I have tried amp after amp for years and i finally found one i like, that is the svt3pro, i don't care what everybody else thinks of them, I found what I like, it has all of the tonality adjustments I could ever want, and I really don't need all that high powered 8x10 stuff because all of the shows I play are on a pa system anyway as are the majority of musicians that I have noticed. I will say that mesa's top models are very nice to use but the prices kept me away. so AMPEG oh yea.
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Why AMPEG?... Are they that Good?
- Thread starter PauBass
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Get on stage with a loud rock band...bring a P or J, plug it in to an SVT (yeah, with the 6550's) on an 8x10 cab...THEN you'll know why people use 'em.
I made the mistake of doing just this a while back. Now, not only do I have to buy an SVT, I'll have to buy a new vehicle do take it to the gig.
But I'll be happy at last...
I made the mistake of doing just this a while back. Now, not only do I have to buy an SVT, I'll have to buy a new vehicle do take it to the gig.
But I'll be happy at last...
LOOOOOL!
I made the same mistake, but I'm between the two problems... I have the SVT, but no car! It's been a great adventure moving it to the gigs tough...
I made the same mistake, but I'm between the two problems... I have the SVT, but no car! It's been a great adventure moving it to the gigs tough...
It's easy to get caught up in mechanics of amps and basses. The "bottom" line is what sounds good to you? Doe's it feel good to you? What someone else is using is good reference but not necessarily good for you. Pulling back a knotch and evaluating what's your personal perference is, aside from everyone else, can be good exercise.
I've got a 3 for rehearsal and a 4 for live gigging. I can get "my" sound out of them.
I was in GC the other day and I played a bunch of the Mark Bass stuff. I could get my sound out of those too. Probably could out of several other brands if I tried them.
I already own the Ampeg heads. Just because some of the other brands sound like them doesn't make me feel like I need to change. It would take a noticably better sound. I haven't heard that sound yet.
I was in GC the other day and I played a bunch of the Mark Bass stuff. I could get my sound out of those too. Probably could out of several other brands if I tried them.
I already own the Ampeg heads. Just because some of the other brands sound like them doesn't make me feel like I need to change. It would take a noticably better sound. I haven't heard that sound yet.
To comment, I agree with this... a lot of the bands I listen to the bass equip varies greatly from GK to SWR to Ashdown to Ampeg.
I think a lot of unknown bands however use Ampeg for a couple of reasons....
1) For a while GC was really pushing Ampeg as the be all end all amp. So every bassist who knew nothing about gear bought Ampeg because the salesguy suggested it. Now it seems like they are really pushing GK so you might start seeing tons GK out there in 2-5 years.
2) 8x10s are really popular and Ampeg's 8x10 is one of the cheaper ones out there.
3) There's a ton of Ampegs on the used market.
4) Ampeg = Bass in a lot of people's minds.
It seemed like SWR was really making a lot of headway in the market, until Fender took it over, and then it seemed to really drop off a ton. Gallien Krueger seems to be getting more share now, but a lot of people even the newbies have a tube bias, but GC featuring GK now that I think has led to GK getting more and more popular. Outside of those 3, they aren't as widely spread to gain too much popularity with more unknown bands. As sad as it is, the market seems to revolve around Guitar Center a lot of times.
2 more cents:
I'm an old geezer who bought a new SVT with double bottom in 1971. Sold it in 1975 to a friend who still has it. To my good fortune he let's me use it for annual reunion gig of my high school rock band.
The sound of this old SVT wraps around your body like a warm body suit with full lush tone and volume like no other. It's so good I almost forget how bad the tempo's are with the drummer.
A few weeks ago I finally gave in and got an SVT-VR and 810AV which is as close to the old SVT as I'll ever get... friend with my old '71 is so attached to the beast I'm convinced he'll be buried with with.
"If I knew back then what I know now I'd hopefully know better"
I'm an old geezer who bought a new SVT with double bottom in 1971. Sold it in 1975 to a friend who still has it. To my good fortune he let's me use it for annual reunion gig of my high school rock band.
The sound of this old SVT wraps around your body like a warm body suit with full lush tone and volume like no other. It's so good I almost forget how bad the tempo's are with the drummer.
A few weeks ago I finally gave in and got an SVT-VR and 810AV which is as close to the old SVT as I'll ever get... friend with my old '71 is so attached to the beast I'm convinced he'll be buried with with.
"If I knew back then what I know now I'd hopefully know better"
I'm a guitardist turned bassplayer of sorts.... Been playing guitar for 30ish years and Bass on and off for about 10....
My first serious rig was Eden... Loved the tone out of that thing and gigged it around for 2 or so years.. But my mind kept going back to high school days when we "made do" with an old fender bassman toob head... I wanted that all tube tone back....
About 6 months ago now I guess I came across a late 80's SVTII in Sydney (I live in Canberra, about 3 hours drive) but didn't have the money at the time...
A few weeks later I was going to Sydney again so I loaded my WT550 and 210XST in the back of the car, hoping I could get close to a straight swap for the Ampeg if it was still there....
It was.... I did have to shell out a coupla hundred bones but it was mine.... Had to have it retubed shortly after (part of getting it for cheaper than I had expected) but now I'm all good to go....
Paired it with a Mesa 610 and I'm in Bass bliss....... My bandmates and most of our audiences have noticed the difference too....
I'm hooked.... Try it for yourself....
It might not have ended up being an Ampeg if the one I was looking at was not there when I went in, but I had tried several tube heads in my search and this one is deffinately a winner!!!
My first serious rig was Eden... Loved the tone out of that thing and gigged it around for 2 or so years.. But my mind kept going back to high school days when we "made do" with an old fender bassman toob head... I wanted that all tube tone back....
About 6 months ago now I guess I came across a late 80's SVTII in Sydney (I live in Canberra, about 3 hours drive) but didn't have the money at the time...
A few weeks later I was going to Sydney again so I loaded my WT550 and 210XST in the back of the car, hoping I could get close to a straight swap for the Ampeg if it was still there....
It was.... I did have to shell out a coupla hundred bones but it was mine.... Had to have it retubed shortly after (part of getting it for cheaper than I had expected) but now I'm all good to go....
Paired it with a Mesa 610 and I'm in Bass bliss....... My bandmates and most of our audiences have noticed the difference too....
I'm hooked.... Try it for yourself....
It might not have ended up being an Ampeg if the one I was looking at was not there when I went in, but I had tried several tube heads in my search and this one is deffinately a winner!!!
I talked to my local Ampeg dealer which is one of the most honest tell you like it is guys you know. When Loud Music bought the interest in Ampeg from St Louis Music they decided that the Ampeg brand wasn't making them enough money thus sending the lower end model stuff for production in China.
Why China, Greed.
I am an Ampeg fan for cabs, they just sound right to me. Unless you are getting some type of all tube SVT head (their flagship), their solid state heads sound good, but not better than anything else in that price range.
Why China, Greed.
I am an Ampeg fan for cabs, they just sound right to me. Unless you are getting some type of all tube SVT head (their flagship), their solid state heads sound good, but not better than anything else in that price range.
I was at a Uriah heep + Deep Purple concert few days ago.. i saw that Trevor Bolder (Uriah Heep) var using Ampeg SVT-3pro
"thus sending the lower end model stuff for production in China"
If that's true I wonder what will be made in USA and what in China??
Mainly all of the B Series stuff. All of the Classic and Pro gear should be US made.
fenderhutz and BG6654, if you want to continue your discussion, take it to PM. This is not the thread for it and the topic of Ampeg moving production overseas is (at this time) not allowed in the general forums.
I bought a used BA 115 at GC yesterday. Locked it in my van while I was working the rest of the day. While at my office I spent some lurking on this forum. The more I read the more torqued I got that GC must had snookered me. (I would have anyway because the overtime was in and the BA series is the combo my son runs to everytime we go to GC.)
Upon getting the rig home I immediately flipped it over to find the blessed words "Made in the USA" on the backplate. Did I just get lucky?
I downloaded the 4 page owner's manual from the AMPEG website and it says "Ampeg is proudly made in America" on the last page. The copyright on the document is 1999 by St Louis Music. My bass mentor tells me that AMPEG and Crate are both made in the SLM plant.
So when did production move?
BTW - My son is gonna build up some muscles packing this this around (which is good), and makes him sound really good. I've only been playing about 6 months so I worry more about technique than tone right now. I had hit a "woodshed block" and having a new toy got me though it. I played about two hours last night and I can't wait to get back to the shed...
Upon getting the rig home I immediately flipped it over to find the blessed words "Made in the USA" on the backplate. Did I just get lucky?
I downloaded the 4 page owner's manual from the AMPEG website and it says "Ampeg is proudly made in America" on the last page. The copyright on the document is 1999 by St Louis Music. My bass mentor tells me that AMPEG and Crate are both made in the SLM plant.
So when did production move?
BTW - My son is gonna build up some muscles packing this this around (which is good), and makes him sound really good. I've only been playing about 6 months so I worry more about technique than tone right now. I had hit a "woodshed block" and having a new toy got me though it. I played about two hours last night and I can't wait to get back to the shed...
Isn't that cool?
Great your kid's playing. I got a guitar player and a drummer (too young for clubs yet).
Isn't that cool?
Great your kid's playing. I got a guitar player and a drummer (too young for clubs yet).
Heck Yeah! I've got three sons ages 14, 17, 19. All of them are great players. They get music from their mother, it doesn't seem they have to work at it as I do...
They are pretty gentle teachers, too. The youngest plays keys, guitar, and bass. The 17 Y.O. plays guitar, bass, also timpani and percussion in school band. The oldest is a guitarist and a graduate of John Marshall's Luthier's International in Atlanta. He is headed to university but his dream is to be a custom luthier.
Collectively, they are my retirement plan
one proud dad...
Heck Yeah!...
Collectively, they are my retirement plan
one proud dad...
I understand this is known as "Planned Parenthood". Nice work!
Loud owns Ampeg. If they reduced the cost of production and held their prices the same, they are doing the right thing ... if you happen to be a shareholder. Keep in mind that the fundamental purpose of all (successful) businesses is to increase the wealth of the shareholders. They can justify this practice because there is a board of directors who keep an eye on profitability, and they expect the company executives to maximize it. If not, the execs are fired. So if you want to benefit from Ampeg/Loud's business practices, buy some of their stock.
You'll know when the prices are too high because, if they are, fewer people will buy their product, and either prices will come down or Ampeg will go out of business.
Speaking from someone who has taken a lot of economics and finance courses in college, it's defiantly a fine line to walk. The problem though is too many business guys fail to see the line and go too far, that's why so many what seemed to have been good businesses and companies have been run into the ground. Anyway yeah moving things to china lowers cost, but you have to be careful not to alienate your consumer base. The main problem is by moving it from the US to somewhere else, you've just made it go from a Normal good to an Inferior good, and as an inferior good especially if the price stays the same, less people will buy. So we'll see if the price starts dropping on their stuff post move or not.
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