Why are Ampeg SVTs so popular?

[JimmyM]

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.

Yeah, sometimes I forget that the audience are a bunch of morons and all musicians are really super intelligent.

 

[socialleper]

Yeah, sometimes I forget that the audience are a bunch of morons and all musicians are really super intelligent.

Having no clue about gear or sound, and being morons are two different things; one is a lack of information the other is a lack of capacity. Considering Joe or Jane Average can't tell you what the difference between a bass and a guitar is, we are generally playing to a clueless audience.
However, given the bell curve of intelligence, there is a solid statistical chance that a good portion aren't playing with a full deck.
For better or worse, you can apply the same stats to musicians.
I've rarely been disappointed by underestimating my fellow humans.

 

[edro]

Well, most of all the signifying about just about any gear is for our benefit for the most part...

We just can't help ourselves....

The popcorn munchers out there wouldn't notice the difference if one played an SVT or a blue Univox bass boat...

 

[EatS1stBassist]

Toured with it and the 9/10 cab. For 2 years!! It was back in the 70’s Nothing like it! Then and maybe now! Balz Out!!!

 

[john_g]

Man, we need a sticky.

 

[Maxfenderbass]

Every one of my bass heroes in rock music played them as I was growing up. It took me about 10 years to get the stones to go out and purchase a full rig (VR and 810e) but I must say, for my band, I would not play anything over it. I do want to try other big tube amps like the Verellen Meatsmoke and an Orange AD200 but they are priced way to high up here in Canada.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

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.

Two things:
Levi Strauss introduced jeans in 1873.

It isn't necessarily that we older musicians feel save and comfortable with the old school technology, though that is true to a degree. I would say we have not been marketed into believing we need a lot of expensive gadgets to sound good. Much of what players use now is not really necessary, it is just fluff to line the pockets of the manufacturers. Not all will agree, but I have yet to hear any amp that actually sounds like a Fender Bass through an Ampeg SVT or V4B for that matter. If you like gadgets, use and enjoy. But, it isn't my cup of tea.

 

[brianrost]

Why is this? Are they just that good that almost everyone uses them? I've never played one, so I wouldn't know.

It took five pages to suggest to Whitenoise to drop by an Ampeg dealer some time?

 

[socialleper]

Levi Strauss introduced jeans in 1873.

Agreed. They were designed for miners and the rivets where to keep the pockets from ripping when they put tools in them.
Levi's were the first to market, and then become iconic in the 70s and 80s as a fashion brand. Up until that point they were for farmers and cowboys, which added to that "American" mystique.

Technically there are a lot of amps that are far more cost effective and just as loud as an SVT-CL. My D800 doesn't have a lot of "gadgets", weighs 5lbs, and holds its own against Marshall stacks power wise (although it has more to do with the efficient design of my Barefaced more than the head.) It feels to me like marketing has convinced people to invest in an old design full of inefficient technologies that is the least ergonomic thing on the planet. Take a step back for a moment and review your own statement. You don't sense a desire for something comfortable and simple in it? Those are the hallmarks of nostalgia. A Fender and a SVT? Just like the 70s right?

 

[wmhill]

the same reason that some many folks drive Harleys, when there are plenty of other bikes that do the same thing (and often better) for less money.

 

[JoeWPgh]

They make the stage floor rumble

 

[MtManiac]

Is the SVT the holy grail of bass amps?

Yes.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

the same reason that some many folks drive Harleys, when there are plenty of other bikes that do the same thing (and often better) for less money.

"In terms of pure workmanship, personally I don't like Harleys. I ride them because I'm in the club, and that's the image, but if I could I would seriously consider riding a Honda ST1100 or a BMW. We really missed the boat not switching over to the Japanese models when they began building bigger bikes. I'll usually say **** Harley-Davidson." -Sonny Barger

lol

 

[Charlzm]

Nearly every rock/metal bassist I see uses an SVT live. Whether it's Mike Inez, Jason Newsted, Rex Brown, or Dave Farrell, so many of my favorite bassists play Ampegs.
Why is this? Are they just that good that almost everyone uses them? I've never played one, so I wouldn't know. Am I missing out? Is the SVT the holy grail of bass amps?

They're so heavy that they are never moved, so they are permanent backline in many places.

/sarcasm

 

[sawzalot]

Dunno, I've never liked them that much. But then I've never cranked one up to full volume either. Just to give you an idea of how far out there I really am, I also have no use for a p-bass sound. Call me crazy.

 

[Larchi]

I had to use one in a backline at a show (SVT3 Pro) because the soundguy wouldn't let me use my Trace. And the thing was just a muddy mess, I had ample time to try and sort a sound. But to no avail. I should have hid my Trace behind the rig and made it look like i was using the Ampeg I'll take a clean head over a tube one any day. You can always run some sort of pedal to warm up your sound, or add grit.
If everyone's using a Pbass and SVT, that is the last thing I will use.
*I use a bright green 1000watt MB Little Ninja.

 

[xnewyorka]

Watch this with good headphones and see if it helps answer the question:

 

[Mastermold]

Nearly every rock/metal bassist I see uses an SVT live. Whether it's Mike Inez, Jason Newsted, Rex Brown, or Dave Farrell, so many of my favorite bassists play Ampegs.
Why is this? Are they just that good that almost everyone uses them? I've never played one, so I wouldn't know. Am I missing out? Is the SVT the holy grail of bass amps?

Yes the SVT is the holy grail of bass amps. It's heavy, sure, but worth the weight for the tone it produces. For a long time I didn't think I needed one. Then I tried one. Now I own two!

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Agreed. They were designed for miners and the rivets where to keep the pockets from ripping when they put tools in them.
Levi's were the first to market, and then become iconic in the 70s and 80s as a fashion brand. Up until that point they were for farmers and cowboys, which added to that "American" mystique.

Technically there are a lot of amps that are far more cost effective and just as loud as an SVT-CL. My D800 doesn't have a lot of "gadgets", weighs 5lbs, and holds its own against Marshall stacks power wise (although it has more to do with the efficient design of my Barefaced more than the head.) It feels to me like marketing has convinced people to invest in an old design full of inefficient technologies that is the least ergonomic thing on the planet. Take a step back for a moment and review your own statement. You don't sense a desire for something comfortable and simple in it? Those are the hallmarks of nostalgia. A Fender and a SVT? Just like the 70s right?

Actually, I gig with a Fender Bassman 500. The only gadets I have are a pedal tuner and a wireless, but wireless has been since the 60s. I was gigging with a Rumble 500, but I wanted more of a tube sound. As to nostalgia, it is only for the tone and I don't care what anyone else says, you can't get a full Tube amp sound from any SS amp regardless of design, so it isn't to have behemoth taking up too much space on stage and taking two men to move. I have observed that a lot of younger players prefer a more "modern" sound, but it isn't as pleasant to my ear. Show my a 5 lb. head and a 25 lb. cab that can match the sound of an SVT and I'll be all over it.

As to fashion, in the 1950s, you weren't cool unless you had the Levi's label on your jeans. Obviously, you aren't that old or you would know.

And, in my original post I said "if you like it play it". I stand by that and will add don't give me crap about what I like or my opinion.

 

[Salicete]

I've got lots of amps to chose from, but I always come back to my SVT because nothing else sounds "right" to me.

Its a good amp, no doubt, but not the end-all-be-all of bass amps; however, many many bass players would probably agree with me; nothing else sounds "right" to them.