So why ampeg?

i like the way it sounds...
is like fender...

fender sound has become the standard, and is everywhere.. people tends to think that is how a bass should sound...

ampeg is a must have in rock music.

 

uh.....
I will tell you ampeg is not the way to go now. I have burned 3 svt6t pros in the last 3 months. 2 on stage. Something is going terribly wrong with that company. My back up amp is a mesa boogie pulse 600 and no trouble and i just ordered a genz benz 1200.
Ampeg is over. You will have much better luck buying vintage ampeg.

Bill

 

There is always personal taste. No experience with the SVT-CL, but the SVT-Pro range is not that good rock sound for my taste. Not for that price anyway.

I do like their cabinets.

Ampeg definitely is a live sound your audience is used to, if that's what you aim. In Estonia every rock festival and almost every international rock band that comes here uses Ampeg in their backline. I think it's the same for the rest of the world.

 

RE: All tube SVT. It sounds good.

 

Sure..........

Because Acoustic Control Corporation went out of business.

But seriously though....Ampeg sounds good (at least to me) and it is (or rather WAS - must be careful here - don't want the thought police coming down) a workhorse for the average working musician; highly reliable and was reliable for many, many years. You could throw them down the stairs and they wouldn't let you down (I jest here, but you get the idea). I have carted Ampeg products from one end of this country to the other countless times......

But as in everything - things change.

AFAIK - the company seems to have fallen on hard times and there is speculation that they won't last too much longer in their present form.

Let's hope that (if) they are down for the count that they come back as strong as they once were!

 

It just fits in the mix a little or a lot better than other brands. We're not talking SVT3, 4 5 6's here. The only thing that really sounds like an Ampeg is an SVT (70's, Classic, 2 and the 2 pro). The full tube versions rock. There are other brands that sound great too, but it's an brand thing as well. Ampeg is like Harley Davidson, Coca Cola, Fender or Jack Daniels. Not always the best choice, but all time classics.

 

My personal experience with an Ampeg COMBO:

Last year i ordered an Ampeg BA115 HPT, and after some month it was'nt still arrived.
So i bought a Fender Bassman 250/115, good amp, that demonstrated his loudness in medium clubs and outdoors too.
Recently the amp seller told me the Ampeg was arrived, so (forever attracted by the brand) i am gone to the music shop to tested the Ampeg BA115 HPT (Made in China).
But i've been disappointed, and i decided to hold my Fender Bassman 250/115 (Made in Indonesia).
The sound i like (very fat and dark) is more easy obtainable from Bassman than from the BA115 HPT, the Fender having a semiparametric equalizer and mainly a "room balance".
BA115 HPT has only a 6-position switch to select the "style" (i like only the first) and a 3-band equalizer. I had to pump basses to 75%.
Moreover the typical warm sound strangely is not reproduced in the headphones (unlike Fender)... maybe the tube preamp is bypassed.
I must say an ugly defect of Fender Bassman are the casters, wich easy detach.
I am sure that i wrote is not valid for great Ampeg systems like SVT and all those used in the great lives, but test well these last chinese combos before purchase them.

 

Ampeg is mainly popular now because of two things:

1. It built its rep on it great gear 'in the past' - ampeg's current offerings are low on the list of anything I'd want to own... their stuff from the 70s on the other hand was excellent.

2. Tradition - some people can't past this one. IMO there are many amp companies doing it better. Check out MarkBass product line or Mesa Boogie. Great gear... why settle for yesterday's news?

 

I didn't get it either for a long time. I tried a good bit of their new gear in GC etc. and I was completetly unimpressed. About 6 months ago I traded for an SLM era all-tube V4BH and now I understand what the Ampeg fans are talking about. Sweet, sweet tone.

Their SS and hybrid stuff does nothing for me though and I have not been impressed by their cabs. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is some very good Ampeg stuff out there (mostly their older stuff) but there is also some crap. Unfortunately there seems to be more crap than good these days.

 

I don't understand it either, so you are not alone.

I have been playing for 30 years, and to this day I do NOT like the Fender sound, nor do I like Ampegs tone.

It's a personal thing I guess, but alot of folks are guided by what they see on MTV and in the clubs.

 

Ampeg is to bass amplification as Marshall is to guitars. It is a classic branded company (yes, with many owners and a history).

Ampeg catered to bass players early on and the trademark, sound and equipment is loved by many players, old and young. Nothing more, nothing less. It is a brand.

 

Uh, because they sound great.
I've owned 2 70's V4B, 2 70's SVT and an SLM SVT Classic. Their tube amps sound awesome.
I've never played any of their transistor amps and don't consider them to be SVT but the real SVTs are about the best rock bass amp IMO.

 

/thread

 

It's my opinion - just because they sound "Familiar"

Try some new sounds or create your own sound.

 

You mean they actually play music on MTV anymore these days? lol

 

I'll be a heretic here and say that I was drawn to the Ampeg Hybrid heads because I liked the sound I was hearing from others playing them live and idea of playing any of the all-tube SVT models was out of the question due to price/weight. While the hybrid heads don't sound like the all-tube models, I think they're good at what they do provided you can find them at the right price.

That said, I'm not married to Ampeg, and I'd love to check out the Hartke Kilo, GK Fusion 550, Mesa M-Pulse, and maybe a Markbass model or 3. It's often stated that the tone is in your hands, and I like to think that I'm almost at the point where it won't matter what head I'm playing.

 

I own 2 Ampeg combos; the BA115HPT and BA110 (both MIA). I've also demoed their vintage amps and cabs. I think that Ampeg has its place in people's hearts because they invented punchy bass. The vintage gear has a very in-your-face punch and sizzle (one friend calls it "fatback") that really stands out. It's a trademark sound, and it's awesome, but it's not right for every application.
My combos and I have a constant love/hate relationship. On FL, my right hand attack has to be subtle or the combos come across too aggressively. Sometimes I/we sound like crap. Sometimes we are in perfect harmony. There are probably other rigs out there (EA, for instance?) that would be a better match for me most of the time. These combos have been 100% reliable, though. I never think about them - they just work.

 

It's personal taste. I personally hate the sound. I can't understand why it has become a "standard" of judgment. There are so many amps that are capable of so many tones - and they aren't the size of a refridgerator, either.

Just be careful if/when you say anything negative about Ampeg. I have been blasted for sharing my opinion.