Finally !!! My SVT & Ric set-up.....

j_gary · Post by **j_gary** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 2:54 pm

I fear the only way a bass player will get away with two 810's is if he runs the band. My sense is that most groups are suspicious of aggressive bass players.

For most of my musical journey I had obediently filled the bottom, supported the groove, and followed the drummer, no worries. As of late, I've become a little adventurous, pushing the drummer around and dueling with our guitarist, uh oh, trouble.

This has coincided with complaints about the amount of equipment I bring to battle and cracks like, "hey, we already have a lead player". I'm not a great bassist, nor do I seek the spotlight, I just want to run a little bit.

I've had the pleasure of running two 810's with an SVT, and baby it changes you. The wonderful sound and power, combined with the ability to clearly hear yourself, has a big impact on how I play. It's almost intoxicating and encourages you to explore.

Naturally one must be responsible with the power in a group, and it's not applicable to every song. However, with most R & B and jams, why all the hand wringing if the bass player wants to get into the foray?

Do you need two 810's, or a Dodge Viper? Not really, they are impractical most of the time. However, if you the ability to own either, what a ride. There is a danger though. If you do not know how to drive either, properly end up in a wreak.

billy_sacco · Post by **billy_sacco** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:08 pm

Yeah man you are totally right. A lot of guitar players just want some bass they hear in the background not overpowering them at all. Hell when I break out my pedal board it really pisses off a lot of guitar players. Hey one thing you can say about the 2 8x10 cabs, a very hard rig to steal! I always said if some freaking giant ape guy is able to pick up my SVT and run off with it I probably don't want to get in his way.

geddeeee · Post by **geddeeee** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:50 pm

I'm lucky in my band. Because we're a 3 piece, the drummer and guitarist don't mind me stretching my legs so to speak. Sometimes I apologise and say "Lost my head a bit". The answer is always - "No, it's good to hear the Rick, clanking and growling!"
Bass should be felt AND heard!!!

j_gary · Post by **j_gary** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:11 pm

Amen!

tomg · Post by **tomg** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:50 pm

I still have to wonder where someone gigs that there's a need or even room for 2 8x10 cabs.

On the cover band circuit around here, most of the stages aren't big enough for a single 8x10 cab, much less two.

"I've had the pleasure of running two 810's with an SVT, and baby it changes you. The wonderful sound and power, combined with the ability to clearly hear yourself, has a big impact on how I play. It's almost intoxicating and encourages you to explore. "

Hard to argue with that.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 6:20 pm

At one point I was using two in almost all the rooms I played unless they were tiny at the urging of the drummer who loved the sound. You still need to set your volume for a good stage mix, you need to hear all the players, with two it's easy to completely drown out everything else if you get carried away. The set up has a very clear warm sound that's so thick you can almost walk on it, it is intoxicating and spoils you for all other amps once you get used to them. They look damn cool onstage also.
If you can fit a 4 x 10 on a stage then you can fit an 8 x 10, they ain't so big, they'se just tall that's all, as Jimmy Reed once sang.
I occasionally use the heads with 1 or 2 Ampeg 15's for small rooms, they sound good through them also. But for the classic sound that ushered in the modern bass sound you need the Ric and the full set up, it's bass player heaven, and yes they are definitely worth the lugging. My SVT's are just as much a part of my sound as are my basses, they go hand in hand, I not only play the bass, I play the amp. I usually use one cab these days BTW. I'll use two and maybe even two heads outside but in small or medium sized clubs I'll use one and it's plenty.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 6:33 pm

I'll dig through my stuff Greg for them, I think I got the 300 watt rating for the MTI cabs from you or maybe some forum, I forgot but I do have the 70's specs here from a pamphlet I bought on ebay which are the same as the tech stuff I have packed away:
The head:
300 watts RMS minimum continous at less than 3 % total harmonic distortion (T.H.D.) into a 4 or 2 ohm load over the 20-20,000 hz band.
I have the tone control specs, signal to noise ratio, frequency response curve at 1 watt, sensitivity etc. also if you want it, my scanner is broken or I'd send it to you.
The 4 ohm cabs are rated at 240 watts RMS per enclosure. No frequency response is given but I've read before they are essentially flat from 40-4000 hz.

cerrem · Post by **cerrem** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 6:45 pm

Bob... Your my HERO!!!!!
There's only a few here who understands the SVT addiction....
It's NOT about the volume or being loud...
It's all about the TONE and the PUNCH!!!
I would go as far as saying that playing a 4001 plugged into an old SVT set-up is equivalent to having good sex... Totally intoxicating...
I don't care about lugging around this gear.. even though I screw my back up, it's worth it

Bob..we need to have a serious SVT conversation on of these days....

Chris

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:26 pm

Yes, it's the tone and punch that does it for me also, I've never gotten it from any other amp combo and I've had or tried quite a few. Many have their good points but they all pale in comparison with: The Mighty SVT! haha!
Still the standard by which all other bass amps are compared.
We're going to get banned if we keep on like this you realize that, right? The older members here might remember my first e-mail address and user name: bobampeg, I was a marked man.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:50 am

Bob, I'd love any info you have on the SVT's. I can send you some dinero for postage and copies if needed?

I love the tone and punch too, and miss it when I don't use it. I need to fix the fan on mine though...it is noisy beyond belief, which makes it very hard to use in the studio.

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 11:15 am

You guys ever try an SVT through a more portable cabinet, like a 4X10?
If a 4X10 sounds great with a solid state amp like SWR, then I'd think it would sound incredible with an SVT.
Power handling is 400W, & it weighs 97lbs. One person can move it, but it's quite awkward. Very easy with 2 people.

cerrem · Post by **cerrem** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 11:47 am

4x10 doesn't cut it....
It has nothing to do with power handling... It has all to do with physics... The wavelengths of these bass frequencies plus the sub-harmonics that are involved... You need GIRTH and as much cone surface area in contact with the sorounding air... The SVT chokes itself on a 4x10...sort of like the Elephant through the key hole analogy..

Chris

cerrem · Post by **cerrem** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:52 pm

SVT UPDATE !!!!
LAst night my neighbor, in the building next door, said pictures were rattling on the walls in his living room !!!!

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:01 pm

Thats nothing...I can do that on 2! Of course I have a custom SVT cabinet with four 10's and one 15 in it, so I get a bit more bottom than your standard SVT cabinet. Hope your neighbor doesn't call the cops or shoot you!

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 6:44 pm

I sometimes use SVT heads with one and more usually two modern B-15 cabs, single 15" in each. They sound pretty good and sometimes excellent depending on how the room is but the 8 x 10's just sound so full and big it's no contest. The 15"s actually sound better in very small rooms though, I'm talking places that are 20 x 20' living room sized places etc. The bigger the room the better the full cabs sound, they sound their absolute best outside which is the opposite of most bass cabs I've had. I cut an 8 x 10 in half years ago and ran it at the wrong impedance for years and it didn't sound very good but I've never tried a 4 ohm 4 x 10, might be nice for small rooms though.
I had an SVT out in my driveway a few years ago during the afternoon to test a new old cab I had just picked up and the lady across the street called the cops, haha! I had played it for less than ten minutes too and it wasn't very loud when I did either.
Is that a newer Ampeg cab you have Greg? If it is they actually dropped off higher than the 8 x 10's do. 50 cycles as opposed to 40 for the 8 x 10.