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School Me On SVT’s
- Thread starter MazakCNC
- Start date
IN terms of horizontal space, THE SVT and the 810 do not occupy that more space than a Fender Twin or a wide 210. Unless you have to park your amp below your desk or live in a tiny apartment in Tokyo or Hong Kong. When I had to deal with Avishai Cohen's acosutic trio rider, I was first shocked that he spec'ed an SVT+810 because he sings as well and plays the upright. Turns out to be the least trouble free amp in terms of setup and feedback for that tiny Jazz performance space and he just knows how to use it.
The SVT is many things to different players. Fantastic tones can be made. Much like a P-Bass, it may not sound hifi when soloed but when with the room mix, the tonality is perfect.
I've owned my '92 SVT-II (non-Pro) since '98 and although it is not currently my go-to (I am currently playing a Mesa Subway) I will play it on special occasions like an outdoor festival or big theater.
If you have to move yours, it is not that big of a deal. Just be smart and use a cart. My Rock-N-Roller cart makes it easy. Lift it properly or you'll get a back spasm. I like to treat moving my equipment like a work out. Bass players are the strong types who deliver the heavy tones. Own this.
Pro tip: Keep moving, lifting and pushing as much as you can, for as long as you can. TV is the devil.
I have had problems now and again such as the preamp output jack issues and needing a circuit board jumper installed. I've also replaced the tubes three times. I keep a new set of matched sextets in reserve just in case. Find a reputable tech and stick with them. Ask around town who all the guys use and that's who you'll want. He will take forever to finish the job, but that's because everyone has their amp over there. The more you use him the more priority you become. Take him cookies.
SVTs get loud. 300 watts doesn't begin to describe what they are capable of. Tube watts are very dynamic. I have trashed many 10" and 15" speakers that were rated above 300 watts. The amp flexed and creased the cones from the force. Be careful with all that impulse power! I'm currently flirting with disaster again by playing in a side project using the SVT with a new-ish 4 ohm EVM 15 solo speaker. it is rated at 350 watts but it could easily be ruined in one evening of punk rock fun.
I've owned my '92 SVT-II (non-Pro) since '98 and although it is not currently my go-to (I am currently playing a Mesa Subway) I will play it on special occasions like an outdoor festival or big theater.
If you have to move yours, it is not that big of a deal. Just be smart and use a cart. My Rock-N-Roller cart makes it easy. Lift it properly or you'll get a back spasm. I like to treat moving my equipment like a work out. Bass players are the strong types who deliver the heavy tones. Own this.
Pro tip: Keep moving, lifting and pushing as much as you can, for as long as you can. TV is the devil.
I have had problems now and again such as the preamp output jack issues and needing a circuit board jumper installed. I've also replaced the tubes three times. I keep a new set of matched sextets in reserve just in case. Find a reputable tech and stick with them. Ask around town who all the guys use and that's who you'll want. He will take forever to finish the job, but that's because everyone has their amp over there. The more you use him the more priority you become. Take him cookies.
SVTs get loud. 300 watts doesn't begin to describe what they are capable of. Tube watts are very dynamic. I have trashed many 10" and 15" speakers that were rated above 300 watts. The amp flexed and creased the cones from the force. Be careful with all that impulse power! I'm currently flirting with disaster again by playing in a side project using the SVT with a new-ish 4 ohm EVM 15 solo speaker. it is rated at 350 watts but it could easily be ruined in one evening of punk rock fun.
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I sometimes ran a single D140 with my SVT and got away with it. You need to be careful. According to Harvey Gerst (who designed the D140) it's a 35 watt speaker. I blew a few back when recones were $100
I see SVT's as a retro thing. Kinda like playing cassette tapes. Some think it's cool, but it's not where you get your best sound without a LOT of work. I'm glad I got through the "work" and GAS phases, myself. But I'm 70. I have different priorities when it comes to producing music now. i.e. skill on my instrument.
FWIW, my first rig way back in 1998 was an Acme low B2 with a crappy Carvin redline amp. The amp was powerful and did sound good, but it failed just out of warranty. The speaker was so amazing that when I went to my first audition, I sucked so bad it was embarrassing, but the band was mesmerized by the sound of my system. I learned on a five string and the depth blew them away.
FWIW, my first rig way back in 1998 was an Acme low B2 with a crappy Carvin redline amp. The amp was powerful and did sound good, but it failed just out of warranty. The speaker was so amazing that when I went to my first audition, I sucked so bad it was embarrassing, but the band was mesmerized by the sound of my system. I learned on a five string and the depth blew them away.
One thing I learned a very long time ago is that tubes are a very* big deal for guitar. For bass? Meh.
*As tube emulators become more and more sophisticated, tube benefits diminish.
WOW! You say that you are 70 and you got your first rig "way back in 1998". I am 74 and I got my first bass rig in 1963. In 1971, I got my first SVT, using it with a pair of original 810 SVT cabs for about 3 years before getting a pair of custom 412 cabs built for me by Yorkville Sound at their US assembly plant (yes, that's the same Yorkville Sound out of Toronto, Canada that manufactured Traynor amps). I loved everything about the SVT and those two cabs, with the exception of the weight and size.
I have not owned an SVT since the mid-late 1980s, but I still do own a great all-tube amplifier (Mesa Bass Prodigy, which is switchable between 125 and 250 watts). That is plenty of tube power for virtually any type of gig, and it is kept on the half power setting about 90-95% of the time. I love the Bass Prodigy, and it is my favorite amp for almost any occasion, although I do use my G-K Legacy 210 combo for some gigs.
I haven't had the slightest urge to acquire another SVT amp in several decades, although owning one was an interesting and fun chapter in my musical history.
I thought I was one of the rare people who keeps an SVT for home use only in my bass-ment.
Mine is a mid 90s SVT Classic made in USA with its 8x10. Never had a problem since I bought it new. It didn't move for the past 20 years or so (aside for the purpose of vacuum cleaning underneath it).
I also have a Micro VR stack. I'd like to point out that it does a good job for an SVT sound in a smaller package.
Mine is a mid 90s SVT Classic made in USA with its 8x10. Never had a problem since I bought it new. It didn't move for the past 20 years or so (aside for the purpose of vacuum cleaning underneath it).
I also have a Micro VR stack. I'd like to point out that it does a good job for an SVT sound in a smaller package.
All years have their plus / minus; however, do not buy when LOUD mfg them in VietNam. Numerous guitar shops, ampeg dealers, throughout the southland and Midwest, told me everyone that came into their shop, when powered up out of box, blew up / blew tubes. I have 2 SVT AV CL heads from the end of the ST Louis days and they're great - good quality, basic old ampeg sound and reliable. Along with 2 SVT AV 8x10 cabs, again end of a mfg era at St Louis Music, prior to LOUD ... best sounding rigs especially in big stage - .... however, just my opinion
250 TUBE wats are plenty of power?! I hope to shout!
BTW, I picked up the bass when I was 44. I like to tell people that if I had started playing in my teens, I never would have gotten a decent career. It's way too much fun. And when I was in my teens I could have made some serious money - until I couldn't...
I congratulate you on being able to play at a time when it was a very big deal. My old keyboard player (about 80 years old now) was playing in LA in his mid-teens making some serous money.
As many TB users know, I played in the band that opened for Rick James and The Stone City Band in the mid to late 1970s. That was where I used the SVT most.
Your comment about the SVT inspires this one:
Back in the late 60's, my favorite band was Herb Alpert!
And in the 70's it was Genesis (that one still is). And I was a fan of Chicago while all my friends were listening to the Yardbirds, Cream, Stones, Foghat, etc. I was a trombone player and loved the horns. I'm still a huge fan of Cold Blood.But when I picked up the bass I listened more to the classic rock that, although I really liked it, I had never before really listened to it carefully as I would classical music (yeah, I was an audiophile, so my tastes became quite eclectic). And one thing I noticed can be highlighted with the song "Gimme Three Steps" (GTS). The bass in that one has zero depth and is very upper bass centric, yet it works. And if you play it with an amp and speaker that go really deep it just plain sounds funny. That is, I learned with that song that there is so much more than "high fidelity" in classic rock, or modern rock and Country for that matter. And that is one of the things that make it special.
In classical music, a double bass is a double bass. They all sound the same. You can pick or you can bow, but the tone is the tone*. It's kinda the same thing with jazz that uses the double bass. And that's ok, because it sounds awesome! But once you pick up an electric bass and amp, the range of tones is staggering. You can pick, finger or tap, and you can sustain forever, pull out real depth, or keep it like GTS.
But yeah, for much of the music from that period, either an SVT or SVT emulator is a very nice thing to have.
*I've seen some plug a double bass into a bass effects pedal board. Then all bets are off.
BTW, if the link doesn't take you there, go to 2:27. It's a band I saw during lunchtime concerts in Seattle back 15 or 20 years ago. Now that's a double bass doing what it does best!
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