Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Go ahead Ron do it, there's no substitute for an SVT, once you played one you're spoiled for life (at least most people are) Amps have come and gone for 60 years but Ampegs been here the whole time and has been primarliy a bass amp company, although they have made some nice guitar amps in the past. Of all the new amps made now in 5 years 95% of them will be gone.

A

Ron;

I use the Pro3 and 2 - STV410HLF. I tried just about everything else. You cannot beat Ampeg for value and sound. The only thing I am looking to change, is an upgrade for the STV head.

Bob - I enjoy reading comments that are succinct and concise, but A is a little too little!

I know what you're saying, Bob, but I don't have a cadre of roadies to haul my stuff around. 85 lbs. is a lot to lug. That's why I like my Aguilar cabs. They're lightweight and stackable. Besides, does the audience really care? You're just background noise for the most part.

For myself, I'm no longer looking for an amp with its own sound, which is the big thing with Ampegs. At the time I bought my Mesa, I wanted a more "vintage" tube type sound. I even sold my GK 800 RB because it had too much coloration for the sound I'm going for now.

My bass sounds great direct, so I want my amp to sound like my bass, without adding any coloration of its own. I do like to get some grind sometimes, but I use an old BlueTube pedal for that.

Now I find the slower response time of tube amps annoying. Clean/Hi-fi doesn't have to sound sterile! But that's what works for my playing, which is more jazz/funk/fusion/solo bass these days.

That's the difference, Dave. I like the styles of Roger Glover/Glenn Hughes; deep with punch. The SVT does a lot in that regard.

I play with a lot of bottom usually which SVT's excel at but I don't think that they natually color the sound, the 8x10's color the sound a lot more than the heads do. I have noticed that fusion players and jazzers really like neutral cabs and amps, and they are nice for solo playing. I have always thought of my amp as part of my instrument, I play my amp as much as I play my bass, I find them inseparable and I find SS amps to be less responsive to my touch, I guess maybe I have a guitar players approach as I started on guitar, but I would just as soon play a Strat through a SS amp or direct through the board as I would a bass.

I am using a SUNN 300T All Tube monster Amp with a Yorkville XC808 8X8 Cabinet.

The combination of warmth coming from the head with the punch and clarity of the cabinet is simply great !!!! I used to have effects but not anymore !!! Just plain and simple straight cable from the V63 into the Amp, which I can blend two channels, one dirty and one clean, compression, EQ's, mid notch, etc. etc.

The amp is versatile and gives me that overdriven Tone I was looking for a long time.

One day I might consider trying other Tubes other than the Groove Tubes 6550 that are in it just for fun.

Ron, are you saying you're just background noise?

oh, no!

Hey Stephane, I know what you are talking about!

ever since I got my tube amp, I have a renewed interest in dynamics. For some reason, the amp always makes the instrument sound alive.

Play softly, the sound is warm and very clear. But, dig in, and that amp sounds louder and even warmer than before, with the addition of some wicked harmonic distortion cutting right through the mix.
It's almost lika a paradox for me, warmth, and sizzling high end grit, cause I never could do that with any solid-state amp I tried. I can understand why some non-rock oriented musicians prefer solid-state, though. When tube amps are pushed, they tend to lay down some character!
For Ampegs, it tends to be girthy low-mids, and for Mesas it tends to be this slicing top-end sizzle(probrably like the Sunns, also), but all of them can be very warm.

Face it Chris - most people go to bars to drink and possibly score with memebers of the opposite sex (at least the bars I go to). They'll dance if the band is good, but they really don't care if you're using Ampeg, Mesa or Peavey. Probably the biggest reason we're selective is best described by my friend's comment over lunch today: "Good-sounding gear inspires you to play more."

I would seriously consider the SVT if it wasn't so heavy. I may look into a used Aguilar DB359 or Traynor YBA-200.

Ron....it's not an SVT but check out an Ampeg SVP-Pro preamp also. Great tone and you can get whatever size amp you need. Unless you buy an older power amp (like mine) you'll be way lighter.

That's a good idea, Brian. Thanks.

Think of it this way: the audience couldn't care less if we were playing through old TV sets (which was my first amp) but if our equipment inspires us to play better the audience senses it and my amp is just as much a part of my sound as is my bass. If you don't feel that way about your amp I would keep looking. I love my SVT's as much as I love my Rics and most people that use them seem to feel that same way. I realize I'm probably a little bit rigid about SVT's but I've been using them for 30 years, have tried many amps and have never once wanted to change to another brand. I see people in the amp of the month club who buy the latest thing that comes out all the time, to me it's worth lugging around what I consider to be the best amp going at least for what I want them to do.