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SVT... Dislike?

#61
Mark Reccord said:
It would be worth your while to try one with a good 810 or the (IMO) holy grail NV610. Categorically different than the 410HLF. You still might not care for it, but at least you'll have given it a fair shake. Keep the ultra-lo button in the neutral position and add low end to taste with the "bass" knob. It's not going to sound like a really modern rig but an SVT can definitely sound not muddy. :D
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Agreed - they also have to be heard in a band mix to be fairly judged of their capabilities... To me, the classic SVT/810e rig sounds "OK" by itself, but really shows it's merits in a band mix...


- georgestrings
 
#62
I think you'll find that the Modern SVT Classic sounds nothing like a vintage (69-81) SVT. Completely different preamp. Makes all the difference in the world. Everyone has their own tastes but if you play through a properly setup vintage SVT rig it sounds like nothing else.
 
#63
If you're not used to them, and don't have alot of time to play around with one, then any ampeg 810 cab or SVT head from any era can sound like mud. I'm really not used to them, and about 90% of the time they are the backline i sound pretty muddy and distorted, and surprisingly not loud enough.

But then invariably the next band will get up there and the bassist sounds awesome through it, clear and VERY loud. You just have to get the hang of one and play around with it and tailor the sound to your needs. They are not as easy (for me) to dial in as the B15. Personally, I don't like it for my sound but I keep hearing people sound awesome through them. They are the ubiquitous backline so as one promoter told me years ago "you better get used to it and find a way to make it sound good 'cause you're gonna be seeing alot of these as backline."
 
#64
DiabolusInMusic said:
I do have some dislike for the SVT because it isn't your basses tone it is the SVT's tone. Which is fine for some folks, but I do not enjoy it.

A part of it is the cab, but if your into hi-fi clean(er) sounding amps, you cannot really get that tone out the SVT, the closest you will get is by pushing in the high boost button.
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I have svt pro 3 into an810 but with a musicman sterling and I get low with clarity. Can't name drop but I have just been accused of being a 'great' bassist by someone big in 70's who you would all know!! All down to my rig !!
 
#65
I've been playing an SVT 5Pro since 2005 with an 810e and just got an SVT classic. Its a completely different animal. The 5 pro could get a real nice clean sound, but in the combo mode running the channels combined when i mixed in the the distortion channel was really not a real tube sound. The 1 12ax7 tube really didn't cut it for real tube warmth. Otherwise the amp is a monster, and solid as a rock. The SVT Classic is really designed to do its best work with an 810e. The sound is great, I have been able to dial in a decent number of tonal variations and it cuts through like a knife while yielding a nice bottom. It is also loud as balls! I am 54 yrs old and hauling around an 80lb head with a 160 lb bass cab, so I gotta tell ya it has to sound good for me to be willing to do that! Haven't decided if I am going to sell the 5pro or keep it as a backup....but in any case, you need to work the Classic to extract its potential. It doesn't always give it up on the first date.
 
#66
It's the 410HLF! For every fearful fanboy on here, I'm the anti-fanboy for the HLF. Don't judge an SVT with that cab, it just plain sucks. Try it with the sealed 810. It rocks for me, it may not for you, but you never know until you try. BTW, mine is a vintage SVT and 810 flatback.
 
#67
#68
I have owned both an SVT and a SuperRedhead (with a triad cab underneath and the output rewired to split the wattage between). REALLY different tones. You'll hear the term "hi-fi" when talking about the SWR and "old-school" with an SVT. (Does anybody else hate trying to describe tone?)
Anyway, I think a person or twelve might have mentioned this before, but that cab is horrible with an SVT.
 
#70
I usually prefer playing one of my vintage SVT's, but I definitely dont think they're always the best choice for every bassist, band or type of gig.

I've been gigging my Mesa 400+ quite a bit lately and have rediscovered that sometimes I prefer how it sits in the band mix better for my tastes. I've also been digging using my Peavey Classic 400 at rehearsals, there's prolly lots of other amps I'd dig too, even though I still consider my SVT's to be my favorite amps.

I love my SVT's, but kinda like my favorite type of food, I wouldnt wanna be limited to eating it all the time...
 
#71
MoeGJBeener said:
So my band played the new Maryland Live Casino in Arundel Mills last night and they have and in house SVT Classic head and a 410HFL cab. I have never actually played an SVT rig and was pretty excited to finally do so. (i usually play SWR or Hartke rigs)

anywho, i eq'd and eq'd that thing all night long. played with the gain and master as well and could not get it to sound right in my head.

i know these are supposed to be the "standard" in bass rigs but i just couldnt stand what i was hearing. it was all low end, boomy, muddiness. it sounded decent on our hard driving rock songs but any pop, hip-hop, country stuff, it was terrible. No "life" and just didnt "sing" to me like i had hoped. guess im just a sucker for hifi articulate amps and cabs.

anyone else feel this way, or am i crazy?? :hiding:
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I was pretty excited to pick up an SVT-CL on the cheap,...but I hear you on the lifelessness and mudiness. Currently running with an Avatar B410NEO and a Tolex Era Kustom 2x15 POS. The plan is to replace the 2x15 with a matching B410NEO at some point.

That is beyond the point though. What I found to be the culprit of the muddy lifelessness wasn't the amp, but my strings. I play a Warwick Thumb BO 5er and it had 5 year old Warwick Black Labels in an insufficient gauge for being tuned down a whole step.

When I replaced those strings with some fresh Circle K's in an appropriate gauge for Tuning down to A,....the tone I was looking for was there. Growly,...throaty,...powerful,...and authoritative, but still bright and articulate. Everything I had heard a Thumb sound like,...but had never been able to achieve myself.

I realize that the SVT sound isn't for everyone and in a former life,...I didn't really care for it myself, thought it too ubiquitous...but these days,...I'm happy to lug around that beast of an amp and I will likely be buying a lifetime supply of those strings.
 
#72
I used an SVT head through various cabinets from the mid 70's until the early-mid 80's. I usually used a 2X15 folded horn cabinet, or a couple 15" EV speakers. I too, was disappointed at first. I had been boosting the mids trying all three mid frequency positions. One practice, I cut the mids, with the switch at the lowest setting, and there it was. I used a 64 P bass, with an active preamp I built in the bass, and fresh Rotosound roundwounds. Tonal nirvana and the tone I still strive for today.
 
#74
JimmyM said:
:eyebrow:

Poppycock, balderdash, and horse feathers ;) Either that or you were using one of the darker sounding Ampeg cabs from 2000-2006 with it. I've got some wildly different sounding basses, and all the little differences and nuances between them show up just fine when I use an SVT/810 rig. A lot of people talk about wanting "the sound of their bass only louder." Well that and the B-15 are what gets it done for me. But in one of those darker 810e's, I will admit that a lot of that nuance stuff gets eaten up.
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I realize this is a super late replay, but actually I ran my SVT-CL through my Markbass 6x10 and 4x10, an Ampeg 4x10 HLF (front ported whichever model that is) Ampeg 6x10 sealed, and my Epifani 3x10. The Epifani giving the most accurate representation of tone. I stand by my opinion that the Ampeg has a noticeably coloured sound on my tone. It is world's apart my Markbass head or a GK or Hartke head, heck any "modern" sounding head.

It is not that you couldn't tell different basses were coming through, you can definitely tell the nuances of a Stingray vs a P bass, but it added a colour to the tone of every one of them in my opinion. I never once said it was bad, it is just not what I look for in an amp, there was a time when it was.

I honestly found I couldn't just get the sound of my bass when running any of them through my SVT-CL. I do feel my Markbass head/Epifani cab does a much better job of sounding like my bass. My Markbass cab is voiced low mid heavy, so I don't think it is the best representation of my bass either.
 
#76
Steve Dallman said:
I used an SVT head through various cabinets from the mid 70's until the early-mid 80's. I usually used a 2X15 folded horn cabinet, or a couple 15" EV speakers. I too, was disappointed at first. I had been boosting the mids trying all three mid frequency positions. One practice, I cut the mids, with the switch at the lowest setting, and there it was. I used a 64 P bass, with an active preamp I built in the bass, and fresh Rotosound roundwounds. Tonal nirvana and the tone I still strive for today.
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most helpful post. dont be afraid of not cutting thru by cutting mids(dont cut too much) because the ampeg svt though an ampeg 8x10 is mid heavy anyway. you will be cutting through with sheer power! i set my 80's svt with flatback 8x10 treble flat. mids 10:30oclock(800). bass 1:30 oclock. sounds amazing with a jazz or p bass. i cut bass some with the p bass. dont use switches. i bridge the channels. channel 2 treble 10 oclock and bass 9 oclock. doing this helps me add more definition. both channels 9 oclock on volume
 
#79
SVT-350 is not my favorite amp ever. That series of amps is more geared toward those who don't like the usual Ampeg stuff. They're just OK for me. I've used them and gotten good tones out of them, but it's certainly not typical of what you usually get with Ampegs.
 

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