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improved reliability, and in 2010, they started the Heritage line of amps as limited edition deluxe versions of classic Ampeg assembled in the US. It's the same basic SVT-CL as the imported model, but it has upgraded thicker PCB's, JJ tubes instead of Sovteks in the imports, upgraded cosmetics with this really sexy black sparkle grillcloth, and as of 2013, low profile power tube clamps that replace those big spring clamps (available as an easily-installable retrofit for all CL's and VR's, BTW ).
far too many myths
Wow. Just wow.Any time I can use an SVT, I am a happy camper, and I'm not real particular about which kind I get because they all sound basically the same...awesome with minor variations at the most. I have a 69 SVT and a Heritage SVT-CL, but I'm happy to use any of them.
Anyway, SVT's break down into two basic categories...vintage style and classic style. Here's a little timeline...and anything made up until 1992 is vintage style...
1969-71 - Original Bluelines made by Unimusic, 2 channels, 3-position mid selector, uses uncommon tubes, a couple of which are no longer being made and only available as new old stock. The power tubes are actually 6146b transmitter tubes, but the designers soured on them almost immediately, but they kept using them till they ran out, and then they switched to 6550's. Many Bluelines were converted over to 6550's, though mine isn't. Honestly, I can't tell a difference.
72-74 - Original Blacklines made by Selmer. Same head, only the blue etching was replaced with black lettering (a lot cheaper to do).
74-79 - Same design with a different more stylized black lettering made by Selmer/Magnavox.
80-86 - MTI bought Ampeg, shut down production on everything but the SVT and moved to Japan. Heads and cabs were black with white lettering, and the design stayed the same for a little while, but lack of availability for the weirder tubes forced MTI to do a redesign using more common tubes. Surprisingly, I don't think the sound changed at all. Some say the MTI's are slightly more middy than the others, but you'd really have to be sitting there obsessively ABing them to notice.
86 - Ampeg returns to the US, and the 500 Skunkworks heads were made by St. Louis Music. They looked kind of like the MTI's, but were assembled by hand and they sport a couple minor design changes. They sell through these and never make any more.
89-94 - The SVT II comes out. It's a vintage style SVT but it's in a 4-space rack mount chassis, has only one channel, and adds a graphic EQ and a 5-position mid selector, which they've used on all SVT's made since except the VR.
1992-2012 - The single-channel rack mount SVT II Pro is the first SVT to have separate gain and master, plus it has the graphic EQ and a separate drive knob.
1994-Present - SVT-CL. Single channel, separate gain and master, no graphic EQ, mounted in a traditional headbox because of demand from folks who didn't like the rackmount.
2005-Present - SVT-VR. Due to demand for a new head made like the old ones, the VR returns to the two-channel single volume version and a Blueline look, but with readily available tubes.
2010-Present - Heritage SVT-CL. In 2006, SLM sold Ampeg to LOUD Technologies, who at the time had a real idiot in charge. He sent production overseas and rushed out a lot of products that didn't work, alienated many endorsers and customers, and generally just made a mess of things because he had no soul for MI work. They "asked him to resign" in 2008, got a new guy in charge who had as much expertise in MI engineering as he did bean counting
Many SVT users have their favorites, but I've used them all at one time or another, and I really don't have any favorites. I can get them all to sound like what I want. Seems that with all the updates and revisions it's had, all the different manufacturers had the good sense to keep them sounding and operating very much alike. Cabs, though, are a different story. Most are excellent with the two big standouts being the original SVT 810 flatback with CTS alnicos and the Heritage 810e, but I'm not fond of the cabs from 2000-06 because they're dark and muddy sounding. But I'll take any of the heads.
Any time I can use an SVT, I am a happy camper, and I'm not real particular about which kind I get because they all sound basically the same...awesome with minor variations at the most. I have a 69 SVT and a Heritage SVT-CL, but I'm happy to use any of them.
Anyway, SVT's break down into two basic categories...vintage style and classic style. Here's a little timeline...and anything made up until 1992 is vintage style...
1969-71 - Original Bluelines made by Unimusic, 2 channels, 3-position mid selector, uses uncommon tubes, a couple of which are no longer being made and only available as new old stock. The power tubes are actually 6146b transmitter tubes, but the designers soured on them almost immediately, but they kept using them till they ran out, and then they switched to 6550's. Many Bluelines were converted over to 6550's, though mine isn't. Honestly, I can't tell a difference.
72-74 - Original Blacklines made by Selmer. Same head, only the blue etching was replaced with black lettering (a lot cheaper to do).
74-79 - Same design with a different more stylized black lettering made by Selmer/Magnavox.
80-86 - MTI bought Ampeg, shut down production on everything but the SVT and moved to Japan. Heads and cabs were black with white lettering, and the design stayed the same for a little while, but lack of availability for the weirder tubes forced MTI to do a redesign using more common tubes. Surprisingly, I don't think the sound changed at all. Some say the MTI's are slightly more middy than the others, but you'd really have to be sitting there obsessively ABing them to notice.
86 - Ampeg returns to the US, and the 500 Skunkworks heads were made by St. Louis Music. They looked kind of like the MTI's, but were assembled by hand and they sport a couple minor design changes. They sell through these and never make any more.
89-94 - The SVT II comes out. It's a vintage style SVT but it's in a 4-space rack mount chassis, has only one channel, and adds a graphic EQ and a 5-position mid selector, which they've used on all SVT's made since except the VR.
1992-2012 - The single-channel rack mount SVT II Pro is the first SVT to have separate gain and master, plus it has the graphic EQ and a separate drive knob.
1994-Present - SVT-CL. Single channel, separate gain and master, no graphic EQ, mounted in a traditional headbox because of demand from folks who didn't like the rackmount.
2005-Present - SVT-VR. Due to demand for a new head made like the old ones, the VR returns to the two-channel single volume version and a Blueline look, but with readily available tubes.
2010-Present - Heritage SVT-CL. In 2006, SLM sold Ampeg to LOUD Technologies, who at the time had a real idiot in charge. He sent production overseas and rushed out a lot of products that didn't work, alienated many endorsers and customers, and generally just made a mess of things because he had no soul for MI work. They "asked him to resign" in 2008, got a new guy in charge who had as much expertise in MI engineering as he did bean counting
Many SVT users have their favorites, but I've used them all at one time or another, and I really don't have any favorites. I can get them all to sound like what I want. Seems that with all the updates and revisions it's had, all the different manufacturers had the good sense to keep them sounding and operating very much alike. Cabs, though, are a different story. Most are excellent with the two big standouts being the original SVT 810 flatback with CTS alnicos and the Heritage 810e, but I'm not fond of the cabs from 2000-06 because they're dark and muddy sounding. But I'll take any of the heads.
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