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Official Ampeg Club!: Part II

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#841
Hey guys, I will be buying an SVT pretty soon and I'm not sure what would be a better choice.

I have found two used heads that I could buy; one of them is an American made SVT-VR and the other is 1972 SVT. The '72 will probably end up being a bit cheaper in the end because the VR comes with an EWI road case.

My main concern is reliability. The vintage Ampeg has cosmetic issues (it's got a bunch of pink paint on it) but I haven't gotten any details about how well it works yet. I dig the idea of having the original, vintage amp but I'd hate for it to finally stop working.

I am also a fan of the SVT-VR. It's got a bunch of nice features (DI, Speakon, better handles, and it comes with a roadcase) that I really like but could live without if I had to. It also seems like a bunch of vintage SVT owners are impressed by how close the Vintage Reissue head comes to sounding like the original. The VR also has the advantage of being in much nicer condition, which could save me some money down the road -- I wouldn't be tempted to replace the headcase, faceplate, knobs, etc. ;)

I was hoping that by writing all of this out I would come to my own conclusion. I think I know what I'd prefer to do but I'd still like to hear what you guys would do. I'd appreciate any feedback! :)
 
#842
theory028 said:
Hey guys, I will be buying an SVT pretty soon and I'm not sure what would be a better choice.

I have found two used heads that I could buy; one of them is an American made SVT-VR and the other is 1972 SVT. The '72 will probably end up being a bit cheaper in the end because the VR comes with an EWI road case.

My main concern is reliability. ...
Click to expand...

Go vintage! It's the real deal, will retain its value, can be restored and repaired. It's unlikely that the VR will ever be worth more than what you'd pay for it.

In 1999, I bought a (IIRC) '73 SVT head for $250. It was in good cosmetic shape (only needed a few knobs and a new power switch), but it was filthy, the preamp tubes were shot and the controls were so scratchy that it was essentially unusable. I cleaned her up, took apart, cleaned and reassembled the controls and put in new preamp tubes (cost then was about $100).

Call me crazy, but I really didn't care for it...and since I was just playing at home at that time, the fan was almost as loud as my practice volume so I sold it (essentially doubling my money...which was market value at the time) and bought a barely used SVT-350H. Within a year, the prices had almost doubled again.

In hindsight, it would have been cool to keep it and since I now own an Ampeg 8x10, I'd probably like it a lot more (had a single 15 at the time).

Anyway, it's your decision to make, but if I had the choice, I'd get the '72!
 
#843
all amps will stop working at some point, then you'll have to get them fixed. that's the way it is. the difference is in how much longer you've got to that point. if it's been serviced within the past few years, the vintage one is fine. a 5 year old vr could very well need service within 3-5 years as well. i like either amp a lot and don't find much tonal difference in them, but vintage does look a lot cooler. the pink might have to go, but other than that, i wouldn't have a problem buying vintage.
 
#844
btw, some of you might have seen my rants about the newer ampeg cabs sounding like they have a blanket over them. it looks like the loud cabs have fixed the problem with the drivers. i got to ab a slm svt-cl/810e with a loud version on a gig yesterday and the loud cab clearly sounded better. i made them swap rigs for me and shafted the other bassist on the show ;)

so now it looks like that period from 2001 till the loud sale is the only bad period for 810e's. imho, of course...i know a lot of people like that darker tone...i'm just not one of them. you can always darken up a too bright tone.
 
#845
JimmyM said:
all amps will stop working at some point, then you'll have to get them fixed. that's the way it is. the difference is in how much longer you've got to that point. if it's been serviced within the past few years, the vintage one is fine. a 5 year old vr could very well need service within 3-5 years as well. i like either amp a lot and don't find much tonal difference in them, but vintage does look a lot cooler. the pink might have to go, but other than that, i wouldn't have a problem buying vintage.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, Jimmy. It seems like trying to get the paint off of the headcase would be a fun little project. It'd be kind of neat to slowly clean things up and watch the transformation. I did some searching for how to get paint off of tolex and now have a few ideas; hopefully they work without softening or damaging it.

The vintage vibe is really cool, though; I must agree with you on that one.

Thanks for replying! You're one of the guys that I was hoping would chime in.

BillyB_from_LZ said:
Go vintage! It's the real deal, will retain its value, can be restored and repaired. It's unlikely that the VR will ever be worth more than what you'd pay for it.

In 1999, I bought a (IIRC) '73 SVT head for $250. It was in good cosmetic shape (only needed a few knobs and a new power switch), but it was filthy, the preamp tubes were shot and the controls were so scratchy that it was essentially unusable. I cleaned her up, took apart, cleaned and reassembled the controls and put in new preamp tubes (cost then was about $100).

Call me crazy, but I really didn't care for it...and since I was just playing at home at that time, the fan was almost as loud as my practice volume so I sold it (essentially doubling my money...which was market value at the time) and bought a barely used SVT-350H. Within a year, the prices had almost doubled again.

In hindsight, it would have been cool to keep it and since I now own an Ampeg 8x10, I'd probably like it a lot more (had a single 15 at the time).

Anyway, it's your decision to make, but if I had the choice, I'd get the '72!
Click to expand...

That's cool that you doubled your money with the sale, Billy. :smug: And thank you for the advice.

I am probably going to go with the vintage head for a lot of the reasons that you and Jimmy brought up.

One question on the resale value: will replacing the headcase (assuming I can't get the paint off without damaging it) dramatically decrease the amp's value?

Thanks again for the replies. It has made my decision a lot easier. :)
 
#847
I would like to be a member of this club, currently have a, Ampeg SVT CL, Head and a Ampeg SVT 3 PRO Head, Ampeg SVTHLF Cab, Ampeg B100R Combo Amp, Ampeg B200R Combo Amp,Ampeg SVT- Direct Box, used to have back in the 70's, original Ampeg Silver and Blue SVT W/ two 8-10 Cabs, and a Ampeg B25B Amp.
 
#848
Here's a pic of the 76'-79' head I just bought. I've cleaned the grille since. Looking for the matching 8x10 cab.

SVT033.jpg
 
#850
theory028 said:
I suppose that would be a better, more affordable option. I'll have to find someone able to retolex it and a quote. I've never worked with the stuff and wouldn't trust myself to do it. ;)

That's a nice looking amp, by the way! :)
Click to expand...

I'm sure someone here knows where you can send it for a tolex job.

Thanks for the comp on the amp. It does have a tendency to overdrive the speakers a little.
I have to back way off on the bass control and my bass. I think it needs new preamp and drive tubes. Anyone have this problem? That's being driven through a NV610
 
#853
theory028 said:
I suppose that would be a better, more affordable option. I'll have to find someone able to retolex it and a quote. I've never worked with the stuff and wouldn't trust myself to do it. ;)

That's a nice looking amp, by the way! :)
Click to expand...

Theory -

You're in IA City - I had Uphostery Unlimited in Clinton IA do both an Ampeg 215 cab, and my B15N Portaflex. I can't say enough about the top notch job they did on both pieces. IMO, they did a much better tolex job on the 215 than some of the Nampeg cabs I've seen. Check locally for uphostery shops or automotive restoration places - otherwise an hour drive to Clinton wouldnt be so bad.
 
#854
Just to add - I provided them with my own tolex. If you call asking what kind a '70's SVT should have, I doubt they'll know. Their specialty is automotive upholstery, hot rods, etc... but did great work for me. PM me if you decide to go with them...
 
#855
stiles72 said:
Just to add - I provided them with my own tolex. If you call asking what kind a '70's SVT should have, I doubt they'll know. Their specialty is automotive upholstery, hot rods, etc... but did great work for me. PM me if you decide to go with them...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation, man! I would probably get the tolex from Fliptops.net and have them use that. I will keep that place in Clinton at the top of my list when/if I do have it retolexed.
 
#857
wow, that's an amazing piece of history. johnny smith didn't like his amp drilling the listeners in front of his amp with highs and had them build an amp that faced vertically so nobody could hear him properly at all ;)
 
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