Markbass VS Ampeg SVT

[rickaddict]

should i reply...have you tried an original svt ? but that's ok.

No, I haven't tried an original SVT. I'd like to someday though, 'cuz I've heard so much about them. But I'm not out here regularly bashing the old SVT's or even saying that my SVT-CL sounds as good as one.

My SVT-CL is a great sounding amp. I'm nowhere even close to being as electronically knowledgeable as you, and wouldn't know how to fix my tube amp if something went wrong. And I have such a hard time finding competent people who can service my broken stuff these days. The last amp I had serviced was in the shop for over a year, and the faulty power switch (that I specifically asked the shop to replace) that caused the amp to quit in the first place...was never even replaced! (I won't be going back) So I wanted something new. My SVT-CL came with a 5-year warranty and was the best sounding new amp I played through when I was looking for one (and I played through a lot of stuff). So I bought it...even though it weighed almost as much as the car I drove it off in.

Plus, I see a lot of touring acts come through Chicago and I'd say that at the time I bought mine (2005) more than half of them were playing through an SVT-CL. And many (not all) of them had great tone.

all amps do the job they're designed to do. process an input wave form and **** it out in various ways. it's this process i'm discussing. the classic and vintage re-issue do not have the same digestive tract the original svt had.

I hear ya!

therefore the new 2010 camaro will not perform like the original '67 camaro.

Thank you. That's better. And nothing against the Ford Focus. Its a fine car, from a fine family of automobiles!

that's as easy as i can explain it. yes i've used the classic series on one western canadian tour when we were flying to shows out there and did not bring our own stuff. it processed signal, but was faltering in the original quality. re-issue only means it looks like it, but inside it's not what it originally contained. all companies try to have some improvements in the design...thus the disclaimer that the circuit may have changes in it due to production line improvements or revisions.

no one makes the 12dw7 tube anymore and only ampeg used it. ampeg doesn't use the 12bh7 tube anymore. nor the 6c4 tube. they have replaced these tubes with the all round 12au7. in the digestive tract...these substitutions mean something in the final product. replace sugar in soda with aspartame or nutrisweet and you tell me if it tastes like the original soda. but...it still is soda.

Well, again...I'd like to hear/play through an original SVT sometime. With all that I've read here in this forum from Bob Young and yourself, they must sound great.

My question would be: What happens when your old SVT tubes that are not made anymore quit? Are you still able to find them all? You must keep a stash of NOS, out of production tubes?

i guess **** is a bad word that starts with the letter "p".

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

tubes will be available forever. they were made by the kazillions. people have horded a lot of them and release them for sale. even those deleted ampeg tubes are readily available. some popular ones are still being manufactured. i have a small hord myself to keep my beasts running til i drop. again, all this discussion is pointless in its never ending cycle and only comes down to taste and affordability. i have no problem with those choices others have made. i know more than some but not as much as others. as you said...i speak from my expertise.

[bge66]

I'd vote Markbass. The SVT is my least favorite bass amp... ever. It's only 300 watts, so I don't know why everyone thinks it's so loud. You can't get a decent clean tone out of them, and the worst part IMO is the tone stack. If you set the amp flat, it's not flat. It always has this big hump at 250Hz. Also the low end has been purposely rolled off below 75Hz so it's not muddy in large venues. When you switch the Ultra Lo switch on, it doesn't boost the lows, but cuts the lower mids to make the lows sound louder. It's a blurry boxy sounding amp.

For a tube amp, my Mesa 400+ is louder and sounds better. I don't want my amp to be on permanent grunge mode like an SVT, so when I want some grind I use my old TubeWorks BlueTube pedal.

But my main amp is a Trace Elliott through my Mesa cab. At 150 Watts it's louder than a lot of amps, including SVTs.

Played both a SVT 8x10 and the 400+. Worked in music retail for years, and I'm not sure if it was just the abuse that they took on the floor or if there is just a bit too much 'hand wiring' but the Mesa amps always seemed to have some problem or another. Initially, at least. And there was also the 'I have a tongue piercing and play scream-core on my 7 string thing associated with Mesa so I always wanted to like the SVT more. And the one's I've played have sounded great, but they do sound like an SVT. The 400+ was definitely more tweekable and you could coax different tones out of it.

But both are backbreaking.

So I was looking for something smaller - tried a bunch of stuff. Personally liked (and bought) a Mesa 112 walkabout - it had a grind and warmth that I couldn't find in any of the other options out there. Got a used one, swapped out tubes (short term with a couple tung sols for now) and I'm totally happy.

And the Blue Tube - there's a serious under rated pedal - just too bad you can't run it off of a half dozen 9 volts...

[bge66]

it's amazing how muddy and unfocused my 4001 sounded through our previous Fender BXR300

And not to be elitist, but a peavy TNT will give a BXR a run for its money

[rickaddict]

...So I was looking for something smaller - tried a bunch of stuff. Personally liked (and bought) a Mesa 112 walkabout - it had a grind and warmth that I couldn't find in any of the other options out there...

I agree. Those are really nice sounding (and BIG sounding) little amps. Well made too. I've played through at least 5 of them over the past few years and I'm always impressed.

I think I just might snag one soon!