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Used SVT Pro's availability

P

pglaser01

Mar 19, 2013
1,612
2,694
St. Louis, MO
www.dudeabidesstl.com
Disclosures
If only I were that good....
#1
hey all,

I've always looked around the used market for reworking my rig. In the past, I always saw a wealth of SVT 3Pro's up for sale, and 4Pro's hard to come by.

However, now I'm rarely seeing any 3Pro's around, and a lot more 4Pro's being put up for resale...7Pro's are also typically available used when I search.

Anyone have any thoughts? Seeing the same thing? I'm wondering if it's just the market, or other variables?
 
#2
pglaser01 said:
and a lot more 4Pro's being put up for resale
Click to expand...
Most likely because that amp is heavy, very powerful and is not plug and play. You need to understand the Mono/stereo and crossover thing.
I've used that amp for around 6-7 years. It's to me one of the best gigging amp on the market. I'm thinking about having one back as I miss mine. Sold it for a Titan V12, but the particular warm growly to of the SVT4 is unique to me.
 
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#4
I know what you mean OP. I do see more 4 pros and less 3 pros on craigslist than I did a few years ago. I even see SVT 5 Pros and 6 Pros pop up now and then. My guess is that folks are going for lighter heads. The 3 Pro, which I have, is light enough that it may be harder to justify replacing it with a micro head. The 7 Pro is relatively new, so, I'm not surprised there are more used ones available now then there were a few years ago. Just like the PF heads which are also relatively new. I frequently see them on Craislist.

I'm also seeing less SVTCLs and SVT 2 Pros (or non-Pros) on Craigslist than I did a few years ago. I guess this kind of goes against my theory that people are replacing their heavy amps for micro heads. Maybe players can justify selling their heavy solid state heads for lighter micro heads, but they won't part with their all tube heads even if the tube heads mostly sit at home.
 
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#5
Ben B said:
Maybe players can justify selling their heavy solid state heads for lighter micro heads, but they won't part with their all tube heads even if the tube heads mostly sit at home.
Click to expand...

Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but this certainly applies to me.
At one point in time I owned a 3PRO and a 2PRO. The 3PRO was my "lightweight" head at the time.

I ended up selling them both to fund a Verellen tube head, and then picked up an Aguilar TH500 as my micro. Now I play the Aguilar 90% of the time while my Verellen collects dust. :(

As I said above, there are times I think about looking for a used 3PRO again, just because I really liked the sound of it. However, I wouldn't ever buy another 2PRO... mine was in the shop almost as much as it was in use. Maybe it was a lemon, but I had nothing but trouble with it. Sounded amazing though... tough to beat an all-tube Ampeg. My Verellen is no slouch, but it is different...
 
#6
NKBassman said:
I ended up selling them both to fund a Verellen tube head, and then picked up an Aguilar TH500 as my micro. Now I play the Aguilar 90% of the time while my Verellen collects dust. :(
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I would really love to be using an all tube SVT, but I fear that if I bought one, it would mostly collect dust. My B-25B is loud enough for practice and most gigs, so, even my 3 Pro mostly sits at home. It sound very similar to the B-25B and has much more headroom, so, I really should use it more.
 
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#7
Good info guys,

I can see people dumping the need for a 4pro unless they need a crap ton of volume. But with newer FOH cabs such becoming extremely efficient, that doesn't seem to be an issue...shoot I played an outdoor Back line with a 4Pro. Never turned it up past 4....

I always thought there were problems with the 3Pro reliability, which is why the used sections were full of them. Perhaps I was misinformed??
 
#8
pglaser01 said:
Good info guys,

I can see people dumping the need for a 4pro unless they need a crap ton of volume. But with newer FOH cabs such becoming extremely efficient, that doesn't seem to be an issue...shoot I played an outdoor Back line with a 4Pro. Never turned it up past 4....

I always thought there were problems with the 3Pro reliability, which is why the used sections were full of them. Perhaps I was misinformed??
Click to expand...

Not for me. My 2PRO gave me a lot of trouble, though.
 
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#9
pglaser01 said:
I always thought there were problems with the 3Pro reliability, which is why the used sections were full of them. Perhaps I was misinformed??
Click to expand...

No, there were problems with early versions of the 7 Pro. The 3 Pro has always been reliable. The only quirks with the 3 Pro are:

1. to get them loud, you need to really crank the gain knob and max the level (right side) slider on the graphic EQ. The manual does not explain it, so, some people conclude the amp is under-powered.

2. if the amp sounds weak and is getting unwanted distortion at a low volume level, power section rebiasing is likely needed. My 3 Pro has never hit this issue. I guess the bias was set right from the factory and has not drifted. Other people have hit this issue with both used and new 3 Pros. It's an easy fix for a skilled technician.
 
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#10
Ben B said:
No, there were problems with early versions of the 7 Pro. The 3 Pro has always been reliable. The only quirks with the 3 Pro are:

1. to get them loud, you need to really crank the gain knob and max the level (right side) slider on the graphic EQ. The manual does explain it, so, some people conclude the amp is under-powered.

2. if the amp sounds weak and is getting unwanted distortion at a low volume level, power section rebiasing is likely needed. My 3 Pro has never hit this issue. I guess the bias was set right from the factory and has not drifted. Other people have hit this issue with both used and new 3 Pros. It's an easy fix for a skilled technician.
Click to expand...

Cranking the gain knob on the 3PRO... yes definitely makes a huge (positive) difference in output volume and tone! But I never had to resort to using the EQ level to boost the signal further than that.

I also thought it always sounded "better" into 4 ohms than into 8 ohms... in a subtle, unquantifiable way.
 
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#11
NKBassman said:
Cranking the gain knob on the 3PRO... yes definitely makes a huge (positive) difference in output volume and tone! But I never had to resort to using the EQ level to boost the signal further than that.
Click to expand...

I used to compete with a guitarist's Mesa Boogie Mark IV through a 4x12. I needed the extra volume.

NKBassman said:
I also thought it always sounded "better" into 4 ohms than into 8 ohms... in a subtle, unquantifiable way.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that someone else noticed this. When I first heard the subtle change in sound, I wondered if it was just my imagination. But I did some experimenting and found that regardless of cabinet placement or which cabinet was used, there was just a better sound with a 4 ohm load.
 
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#13
Ben B said:
I used to compete with a guitarist's Mesa Boogie Mark IV through a 4x12. I needed the extra volume.



Glad to hear that someone else noticed this. When I first heard the subtle change in sound, I wondered if it was just my imagination. But I did some experimenting and found that regardless of cabinet placement or which cabinet was used, there was just a better sound with a 4 ohm load.
Click to expand...


See this is the information I wouldn't have been able to hear otherwise. Now I play a 210 combo into a 410 cab. I'd love to look at the 3Pro for a hybrid tube sound, but my 410 is 8ohm. If others seem to think there's a subtle difference between 4 and 8 ohm I may look elsewhere. Not certain I could afford the amp and the cab
 
#14
No mention of the 6Pro. These are fairly well available in the used market and are great, fairly simple, high wattage (1100w @ 4 ohms) Ampeg wonders.
When I need to cover an outdoor stage without FOH support (which is admittedly rare), I use my 6Pro and a Faital 15PR400 loaded 2x15 cab ....
gets the job done :thumbsup:
 
#18
pfschim said:
No mention of the 6Pro. These are fairly well available in the used market and are great, fairly simple, high wattage (1100w @ 4 ohms) Ampeg wonders.
When I need to cover an outdoor stage without FOH support (which is admittedly rare), I use my 6Pro and a Faital 15PR400 loaded 2x15 cab ....
gets the job done :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I occasionally see 6 Pros for sale on Craigslist at very good prices. When I see one of these ads, I always contemplate buying it. But then reality sinks in: my 3 Pro is loud enough for my bands and weighs less. For someone who wants the Ampeg tone and needs a lot of volume, a used 6 Pro is a very affordable option.
 

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