Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Solid State vs Ampeg SVT
- Thread starter Two-Spirit
- Start date
-
- Tags
- ampeg ampeg svt solid state svt vs
There's a sound I get out of my SVT that I just can't seem to duplicate with any other amp. I can get real close with the Pro 3 and the Pro 4. Never played through a Pro 2 so I can't speak for that one. I've heard a Tonehammer 500 that also seemed quite close. All of these were played through an 8 10e cab. Will the audience notice the difference? Probably not......but I do so I'm still using the SVT. As I get more geezerly , will I ever switch to a PF or a Tonehammer? Maybe........but not quite yet.
As to trying to describe the difference between them , not even gonna try. You have to hear them to really get it. I will go as far as to say , the SVT just sounds fatter to me.
As for other SS amps , I haven't heard any that come close to an SVT. Maybe they are out there , I just haven't heard one.YMMV
edit: I did hear an old Peavey head through a Genz Benz 4 10 that sounded darn good a couple nights ago ,but TBH, I find my 8 10 easier to move around than a 4 10.
As to trying to describe the difference between them , not even gonna try. You have to hear them to really get it. I will go as far as to say , the SVT just sounds fatter to me.
As for other SS amps , I haven't heard any that come close to an SVT. Maybe they are out there , I just haven't heard one.YMMV
edit: I did hear an old Peavey head through a Genz Benz 4 10 that sounded darn good a couple nights ago ,but TBH, I find my 8 10 easier to move around than a 4 10.
Last edited:
Play one and get back to us.
Well, do a few searches and you'll find that half of the talkbass page is built around that question. Also, anything played into an ampeg 8x10 is going to have a lot of that sounds. I think the 8x10 is 3/4 of the magic for most folks.
Accidentally the best answer! Lots of people like filet mignon. I wouldn't ever eat it (i would play both and any ampeg...that's not the issue at hand. I love my SVT 2 Pro and wouldn't kick a CL out of bed!) But there is this generally accepted truth that like the filet, one is the pinnacle of desire (again, not totally unwarranted!) So in the end it's about how fickle your palate is. If SS gets you where you're going then more power to you. If it leaves you feeling empty inside, you know what you have to do.
Why bother with solid state when so many players use tubes?
+1
I think a lot of us are tired of trying to explain the difference between tube power vs SS power. You won't know until you experience it yourself
- May 9, 2008
- 4,079
- 1,226
- 4,551
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Springvale Studios
Does the afore mentioned filet mignon have a dash of Worcestershire Sauce in because I find it makes a big difference.
X
X
Lots of it had to do with whether you are "tone chasing" or just trying to get some low frequency noise to the audience in a convenient way. I personally don't find my SVT 4 holds up to my SVT classic, but they both hang out at my house while I schlepp a much lighter markbass combo to gigs. Doesn't sound as good as either SVT through a fridge, audience doesn't seem to care. Every bassist should gig an all tube SVT for a while as a right of passage, imho.
SVT. ...or Fender Super Bassman. ..both 300w with 6x6550 power tubes. Both great amps.
I used my Super Bassman last night. ..
The sheer ooomph that the 300w of power tubes gives ya is simply a thing of beauty. ....imo of course.
I used my Super Bassman last night. ..
The sheer ooomph that the 300w of power tubes gives ya is simply a thing of beauty. ....imo of course.
I've never owned one, but I have used them a lot of times in back lines. Nothing sounds like it, although I was once watching a band that I thought was using one. When they were done and it was less crowded, I was able to get closer to the stage and see the bass rig. It was a GK 800RB with a SansAmp RBI through an Ampeg 810E. To my ears it sounded pretty damn close.
Last edited:
I only play one because JimmyM said so
I've owned and played Ampeg B15Ns, V4Bs, SVT 2 Pro, and an old school SVT with 8x10 cab.
The old school SVT/8x10 was the best sounding live rig I ever played. However, it sounded only about 5% better than my Jule Amps Monique into a Jule Amps Class D M2500 and two Greenboy F112s, and weighed 275% of that rig.
No contest.
The old school SVT/8x10 was the best sounding live rig I ever played. However, it sounded only about 5% better than my Jule Amps Monique into a Jule Amps Class D M2500 and two Greenboy F112s, and weighed 275% of that rig.
No contest.
It's a bit of a consensus that the SVT atop an 810 or two is a unique sound that can't be imitated by smaller cabinets and heads. Is at least some of it psychological? Absolutely, in my opinion, however I'm not inclined to disagree completely with a bunch of industry professionals. But hey, I like my solid state gear.
TUBES! As mentioned it's really something you need to experience for yourself to decide if it's something you prefer.
For me, tubes amps have more harmonic content that I miss when I play other amps.
In a live environment you may or may not notice it. I do, and that's really all that matters to me.
Why not?
Why bother with solid state when so many players use tubes?
In general some of them can get you close in tone but not necessarily in feel.
It's best if you can try them both out, preferably in the same cab, which usually is an 810 of Ampeg vintage. But, no matter what the Tube Guys vs. The SS guys try to convince you of, bottom line is what tone YOU like for what you want to do.
The all tube Ampeg SVT is and has always been the king of the amp jungle as far as I'm concerned. However, it's WAY too much amp and/or is impractical for a lot of players in which case a tube/solid state hybrid SVT3 Pro or an SVP CL/SVP Pro/SVT IIP preamp paired with a good solid state poweramp is plenty good'nuff if you want the Ampeg SVT sound, IMHO.
Last edited:
How would the Mesa Boogie Prodigy compare soundwise? Would it sound more like the SVT tube amps or something completely different?
Edit: Mainly inquiring as it's A LOT lighter.