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Solid State vs Ampeg SVT

#21
Medicine Man said:
Lots of it had to do with whether you are "tone chasing" or just trying to get some low frequency noise to the audience in a convenient way. I personally don't find my SVT 4 holds up to my SVT classic, but they both hang out at my house while I schlepp a much lighter markbass combo to gigs. Doesn't sound as good as either SVT through a fridge, audience doesn't seem to care. Every bassist should gig an all tube SVT for a while as a right of passage, imho.
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The SVT/810 rig is the only one I've used where many audience members who don't have a clue about playing music have comments on how noticeable it is over my other rigs. True, nobody walks out when I use something else, but only the SVT gets that reaction.
 
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#25
How much of a difference does this really make if you're going direct-out into a PA? Back in my younger days we rarely gigged in places where I wasn't going direct anyway, my amp was just a personal monitor.

Looking for a new head and curious as to what's best these days.
 
#26
Fingerbang said:
How much of a difference does this really make if you're going direct-out into a PA? Back in my younger days we rarely gigged in places where I wasn't going direct anyway, my amp was just a personal monitor.

Looking for a new head and curious as to what's best these days.
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Believe it or not, there is no invisible wall between your amp and the front of the stage. People who think the audience can't hear the it amp just because they're going through the PA are wrong.
 
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#31
Joe Ty said:
How would the Mesa Boogie Prodigy compare soundwise? Would it sound more like the SVT tube amps or something completely different?

Edit: Mainly inquiring as it's A LOT lighter.
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Different IME.

The Prodigy acts more like a SS amp. Quick, bright, somewhat unpleasant (to me) distortion when pushed hard.
I've owned a lot of SVT's and I had a Prodigy for a few years.
I liked it but in the end it couldn't do quite what I wanted, and what it could do for me wasn't really any different than what I could get from a SS amp.

If you want something lighter there is always the V4B is you can get by with 100w. Or the Mesa 400+ is roughly 50lbs, which is also an awesome amp.
I'm interested to check out the Mesa Strategy too. I hear it's a bit different than the Prodigy and it's feature set would be handy for me.
 
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#32
Two-Spirit said:
What does a SVT Classic give you that a SVT pro can't? Why bother with tubes when so many players use solid state. How do Sansamps compare? I don't mean to be a jerk, just curious.
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To me it's like an actual painting or a picture of a painting. The tube amp is the actual painting, the SS amp is the picture of the painting. There's no perfect substitute for looking at the actual painting, but we've got some pretty amazing, small, lightweight, inexpensive cameras with high resolution screens that can take a high quality image of that painting and give you about 97% of all your eye can see.
The painting--not so portable. The camera--pretty darn portable.
And trying to appreciate the nuances of either the painting or the tube amp in a crowd of screaming, drunk, rowdy fans is equally impossible. But I wouldn't hesitate to drag a Fender Rumble 500 and an iPhone right into the throng! Snap some selfies of me jamming Mustang Sally all night long!! Rock on!!!

My advice--don't fall into the tube bass amp gig rig trap.
 
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#33
JimmyM said:
Play one and get back to us.
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This sums it up.

I own 2 tube amps, a SB300 and a Little Bastard. I have played through a few SVTs backlined for me, and have owned SS Ampegs. They are the benchmark many other amps try to emulate. Just great amazing sounding products.

I own 3 SS amps, a Tech21 Landmark 300, Gene Benz SM 9.2, and a GK400RB.

They are all really great amps no doubt, but I always gig my SB300 and practice at home through the Little Bastard.

TUBES RULE!
 
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#34
Another SS vs T amp topic on TalkBass.

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#36
I think tubes make the biggest impact when it comes to recording but I could be unicorn hunting? as far as playing live it's all about the "sound in your head" and you can get that sound with either tubes or solid state.
 
#37
I started out playing a 50 watt all-tube Bassman Ten with 4 10" speakers in the mid 70's. I don't gig with it anymore and it's not an SVT but it still has that tubey vibe. Plus it's freakin' loud! Much louder than any 50 watt amp has a right to be. I've played many SS amps, but there's just something about a tube amp. I wish my damaged back would allow for SVT amps and 8x10 cabs, but that's sadly not the case.
 
#38
JimmyM said:
The SVT/810 rig is the only one I've used where many audience members who don't have a clue about playing music have comments on how noticeable it is over my other rigs. True, nobody walks out when I use something else, but only the SVT gets that reaction.
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I get the same reaction when I run SansAmp into the front end of my GK 700RB into my 6X10 Ampeg. I think a big part of it is the large, recognizable, branded cabinet that people have seen since the 70's. Part of it is how much more clean and loud you can make the bass with a rig like that.
 
#39
Personally, I think as long as you have enough power to driver the cabinet cleanly tube vs SS isn't all that much of a difference as long as you have a decent preamp. I don't hear enough of a difference between tube and SS on bass to make me want to lug a tube head around. Guitar I feel like there is a much more audible difference between the two.
 

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