Replacement pickups?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:09 am

"i use the same setup for everything from country to r&b to rock ."

The SVT and a 70s Ric are a great sound and a great combination ... it is like a marshall and a les paul they sound good but they don't do everything ... A 70s ric and a 70s ampeg bass amp don't get the job done for me ... I need a low B and a line 6 bass pod and a modern amp ...

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:18 am

The SD's are 4 wire. I've hooked mine up using the standard series/parallel/split wiring with a mini on/on/on toggle. Still nothing to get excited about.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:37 am

the Seymour Duncan SCPB-3 quarter-pound for single coil p-bass is an excellent replacement pickup for a 4001/4003 bass ...

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:18 am

This may be a little off topic, but Jeff's post at the top of this page got me thinking...

What does a modern amp do that an old SVT can't? In my opinion, 70's SVT's can do *everything* better than any modern amp... blues, R&B, rock, funk, you name it. The tone is in the design of the preamp and the compression of the power section. The only drawback is the weight and the fact that there's no DI if that's your thing... I've owned lots of newer amps, and my old SVT's blow them all away in tone and volume. After all, it's been arguably the most popular bass amp for the last thirty years.

And not to knock the POD (too harshly, anyway!) - but why bother with some digital box that's trying to emulate the sounds of classic bass amps? I'd rather be playing through the amp that the pod is trying to sound like...

geddeeee · Post by **geddeeee** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:35 am

I agree Ron. Valve amps are where it's at. Digital effects claim to 'emulate' the tone of classic valve amps. I've found this not to be the case. They sound sterile. The tone controls usually make it even worse.
Use the real thing. The punch and warmth are amazing. The problem is cost. Bloody expensive!!!
Worth it though...

geddeeee · Post by **geddeeee** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:36 am

Er, I mean ROB.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:59 am

The SVT does not have enough headroom and it is too big ... I need a smaller, cleaner amp with more headroom that will fit in my car ... the old tube svt distorts too much ... I get my distortion from the pod ... that way I get the same distortion at different volumes ... and with big pa systems I don't need to carry around a refrigerator sized amp with me ... and a 6000 watt pa with crossovers can push out more full frequency sound than any bass amp in the world ... unless you do a wall of sound Entwistle setup ... plus the svt sounds like an svt ... with the pod I can model many amps and get different sounds ...

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:17 am

The SVT has *plenty* of headroom if you play through 8x10 cabs... heh! I guess I just like the old pantlegs-a-flappin'...

here comes my pic again!

ricosound · Post by **ricosound** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:39 am

Sorry, if I hauled one of those into church for a set, I'd be crusified (and someone already took care of that for me). I'm with Jeff; for stadium shows and outdoor gigs, fine. I have to go direct with no on stage ampification, but still require the sound without the volume. Call it a comprimize if you will but different strokes. Hey Geddy goes direct through a Sansamp these days, just like me!

thinneckrick · Post by **thinneckrick** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:48 am

Mine does not distort unless you crank it way past usable volume level .i have never gotten the volume up that high so i really dont even know if it would distort then. If you had an svt Jeff that distorted that easy it probably needed tubes or caps . There are alot of cool amps out there that you can fit in a suitcase but there is nothing that emulates the sound of a real SVT. Mine sounds great at a low volume as well as a high volume . Besides i moved alot when i was younger so im used to hauling a refrigerator lol.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:14 am

the big refrigerator amps are dinosaurs ... they come in handy for concerts but for a gig in a small venue a small 4x10 amp is more than enough ... these days bass amps are just for stage volume and the pa system fills the room with sound ... I prefer a solid state head with plenty of power and 4 good 10s as my stage amp ... then I can actually pick it up and move it up and down stairs without injuring myself ... I used to have a 7 foot tall stack in the 80s that sounded awesome but that was then and this is now ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:21 am

headroom is having enough power in your amp so that it does not add distortion in the normal playing volume ... that is why pa systems have so much power ... so they can throw out a clean sound ... I am a big fan of distortion, but if it comes from the wrong source then it sucks ... if you use an old tube amp to get distortion then you can get a great sound at one volume you turn up and it is too distorted and you turn down and it is too clean ... with a clean amp and the pod I can get a good growlly distorted sound at almost any volume ...

alanz · Post by **alanz** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:21 am

I use a Carvin 60W single 15 combo as my regular amp with a direct out from my compressor to the PA. I let the sound guy fill the room and my amp is just to let me know how ****** I'm playing.

It does that job really well, too.

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:37 am

In the past I wouldn't use anything smaller than a 2X15 cab except for practice, but it was too big to fit in my car, too heavy & awkward to move by myself, and too loud for decent stage volume.
I now use a 4X10 cab with an additional 2X10 cab I set over by the drummer so he can hear me well (the guitar player does the same with an extra cab).
Two 200 watt SWR heads are plenty for a good clean stage sound. If I want grit I crank the preamp gain a bit more & drop the master a little.

You only get one set of eardrums!
Mine are permanently ringing from listening to EVERYTHING way too loud for years.
"If it's too loud, you're too old"
I used to think that way, but either I'm now getting close to being too old, or starting to gain a little wisdom (a little!)

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:56 am

"the big refrigerator amps are dinosaurs"

Sorry Jeff, but that statement is just laughable.

I'm in a rock band that plays all original music. I need my SVT&8x10 to be able to hear myself because we play quite loudly. If I had just a 4x10, I'd be hearing nothing but drums.

Heck, in my last ten years of recording and touring, I can't remember the last time we played with another band where the bass player had anything less than an 8x10 - they're the standard for the genre of music that we play.

Plus, 75% of the clubs we play at have, shall we say... "substandard" PA equipment. Bands only use it for vocals and the kick drum.

That's just 'how it is' around here...

If a 4x10 works for you, great, but for me, it would be like showing up to a gun fight with a spatula.