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SVT 3 Pro vs. SVT CL tone comparison please.

#21
sincity said:
I have an opposite opinion of this because I think many of us will rarely get to use an SVT CL cranked wide open to get "that" sound and tone in a small or medium club / bar environment. Maybe in a rehearsal space, but not too often in a club.

The SVT 3 Pro can get you there, IMO, 98% of the time. Beautiful overdriven tone or big and clean tone if you desire. Nice low-mid grunt with a quick attack as well.

I have owned the following tube amps: SVT II Non-Pro, Fender Bassman 300 Pro, Mesa Boogie 400, Trace Elliot VA400 & Trace Elliot V6.

I love this amp and I think the tone is everything that I could possibly want out of a "real tube" amp in a hybrid package. Very portable as well compared to the big guns.
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Are you implying that an all-tube SVT is wasted on anybody who's NOT in a world touring band?
 
#22
meatwad said:
Are you implying that an all-tube SVT is wasted on anybody who's NOT in a world touring band?
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Not at all. Based on the Ultra60's original post, I think that the he can get real close to an SVT CL tone with an SVT 3 Pro without having to spend the extra money and have future transport issues.

I just think you can achieve an SVT CL type sound more often with the 3 PRO whether for rehearsals, club gigs, etc.

IMO the SVT 3 Pro is a better gigging / workman's type amp than an SVT CL. Been gigging for a while now and I just turned 50.
 
#23
meatwad said:
Are you implying that an all-tube SVT is wasted on anybody who's NOT in a world touring band?
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He may have a point. I wouldn't say it's a wasted unless you're a world-tourer, but in order to get the most benefit from a rig like that, you should be playing larger venues, outdoor shows, theatres, etc.

I've used my CL/810 in a couple of really tiny rooms recently, more as a giggle than for function. It was waaaaaayyyyy overkill. An 810 moves a LOT of air, even at low volumes. It can dominate a 200-seat club, and completely fsck up the FOH mix (unless your FOH is insanely loud).

Do I use mine in those rooms anyway? Yes. Could I use a V4B or SVT3-Pro and 4x10 to get a similar sound without pissing off the sound guy? Also yes, but where's the fun in that? :)
 
#25
moff40 said:
I've used my CL/810 in a couple of really tiny rooms recently, more as a giggle than for function. It was waaaaaayyyyy overkill. An 810 moves a LOT of air, even at low volumes.
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I've used my SVT/8x10 in tiny jazz clubs where my B15 would have (and has) sufficed. There's a lot of room for volume control between 0 and 10 on that knob. Nothing says the amp has to be loud. If you like the tone of the amp clean, don't mind moving the weight, and have the room on stage then play what you like and don't let your eyes determine the volume level.
 
#26
I got an Ampeg SVT 3 Pro about a month ago. It's a HUGE step up over the Bassman 400 that I was using. I'm currently saving to buy a AVT 212 AV, I'm hoping that THIS becomes my super forever rig. I'm already thinking that if it is not, my next step will be a SVT 4 Pro. (And the 3 Pro would fill the backup role.)

So far I'm very happy with my 3 Pro. I've played through SVT CL and SVT Heritage heads and consider them to be the ultimate rigs, but I'm an old man with a handicap sticker on my car. An all tube head and a fridge are just not feasible for me.
 
#27
It's not a question of were the master volume is set. An 8x10 putting out 80dB will move far more air than a 1x12 at 80 dB. It's simple physics. And when that increased air movement excites the room itself, you have successfully fscked up your FOH mix.
 
#29
ultra60 said:
At practice, last night, I used a '78 SVT for the first 1/2, and my 3 Pro for the second.

So my impression was that tonally, the '78 clobbered the 3pro. .
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The closest I've gotten to an SVT tone is the 7 Pro.

Even closer than my multi tube SVP-CL preamp with an Ampeg 1500 power amp although the Walkabout is also really close.

Tried the TH 500, LMII, pedals, etc.
Forgetabout it; there is only one King of Bass Amps and it weighs a lot more than a micro!!
 
#30
moff40 said:
It's not a question of were the master volume is set. An 8x10 putting out 80dB will move far more air than a 1x12 at 80 dB. It's simple physics. And when that increased air movement excites the room itself, you have successfully fscked up your FOH mix.
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I guess I don't understand what you're saying, or else there are some new physics laws in effect...
 
#33
moff40 said:
It's not a question of were the master volume is set. An 8x10 putting out 80dB will move far more air than a 1x12 at 80 dB. It's simple physics. And when that increased air movement excites the room itself, you have successfully fscked up your FOH mix.
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tekdiver500ft said:
Guess again. I'm sorry, but you aren't even close.
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Luckydog said:
I guess I don't understand what you're saying, or else there are some new physics laws in effect...
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JimmyM said:
This is a joke, right?
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lokikallas said:
What weighs more, a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?
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I'm sensing a consensus forming here...
 
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#34
coreyfyfe said:
If you like the tone of the amp clean, don't mind moving the weight, and have the room on stage then play what you like and don't let your eyes determine the volume level.
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I think what you said makes sense. But, if the overdriven tone of an SVT CL or 78' SVT is desired, then I am not sure these are the best heads to use in a small / medium sized club environment unless you are throwing a pedal in front of the head or you have separate master volume and gain controls. Even then, I am not sure you would be achieving that great overdriven tone achieved at higher volumes.
 
#35
I have to wonder, though, where the moff40 is playing, and under what conditions 80 dB is too loud. My "quiet" band plays between 90 and 95 dB, and my loud band plays between 105 and 110 dB. Neither band is obnoxiously loud, either. At least, not in any situation we've been in.
 
#37
I heard ampeg is working on making a new amp that has that killer all tube sound we all love but moves alot less air per db making it the ultimate choice from coffee houses to stadiums. It has the normal eq but 3 tone shaping buttons on it which are 1. Ultra low 2. Bright 3. Ultra air
 
#39
OK.. so speaking of moving air, the Ampeg site has this to say about the 410HLF cabinet:

"The SVT-410HLF actually moves 10% more air than two 18-inch speakers, and 25% more than three 15-inch speakers!"

I actually own (3) Ampeg 15" cabinets, and may own a 410HLF this weekend. How would I go about testing this claim, lol?
 
#40
Ampeg didn't define the variables, so there is no way to test their claim. Which 218, which 315? What drivers, what frequencies? What xmax? Without that information, the claim is meaningless. Is it true? Yes. Is it false? Yes. All else being equal (it never is), a 218 will move more air than a 410, and a 315 will move more air then either one.
 

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