SVT-II

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 3:46 pm

I saw an Ampeg SVT II for 900 bucks today. As usual I have never seen one before. This one had two fans hanging on the back to keep the tubes cool. I know you guys know what this is. Is the price too high?

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 8:05 pm

I think so, they were supposedly problematic and they didn't make many so it's probably hard to find parts for them. You can get a real SVT head for that much money made in the 70's which will sound better and be louder. Anything made after the 70's early 80's has a prefix after it. There should be a built in fan for the power transformer, you shouldn't need to cool the power tubes. There's one on ebay right now that's a lot cheaper than that or was the other day.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 8:25 pm

I wouldn't bother with any SVT's newer than about 1986. The MTI ones were made from '81 to '85 in Japan and are very similar to the older Magnavox 70's ones and the original 60's Ampeg made ones. The early MTI ones used some inferior components and had different cosmetics, but they are the same circuit as the originals.

There was also a limited edition run of some in early '86 right after St. Louis Music bought what was left of Ampeg from MTI, and these ones were the same circuit as the original SVT's with some cosmetic differences and inferior components like the MTI ones. Some of the MTI ones and all of these limited edition ones use 12ax7's instead of the original 12dw7 and don't sound as good due to this. Anything after those is going to be a completely different circuit.

The one I have is an early MTI from early '81 and even has the same transformers as the American made Magnavox ones so I got lucky. Bob has several Magnavox era ones if I remember right? And Bob is right....for that price, you should be able to find a better older one. I paid $900 used for my MTI SVT head about 6 years ago, and could have got one cheaper if I looked harder. That was before ebay though. All of the older ones have gone up in value, but you can still find them for around $900 to $1000 sometimes. The older ones like these are much more reliable than the newer ones, and sound a lot better too.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 8:36 pm

Greg, I also have a limited ed. 87 head #413. I changed it to all 12DW7's, it has a nice clean warm sound but doesn't have quite the power of the 70's heads. It also has a lot less gain the 70's heads. I've never tried an MTI head but the 70's Magnavox heads sound killer. They're going up in price all the time just like Rics, if you want one grab it now. I have a 76 and a 77, people are afriad of tubes nowadays and tube heads breaking down. I use both the 28 and 29 year old heads regularly and don't worry about them, they were built like tanks and are workhorses.

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 10:07 pm

Thanks guys! I want a tube Ampeg so bad I could just .......! I figured you guys would say it was too high.. In LA, you never know! Guess I'll wait for a V4b on ebay.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 4:38 am

Has anyone compared the V4B with the Traynor YBA-200?

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 6:35 am

Charlie of if you are going to spend that kind of money why not get an SVT? V4-B's are nice amps but are not in the same league as an SVT. And V4-B's are also getting higher and higher lately.

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 6:58 pm

I don't want to spend that kind of money! I have an Ampeg B210sp, an Eden Traveller, and Eden 210T cab. You'd think I could get a tube amp and bottom for all that stuff!

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 7:15 pm

Bob, I guess they made those limited edition ones into 1987 too. I thought they had ended in '86. I bet if you studied the schematic for the old ones, and compared it to your '87, you would find some different resistor values in there. If you changed them you could get that gain that your older ones have. When you cahnged to the 12dw7's, did you also change the circuits to the 12dw7 circuit, or just stick the tubes in place of the 12ax7's? They optimized the circuit for 12ax7's, and so they won't have as much gain as with the 12dw7's if you didn't change the circuit too.

The MTI's will be like your '87, but with inferior caps and transformers, unless its a really early MTI like mine. Mine still has the cheaper caps, but the transformers are identical to the US made ones. I can change the caps one of these days to good quality stuff and sound just as good as your Magnavox ones, whereas with the later MTI's, the transformers are different, so they will sound good, but not like the Magnavox ones. I guess the bass player for AC/DC actually likes the sound of the MTI ones better from what I've read. The only complaint I have about mine is that the fan is NOISY on the back. It sux in the studio with that noisy fan.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 2:41 am

I changed the circuit Greg, just reversed the 12AX7 mod for old heads. The fan on mine is really noisy too. Mine says 1987 on the back on a little placque along with #413.
Charley they don't give tube amps away. The only thing I like about 2x10's is that they can double as boom boxes. Even a single 15" sounds better than a 2x10 to me anyway, at least they have some bottom.

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:19 am

Bob: The towel rank Ampeg (9 X 10) is still for sale at a local second hand shop. You would need Allied to move it. Should I give them a call?

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:46 am

In our little sanctuary, 15's don't develop, they just sound muddy. Even 2x12's flap a bit. It is a metal building 70 feet long and about 25-30 feet wide.

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:17 am

Peter - That's a V9 (guitar) cab. It's ported but it wasn't designed for bass. I've heard of guys using them for bass and not blowing speakers, but I wouldn't recommend it. Also, the speakers are each 5.3 ohms and the voice coils are almost nonexistant, so forget about reconing if you blow one.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:33 am

That's the problem, is the speaker coil open Peter or is the cone just ripped? if it's ripped it can be repaired. I'd buy it. Would really sound good with a Traynor YBA-200, A Fender would sound good through it too. All you do is yank back on the towel rack and balance it. haha!

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:22 pm

Good deal Bob. With you changing the circuit, I bet it sounds much better than before. It is down on power compared to the Magnavox ones too, or is it just overall preamp gain that is less? If it is down on power too, that is because of the inferior transformers most likely. I assume since they are your amps that all of them have good tubes with good life left in them? Interestingly enough, the older Ampeg 6146 based ones put out more power than your Magnavox or my MTI one....but the extra power seems to be more midrange focused, and the Magnavox era and MTI ones seem to have more deep bass. I bet Jeff Rath would opt for the early 6146 type if he had to pick an SVT, and you and I would opt for the Magnavox or MTI ones like mine. They all sound good though as long as they are tube SVT's.