+1
And maybe he can name all these amps that sound exactly like an SVT at a fraction of the weight.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Why are Ampeg SVTs so popular?
- Thread starter Whitenoise17
- Start date
-
- Tags
- ampeg svt
And maybe he can name all these amps that sound exactly like an SVT at a fraction of the weight.
If I played loud gigs where an amp was used (I'm 90 percent ampless, and the gigs I do with an amp aren't anywhere close to loud), and someone else would put the amp in place, and maintain it to where it always, worked, hell yes, I'd be playing through SVT's. Simple, straighforward, yes a bit of a brute force approach, but it works.
I'll never forget the first time I heard an SVT rig (with 2 cabinets) right after they first came out back in the 70s. All I could say was WOW - it moved so much air and was so punchy that it really drove the sound of a band. It was a big departure from the somewhat uneven sound of the Acoustic 360 - 361s that a lot of people used before the SVT came out. I've never owned one - and never had a need to.
But - I've played through one several times in different settings. While I like the punch of the SVT, I also want a higher-fidelity, higher definition sound with deeper lows.
An SVT simply won't produce the sound I'm looking for (the head might, but the cabs simply won't do it). If you like an SVT, need one and can move it, then keep using it. It wouldn't deliver what I'm looking for.
But - I've played through one several times in different settings. While I like the punch of the SVT, I also want a higher-fidelity, higher definition sound with deeper lows.
An SVT simply won't produce the sound I'm looking for (the head might, but the cabs simply won't do it). If you like an SVT, need one and can move it, then keep using it. It wouldn't deliver what I'm looking for.
I can carry my D800 and Barefaced Super Twin at the same time, are comparably loud to a SVT+Fridge, and sound pretty similar. If you did an isolated recording of the two rigs you can pick apart the differences, but most live audiences have lead ears and can't tell the difference.
An SVT with an Ampeg 810 is like a Harley motorcycle. There are other sexier, faster and better models out there. But the SVT feels right and has a very loyal following. I own a Harley now and once owned an SVT stack. I do not currently own an SVT because it weighs more than the Harley. 
I play with an extremely loud drummer & my 1x12 or 2x10 neo cabs & SS heads just never seemed to give me a foothold in the overall live sound of the band (at least on stage). I bought an SVT-CL & 810e cab a few months back and I've never been happier. Just standing in front of that cab, with the master dimed and gain dialed up just right is pure tone nirvana for me. Maybe it is the honeymoon period or whatever but it's worth all of the cost and all of the weight for me. Also, unless you are lugging the cab up and down stairs by yourself, the cab does have wheels & a grab bar making transportation no big deal.
The answer is Dan Armstrong.
We have/had a few bass guitar gear geniuses, who pretty much defined the bass guitar. Leo Fender, Dan Armstrong, and Ron Wickersham. Those are the cats. Perhaps the bass guitar Illuminati, to whom @nostatic was referring.
Of those three, Dan may be the least talked about. But, everything he touched wrt the bass guitar was pure genius. Including the SVT.
Last edited:
P Bass plus Ampeg SVT CL and fridge is something that all bass players should try. It can do no wrong.
Like many other people said, it's a great amp, it has the aura of a classic bass rig, and it's very versatile. True, it is heavy, but it's gorgeous in its simplicity, easy to operate, and it's so ubiquitous that you can rely on it for backline anywhere in the world.
And talking about backline, this was some 4 months ago, in a mid-sized gig, playing for some 250 people or so (and yes, I'm playing a backline SVT-CL while wearing a Trace Elliot shirt). Backline for the second-band (from Spain) as well as for the headline (from Sweden). We all 3 (including us, the local opening act) could play the same gear, with our personal settings, because we all knew how to dial-in our tone of choice.
And talking about backline, this was some 4 months ago, in a mid-sized gig, playing for some 250 people or so (and yes, I'm playing a backline SVT-CL while wearing a Trace Elliot shirt). Backline for the second-band (from Spain) as well as for the headline (from Sweden). We all 3 (including us, the local opening act) could play the same gear, with our personal settings, because we all knew how to dial-in our tone of choice.
You have a trinity comprised of the B-15, the V4B, and the SVT.
All are part of the same cloth, just folded differently.
With maintenance, all these amps are fixable and can last forever. My fifty-five year old B-15N is better than new. As is my ‘71 SVT and ‘74 V4B. They all sound fantastic. What else can you want out of an amp.
Last edited:
I’ve shown up to gigs where all the bass players have an svt and fridge and we just share one lol. It’s cool how easy it is.
Yeppers, Fender P + SVT + 8x10 = perfection.
I'm going to give you a much longer answer than you wanted, but that's how I roll. Strap in.
1.) They got there first. Being the first one to really nail a growing market is a wonderful thing. For a long time bass players used guitar amps, or small combos. Ampeg was one of the first amp companies to really focus on bass players, and when loud rock and roll became a big deal, their 300w tube head and 8x10 cab was one of the few things on the market to compete with 100w guitar heads and dual 4x12 stacks.
Look at Levi's jeans. They established themselves as the denim brand in the 70s and 80s, and even though Arizona, Old Navy, Lee, Wrangler, etc offer the exact same product at a quarter of the price, they remain a dominant brand that still demands a high price. They sort of invented denim jeans, so it is hard to dislodge them from their position.
2.) Icon Status. Once the SVT started dominating the market, it created a feedback loop. The MI world is very unique in that what your favorite players use has a massive impact on what you want gear wise. "I like how they sound, I want to sound like them, I need the same gear." The SVT-CL is a beast of amp and far from cheap, so there are a few reasons to avoid them. However, in reality there are only so many ways to achieve 300w in a tube amp, and the tone stacks generally aren't too sophisticated. So, company B might make something a lot like a SVT-CL, but my favorite player uses an SVT-CL, and the competitor isn't that much different. Guess which I'm going to buy?
3.) Nostalgia. In case you haven't been paying attention, guitar\bass\drum driven rock is being pushed to the margins and in a death spiral financially. This impacts what people want, and what MI stores will carry, in subtle ways. For older players, they want to harken back to the era they remember; one without all this electronic stuff. It is safe and comfortable. For younger players, they might romanticize a period before the music industry strangled the last few nickels out of artists and artistic ability faceplanted. Given modern advances in recording software, class D amps, and sound systems in venues, there is little reason for a 300w tube bass amp; let alone one that weighs as much as small adult human. The attachment is emotional, not logical.
For MI stores, it is purely economics. They have had to reduce their foot prints and inventory, so they are going to carry items that will sell. The SVT-CL is a proven seller due to its status and iconic glamour. If a store is going to carry a high end tube head, that is the one they are going to carry. Which means if you go to your local MI store to buy a tube head, they will probably have a SVT-CL. Because people buy that amp due to availability, audiences see it on stage, think "that must be the best," and go buy one. Rise, repeat.
4.) They are reliable. I have my thoughts on Ampeg's SS gear, but for all of their other shortcomings, Ampeg's tube amps are very reliable. You see old ones still puttering around, and you new ones getting miles put on them. They are an absolute nightmare to deal with, but very solid (literally and figuratively) pieces of equipment.
As others have said, I would be pretty happy with an SVT-CL + 810 in a backline or studio. I don't see many situations where I would own either. If I'm gigging, the last thing I want to do it move 300lbs of gear on and off stage for a 45 minute set that probably doesn't pay. If I'm not gigging, what the heck do I need 300w for? A venue that doesn't have a full PA is probably too small for 300w, and a larger one will have a PA, relegating your amp to a very heavy monitor. But that's me. I'm always looking to work smarter, not harder.
SVT is not the only great amp out there.
That being said, a full SVT will get the job done on a grand scale.
If there is a gold standard for bass amps, it is a cranked full SVT.
There have been other great amps over the years, including the CV equipped Acoustic 371 rig, but the SVT has withstood the test of time... Folks still use em.... Nobody likes moving em... but they're still out there, knocking the dust off everything in the room and dislodging ear wax...
That being said, a full SVT will get the job done on a grand scale.
If there is a gold standard for bass amps, it is a cranked full SVT.
There have been other great amps over the years, including the CV equipped Acoustic 371 rig, but the SVT has withstood the test of time... Folks still use em.... Nobody likes moving em... but they're still out there, knocking the dust off everything in the room and dislodging ear wax...
There are many great bass amps out there . Is the SVT the Best or the Holy Grail amp. That depends on who you are and what sound you like. I have played through many heads and cabs and have yet to find one that delivers the Weight to the notes that the SVT does . Any time I have ever heard that weighty thump it has always been an SVT Not always an 810 As I have heard it sounding similar through 215's and 610's . There are others that can get close to the SVT grind but none of them have that SVT magic . Are there other amps that I like and enjoy playing through yes several and I own several amps that are not Ampeg SVT's But then again I don't want them to sound like an SVT or I would be using my SVT. And I am 60 and don't yet mind moving mine to gigs .
