Vintage Ampeg V4; is it worth it?

Payge Hollett

Payge Hollett

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Jun 18, 2016
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Toronto, ON
#1
Hey duders. Some guy on a bidding website is selling a Vintage 70's Ampeg V4 head, pretty good condition. He's selling it for $650, which seems a lot less than people who are selling it in the $800's on Reverb and other sites. It's the non-master volume one, with the six knobs and everything. Here's a picture:
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Let's say it works perfectly. I was originally looking for an Ampeg SVT-Classic, but it seems like the vintage heads have pretty good reviews, enough that apparently they made re-issues of this head? I don't know much about Ampeg, but I wanted to know if this head was worth the $650, or if I should just get a used Ampeg SVT-Classic for about $1000 (used).
A little insight, I play in a pop punk band so I'm too sure about the tone either. I play a musicman stingray, which has a pretty nice tone to it. Not sure if it'd fit my genre, I heard the head has a "creamier" tone, whatever that means.
 
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#4
It's an early model, the later ones have plastic knobs. The price is good, they sell for more in Canada than in the US. Yes, there is a reissue, it has a different power amp but sounds like the original.

Every new used amp should be seen by a tech after you buy it. Factor that into the cost. Sometimes a new amp is a better option in terms of overall cost. It won't need new tubes or power supply capacitors, and it comes with a warranty. If you can find a used amp in good shape that has had maintenance, that's a plus. As about this when looking at a used amp. The one that you are looking at is claimed to work perfectly. This is good but are they telling the truth.

I have a restored '74 V4B as well as a '71 SVT and love them both. Each have their applications. But it took a lot of work and additional money to get them that way. Some older vintage amps are like that. Don't underestimate how much more you may have to put into a used amp.

One advantage of a 100W amp such as the V4B is that it can be pushed to it's limits into distortion, to get that tone that you mentioned. If you don't need crazy loud, the V4B is a good option. Pushing an SVT that hard it pretty loud. The V4B is a lighter than an SVT, around 60 lbs vs 80 lbs for the CL; the reissue V4B is 41 lbs. The advantage of the SVT is that it's 300W. You get a lot more amp for a relatively little extra investment. The amp is pretty much the standard seen in a lot of backlines. They tend to cost less to fix because techs have more experience with them, the SVT-CL and VR use more standard tubes, so does the V4B reissue.

As for a speaker cab, the 810 sounds glorious with either amp. For loud pop punk, an SVT and 810 might be your best choice if it is within your budget. Otherwise, there are lots of good speaker cabinet options to consider.
 
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#9
beans-on-toast said:
As for a speaker cab, the 810 sounds glorious with either amp. For loud pop punk, an SVT and 810 might be your best choice if it is within your budget. Otherwise, there are lots of good speaker cabinet options to consider.
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Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it! I wasn't sure how worth it the head was because I've heard vintage Ampeg is unbeatable, but I've always sought out for the SVT-Classic head and 8x10. I'm probably gonna stick with that then for the future, instead of putting work into this.
 
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#10
Just be advised that the V4 and SVT (while both outstanding amps) are different beasts. I have owned a vintage version of both including on exactly like the pic you posted.

The V4 was much "cleaner" sounding to me. I would almost call it a "hi-fi" amp compared to the SVT. Getting any wool, fur, just under overdrive, grit, etc. from a V4 isn't impossible, but it's harder than you think. Again, it's a great amp. I just prefer my tube amps to sound more like......tube amps. :D
 
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#11
Payge Hollett said:
Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it! I wasn't sure how worth it the head was because I've heard vintage Ampeg is unbeatable, but I've always sought out for the SVT-Classic head and 8x10. I'm probably gonna stick with that then for the future, instead of putting work into this.
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I find that whenever I go with another piece of gear instead of the one that I had my heart set on, I second guess the decision and wish that I had waited. Hope that you can find a way to achieve your goal.
 
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#12
Payge Hollett said:
Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it! I wasn't sure how worth it the head was because I've heard vintage Ampeg is unbeatable, but I've always sought out for the SVT-Classic head and 8x10. I'm probably gonna stick with that then for the future, instead of putting work into this.
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without generalizing to much any vintage tube amp can be solid runner or sometimes need some work eventually, so dont get to frustrated or be surprised if basic maintenance issues come up with any older tube head, likewise if you have plans to get a 810 i can definitely say no matter what the little bit or alot of bit of grind i have got from a 100 watt tuber sitting on a 810 is priceless and is rather addicting tone. older ampegs have harder to find tubes, nowadays with the internet and all its not to difficult to find them and a V4 is considered a classic bass amp to many and id actually be more willing to put up with a vintage V4 than a svt. that is just me though. and a 2ohm tap can be found on a few tube amps and some dont have. so basically any tube amp with a 2 ohm tap automatically sits high on my valuable list. eventually if needed and you wanna run alot of cabinets 2ohm taps are your best friend. and likewise eventually yes youll probably sink some money to get a good running amp with any tuber. so might as well sink it into something that is worth it. the vintage V4 is a sturdy monster and has nice chassis and even a shock mounted chassis which i find superior. when or if you do find love within 100 watt or so tube tone the V4 sits at the top of the list and actually probably one of the best tube amps to have in that class.
 
#14
two fingers said:
Just be advised that the V4 and SVT (while both outstanding amps) are different beasts. I have owned a vintage version of both including on exactly like the pic you posted.

The V4 was much "cleaner" sounding to me. I would almost call it a "hi-fi" amp compared to the SVT. Getting any wool, fur, just under overdrive, grit, etc. from a V4 isn't impossible, but it's harder than you think. Again, it's a great amp. I just prefer my tube amps to sound more like......tube amps. :D
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HUH?? Totally not my experience with it.
 
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#15
Own an early V4B, have owned an early V4. They sound close and both sound great! I also don't get anything near a hi-fi vibe from the V4.

There is a certain feel to the headroom you get from an SVT but the V4 series sound awesome. And really, cleaner headroom is the main difference. And a few pounds....
 
#17
I use my V4 for bass. It is one of my favorite amps. Sounds great with the heritage 410. I had it re-capped and replaced the power tubes. If you're prepared to have a tech look at it and spend a little cash replacing old parts, you won't regret it!

IMG_4046.JPG
 
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