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New Ampeg Venture Series

#1,361
OldogNewTrick said:
Say Jimmy, are you safely back from the land of the drummers ?
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Nope. I’ll always love drumming even if I’m only ok as a drummer.

H13 said:
YO!

New to bass gear but spent an awful lot of time with plugins and stuff

Favourite bass noise is an Ampeg Tube head screaming in agony right before it explodes.

Unfortunately, I do not have enough money for multiple Tube Heads which I can blow up one after the other like a fireworks display. Also I unfortunately have neighbours. Those selfish bastards don't appreciate the sound of an amplifier about to explode. How dare they?!

ERGO: The Venture 3 looks like a great buy. However I have questions.

#1) I currently have a 1x12 Ampeg SVT Cab. One of these doohickey things:
skymusic.com.au

Ampeg SVT-112AV 1x12" 300-watt Classic Bass Cabinet

Whether it’s the local coffee house or the recording studio, the 1x12 configuration packs a surprising punch for its diminutive size. And don’t be afraid that it can’t handle big power: at 300 watts, it’s more than enough for most giggers around-town heads. The SVT®-112AV features a 12"...
skymusic.com.au skymusic.com.au

IMHO: SOUNDS GREAT. Records really well. Doesn't thunder like an 8x10, but it's a great way to get the sound of the bass guitar (and then add the sub bass with a DI or something else later).

Will this Cab work with the Venture 3? (I assume yes, but I see lots of cab discussion in this threat so it seems to be worthy of concern).

#2) I had an Ampeg SVT3. It was aggressively fine. As in it was like the amp was determined to be 7\10 in every way. It never sounded BAD, but the best noise I got out of it was a noise that'd make people go: "Oh yeah. That'll do" rather than: "shag yeaaaaah!" Does this Venture sound like an SVT3?

#3) Obviously nothing short of an actual Tube Ampeg will give you that sound. You're not going to get the visceral feeling from the cab, the smell of burning resistors and the accusatory hum of a tube amp asking what the shag it did to deserve this.

HOWEVER: The Ampeg SVT3 was much too polite and...well...boring to even allow me to pretend that's what was happening. Does the Venture 3 have some actual balls and character? Can I plug a Jazz Bass into it and convincingly play Rage Against The Machine riffs all day? Can I mildly irritate my neighbours with my sloppy bass playing rather than have them call the police (and fire brigade) on my house?
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1. Yes.

2. Never played an SVT 3, only the 3 Pro.

3. Of course I’m not going to say you will love it because we’re all different, but it’s got built in distortion that is pretty darn good, so yeah, you could probably get a reasonable Tim sound.
 
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#1,365
H13 said:
This is what I'm after.

Can other people confirm if I can get a reasonable Tim sound out of this?
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Can you provide a link to a "reasonable Tim sound"? Hard to know exactly what you mean, because he's not had the same sound preferences over the years.

Regarding the inbuilt distortion, it's pretty subtle (at least with passive pickups), and a bit different since it seems to distort low frequencies more than the high ones. I suppose it's meant to mimic a saturated output transformer and distorting speakers, rather than just the tubes.
 
#1,367
Makten said:
Can you provide a link to a "reasonable Tim sound"? Hard to know exactly what you mean, because he's not had the same sound preferences over the years.

Regarding the inbuilt distortion, it's pretty subtle (at least with passive pickups), and a bit different since it seems to distort low frequencies more than the high ones. I suppose it's meant to mimic a saturated output transformer and distorting speakers, rather than just the tubes.
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DJ Bebop said:
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ABSOLUTELY THIS TIM TONE. UGH. BROOTHAL.

...

Actually more of this. Obviously when the distortion kicks in but the clean tone is pretty sweet as well.
 
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#1,368
H13 said:
ABSOLUTELY THIS TIM TONE. UGH. BROOTHAL.

...

Actually more of this. Obviously when the distortion kicks in but the clean tone is pretty sweet as well.
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You won't get that much high gain from the SGT side of the Venture series. It provides a decent amount but it's not a high gain circuit from my experience. It will however nail that clean tone with some grit.
 
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#1,370
H13 said:
ABSOLUTELY THIS TIM TONE. UGH. BROOTHAL.

...

Actually more of this. Obviously when the distortion kicks in but the clean tone is pretty sweet as well.
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Ummm, the cleanish sound might be possible with mids on zero AND "ultra lo" engaged. Sounds like crap IMO. :wideyed:
The distorted sound will need an additional pedal. In fact the overdrive of the SGT doesn't sound anything like that.

This is pretty accurate, even if it's only DI, no speaker involved.

 
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#1,371
Makten said:
Ummm, the cleanish sound might be possible with mids on zero AND "ultra lo" engaged. Sounds like crap IMO. :wideyed:
The distorted sound will need an additional pedal. In fact the overdrive of the SGT doesn't sound anything like that.

This is pretty accurate, even if it's only DI, no speaker involved.

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Mine will do a lot more grind than I heard in that demo. You crank it up all the way, and it definitely gets in that Tim neighborhood. It’s not identical, it’s like notched down a little, but only a little imho.
 
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#1,372
JimmyM said:
Mine will do a lot more grind than I heard in that demo. You crank it up all the way, and it definitely gets in that Tim neighborhood. It’s not identical, it’s like notched down a little, but only a little imho.
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Well, they were never at full gain in the demo, but you get an idea of the range. And it depends on the output your bass of course. I can't get anything near the Tim clip with my V3 and passive pickups (not that I want that either though).

Edit: My main point was more that the character of the distortion is also very different, regardless of the amount.

Edit: And IMO the Venture sounds waaaay better in this case.
 
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#1,373
Makten said:
Well, they were never at full gain in the demo, but you get an idea of the range. And it depends on the output your bass of course. I can't get anything near the Tim clip with my V3 and passive pickups (not that I want that either though).

Edit: My main point was more that the character of the distortion is also very different, regardless of the amount.

Edit: And IMO the Venture sounds waaaay better in this case.
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If I may ask,

I’m seriously looking to get an Ampeg Venture V3 or V7 because I’m looking for a solid state amp onto which can plug my iPad for practice.

However, I’m looking for an articulate bass sound from my E and A string similar to the one I get with my Ampeg BA 110 combo but with more depth and power.

I also run two GK Neo IV 112 cabs with a Mesa Subway D350 head and although it sounds very good, the lower notes are kind of generic and lack of character and definition. It’s better when I use my Traynor SB 200H amp as it roars a bit more but it’s still not as articulate as my BA 110.

Your comments would be greatly appreciated.
 
#1,374
Gervais Cote said:
If I may ask,

I’m seriously looking to get an Ampeg Venture V3 or V7 because I’m looking for a solid state amp onto which can plug my iPad for practice.

However, I’m looking for an articulate bass sound from my E and A string similar to the one I get with my Ampeg BA 110 combo but with more depth and power.

I also run two GK Neo IV 112 cabs with a Mesa Subway D350 head and although it sounds very good, the lower notes are kind of generic and lack of character and definition. It’s better when I use my Traynor SB 200H amp as it roars a bit more but it’s still not as articulate as my BA 110.

Your comments would be greatly appreciated.
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Not sure I'm the right person to ask, because I don't have any experience with the other amps and cabs that you mention. I think you have to try to describe what you mean with "articulate", because it could just as well depend on the bass or the strings IMO.
"Depth" will also depend on the cab. I run an Ampeg SVT 15" and I love it, but it's probably not the best choice for other users.

Is it possible to connect your Traynor to the speaker in the BA110? Maybe that could reveal if it's the amp or the speaker or the combination that gives this or that sound. Personally I think speakers are at least as important as the amp.

Edit: What I do think the V3 excels at, is an "old school", slightly distorted sound. Very much like when you push a classic tube amp just a bit further than breakup. In "SVT" mode it's more open and trebly and with possibilities for more distortion, and in B15 mode it's softer, warmer and with more low mids (I use this the most). You could probably make the modes sound more or less the same with a multiband EQ.
I never play with SGT off, but that gives a more modern sound that is completely clean.
 
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#1,375
COOL

Sounds like I'll need to hit it with a pedal WHICH IS COOL I've been doing that anyway.

But is the drive dynamic? Like if you pick hard does it get angry and then does it mellow out if you pick gently?

The Ampeg SVT3Pro was just one of the most flat and uninteresting amps I've ever played and if the Venture plays like that, then I'm out. Based on demos I'm pretty sure I'll get the right noise, but I'm interested in how it plays.
 
#1,376
H13 said:
But is the drive dynamic? Like if you pick hard does it get angry and then does it mellow out if you pick gently?
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Yes, very dynamic IMO. More than any drive pedal I've tried. But most importantly, the transition from clean to overdriven is seamless and gradual with no apparent "threshold" where distortion kicks in (edit: I play with pretty low gain though).

Edit: The only gripe I can come to think of, is if you want a lot of harmonics/overtones in the treble region. The overdrive is more "barky", not causing much sizzle up high. Which can be good or bad. I like it and when I want more zing (or cleaner bottom), I add a parallel drive pedal that does that and keeps the low end undistorted.
 
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