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To fridge or not to fridge?

#83
jon thomas said:
A local dude is selling his Ampeg SVT810 for $350.


Looks to be in great condition, do I just toss caution to the wind and go big even though I do not "need" anything this monstrous? Of course I "want" this and could probably flip it if I get sick of moving it around.

(I have a smaller 2x10 cab that is just meh and a Veyron bv1000m to power it right now).View attachment 5282588
Click to expand...
Once you hear a fridge pushed by a classic blueline SVT, holy hell you'll never be able to unhear that sweet warm breakup and henceforth every solid state amp will sound like dookie. I once squandered my membership in a local post punk band where I was allowed to use the bandleaders fridge/blueline and to this day I still dream about the first time I plucked a note through those sweet honey tubes. Needless to say I regret not keeping my own vices im check, having access to a rig like that was one hell of a perk.
 
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#84
Short4since64 said:
If you intend to get a genuine vintage SVT head (pre-SLM) to push it, then fridge 100%. If not, don't. Personal opinion - Ampeg 810s driven by anything else have no bottom and no top, sound like cardboard boxes. The sound that defined bass in the 70s requires both.
Click to expand...

I've never seen or heard that said before about SVT heads. My understanding is that SLM "Skunkworks" are also quite well regarded and highly sought after.

I've played through a late '70s Magnavox SVT, a couple of '89 SLM SVT-IIs (NP), and a LOUD-era SVT-CL--with 810 fridges and other cabs. I didn't notice any tonal problems due to the heads. I know plenty who've also used Heritage VR's and 50th Ano heads with no complaints about the tone from those.
 
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#85
jon thomas said:
A local dude is selling his Ampeg SVT810 for $350.


Looks to be in great condition, do I just toss caution to the wind and go big even though I do not "need" anything this monstrous? Of course I "want" this and could probably flip it if I get sick of moving it around.

(I have a smaller 2x10 cab that is just meh and a Veyron bv1000m to power it right now).View attachment 5282588
Click to expand...

You have to ask?!
 
#87
I like the ampeg tube tone. I've played plenty but I think i've captured that tone in a pf50t, 112, and old ampeg bass. It would be fun to own one but I'm happier with my 400+ 215 210 boogie..which collects dust in a garage.
 
#88
  • IMG_9800.jpeg
    And yes. Everyone needs at least 1 opportunity to fridge!!
 
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#89
Fridge is a middy cab. Which, frankly, is where the magic is anyway. Some folks hate them and it's because they could not shape the input frequencies properly. Fridges are best used with SVTs because SVTs (at least... the Magnavox era ones) have such endless tone-shaping capabilities. SVT/Fridge....the live-gigging experience, for the band and the audience, is unmatched.

But if it's just going to be a studio slut, then you'd be better off with almost anything else.
 
#90
Deleted member 271037 said:
If you had to do the same with a 410HLF you would probably wish you had the 810.;) The handlebar and the wheel on the 810 makes a huge difference. Many smaller cabs are far worse, at least if you have to carry them alone.
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The wheels on the 810 do no good unless the cabinet is standing almost vertical when going up the stairs. At that point you're lifting the cab at each step. It's a heavy beast.
 
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#92
MotorCityMinion said:
The wheels on the 810 do no good unless the cabinet is standing almost vertical when going up the stairs. At that point you're lifting the cab at each step. It's a heavy beast.
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I know, it certainly be a nightmare in tight staircases. But dragging something like 410HLF up a staircase on your own can be even worse in my experience. At least if you've doing it alone. If you've got someone to help you the 410 will be MUCH easier of course but the 810 will still be a nightmare!;)

Personally I think one of the worst part of moving an SVT w/810 is when you have to lift the SVT on top of the cab. Luckily there are usually others around to help at load-in/soundchecks.
 
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#96
"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them - but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one. That is why they are dangerous."
- H.S.T
 
#97
Grinderman said:
I've never seen or heard that said before about SVT heads. My understanding is that SLM "Skunkworks" are also quite well regarded and highly sought after.

I've played through a late '70s Magnavox SVT, a couple of '89 SLM SVT-IIs (NP), and a LOUD-era SVT-CL--with 810 fridges and other cabs. I didn't notice any tonal problems due to the heads. I know plenty who've also used Heritage VR's and 50th Ano heads with no complaints about the tone from those.
Click to expand...
I've had a 69 (with the driver circuit mod applied) and a 74, both thru fridges and thru JBL 15s. The grit and grind of a blue line SVT into a fridge is in a class of it's own. If that's the particular sound you're looking for, i.e the defining bass sound of the 70's, none of the newer amps, the ones without the 12DW7/6C4 lineup in the preamp, will give it to you. It's like the newer Marshall amps make noise, but not the joyful noise of a pre-master Super Lead 100 dimed.
 
#98
baxter_x said:
Depends on the design. My fender neo 810 is massive but not really what I would call middy.
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My comment applies to the Ampeg 810e only. It is decidedly a middy cab, and I suppose this is why some folks don't care for it. Also, it seems to me it pairs most perfectly with the SVT head, and my strong preference for SVT heads is the earlier ones, through the MTI and Skunkworks era. My MTI was one of the first, and was built using the 12DW7 circuitry. It is, for all intents and purposes, a Magnavox-era head.

On the topic of middy-ness, we know that our ears and brains don't actually hear a low E (41 hz). We hear the 82. Very low frequencies, and subs to produce them, are fun but they require a lot of power and we don't actually hear them as much as feel them. The 810e just does not do this. But what it does very well is produce the frequencies that are in the 'sweet spot' for bass guitar. The frequencies and tones our ears and brains actually hear. The SVT/810e combination is thought (certainly by me) to be history's finest overall bass rig for live performance. Others disagree.
 
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#99
Short4since64 said:
If you intend to get a genuine vintage SVT head (pre-SLM) to push it, then fridge 100%. If not, don't. Personal opinion - Ampeg 810s driven by anything else have no bottom and no top, sound like cardboard boxes. The sound that defined bass in the 70s requires both.
Click to expand...
Several years ago I bought a blueline with matching flatback cab. First gig it blew the mains fuse (previous owner never took it out of the house, and it had a fast blow rather than slow blow, IIRC).

Grabbed the GK MB500 Fusion out of my gig bag and fired it up. It sounded fantastic. Not SVT juicy, but really great. Loads of players are using 810s without the SVT amp.
 
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