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Ampeg SVP-BSP Preamp


3V17C
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I've got an Ampeg SVP-BSP Preamp (the Billy Sheehan model - signed by the man himself) and it sounds absolutely fantastic. Its got a clean and an overdrive channel which can be combined to make a lovely warm tone with a hint of distortion. At the moment I have it sitting in my 'studio' for the odd occasion when I record a bit of bass, but I really want to stick it in my gigging rack in place of my Trace Elliot GP-11.

The problem I have is that I just cannot get an kind of volume out of it! I A/Bed it last night against the Trace and with everything flat out it only puts out about half the output of the Trace. Its [i]probably[/i] giggable volume (I am in a LOUD rock band!) but it may mean me having to push my power amp (Ampeg AP3550) alot more than I do with the Trace and I don't want to be struggling with headroom.

This has always been a problem which is why I switched it for the Trace in the first place a year or so ago, but I would much rather be using the Ampeg.

I have tried replacing the valve....no difference.

The preamp has a Pad button on it. I mainly use a Yamaha Attitude which although is a passive bass has very high output so normally I do have the pad button in. If I have the pad button out then yes, I do get much more satisfactory volume, BUT the peak light is on all the time even with the gain on about 1. Would this damage the preamp if the thing is constantly peaking?

I'm guessing the pad function is to allow for active basses and although mine is high output its perhaps not as high as an active but it [i]is[/i] too high for the normal input mode....if you get my drift?

any thoughts on this?


peace

c

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yeah...its fine with the Trace preamp though...plenty of power there and the power amp has a input level indicator on it too showing how much is coming in from the preamp - with the Trace its recieving loads - with the Ampeg its recieving...well not much!


c

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[quote name='3V17C' post='16867' date='Jun 13 2007, 01:50 PM']The problem I have is that I just cannot get an kind of volume out of it! I A/Bed it last night against the Trace and with everything flat out it only puts out about half the output of the Trace. Its [i]probably[/i] giggable volume (I am in a LOUD rock band!) but it may mean me having to push my power amp (Ampeg AP3550) alot more than I do with the Trace and I don't want to be struggling with headroom.[/quote]

If your power amp has more gain do not be afraid to turn it up. Remember, power output (and thus headroom) and gain (i.e. knob positions) are only very loosely related.

If turning up doesn't work then either the preamp or power amp can usually modded for extra output or sensitivity by swapping a few resistors.

Alex

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One thing I can add is that the Pad button feeds straight into the valve. The gain control is actually situated after that valve. therefore, you can actually overdrive it with a hot bass with the gain control on zero! ;o) (I used to have one too you see)

The problem you are having is the preamp's ability to drive with enough gain up to line level. FWIW, my V Type has a massive signal output in comparison to any Ampeg pre I have owned, so it's not just you.

Frankly, its not really a problem of the power amp.. if anything, you don't need a more powerful amp.. but one whose sensitivity (the input level on which the poweramp will produce it's full output) is lower, so the preamp needn't have such a high output, to match up with.

The odd thing is that you are driving an ampeg into an ampeg.. surely they should have matched the 2?? lol .. If you can get some sort of line driver pedal/box and plonk it in between pre and poweramp you should notice a good difference.. at the expense of some additional noise.

Alex is also correct, I have heard of pre's being modded (and poweramps for that matter) to match kit together.

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hi folks...

all I see with the svp is a svt 3pro without the power section! maybe thats an amp you need to demo, I am very pleased with mine!

oh well cant get everything right! need to do a little more research on the svp-bsp! <[oil tanker]smiley>

Edited by andy67
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yup, you're spot on, the all valve SVP preamp is more or less exactly the same in the SVT3 and similar in the SVT4.. and the same as the SVT 2 pro.

The BSP has a similar EQ section, but the valve triodes are hooked up together with nothing in between, right at the start of the signal chain, before the gain control. In much the same way as the config of the Trace Elliot SMX preamps. The rest of the BSP is op-amped.

Interestingly, I found the very best clean tone with the least noise picked off from the clean channel send. However the rendered the rest of the preamp (dirty channel etc) useless.

I'd almost go as far as building that section of the pre as a standalone preamp.. and it would definitely sound great. Hmmm.. mebbe I just will! ;o)

[/ geek mode]

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[quote name='andy67' post='17236' date='Jun 13 2007, 10:07 PM']hi folks...

all I see with the svp is a svt 3pro without the power section! maybe thats an amp you need to demo, I am very pleased with mine!

oh well cant get everything right! need to do a little more research on the svp-bsp! <[oil tanker]smiley>[/quote]


oh yeh.. and one more thing! putting line driver valves into the SVT 3's poweramp section was just ace! Makes the poweramp act a little more like a valve amp than a usual SS poweramp. Kinda compresses when you push them really hard. Just this side of distortion. (except when the amp runs out of steam)

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[quote name='dood' post='17013' date='Jun 13 2007, 04:29 PM']One thing I can add is that the Pad button feeds straight into the valve. The gain control is actually situated after that valve. therefore, you can actually overdrive it with a hot bass with the gain control on zero! .[/quote]

ah that explains alot about it peaking out so damn much then!



hmmm.... i'll have another play with it at next rehearsal - meantime looks like I'll stick to the trusty Trace although it doesn't sound quite as nice :-(

also... any recommendations for a line driver type thing? - ideally rackable... did a quick google but without much luck


c

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i had a similar issue putting my Eden Navigator through a QSC power amp - gave waaaay less power than an SVP I tried out. The problem turned out to be fried transistors in the output stage of the pre-amp having been caused by a phantom power surge when using the DI from a powered desk. Any way this could have happened to your BSP?

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