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Why are Ampeg SVTs so popular?
- Thread starter Whitenoise17
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Sorry Bryan, I was on a gig and reading while walking and going to the can on break, and misread your post.
My Ampeg SVT7-Pro did the classic SVT7-Pro thing while I was practicing at bedroom volume and fried. Dang near blew me off the stool I was sitting on when it happened! Sounded like a stuck pig screaming through a megaphone! Here's something you can try if you want for some extra insurance it won't happen again.
The reoccurring problem with these units was finally figured out by a tech in Australia. On the Motherboard there is an auxiliary power supply controller chip that was under rated. Three of this series microchip were manufactured, each successively capable of handling 1 ampere more current if I remember correctly. Under Loud's stewardship, a chip was chosen for the mother board out of the three available that turned out to be operating right on the edge of its capabilities. This may have been a manufacturing defect where the chip didn't meet spec that went unnoticed until the chip entered service, or it may have been an oversight on the part of Loud. These chips tended to overheat regardless of how loud or quietly owners might be running their SVT7-Pro's. When they overheated an internal protection circuit would kick in and save the chip from thermal destruction. Thus, the frustrating cutting out that this particular amp was unfortunately noted for.
Sometimes, the chip would just suddenly self-destruct. The one on my mother board exploded without warning and blew the top of the chip clean off. My amp was under warranty so Roy Page (the tech who appeared several times on Pawn Stars) put in a new mother board without charge. The problem was, there were no numerical designations on the particular chip in question that came with the new mother board for me to use to determine if I had the same model chip as before, or a chip with higher current carrying capability. I sent Ampeg an e-mail asking them if I got an updated chip or not, and they assured me my chip was an updated model that wouldn't explode again.
As JimmyM has reported, Loud had problems with Ampeg until they fired the guy they originally hired to run it, and since then things have been much better there. I have found the techs and engineers at Ampeg to be helpful when I had questions, etc. But being basically paranoid by nature, I added a heat sink on my aux power supply controller chip to ensure that even if I got one of the original under rated chips, it wouldn't overheat and explode again. It's actually quite a job and I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself. You have to use special heat conductive cement and several varieties are available, only one of which is correct. If you want to take this precaution, I would have a qualified tech glue the heat sink on to the top of the chip. That way, if he screws up the job, your covered. I was able to source a little heat sink that fits perfectly on top of my aux power supply chip.
That SVT7-Pro does have a ton of tone, that's for sure. It has that Ampeg boing that I love. I'm not going to say its as good as an SVT, but it definitely gives that pleasing feeling when played at volume. And you don't have to be Arnold Schwarzenegger put it on top of your cab! For what it's worth, I'd take JimmyM's advice and give it another try. I was bound and determined to get rid of mine after it fried, but I just couldn't do it. Good luck.
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I honestly don´t know why they´re so popular (at least in the USA)?I guess it´s out of old habits, they were among the first loud bass amps, before decent PA´s were around. Ampeg give away free gear to famous bass players, so kids think that this is what you´re supposed to use?
I absolutely hate them.
Extremly heavy (to carry, not the sound), fills a station wagon all by itself (and in my country you can´t put a double bass on the roof rack because of the weather), thin-sounding (unless cranked beyond what is ridiculous in the gigs I play), noisy, very expensive (unless bought second hand off people who got tired of them), fragile, cost a fortune to change the tubes/valves etc.
If there´s an SVT in the backline when we do festivals I politely ask the sound guy/girl if it´s okay to use my EBS instead.
Now, I don´t think I´m a better person because you like SVT´s and I don´t. But you did ask my opinion, didn´t you ;-)
I like the v4b, but I am too old and blessed with too many gigs to tote around tube-amps.
I absolutely hate them.
Extremly heavy (to carry, not the sound), fills a station wagon all by itself (and in my country you can´t put a double bass on the roof rack because of the weather), thin-sounding (unless cranked beyond what is ridiculous in the gigs I play), noisy, very expensive (unless bought second hand off people who got tired of them), fragile, cost a fortune to change the tubes/valves etc.
If there´s an SVT in the backline when we do festivals I politely ask the sound guy/girl if it´s okay to use my EBS instead.
Now, I don´t think I´m a better person because you like SVT´s and I don´t. But you did ask my opinion, didn´t you ;-)
I like the v4b, but I am too old and blessed with too many gigs to tote around tube-amps.
I´ve been told that the SVT´s I tried sounded like luke-warm piss because I didn´t play them loud enough. That you have to play tube-amps loud to get a decent sound out of them,
The v4b you CAN crank at the gigs I play. I never play Wembley Stadium, if I did I might get to like the SVT?
But would I buy one? No. There is far better sound/weight per Swedish krona to be found elsewhere.
The v4b you CAN crank at the gigs I play. I never play Wembley Stadium, if I did I might get to like the SVT?
But would I buy one? No. There is far better sound/weight per Swedish krona to be found elsewhere.
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A complete fallacy. I regularly run SVT's at volumes slightly louder than I can get cleanly with my 25w B-15, and they sound just as great to me at that volume as higher. I don't know what happened with the ones that you used, but no matter what amp someone uses, if it's not broken and it sounds like lukewarm piss, I ain't blaming the amp.
I have serial number 001/250 SVT 2 PRO ever made. I can say without a doubt that it is the BEST amp I have ever tried/used. I am using a GK Gold Line cab as it sounded warmer than the 810 Ampeg. I play it every where I go no matter what. YES it is a Heavy one, with the case I have the head alone weighs in at 100 lbs, and the cab weighs 158 lbs, but the tone simple CAN NOT BE BEAT....PERIOD with graphic eq, or parametric, I can literally get the deepest tone I ever need. I use a Schecter 6 string studio and I have NO REASON to use anything else. Get one if you can, You will not regret it !!!!!!
In Sweden they run SVTs on lutfisk instead of power tubes! Makes them sound like lukewarm piss.
Just found this article on Sweetwater on how power tubes affect tone:
Amp Anatomy: How Power Tubes Affect Your Tone | Sweetwater
Amp Anatomy: How Power Tubes Affect Your Tone | Sweetwater
Soooo... I’m not Jimmy, but...
I use Genz Benz Streamliners for backup (I have two - a 600 and a 900). I don’t know what they weigh, but are light and compact. Cheap on the used market too (since they are no longer in production). Closest sound to an SVT I’ve been able to find in a hybrid/SS design - If I’m being lazy, I’ll just take that to a rehearsal and am plenty happy. Not an exact SVT tone, but pretty darn good - warm, fat and loud.
I also just bought a GK 700RB-II head. VERY different sounding than an SVT - big yet tight lows, super punchy, brighter. Although it is very musical sounding, it certainly doesn’t have the warmth and round tone an Ampeg does. It has a different kind of drive to it that is hard to describe- I like both, but prefer the SVT. Coming from Ampeg, it has a bit more of an edgy attack that sounds (to me) borderline harsh on its own, but shines in the mix. I also find it is clearer, more defined than the Ampeg. I love the features of the amp. Normally, I like way less knobs - but this is so intuitive, it’s easy to dial in. I ordered a VT Bass to go with it and am excited to give that a spin. I think adding a little more warmth and roundness to the inherent strengths of the amp sounds killer - at least in concept.
That said, I played the GK for a few minutes after getting it and guess I got a defective one, because it died. Plugged into my V4B and it was just heavenly compared to either the GB or GK head. I can make any of these work and would be happy with both, just not quite as happy.
I’ve tried a bunch of Class D stuff hoping it would be awesome - nothing is even close. YMMV
In Sweden they run SVTs on lutfisk instead of power tubes! Makes them sound like lukewarm piss.
Mastermold, you are the victim of Fake news. We run them on surströmming!
Off topic: Beware! Surströmming is probably the worst "food" in the World. DON´T eat it! Swedes might tell you "it doesn´t taste as bad as it smells". And thats right, `cause it actually tastes even worse than it smells! And the smell is usually enough to make you throw up!!!
The term SVT immediately conjures up visions of the CL tube head sitting on top of a 810 fridge. What I would like to know from the SVT fans is are both components integral to the "SVT" sound, or is one component more important than the other? Can a CL dominate on any a cab that can handle its power? Can a 810 be just as much of a monster with any head on it lofty peak?
So neither is more responsible for the "SVT" sound than the other?
Let's say you had to Sophie's Choice it. Either keep an SVT-CL and lose the ability to have an Ampeg 810 cab of any kind, or keep the cab and never be able to use an all tube Ampeg amp. Which would you choose?
You're asking one of the hardest to answer questions out there. Is one, the other, or both components key in making that trademark tone? Who knows. Swap one out, it will be different. Factors:
Ampeg does their own R&D, and work hard to make their components sound a certain way when used together.
The density of the plywood used in the cabs, speaker size and type/brand, ported or not. That's just the cabs. In the amps, subtle differences include the brand of tubes, the routing and gauge of wiring, the exact rating of resistors (all have a 10% tolerance), and those are just a few. There are more factors than that, and all should be considered when trying to assess the sound you get from each. Even 2 exact same amps and cabs may differ ever so slightly when assembled, and no two will be quite exactly like another. This is yet another reason why some people use only them, and even others may not notice a difference.
Put generally, results vary so slightly, but can make a big difference. There really isn't just one reason why some prefer (or not) the ampeg sound. That said, there isn't a way to really nail down why or how or even what makes the combination of the two (amp and/or cab) magical. You either can get exactly what you wanted, or it can be off by a mile. Personal taste is the ultimate factor, and that is highly subjective.
Hope this makes it clear as mud.
