V4B vs SVT-CL through Barefaced Big Twin II?

[Wisebass]

Hi Rooibos99

V4B or SVT? Both amps are !!!

I'm not trying to rattle the foundations of my home but I'd like to be able to play with louder rock drums and guitars.

At home the V4B will certainly do the job!

on the edge of breaking up

"breacking up" can be

1) a slight preamp break up (both amps can do that without deafening you)

2) or a slight pre and poweramp break up
( that' s where the SVT will start to kill pets, kids and other small animals )

I never play shows over 100 anymore but that might change.

For gigs with P.A. support and monitors you don' t need a big amp.
(as long as everybody has a "normal" stage volume)

It' s the small gigs, where you can easily run out of clean headroom when you play loud rock.
That' s why I sold my V4B back in the 80s (still regret it btw )


You will have to try both in your band situation(s) (IMO)


greetings

may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

 

[SwamiRob]

Can't comment too much too much on the head situation. But I've used a big twin a few times to practice with and it's frustratingly clean sounding for me personally. Lovely for any more pristine sounds, but there just seemed to be something missing in the midrange, and if I turned the tweeter up it was just too brittle for my liking. The bottom end seemed a little off for me too, certainly plenty of it, but again seemed to be a bit of a hole there that I couldn't EQ around. If it's the sort of thing you're after it's definitely gonna be amazing for you, just if you're after any aggression in the mids I couldn't get it myself, not even particularly subtly.

Mark is a dude that really knows what he's on about however so you're in good hands with his recommendations. I'd absolutely love one of his 6x10s if I can ever afford the spare cash for one!

 

[Sparkl]

Hey All, I made a thread a while back asking for help and I ended up going with just a horrible purchase which I promptly returned. I've decided to wait and save up for a rig that won't leave me wanting for anything more. I've been talking with Alex from barefaced and am 100% sold on getting one of his cabs (most likely the big twin 2). I'm a tube guy when it comes to guitar and have recently dug into the wonderful world of tube bass amps. So I'm wondering which of these two amps would be best with the barefaced cab? Runner up heads I've considered are a svt-4 pro as well as a sunn 300T.

I had the bt2 and when plugging in my fender bassman 135 I was super underwhelmed. No real mids, sounded way too dark and without character. Plugged the bassman into an old 215 with I believe sone old rcf's in there and boom - compact sound with warmth for days. Never heard of a better 4th string response.

Not long after that I sold it.

My experience. YMMV but honestly, this is definitely not a cab for tube amps.

 

[40Hz]

A V4B with an efficient cab is loud; easily loud enough for a crowd of 100. Probably good for a 500 seat venue too.

The only time I felt my V4B was wanting was an outdoor performance, but with PA support you’ll be fine.

^This.

A V4B is a more practical choice for the average player’s gigging life IMO. The volume levels coming off a V4B are a better fit for you average size venue.

And the 39lb. weight differential between the two of them is nothing to sneeze at either.

Having roaded with an SVT, I’d suggest loading up a milk crate with 80lbs of uneven weight and practice putting it up on something shoulder height four or five times when you’re tired to get an idea of what it’s like to be schlepping an SVT. It’s a beautiful sounding amp. No two ways about it. But hauling one around gets old pretty fast.

 

[Bigbri]

Hi Rooibos99

V4B or SVT? Both amps are !!!



At home the V4B will certainly do the job!



"breacking up" can be

1) a slight preamp break up (both amps can do that without deafening you)

2) or a slight pre and poweramp break up
( that' s where the SVT will start to kill pets, kids and other small animals )



For gigs with P.A. support and monitors you don' t need a big amp.
(as long as everybody has a "normal" stage volume)

It' s the small gigs, where you can easily run out of clean headroom when you play loud rock.
That' s why I sold my V4B back in the 80s (still regret it btw )


You will have to try both in your band situation(s) (IMO)


greetings

may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

Back in the 80's we could buyn sell v4-b's all day for 100 bux. The way I see it, there is no substitute for an SVT. If you can carry it, use it. Even with the V6 I though my gas for my old svt was gone, but no. Like Geddy says , it's got schlamelca. Alot of it, whatever it is.

 

[Rabidhamster]

They’re both good. The v4 has less mid boost, the CL has more headroom but it can also be set to overdrive sooner since it has gain and master.

The CL sounds like an SVT. The V4 sounds like a great Ampeg tube amp.

 

[Polka1]

I agree that you most likely have to try it in your scenarios.

Keep in mind that the speakers play a huge role. With an 8x10 100 watts goes quite a ways. Too much in some situations if you are setting it up to drive both the preamp and power amp sections hard. A full SVT with 8x10 is stupid loud in many situations by the time you get it to that point.

However, smaller cabs generally require a bit more power to push the same air.

And....if you are trying things, don't forget the Fender Bassman 100t. It has modes for 25w or 100w, which can come in mega handy if your tone revolves around cranking the power section for compression/grit. Great to back it down as a practice amp and still get the cranked tone. And it has some cool options for mixing grit in via the preamp. Very controllable all around.

 

[jastacey]

If you want clean, with somewhat inefficient speakers get the SVT-CL, it has a volume control and the mid range control is pretty good, yea, the bulk & weight is always an issue, especially at the end of the night
One of the issues about a 100 watt tube amp, is the volume creep, in a band, that almost always happens, thats where a 100 watt amp will show its short comings, volume wise

 

[CRich0205]

Given the option I would go SVT and did. I gifted a 70s v4b for a while and even with an 810 the headroom can be an issue. At the end of the day it’s only 100 watts. Great sounding amp but with drums and guitar it can be a little underpowered. The SVT on the other hand is great and has more headroom but it’s 300 watts. Neither amp has the headroom of some 900 watt class D amp. I’ve never wanted for tone no matter the volume on my SVt it’s absolutely killer through sealed cans in my experience with them.

 

[Waltsdog]

Hey All, I made a thread a while back asking for help and I ended up going with just a horrible purchase which I promptly returned. I've decided to wait and save up for a rig that won't leave me wanting for anything more. I've been talking with Alex from barefaced and am 100% sold on getting one of his cabs (most likely the big twin 2). I'm a tube guy when it comes to guitar and have recently dug into the wonderful world of tube bass amps. So I'm wondering which of these two amps would be best with the barefaced cab? Runner up heads I've considered are a svt-4 pro as well as a sunn 300T.

If you are sold on tube heads I would recommend the Barefaced 10 series. I have often run my V4B into the Four 10 and it lacks nothing in volume and tone, plus it is quite happy with a 300 watt Super Bassman or svt if you really need all those tube watts.

I'm with Tim, the 410 or 610 would be my recommendation over the Big Twin.
I used to own a Super 12 but swapped it for a 610, couldn't be happier with that decision. To me, it sounds way better and has the extra headroom for not much more size and weight. I believe the cost for a 610 is on par with a Big Twin as well.
On the amp front, get the V4B, why buy a light cab and cart around a ludicrously heavy amp.

 

[jdubbass38]

The v4b rocks no matter what cab you pair it with! I played it for a wile with a 212av and it rocked! It’s stupid loud thru an 810...Double it and it’s just angry as all get out! My v4b gets way more love then my SVT2pro these days!