There's also the Ampeg Classic Analog Bass Preamp. You can plug it into either the instrument input with the Genz tone controls set flat or into the effects return and you should get much closer to the Ampeg tone.
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That Ampeg sound
- Thread starter Skyvalley
- Start date
Hi Skyvalley 
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Five times Ampeg in one post?
Go and buy number 6!
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
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Five times Ampeg in one post?
Go and buy number 6!
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
1) Sell the shuttle and get an Ampeg PF head.
2) Get any number of preamp pedals and run them in front of, or in the effects loop of, your current head.
Simple as that.
However, keep in mind that (to me) a HUGE part of the Ampeg sound is sealed 10" speaker cabs. Perhaps @JimmyM can point you in the right direction if you want to remain light and portable. But ported 12s simply will not get you all the way there.
If the goal is the Ampeg sound, and it's really important to you, start over. Maybe a PF head and a couple vertically-stacked 2-10 seaped Ampeg cabs.
2) Get any number of preamp pedals and run them in front of, or in the effects loop of, your current head.
Simple as that.
However, keep in mind that (to me) a HUGE part of the Ampeg sound is sealed 10" speaker cabs. Perhaps @JimmyM can point you in the right direction if you want to remain light and portable. But ported 12s simply will not get you all the way there.
If the goal is the Ampeg sound, and it's really important to you, start over. Maybe a PF head and a couple vertically-stacked 2-10 seaped Ampeg cabs.
I'll chime in with my 2 cents. I typically use a Mesa rig that I'm happy with. But, with that said I have an Ampeg SVT-iip that I run into a Crown power amp and a vintage Ampeg 410. That IS the Ampeg tone. Now... I also use an Ampeg SCR-DI and can attest after comparing it to the SCR-DI into the same power amp and cab that it is very close! I'm not overly fond of the Scrambler circuit but, do find it useful if I use it sparingly. I use the SCR-DI live with my Mesa too and the combination is really good. Don't overlook the SCR-DI, it's a really good tool to have in your bag and is very portable.
Before getting my SVT-CL, I was running a Two Notes Le Bass tube preamp into a Mesa D-800 into an Ampeg 610HLF. It was a great sounding, versatile set-up that did the various tube sounds (from warm to driven) very well. That said, there is something organic in the tone coming out of a 300 watt all-tube head. I've had my SVT for four days now and am amazed at how truly versatile it is. I've played it a lot during this time and have yet to put a pedal in front of it...not even my trusty "always on" compressor. It just didn't seem to need anything. I think I know what you're chasing, but what I've recently learned is that there isn't one Ampeg sound. It's more a layered thickness to whatever tone you prefer that seems be felt as much as heard. I am not playing any louder with this rig than my old one, but I can feel the thump and hear it coming through the mix like never before. I told myself that before it's all said and done, I was going to have the real deal and find the sound that had been living my head. My only complaint is that I didn't do it sooner.
I use an all Ampeg rig, but still have Scrambler and an SCR-DI on the pedal board. When I rehearse with the provided non-Ampeg gear, these go a long way towards getting me back to my comfort zone.
Yep. I don't own an Ampeg amp head, but I have two sealed Ampeg cabs, a 410HE and an 810E (though I'm selling the 8x10 at the moment; it turns out that owning a speaker cabinet that weighs more than you isn't a recipe for ergonomic success).
My 410HE is my "hod rod" cab and the 810E is stock. I loaded the 4x10 with Basslite SC10-16 neo drivers (giving a 4 ohm final load), removed the horn and crossover, wired in a single Speakon jack, and lined the inside of the cab with foam. The final weight is only 57 pounds and thanks to the increased sensitivity, it is within 3 dB of the 8x10's max SPL.
The stock Ampeg drivers, though, do have a special sound with a lot of top end clarity with a few midrange dips; the Basslites are not identical, as one would expect (nor were they designed to be) but they sound great. Playing a big sealed cab at full band volumes is a rewarding experience. Instead of each note having a "ffwwwhhuummm" at the end of it in boomy rooms, you get a staccato "POW". Those are the most scientific terms I could think of to describe it.
To add further commentary, as I see you have a Barefaced cab, I just bought a Barefaced Super Compact. I have A/B'd it with the aforementioned 410HE and yeah, it certainly seems to be able to match it as their website claims in regards to output, though I haven't gig tested it yet. Based on paper benchmarks and measurements, it can most likely do the same gigs as the 410HE. The voicing certainly isn't the same due to drastic design differences in literally every facet, but I feel like the Barefaced cabs can handle and respond to pretty drastic EQ, so the suggestions for an Ampeg-style preamp pedal might be worth considering for your chameleon cabinet.
Man, nothing sounds like an Ampeg except for an Ampeg...I tried an SCR-DI into my GK rigs, and also going direct, it "should have" worked but for me, it didn't, there is something magical about Ampeg amps running through Ampeg 10s, IMHO, I went out and got a BA210 V2 for the project and mic'd it and BOOM, there was the magic. YMMV.
Rock on.
Rock on.
The previously mentioned Ampeg SCR/DI is the preamp stage of an Ampeg BA series amp complimented by some additional features (i.e. speaker emulation circuitry). Going straight into you amp’s effects return with that box should get you pretty close (depending on your cab) to what you’re after. I run an SCR/DI into my SWR SM-400 driving a Goliath Junior II 2x10 cab all the time.
Alternatively, the Barber Linden EQ is the closest thing out there to getting a B-15N tone I’ve heard so far. And I’ve got the real thing to compare it to. Awesome little preamp at a very reasonable price.
But, as others have said, if you absolutely want the real Ampeg sound, you’ll need to get a real Ampeg amp eventually.
Alternatively, the Barber Linden EQ is the closest thing out there to getting a B-15N tone I’ve heard so far. And I’ve got the real thing to compare it to. Awesome little preamp at a very reasonable price.
But, as others have said, if you absolutely want the real Ampeg sound, you’ll need to get a real Ampeg amp eventually.
Another vote for the scr-di. I use a tone hammer setup, but have been craving the Ampeg tone. It definitely gets you in the ballpark and the scrambler, in lower doses, gets closer to the svt growl. It’s not going to replace an svt & fridge, but nothing will. Since your amp is pretty neutral, I would try it in the front of the amp as well as the return. It might sound better in front and provide you more tonal options with the additional pre amp and eq. That’s how I’m using mine.
Bout to fire up the SVT CL and two 810’s with @Dave Hill ’s new Ricky!
I went through all of my amps yesterday (something to do on a rainy day) and when I got to the Ampeg, boom! There it was.
Dave is about to “witness the strength of street knowledge”
I went through all of my amps yesterday (something to do on a rainy day) and when I got to the Ampeg, boom! There it was.
Dave is about to “witness the strength of street knowledge”
It seems that, if you want that " Ampeg " sound, ( whatever THAT means ), you are gonna have to bite the bullet and go all Ampeg. Buy once, cry once. To me, the " Ampeg " sound is a tube head, at least, but either with an Ampeg 810 or 410 cab. Having said that, I am a big Genz Benz shuttle fan, and consider that line one of the most versatile bass heads made. I routinely play Blues gigs, and have no problem at all laying down a nice, fat pillow of sound with a Shuttlemax 12.2. I can also go modern, slap happy with it, or just a good, low mid punch tone when I want on occasion. Have you tried messing around with the very adequate EQ sections at all ? I believe you stated you keep everything flat ? Turn those knobs ! But, if 100% Ampeg sound is what you want, then the answer to your question is pretty obvious.
I have 3 bass amps - a B50R, a B100R, and an SVT PRO 3. No 810 cab, but other than that...Ampeg is the sound I hear in my head, other than those annoying voices...
Wait, what? I was under the impression that a speaker sim is one of the main things that the SCR-DI is notably missing.
you are trying to get a Genz to sound like am Ampeg?
easy answer. Sell Genz and buy Ampeg.....
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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Yes there really is something nice about the Ampeg tone …
Ampeg is my first choice, My second choice is Hartke.
Funny I always thought the Ampeg sound was from a B-15 , Then the SVT later .
The sound on most records is a B-15 . I've always gravitated to the B-15 tone , even when I had a SVT I just tried to make it sound like a huge B-15
Even a couple of Van Halen albums were recorded using a B50R .
