SVT 6 Pro vs. Mesa 400+

Go try them out and you tell us... didn't you just get back from auditioning the SVT810E? You can try out either of those amps with that cabinet at pretty much any Guitar Center in the US.

 

SOL, then. I'm sure you could find a 400+ somewhere within driving distance.

When you ask a "versus" question, you are asking for people's personal opinions. The most important personal opinion is your own (unless you are getting paid).

Since you're asking for personal opinions:

I'd say neither, especially at the prices for those units new. Nothing against either amp, just not my style. Personally, putting anything on top of an Ampeg SVT810E other than a real Ampeg SVT (the CL) is a sin. Why bother lugging around that beast of a cabinet when you don't have the head that was intended to drive it?

I had the classic set up for years: SVT (before they called it a CL) head with an SVT (before they had to call is an 810E) 8x10" cabinet. Great for that rock sound, but too much to move around.

Again, the above is my personal opinion. Plenty of other folks use all kinds of amps with the SVT-810E.

 

The Ampeg SVT CL is NOT as real SVT, stating they are is a sin :scowl:

I'd say try the 400+, the all tube sound is soo much fuller, but the Mesa 400+ is more of a scooped sound, SVT's are more mid boosted

 

Ampeg is more plug and play. The 400+ will take a lot more getting used to, since the way the interface works is a little more complicated.

I think you should be fine on punch with either setup, provided you have the right cabinets.

You can probably find either of these heads on Ebay for a fraction of the price new. I got my Bass 400 off ebay.

 

They are both 300 watt heads

However, you might want to look into an ampeg SVT-II if you prefer the ampeg sound, it is also plug and play, but it has an EQ that can be controlled by a footswitch and has the standard ampeg 5-way mid selector

 

More advice:

Don't judge an amp by its features, judge it by its sound and how you sound through it. A graphic equalizer does not necessarily mean something is "more flexible."

You'd be very surprised about how much "flexibility" you can have in a preamplifier with just one control; gain.

Also, you best tool in changing tones is your hands. You'd be surprised at how similar different amps can sound through the same cabinet; it is a matter of ease of use, at times.

 

If you are looking for low end (like a low B, or even a 4 string detuned to D), an Ampeg 810 is really not the way to go... That said, I think the 400+ is better than just about any Ampeg head today, but that may just be a personal prefrance. However, I also think that more comparable Ampeg heads are the 2-Pro, -II, and the origional SVT.

 

FWIW - I owned both a SVT6PRO and a Mesa mPulse 600. I kept trying to hear the difference between them.

So - I plugged my bass into a BossGT-6B and bypassed all the effects.

I sent the LEFT output into the Mesa - and the RIGHT output into the Ampeg. I set all controls to neutral and kept the gain at the same relative spot on both amps.

I then recorded the direct outs (including pre/and eq stage) of each amp into descrete channels on my ProTools rig.

Guess what?

There was no discernable difference in tone.

Now, when plugged into cabs there were more noticable differences.

Into a AccuGroove Tri210L and my Aquilar GS112 I preferred the sound of the Mesa. It had a more natural sound to my ears.

I also thought the EQ section of the Mesa was more versitile. So even though my mPulse 600 is over a year old - and the SVT6 was brand new - I kept the mPulse and sold the SVT6.

Just my .02

 

Well if you want to buy a new svt from ampeg that's what they sell. Kind of defines it as an svt don't you think? Just because you don't like them, so what?

 

Not true. Same thing as one of those crap Music123 Tobias basses being called a REAL Tobias. They might have the same name, but that doesn't make them have the same quality or sound.

 

What about the SVT 2 Pro then ? its the same essencially just with more dials and in a rackmountable case

All of the pro series models are called "SVT"'s, yet that doesnt make them an SVT, as Fretless5verfan said, they are totally different, in quality, sound and construct

 

Vintage SVT (and -II) = Awesome sounding
SVT-CL = Sounds like an imitation of the true vintage SVT

 

i would go either for the Mesa 400+ or the Svt Classic, once you use an all tube amp rarely you go back to Tube/solid state.

 

If your "you" means "me", you (meaning you, not me) would be wrong.

 

Same here. SS has its place with me...as do Tubes. A marshall VBA 400, although INSANE in its own right, will never cut it for my prog band. Just not quick enough....doesn't mean i still won't own one to compliment my future Millenia/CA-9 rig