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Which Ampeg head?
- Thread starter Grapevine921
- Start date
SVT Classic all the way! Why? Because all tube amps are where the best tone is at IMO.
Both great heads but if I had to choose between those 2 I'd go for the 4 Pro. Half the weight, tons of power and only 3 pre-amp tubes to worry about. Either way you can't loose.
I'm thinking the that cab is 8 ohm. . So the CL mightn't be best choice as it does 4 & 2 ohms nicely.
Still. ..outta those choices I'd still go the all tube. ..and get a 4ohm cab. Or 2 8 ohm cabs.
Or better yet. ..get the Fender Super Bassman which is all tube, only 65lbs and does 8/4/2 ohms. Sounds great. .greater than the CL and equal to the VR in sounds - imo. But with the extra 8 ohm option. ..20lbs lighter and 2 channels. . I'm sure glad I went for it over the- albeit fantastic-Ampeg tube amps
Still. ..outta those choices I'd still go the all tube. ..and get a 4ohm cab. Or 2 8 ohm cabs.
Or better yet. ..get the Fender Super Bassman which is all tube, only 65lbs and does 8/4/2 ohms. Sounds great. .greater than the CL and equal to the VR in sounds - imo. But with the extra 8 ohm option. ..20lbs lighter and 2 channels. . I'm sure glad I went for it over the- albeit fantastic-Ampeg tube amps
Thanks everyone so far! I have a 4 ohn 410xlt I can use but I'd like to make use of my fEarful I built... I want an SVT cl but I'm worried to run it at 8 ohms. Some people say it's fine but enough say it is harmful to make me skeptical. I don't know if the best plan is to A) suck it up and get the cl, B) get a different Ampeg, C) get a different tube head like the Fender
D) Build a second 15/6 and get the CL... 4 ohm load... Done. 
Going off the rails. Look for an SVT 6 Pro. Other than a Magnavox era SVT I had it was hands down the best SVT I ever owned (and I have owned everything but a 4, and played plenty of 4s at provided backline gigs ). It has the added benefit of a nice line out. The voltage control on that sucker makes it go from balls out vintage Ampeg to dang near hi-fi with the turn of a knob. 1100 W @ 4 ohms and 750 W @ 8 ohms.
D) Build a second 15/6 and get the CL... 4 ohm load... Done.
I would love to! But I don't really need a third huge cabinet laying around. 2 fearfuls would rock like no other but then they aren't any more convenient than the Eden 410
I hadn't considered the 6 pro. Maybe I'll check it out! In the back of my mind I know it won't be a tube head though...
Out of those I'd chose an Ampeg PF-50T
I would love one! Those heads sound amazing! Unfortunately i don't want to invest that much into something I can't use with a drummer.
Never played a CL but I can tell you the 4 is a beast. More power than I could ever need and tone for miles and miles.
Somebody mentioned a CL is twice ad heavy as a 4?! That would worry me as the 4 isnt exactly a lightweight.
Regards
Mark
Somebody mentioned a CL is twice ad heavy as a 4?! That would worry me as the 4 isnt exactly a lightweight.
Regards
Mark
The 8 ohm thing isn't a concern with SVT's, according to the co-inventor, Bill Hughes. Plus I've had rental SVT's supplied with an 8 ohm 410 many times, and never broke a single one. But they just don't sound right to me...like they add a little compression and sound a little less tubey. Not by much, but enough to where I prefer not to do it. I like both the SVT-CL and SVT 4 Pro, but I'd be lying if I said the CL wasn't a clear favorite.
You know it has a lineout from the output transformer (basically a poweramp lineout), right?
Which means if you get a decent solid state poweramp to go with it you can get the full tube sound at whatever wattage you want.
- Oct 18, 2012
- 6,683
- 5,538
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender, Spector, Ampeg, Curt Mangan, Nordstrand Pickups, Korg , Conquest Sound
I've owned both heads. I like the CL much better. The tone is closer to the original SVT and I had a hard time dialing a good sound with the 4 PRO. It also seemed under powered. So much so that I sent the first one I had back to Ampeg for a replacement. I had the same issue with that one.
Had a 6Pro with 410hlf back in '07 I think it was. Sounded great but my back paid for it.
I'd go with the 4 Pro.
Less weight.
Less maintenance.
No impedance matching worries.
More power (fEarful cabs aren't efficient - you need to feed them lots of power to get the best out of them).
No, the 4 Pro doesn't sound like a CL. It sounds like a 4 Pro which is another great sounding head.
I'm sure there are plenty of people pairing all-tube heads with fEarful cabs out there but, to me at least, fEarful cabs and tube heads are going for two very different sonic goals. fEarful cabs are modern and clean sounding. Most tube heads are quite the opposite. I prefer to pair my modern sounding cabs with modern sounding heads and my "classic" sounding heads with matching cabs. That's just me and my aesthetic... you might find nirvana doing the opposite!
Less weight.
Less maintenance.
No impedance matching worries.
More power (fEarful cabs aren't efficient - you need to feed them lots of power to get the best out of them).
No, the 4 Pro doesn't sound like a CL. It sounds like a 4 Pro which is another great sounding head.
I'm sure there are plenty of people pairing all-tube heads with fEarful cabs out there but, to me at least, fEarful cabs and tube heads are going for two very different sonic goals. fEarful cabs are modern and clean sounding. Most tube heads are quite the opposite. I prefer to pair my modern sounding cabs with modern sounding heads and my "classic" sounding heads with matching cabs. That's just me and my aesthetic... you might find nirvana doing the opposite!
My rule of thumb is: "tubes if you can, solid state if you must."
It all cones down to the tone you're hearing in your head. I come from the days when tubes were where it was at sound-wise. So that rounder quality, slight compression, and that sound you only get when you're overdriving the output (not preamp) stage is what sounds best and "right" to me. I don't know if it's aesthetics, or just what I "learned" to think of as a "good" bass sound. But that's the sound I prefer.
If you cut your teeth on those more modern and cleaner sounding solid-state or hybrid amps, that old school sound may not be your thing. I'd suspect the majority of the members here never played through a big all tube amp. Even the tube pre/solid-state power hybrids don't completely capture that sound. Possibly because a big part of the magic comes from the transformers and tube power stage - not just the preamp. (I have no science or oscilloscope to support that suspicion. But a hybrid just doesn't sound like an amp with a "heart of glass" to my ears.)
About the only solid-state amps I've ever heard (and owned) that I thought could really give tubes a run for their money were the old '70s era Acoustic Control Corp. amps. (Those are not to be confused with the lookalike resurrected junk GC sells now that they've bought the rights to disgrace that formerly great name.) I had a full Acoustic 360 stack. And I also ran a 150 head into a 301 cab. And the sound was heavenly. Even back in 77-78 when I could hear far better than I do today.
But it also wasn't the Ampeg sound. And Ampeg is still my long-standing favorite brand. So that's something you also need to consider. Only an Ampeg really sounds like one. You want that? Then that's what you need to get.
tl:dr - I'd absolutely go the CL. But I'm an "old guy" who still prefers 15s, so take it for what it's worth.
It all cones down to the tone you're hearing in your head. I come from the days when tubes were where it was at sound-wise. So that rounder quality, slight compression, and that sound you only get when you're overdriving the output (not preamp) stage is what sounds best and "right" to me. I don't know if it's aesthetics, or just what I "learned" to think of as a "good" bass sound. But that's the sound I prefer.
If you cut your teeth on those more modern and cleaner sounding solid-state or hybrid amps, that old school sound may not be your thing. I'd suspect the majority of the members here never played through a big all tube amp. Even the tube pre/solid-state power hybrids don't completely capture that sound. Possibly because a big part of the magic comes from the transformers and tube power stage - not just the preamp. (I have no science or oscilloscope to support that suspicion. But a hybrid just doesn't sound like an amp with a "heart of glass" to my ears.)
About the only solid-state amps I've ever heard (and owned) that I thought could really give tubes a run for their money were the old '70s era Acoustic Control Corp. amps. (Those are not to be confused with the lookalike resurrected junk GC sells now that they've bought the rights to disgrace that formerly great name.) I had a full Acoustic 360 stack. And I also ran a 150 head into a 301 cab. And the sound was heavenly. Even back in 77-78 when I could hear far better than I do today.
But it also wasn't the Ampeg sound. And Ampeg is still my long-standing favorite brand. So that's something you also need to consider. Only an Ampeg really sounds like one. You want that? Then that's what you need to get.
tl:dr - I'd absolutely go the CL. But I'm an "old guy" who still prefers 15s, so take it for what it's worth.
Last edited:
okcrum
in your chest
Yeah that's exactly what you should hear, it'll push a little more softly and earlier. Not great, but can be worked with if kept clean. It sounds better if you pull two output tubes for a better impedance match (and less power), but the backline guys might take exception.
ISTR you saying once you liked the SVT-4s you got as backline. So it sounds like a tough choice here.
