What's so special about the SVT?

[Thumpin6string]

I enjoy watching recorded live concerts and almost every one has an Ampeg SVT and 810 backline. I found the bass tone to be pretty blah. When I watched a Joe Bonamassa concert and the bass sounded fantastic. They finally had a shot of the backline and there was an Eden WT800 or 1200. Sounded amazing.

 

[GreyBeard]

I never jumped on the Ampeg bandwagon….in the early days, they were pretty much one of the few options available. I’ll admit I’ve never really sat down with one and really tried it, but the size, weight and expense of replacing tubes had removed Ampeg from my list a while back. However, I did have an svp pro preamp when they came out, it was super noisy and I never bonded with it.

You and I are of the same mind accept for the SVP-Pro. When mine came in it was so noisy that I had to run a gate just to be able to use it. I took it back to the music store where I bought it and they replaced all the tubes. It was quiet after that. I liked the DRIVE knob that added that "AMPEG GRIT". that helps cut through the mix. The SVP-Pro is one piece of gear I should have never sold. But, I was into photography then and not playing music so I sold a lot of my bass gear to buy lenses etc. Now I've sold off most of my photo gear to buy bass gear. I'm hoping I stick with bass as it is what I do best.

 

[ChrisPbass]

I recently played through an SVT into an 8x10 at a rehearsal facility. Different rooms, different amps/cab on different days.
I am an Eden dude...SVT do not sound like Eden...but I really like playing through the SVT. I do like a grindy tone though ~ ~ ~
Dialing it in with my jazz was very easy. PLENTY of power. More than enough low end and high end.
Would play again
Would not buy if I had to carry it around. No thanks!

 

[coy garcia]

For me it's the all tube amp that has my tone...Mesa Boogie 400+, ampeg svt, or my pf50T which is my favorite cause of portability. Tube pre amps and simulators sound kinda like the real thing until I do a side by side comparison. Other bass players prefer a high wattage solid state amp and that's cool also.

 

[bgavin]

I do not have a dog in this fight.

My only Ampeg was the SVP-Pro, which I sold because it was SO noisy.

Q: do any of the three Tech21 rack mount preamps come really close to an SVT sound?
I own the RPM, RBI and VTRM, but have never encountered an SVT, so this is an honest question.

 

[AceOfBassFace]

Previous mid-90's SVT/810 owner here - mine sounded glorious. I have also played through terrible sounding SVT's. Haven't been able to gel with the solid state stuff – the SVT 7 Pro for example just sounds brittle and harsh to me.

 

[Medicine Man]

I sure like em if someone else hauled it to a backline at an outdoor stage.

 

[mikecd1]

This feels like a sub-thread of the amps of the 69-70 era a couple days ago which was like svt vs acoustic 360 vs Sunn Coliseum or something like that. An SVT is part of the great sounds that defined our era onstage. Maybe an ultimate for some of the high-volume clean tube sound that I could never get out of my 50 watt Fender Bassman with 2-12's in it. There's lots of other great sounds too and I've enjoyed playing through an SVT many times, but whenever possible keep my Subway 800 handy in case the backline SVT needs to be retubed or something. As others have suggested and I'd agree there's a good part of the sound contained in the sealed, infinite baffle Ampeg 810 cab which led me to my two SVT210AV cabs which I can carry and sound great with the Mesa. YMMV

 

[Analogeezer]

You and I are of the same mind accept for the SVP-Pro. When mine came in it was so noisy that I had to run a gate just to be able to use it. I took it back to the music store where I bought it and they replaced all the tubes. It was quiet after that. I liked the DRIVE knob that added that "AMPEG GRIT". that helps cut through the mix. The SVP-Pro is one piece of gear I should have never sold. But, I was into photography then and not playing music so I sold a lot of my bass gear to buy lenses etc. Now I've sold off most of my photo gear to buy bass gear. I'm hoping I stick with bass as it is what I do best.

I own a SVP-Pro and stock it was very quiet. I retubed it "because I could", bought some special matched tubes from this guy while I was on a business trip in the area. For the 12AU7 preamp tube I wound up with a NOS JAN tube.

The preamp seemed to sound better after I retubed it but it was not like an astounding difference or anything.

I love mine and would never sell it, especially since it is pretty hard to find a nice one these days.

Analogeezer

 

[Lesfunk]

If you have to ask you wouldn’t understand.
There’s nothing wrong with liking what you like…

that being said, I’ve never owned an SVT and have played mostly Trace Elliot and Markbass since the 1990s.
But when I get an SVT supplied for my back line I usually smile.

 

[Analogeezer]

I do not have a dog in this fight.

My only Ampeg was the SVP-Pro, which I sold because it was SO noisy.

Q: do any of the three Tech21 rack mount preamps come really close to an SVT sound?
I own the RPM, RBI and VTRM, but have never encountered an SVT, so this is an honest question.

I have a RBI and I have a SVP-Pro.

I would call the RBI more a "tribute" to the Ampeg sound rather than a replica or clone of it.

I actually used the RBI a lot for recording because it is simple, the SVP-Pro has a lot of features and buttons and of course the graphic that allow kind of too many choices but are very useful for playing through an amp rig in a live setting.

For the price (new or used) you can't really go wrong with the RBI but it's not a full on Ampeg sound, just in the neighborhood.

My SVP-Pro was not noisy at all stock, I retubed it because it was not very expensive to do that and seemed like the thing to do at the time; it sounded better than stock but not astoundingly better but like I said it was cheap to do at the time.

Analogeezer

 

[DuluthDank]

As somebody chasing a classic tube sound, I started out looking at SVT emulation.

The best big rig I ever played through was an Acoustic 370 head through the SVT 8-10 cab. All used, because back when I was a young punk, I couldn't afford the new stuff! Why that combination? Well, I really didn't want to mess around with an 85 lb. head full of tubes, compared to the 25-30 lb. Acoustic, something in that range. I've always loved the cool looking, beastly 301 cab with the 18" - but for some reason, the 8-10" was a better fit for me at the time, fuller, ballsier, etc. It was a monster sound. Wish I had a pic from the day, but you all know what this looks like. Spin forward to today, I'm 64, with a Rumble 500. How things change!

Is there anything on the market today that gets a similar sound as the Acoustic 370? There is an Acoustic amp emulation on the Zoom B3N that is the only emulation on that processor I like, and I use it all the time. I wouldn't mind a non-digital version of that sound if I could get it.

 

[Gizmot]

I think that SVTs were remarkable when they were first introduced ~ 50 years ago. As I've written before, the first time I heard one blew me away!

Having said that, the passage of time has brought new technologies, new products with a new sound to market. If I wanted to buy any bass amp - or even two or three - - none of them would be an SVT. Although they still kick butt, the simple fact is that SVTs don't have the sound I'm looking for. If they have the sound you're looking for, by all means use one and enjoy it.

I want a smoother, more linear sound with clean extended highs - the SVT doesn't do that.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I love an SVT with an 810 cab. If you don’t, what do I care? Play whatever amp you want.

 

[micguy]

I'll go ya one further: what's so great about bass amplifiers?

As someone who plays most (beginning next year, it will be ALL) of my gigs ampless, the ability to actually hear myself clearly in my in ears, without a bunch of stage wash - that's a much nicer scenario than a loud stage with amps and all that. The load in and load out (1 trip) is a very nice side benefit as well.

 

[madasahatter]

It’s like finding someone else who hates cooked fruit or Pink Floyd. Preach!

I hate cooked fruit, it just doesn't taste right. And don't get me started on how overrated Pink Floyd is.

OBLIGATORY I AM NOT TROLLING MESSAGE

I don't have strong opinions about amps. I think all moderately priced amps do a fine job doing what they were built for: amplifying your signal. Sure, I prefer some over others, but I'll be happy with whatever (I'll be giving the Aguilar Tone Hammer another chance this weekend now that I understand its drive and gain controls better, if you've been following that thread).

Except for the SVT.

Whenever I plug into an SVT I feel like I'm plugging directly into a shrieking panel of stainless steel. Every other year I buy yet another SVT-flavoured preamp pedal -- SV-Pre, Bass Driver DI, VT Bass DI, SCR-DI -- hoping I'd finally get it and end up absolutely hating it (I must be the only one who's ever returned a perfectly working Broughton pedal).

I know I'm not the first one to hold a grudge against the SVT, but whenever these feelings are brought up, people are quick to point out the magic comes from the 810. Maybe that's part of the story, and but then, why is the preamp market flooded with SVT-flavoured pedals? Why is the 810 always paired with the SVT? Why the SVT/810 combo and not the Fender Bassman/810 combo?

And yet, here's Sean Hurley sounding like what I assume warm butter on freshly-taken-out-of-the-oven bread sounds like plugged into an SVT (whether or the SVT is what we actually hear here is another story).

So, what's so special about the SVT?

I can't comment on the SVT since I don't have much experience with them. I do understand you plight though. It's the same as I feel on the guitar side with a 5150. It's supposed to be the epitome of the hard rock "brown sound" but I can't stand it if I play through one. Every time I plug into one it sounds as nasally as Fran Dresher even with someone else setting the tone for me.

 

[Old Fart]

Pineapple is not great on all pizzas. For example, I think pineapple would not work on a sausage pizza. It would also not work on a Mediterranean pizza, or on a pizza using a white sauce. But don't get me wrong. Pineapple on a Canadian Bacon pizza is fun. Salty and tangy, with little bits of candy.

Should we talk about fresh tomato slices?

 

[REV]

All musicians have a sound in their head. Sometimes it comes from some other musician we have heard, sometimes it comes from a sound we have discovered. We are all searching for a sound. Some of us find it fast and some of us are still looking. How we find it is up to us. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

 

[Ric5]

Ampeg SVT-CL Demo - YouTube

 

[mb94952]

Have you played an SVT in a band? The sound in the mix is what everyone is talking about.

That's a good point. "Most" gear, I believe, is made to sound good on the music store floor and now on Youtube, but the true test is in a band situation.

I've played basses at home that sound like the 2nd coming, and then I take it to band practice and it's drowned out. That's one of the reasons I LOVE Peavey basses. As far as amps, maybe try a Mesa. I've NEVER played a Mesa that didn't sound like Movie Theater Extra-Buttery Popcorn that cured my ear munchies with all the daily requirements of buttery goodness.. What did I just say ?

I went to a jam that had an Ampeg BA210 solid state combo and I was blown away by how GOOD it sounded in the mix. It was sheer pleasure.