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SVT-2 PRO (made in Vietnam) or Non Pro

Sean.Robinson

Sean.Robinson

Jul 1, 2008
42
0
#1
Hi, im coming to buy a new amp and ive decided pretty much what i want. Ive had an offer for an old 90s Ampeg SVT-2 non pro and having rang around guitar shops got a great price for a brand new Ampeg SVT-2 Pro, however it is made in vietnam.

My question is which would you go for? and has anyone had experience with the made in vietnam SVT-2 Pro. Is it as good as the USA model or has it slipped severely down hill?
 
#3
Hi, thanks it is very tempting, but the idea of getting a new one which will be covered under warranty is also tempting at the price, the main reservation i have is if the quality has declined in moving from the USA to Vietnam
 
#4
Check out Carvin!!!!!!!!!

Some of their new stuff is looking really nice - and the price is right.

Quality of imported stuff is off - and last I heard the future of the company was in question. That was an older thread though.
 
#5
I would go with the non-Pro. They're getting increasingly hard to find, and IMO they sound a lot better. As far as quality declination, I won't say anything but do a search; if we start talking about that subject here, your thread will likely be closed.

As long as the SVT-II non-pro has been well-maintained, you probably won't have to worry about a thing. Newer isn't always better ;) And even if something does happen, it's an SVT- you can get it fixed just about anywhere.

Tone-wise, the SVT-II will be much more similar to a vintage SVT. Less mush, more focused "roaring" low-mids and a tighter bottom.
 
#9
Hi, thanks for the great replies its proving a great help, my main concern with the non pro is the lack of a gain or drive nob and id really like to get some nice valve distortion without having to push the amp up to ten
 
#12
Just roll the amps (or active bass's) bass knob up a good bit higher and you'll get some preamp tube distortion out of a SVT-II (non-pro) at most any volume level. Mine does anyway.

I've never played a SVT-II pro, but I seriously compared my old SVT-II (non-pro) to a SVT-Classic I once owned.
(the SVT-CL/Classic models are supposed to be just like a II-pro but w/o the EQ section)

At first playing both amps soloed, I actually thought they both sounded fairly similar.

Playing with my bands I just couldn't get comfortable with the CL's tone and was constantly fiddling with diferent gain/master/tone knob settings and combinations trying to find a sound that just simply wasn't there. There seemed to be some strange artifact to its overall sound I just didnt like and couldn't adjust out.

(I admit If I hadn't already been spoiled by my trusty old SVT-II, I probably wouldn't have noticed this issue with my CL)

With my old SVT-II, I pretty much always leave my tone knobs centered, EQ off and just set its volume knob as needed to get the sound and especially the feel I love every time. (besides rolling more bass on at lower volumes)

Here's a link to a bunch of SVT-II non pro threads and posts. If you haven't read these already, you should take some time and read through em before you decide:
http://www.google.com/custom?domain...;S:http://www.talkbass.com;LP:1;FORID:1&hl=en

Here's a couple other threads you should definitely read:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=498035
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=452704
 
#14
While the CL's and 2 Pros are very popular amps, I just never found the gain control to be useful. I played through a CL and turned it up to a fairly loud volume and even turning the gain all the way up I could never hear any real difference, certainly not any distortion. So I figured you really had to play it real loud to hear the difference. With a regular SVT you'll get distortion this way anyway, without need for gain control. Sounds weird but this was just my experience.
 
#15
Ok, thanks for all the replies, im beginning to really seriously consider the SVT II over the Pro and i think i can put my reservations about a volume pedal aside as i would be saving £300. I'll also have a read through the threads anderbass mentioned tomorrow as its getting late over here. The only remaining concern i would have with buying the SVT II non pro is reliability, with it being about 18 years old, could anyone comment on this please?
 
#16
I can vouch that they are quite reliable. I bought mine second hand off Ebay about 6 years ago for $700 or so. Since I used all my cash to get the damn thing, I couldn't have it serviced. Turns out that for the two years I used it, the power tube voltages were kinda sorta mismatched. Probably not the best thing for it. But it went for two years at that, practicing for several hours once or twice a week. I have since had all the tubes replaced ($300 work order), and with the exception of one problem with a loose preamp tube slot, it has been altering heartbeats ever since.
 
#17
Hi, thanks for all the comments ad help. I've taken the plunge today and bought a USA SVT-2 Pro which i managed to find. Its been sitting in the shop for 4 years and in great nick, but because they'd had it so long i managed to get them to sell it me for half price, im ecstatic :)
 

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