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SVT 4 Pro / pros & con

#2
totally useless to bridge mono into a 215. you'll never be able to put anywhere near that much power into one. i doubt you'd be able to even put half of it into that cab. however, i think it's a great head...and i totally don't believe the nonsense about it being underpowered. i always find out that those who think it's underpowered have the gain set way too low because they mistake the input light for a clip light. that light needs to be lighting pretty constantly and the gain needs to be cranked pretty hard to get full clean volume out of it. if you use your ears instead of the light, you will find all the extra power.
 
#6
allexcosta said:
What amp have you been playing lately?
Gonna gig with the 4Pro?
How loud is the band and drummer?
Are you coming back here to tell us how you like it?
Click to expand...

I have been using a
RBI / crown xls 1500 drivecore. Its does the job but I've spent so much time and $$$ trying to get the ampeg sound, I decided just to by ampeg. I was done with equipment that stated that they can emulate the apmeg tone, and some come damn close but I wanted the the sound from the source not a faux-ampeg tone.
The drummer is a very controlled drummer. I never had a problem with that. Its always trying to punch thru the mix. The guitarist uses mesa...awesome sound. and the other uses marshall and together ( all of us ) all my runs/walks get lost almost not heard. I wanted that growl to kinda say.." yes I mean what I play" I know the sound guy should fix the mix but thats another issue....

The band isnt that loud as we are mic'd or DI to the board but those damn guitar players are always in competition with each other...who can out do who.... grrrrrrr I can hear them from their cabs and thru the monitors, I dont go thru the monitors... I DI out and can only hear my cab. I have no idea what the house sounds like half the time.


I will be giggin with the svt4pro, starting this saturday :)

I will update you as to the how it all works out.

I want to add I played thru a GK 800rb for a LONG time with no issues and that amp was a nice sounding amp with great tone! and a true work horse!
 
#7
The 4 PRO has a LARGE amount of low end with everything set flat. I suggest not boosting the low end at all and make sure you set the gain knob quite high - make sure it flashes red on nearly every note you play. Also, do not push the Ultra Low button no matter how good you think it sounds. If you want to be heard in the band mix, do not kill your midrange.

Make sure you wire the speakon cable correctly for mono-bridging. Otherwise, you will not get the full amount of power.
 
#8
Gearhead17 said:
The 4 PRO has a LARGE amount of low end with everything set flat. I suggest not boosting the low end at all and make sure you set the gain knob quite high - make sure it flashes red on nearly every note you play. Also, do not push the Ultra Low button no matter how good you think it sounds. If you want to be heard in the band mix, do not kill your midrange.

Make sure you wire the speakon cable correctly for mono-bridging. Otherwise, you will not get the full amount of power.
Click to expand...

yep... with the RBI .. I have the mids at 3 0'clock... 3/4 of the way up, presence @3 oclock, bass @noon, treb at @2 oclock, level out at 3 oclock and still get lost. when I turn up to hear then Im too loud. I have to see how the svt4pro has to be tweaked in the mix to cut thru.
 
#9
Pros: Extremely nice amp! Tons of power on tap (too much in some cases), extremely versatile tones, the ability to bi-amp, run in stereo, or bridge to mono, One of the few amps I have owned that goes down to 2 ohms.

Cons: It was fuggin' heavy! The rack case requirements for it means that you need a larger case if you're going to be protecting it, which means more added weight. I think my rack when I had this amp weighed almost 150lbs.


I seriously miss the sweet tone and features that this amp has, but my back sure doesn't miss the weight.
 
#10
JimmyM said:
totally useless to bridge mono into a 215. you'll never be able to put anywhere near that much power into one. i doubt you'd be able to even put half of it into that cab. however, i think it's a great head...and i totally don't believe the nonsense about it being underpowered. i always find out that those who think it's underpowered have the gain set way too low because they mistake the input light for a clip light. that light needs to be lighting pretty constantly and the gain needs to be cranked pretty hard to get full clean volume out of it. if you use your ears instead of the light, you will find all the extra power.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more! I checked out a band that was opening for Robin Trower a while back and this kid was using a 4Pro and an 8X10 (same rig that I use). This was a 3500 seat venue in Saint Louis and I was at the (FOH) board. I have seldom heard that combination sound better...It was SMOKIN!!! I mean, SCREAMIN!! I asked the board op what he was doing for the kid - his reply - nothing. I never reach the volume that this kid was hitting (at least for the last 25 or so years) and I was damned impressed with the amp....Here's the kicker...Robin's bassist (I apologize, can't recall his name) was using a MarkBass rig (6X10 cab) and it left me feeling a little bit "Wanting"...go figure...and, as always, IMO and YMMV!! :D:p:D
 
#11
Of all their hybrid stuff it's the only one I like. I think 1600W is generous (and yes, I know how to properly set the Gain/Volume outputs) but it's still pretty dang loud, as long as you have it properly mono-bridged. I've played them with just one side and yes that's where even I go "Where's the juice?"
But with a 410 or 810 it'll be way more than you'll ever use. I like it simply b/c of the graphic EQ and other options. I liked the tone of my M9 more, but that was on my short list. I actually will be recording through one this weekend so will see how that goes.
 
#12
I've heard horror stories about these Ampeg heads since they moved the manufacturing out of the United States. Do you guys think the reliability of the Ampeg heads are starting to come back to what they used to be?
I've never owned one, but have always been interested in a SVT-4 Pro. That's why I'm asking.
 
#13
Killens84 said:
I've heard horror stories about these Ampeg heads since they moved the manufacturing out of the United States. Do you guys think the reliability of the Ampeg heads are starting to come back to what they used to be?
I've never owned one, but have always been interested in a SVT-4 Pro. That's why I'm asking.
Click to expand...

I have to be honest here, I got my 4Pro about 6 years (or so) ago when they were still being built here..I have never had a problem with mine and it has never let me down. I have carted that beast from one coast to another (in a rack) and it performs flawlessly. Since then, I have gotten a Heritage 8X10 and a Heritage CL. I have played some of the off-shore stuff in backlines and it seems (at least to me) to be fine.


Cheers!!
 
#15
Killens84 said:
I've heard horror stories about these Ampeg heads since they moved the manufacturing out of the United States. Do you guys think the reliability of the Ampeg heads are starting to come back to what they used to be?
I've never owned one, but have always been interested in a SVT-4 Pro. That's why I'm asking.
Click to expand...

It's been enough for guys like Billy Sheehan to switch, so if I were getting a 4Pro (which I looked at extensively) I would only get a US-made one. Especially if it were used. But you can still find US-made ones no problem; actually/probably moreso than the new(er) imports.
 
#17
Gearhead17 said:
I had a USA model and a Vietnam model. I purposely switched them for shows just to see if I could hear the difference. Same sounds, same controls and neither one died during at least 70 shows. Good enough for me!
Click to expand...

Well unless they specifically changed the pre/power/gain stages of the amp, yeah they're gonna sound pretty close there Chet... :o
 
#18
there was a time when ampeg first moved where they had a problem with qc. that time is over and has been for a couple years, and i don't ever recall the 4 pro being one of the amps that had qc issues. the heads sound the same and work the same to my ears, and the cabs are actually better than the previous slm cabs. ampeg's made a big comeback under the new loud regime, and the previous head idiots are gone.
 
#19
Well I haven't really used it yet. I have a 2-15 8ohm jbl cab in the house. I only had a bridge mono speaker cable so that what I used. so with the amp in B/M into that cab the gain up to the light flashing with almost with every note.... I cant really move the master volume knob much at all with out the wife screamin! The low end is huge, it rattled the crap out of the house. The power seems soooo much different than the crown xls1500 drivecore / RBI rig! I even ran the crown bridged-mono into a 4ohm cab. that was supposed to be 1550 watts but what ever it was it can compete with the SVT. There was no punch or balls behind the crown. They are two completely different animals. I will update after the show this weekend. its not a big room... I think like 750 or so seats but will let you know.
 

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