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SVT Classic VS SVT 2PRO

#21
I think I will use my bandmates head for the foreseeable future, but when it comes time to buy I'll probably go vintage reissue or vintage. If I am gonna throw down a lot of money I want it to look cool too as long as the function is there.

That being said, what is the difference between the vintage reissue and Heritage Series? Is the regular one Chinese or something?

I don't even know the tone differences between different eras of SVTs to be honest. Is there a quick bullet list of differences?
 
#22
Whoa! Big question! But I boil them down to separate gain and master vs non-master with a single volume knob. The non-master amps like the VR and old ones have a really cool thing going on with the way the volume knob interacts with the amp that the CL doesn't quite get, but they both can sound very much the same, and the CL lets you get preamp distortion, which may be desirable if you want some grind but don't want to turn up to the insane volume level the non-master SVT's need to get it.

The VR, CL and 2 Pro are now made in South Korea, and the Heritage SVT-CL is made in the US. Haven't played the Heritage, but Korean CL's and VR's made today sound just like the older US models to me. Differences are slight at best.
 
#24
I used to tour with a couple SVT-II Pros many years ago. I got a SVT-CL in 2006 and it was my main head up until very recently.

Out of the two, The 2-Pro wins hands down. I found it to be a more versitile version of the CL. I'm always on the lookout for a new one.
 
#26
well the EQ is optional
if you and your bandmate can agree on a price that's fair to both parties then i'd do that.
you have the head, you know it works and you won't have to pay $100 extra to get something shipped.
but i guess the CL's do come up on craigslist every once in a while.
 
#27
oinkbanana said:
do the newer Korean ones say clearly "made in South Korea"?
which are the ones to avoid? "made in Vietnam"?
Click to expand...
They do say made in Korea, yes. And the Vietnamese heads were great heads, but out of the gate they had some QC problems. But by now, I would think the vast majority of those problems had been fixed, and they should be good to go if they're working now.
 
#28
I own a vintage SVT, an SVT II pro and recently acquired an SVT CL.

The II pro and the CL sound almost identical, with the edge IMO going to the CL. I find it sounds closer to my Vintage.

I also found I never used any of the extra features the II pro had, I just used it like a CL. So I will be getting rid of it.

The 74 SVT is much darker and grindier sounding than both the CL and the II pro.
 
#29
Non-master SVTs tend to sound more open. Could be just that my ears come to expect a certain volume with certain tones, but it sounded very natural.

Also, keep in mind you might want to add a case for the 2 Pro. But rackmountability can be a feature to some.
 
#33
I recently bought a 2 pro- sounds great but seems not to be as loud, or "bassy" as my CL (both are us made- CL 2001, 2pro is 2006/2007) - tubes are newer in the 2pro - both appear to be correctly biased and I love the tones coming out of the 2pro given the "bright" & "Drive" knobs...but the 2pro seems quite a bit quieter (at least at settings below high noon on both gain and master , plus the peak light starts to come on with gain as low as 2 or 3 very quickly if the pad is off)
of course the CL has a -15db input channel - but whether I compare them with 0 or -15 db the CL is quite a bit louder.

the 2pro is from Long and McQuade, they have the entire history on it

(sold new in 2007, traded in against other purchase in 2012, added to their rental fleet and re-tubed in 2013, seeing only 340 rental days since then) they bench tested - found no issues in the signal path, ie - nothing to fix, and feel its just the way the attenuation works on the gain pot...

any one out there have any experience or input on having a similar variance? input is appreciated

I love them both - but worry about running out of head room on the 2 pro (perhaps given the extra volume boost capabilities in the Graphic Eq, the gain/input volume is lower by design?)

thanks in advance!
 
#35
thanks Rod!

I do understand your points - I am hoping see / understand if this is a consensus/known characteristic among those with more experience across the SVT user spectrum as everything i can find/read does not mention anything like that (i can't wait to try them side by side in loud environment to validate your note of volume tapering (playing live/with loud accompaniment, when no one is home to go deaf with me while i do... etc)

Thinking along the same lines as you, i have also posed the same question to Ampeg Support to see what comments they may have.

Part of what I most love about their sound is the ability to get a great natural distortion by driving the gain hard (In a controlled way) - i find it blows away most (any) distortion/overdrive effect pedal etc in its quality and usability in live/studio settings

Any other comments- please keep them coming

jf
 
#36
First, some of y'all do realize that an SVT II, an SVT II Pro, and an SVT 2 Pro are 3 different amps, right? And the OP asked about a 2 Pro.

I have an early 70s SVT and a 2 Pro. I also had an SVT VR for a while, but decided I liked the vintage SVT better than the VR (which I attribute to the tubes I have in it versus the stock tubes in the VR), so sold the VR.

If I could only keep one, it would be the 2 Pro. I virtually never use the Graphic EQ, but it is nice in that, in addition to the EQ band sliders, it also has an overall level slider. So, if you also have the foot switch, you can leave the GEQ set flat, but (for example) set the overall level slider up a few dB. Then use the footswitch to turn the GEQ on/off to give yourself an instant volume boost (or cut).

Also, I like what I can do with the Drive knob.

The vintage SVT doesn't give me either of those options, and I don't think it sounds any better than running the 2 Pro with the Master wide open and controlling volume with the Gain. The vintage SVT just has that vintage look that can be a cool thing to have on stage. So, to ME, the 2 Pro gives me everything that the vintage SVT does (except for that look) plus more.

And the 2 Pro has bias adjustments right on the back, with LEDs to tell me when it's right, so I can easily change power tubes myself, without a tech. Bonus!
 
#38
If you're asking me, all I can say is that matched settings mean nothing. The only two things that matter to me are how easily I can play it at very low volume, and how loud it is at the point it starts to have some distortion. As loud as it will play soft enough and loud enough, where the knob is pointing is meaningless to me - well, as long as there's enough movement between the two extremes to let me control it.

If they are both equally loud at the onset of distortion, what different does it make if one volume knob is pointing at 1:00 and the other is pointing at 2:00 (for example)?

My 2 Pro is much easier to control at the very lowest volumes. My vintage SVT has a very narrow spot where it goes from nothing to pretty loud.

I have never had any need to turn either one up to the point of starting to distort, so I really don't know where the volume knob would be pointing at that point. They both get plenty loud and clean enough for me (so far - I admit I've never used either one outdoors, though I have wished I had brought one or the other a couple of times).
 
#40
check the bias and also check that your impedance switch is in the right position.

my svtII with my passive pbass will start to distort just a little with the volume about the 11oclock position, straight up is pretty much all the amp has and it anymore turn of the volume will only maybe get it a little crispier sounding or nothing at all...no more volume.

my amp does start to sound a little weak at times, loss of headroom...then i usually reset the bias and it's a beast again. the amp loves to get hit with my distortion pedal.
 

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