fact-checking error, and a pretty significant one given the audience.
The marketing side of these is stupid. Did they really design a 700w (@4ohm) head that would overpower the 300w 210 and 250w 115 (both 8ohm)? Is the 410 the only cab that can be hooked up to the V12?
The 8x8 cab that can't handle the V12 is just the icing on that cake.
The impression given to me by marketing is that the amp design team and cab design team didn't talk to each other and designed a series of mismatched products.
The 8x8 cab that can't handle the V12 is just the icing on that cake.
The impression given to me by marketing is that the amp design team and cab design team didn't talk to each other and designed a series of mismatched products.
