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Why are Ampeg SVTs so popular?

One thing is pretty much for sure too, it is a [known] quantity with a predictable outcome.
You know what it will do.

Granted, it is not everyone's "sound"...but neither is DE, MB, GK, Ash, TE(real ones), Pvy, Or, etc..
Everybody has their own 'sound'. Folks like what they like....even if it is an old Kustom 2x15 sparkler rig.

That being said, I think most anyone seeing an Ampeg Fridge Rig sitting there for them to play for the evening would think 'damn, this is gonna be fun'...
 
I've always wondered if bands request it because they enjoy playing it or just because everyone asks for it, so they just do the same....
Backline amps that are readily available these days are Ampeg, GK, Hartke, Eden, and sometimes Mesa or Aguilar. For some, the SVT isn't a first choice but the choice that best suits them out of their options. But plenty of people do request it as a first choice because they like it, hard as that may be to believe for you :D
 
Sure, Ampeg sponsors shows occasionally, as do all MI companies with an advertising budget, but there are a heck of a lot of shows they don't sponsor and they'll still have an SVT and 810 on hand for bands without their own backline to use. Bass players just plain ask for them a lot. I talk to a lot of folks who run backline companies and Ampeg, Hartke and GK are the most requested bass amps with the SVT being the most requested.
From what I understand tho the cabs themselves aren't very efficient?

As far as shows I'm sure a festival promoter wants to impress bands so they rent for however long maybe? I know a lot of local bands in my day got an ampeg and maybe a 6x10 if not the 8 because well, when in doubt go with the go-to. Last I looked tho I wasn't really turned on by the price tag.
 
Sure, Ampeg sponsors shows occasionally, as do all MI companies with an advertising budget, but there are a heck of a lot of shows they don't sponsor and they'll still have an SVT and 810 on hand for bands without their own backline to use. Bass players just plain ask for them a lot. I talk to a lot of folks who run backline companies and Ampeg, Hartke and GK are the most requested bass amps with the SVT being the most requested.
The amp has been in commercial rotation since almost it's birth (Stones 69).
Much like the Shure SM 57,58, it is something that can be counted to deliver every time.
Almost everyone that has used one knows for better or worse what to expect and that expectation translates into dependability. Are there better, different mics, bass amps sure and every production company has different, better mics, amps but I am sure they always have SM 57, 58 and Ampeg SVT :)
rolling-stones20a.jpg
 
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The amp has been in commercial rotation since almost it's birth (Stones 69). Much like the Shure SM 57,58, it is something
that can be counted to deliver every time. Almost everyone that has used one knows for better or worse what to expect and that expectation translates into dependability. Are there better, different mics, bass amps sure and every production company has different, better mics, amps but I am sure they always have SM 57, 58 and Ampeg SVT :)View attachment 3142058
They are the boutique guitar amp of Bass!
svt_stones_with_SVTs_cropduo.jpg
 
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Yes. And also the holy grail of chiropractors.

I kid, a bit. I've heard amps I like better. I own amps I like better. But if I show up somewhere and an SVT is in the backline, the only thing I'll have to say is "thank you very much!"

Unveiled at the 1969 NAMM show in Chicago, the SVT head alone weighed 95 lbs and contained fourteen tubes, six of which were massive 6146 power tubes. To heat all those tubes, massive transformers with magnetic fields powerful enough to cause genetic mutations were necessary. And what kind of speakers were able to handle all that power? Nothing less than two cabinets sporting eight ten-inch speakers and weighing 105 lbs. each.
svt_dblstack_grey.jpg
After surveying his creation, Cox was actually concerned about potential liability—when your engineers warn of the possible harm their designs could cause, you'd better listen. Ampeg's management did and devised a warning label which read:

"THIS AMP IS CAPABLE OF DELIVERING SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS THAT MAY CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING DAMAGE."


Nice! :)
 
The amp has been in commercial rotation since almost it's birth (Stones 69).
Much like the Shure SM 57,58, it is something that can be counted to deliver every time.
Almost everyone that has used one knows for better or worse what to expect and that expectation translates into dependability. Are there better, different mics, bass amps sure and every production company has different, better mics, amps but I am sure they always have SM 57, 58 and Ampeg SVT :)View attachment 3142058

I've always wondered how freakin' loud Keith Richards and Mick Taylor were on that tour!

Playing guitars through 300 watt tube amps, WOW!

I also wonder what they did to get distortion from those SVTs. I'm guessing fuzz boxes.

Anyone who knows, please chime in.
 
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I've always wondered how freakin' loud Keith Richards and Mick Taylor were on that tour!

Playing guitars through 300 watt tube amps, WOW!

I also wonder what they did to get distortion from those SVTs. I'm guessing fuzz boxes.

Anyone who knows, please chime in.
They turned them all the way up.