I'm gonna say +1 to pulling the Sonic Maximizer and seeing what you can do with just the bass and the head. I have the same head as you, and with the other stuff you're using, I don't see any reason why shouldn't be able to find a tone you really like. I have a trick I came up with that is IMO, very good when you have trouble dialing in a good tone.
Here is the trick:
Buy or borrow a looping pedal. It doesn't have to be fancy. You can use something like a boss delay or multi-effect that has a simple looping function as an after thought. Like I said, if you don't want to buy something, I'm sure you have a band-mate or friend that can loan you something. Now set your bass the way you like it and lay down down a loop with a solid bass line typical of your style. Now put the bass down, and just let the loop run while you EQ your amp. The EQ in the SVT3 is pretty powerful, especially if you take advantage of the graphic. Make sure you try walking away from the amp and getting an "audience perspective". Also, make sure you understand the amps controls. The Tube Gain control is somewhat counter-intuitive. Turning it down starves voltage to the tubes, in theory imparting a "tubier" "warmer" sound. Personally I like it all the way up. Of course, you may have already known that...
Make sure you take your time with this process, and try it at different volumes. Try doing it with some different loops in different registers. This "trick" will help you get really good at EQing your rig. It will help you get a good sense of how powerful the EQ is and what character different frequencies impart on the bass.
I don't mean to imply that you are a novice at setting your amp btw. I have no idea what your experience level is. I just really think having the opportunity to EQ your rig with your own playing while not actually thinking about playing is an eye opening experience at any level. If you take your time with it and use your ears rather than your preconceived notions of what are "good" vs "bad" EQ settings, you will learn a lot about dialing in your sound. I personally felt like I got about ten times better at EQing my rig quickly and really well in different rooms after I tried this, and I had been playing/recording/mixing FOH for years already!
Anyway, I personally recommend you try that out before you spend any money on a compressor. If you do, let me know how it works out for you.
Here is the trick:
Buy or borrow a looping pedal. It doesn't have to be fancy. You can use something like a boss delay or multi-effect that has a simple looping function as an after thought. Like I said, if you don't want to buy something, I'm sure you have a band-mate or friend that can loan you something. Now set your bass the way you like it and lay down down a loop with a solid bass line typical of your style. Now put the bass down, and just let the loop run while you EQ your amp. The EQ in the SVT3 is pretty powerful, especially if you take advantage of the graphic. Make sure you try walking away from the amp and getting an "audience perspective". Also, make sure you understand the amps controls. The Tube Gain control is somewhat counter-intuitive. Turning it down starves voltage to the tubes, in theory imparting a "tubier" "warmer" sound. Personally I like it all the way up. Of course, you may have already known that...
Make sure you take your time with this process, and try it at different volumes. Try doing it with some different loops in different registers. This "trick" will help you get really good at EQing your rig. It will help you get a good sense of how powerful the EQ is and what character different frequencies impart on the bass.
I don't mean to imply that you are a novice at setting your amp btw. I have no idea what your experience level is. I just really think having the opportunity to EQ your rig with your own playing while not actually thinking about playing is an eye opening experience at any level. If you take your time with it and use your ears rather than your preconceived notions of what are "good" vs "bad" EQ settings, you will learn a lot about dialing in your sound. I personally felt like I got about ten times better at EQing my rig quickly and really well in different rooms after I tried this, and I had been playing/recording/mixing FOH for years already!
Anyway, I personally recommend you try that out before you spend any money on a compressor. If you do, let me know how it works out for you.
