Ampeg tones.

[AndrewJordan]

Looking for a new gigging cab and maybe head. Pretty much decided I am gonna try an Ampeg 610 when I find one at the right price but still interested to hear other opinions/suggestions.

For many years now my gig rig has been a GK800RB head into an old Peavey Mega Bass cab 1x18 + 2x10 biamped. Bought the cab for no other reason than it was cheap and available locally at the time when I needed one. Always been happy with the massive lows it produces but always found it lacking mids and it's a big numb heavy box to shift around.

Always really liked the sound of Ampeg rigs when I have heard them but never played through one. So, around a year ago I bought a Micro VR rig for home use and fell n love with the tone.

Our guitarist plays bass in another (quieter) band through an Ashdown 1x15 combo and has been borrowing my SVT210 cab to get a bit more stage volume. Last week he bought himself the same cab so it gave the opportunity for me to try them both together at band practice.

I stacked the two cabs verticaly(I am tall so like to get speakers a bit closer to ear level) with the Micro VR head on top and gave it a go. I and the rest of the band instantly loved the tone (although I did miss the lows a bit) but the volume just wasn't quite enough. I had the input gain just occasionaly tickling the clip light and the output maxed and while it was loud enough for me to hear what I was playing it just needed a bit more and of course there was no headroom left. Think very loud rock drummer who gets even louder at gigs and Marshall 4x12 guitarist.

So, I stuck the 300W output of the GK into the stack and wow what a difference those extra 50W made. Loads more volume with the output nowhere near max (could this be the difference between old school watts?). The tone was not as nice though but that could have maybe been sorted if I had time to play with the eq. EQ was flat on both amps and the VR definately had nicer tone. I have heard it said that Ampeg cabs like Ampeg heads and vice-versa so I wonder if it will limit my choice of amps?

My thoughts after all that are 4 x 10" speakers with enough power up them will certainly be loud enough. The two 210 cabs stacked vertically are too unstable for our type of gigs and wouldn't fit anything bigger than the Micro VR on top. A 410 will sit too low for my liking plus a rock band bass rig has to have a bit of stage presence...right?. The Ampeg 610 while being a little taller than my peavey cab (a good thing) is significantly smaller in the other dimensions and is 10Kg lighter. The four sealed tens should give me the tone that I like while the two ported tens should give me back a bit of the lows that I was missing.

Ramble over, go ahead and tell me where my thinking is going wrong and why I should be considering a 212 or 215 or whatever

[Lw.]

I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with your thinking - go for whatever you fancy!

For me, Ampeg's "tone" comes from their amps - to my ears 6(or8)x10's all sound the same regardless of brand, it's the basic box with a load of 10's pushing air about that does it. If that was the tones I wanted & I had the house/car space for the cab I'd go for whatever >4x10 cab I could find cheapest used then get a proper nice Ampeg amp to sit on top.

[AndrewJordan]

Interesting opinion, I'm sure I have read others stating otherwise regarding the difference between cabs containing 10s though.

Amp choice could be my next subject though. While I love the sound of proper Ampeg valve amps I'm not sure I can afford one at the moment. In my case the tone I have been hearing comes from a small Ampeg solid state head which I am sure will sound different anyway. I wonder if the old 350H or 450H heads would be close?

[Lw.]

That's always the fun in music - everyone hears things differently! I'd love to see people that say they can hear the difference do a blind test of 610's by Ampeg, Orange & Ashdown for example and for them to be able to name each brand as it was played. I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to as I have been to countless gigs where those brands are being used & have only ever picked out the tone of the heads. These aren't super technical cabs like we're seeing the boutique manufacturers produce nowawdays - they're a big box with a load of speakers on the front, I doubt the general design has changed that much in the last 40-odd years & it hasn't needed to either.

No idea about those heads I'm afraid I'm sure an Ampeg buff will be along in a minute though.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Lw.

[AndrewJordan]

Does anyone know what the vietnamese made 610s are made of?. I assume the current production models are made there and the spec says plywood but someone on another forum says particle board.

[redbandit599]

It might be worth having a look for an old Ampeg SVT-200T (I think the head is called) these were made in the late eighties, solid state and might fit your bill.

I have the less powerful (but still coped with loud rock band) SVT-140TC 410 combo - weighs a ton, but I gigged it for years and the only maintenance it has ever needed was a new plug when it crushed the original due to some sloppy late night car loading. Proper gig machine - I'd suspect the head would be the same.

My combo keeps looking at me sternly in my office wanting to go gigging - but (so far) my back has won! I'm sat beside it right now, think I just heard it growl. It hasn't forgiven me yet since being nibbled by mice...

Or, how about run with your GK into the new cab and stick a Sansamp VT in front?

[AndrewJordan]

Not familiar with the 200T will look them up. And yeh I could do that with the GK as I already have and use sansamp VT currently just for overdrive though not cleaner tones.

[danbowskill]

I'd definitely say your more looking at a head than a cab for "that ampeg sound" imo...........................THIS!!! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/280634-ampeg-b2r-head-l125/"]http://basschat.co.u...-b2r-head-l125/[/url] is a stupidly great bargain ,sounds great imo(when i played 1
)and will give you that lovley tone your after. Most sealed 6x10 8x10 cabs will give a similar sound.
My heads sound very different through a ampeg 8x10 to the 6x10

Edited March 18, 2016 by danbowskill

[AndrewJordan]

Hi Dan, the B2re, isn't that actually the same amp as the 350T or 450T minus the wooden casing? Call me sad but I prefer the look of the ones in the wooden casing

How would you describe the difference in tone between the 810 and the 610? I know the 610 has a tweeter and a ported section but if I get one I will be disabling the tweeter (not a fan of those). Does the sealed 10 section of the 610 not give a similar sound to the sealed 810 but with added lows from the ported section?

[danbowskill]

The 610 is all ported ,nothing sealed.each chamber of 2 10" speakers has port holes in the shelfs down to the 3 vents underneath. The 8x10 is great......but for me playing in a detuned rock band the 6x10 pushes them lower MIDs spot on and feels to have more ummmph.its quite hard to compare live as the 810 obviously has more height to ears,more subjective.depends on head as well,my cab is awsome with my valve head yet was quite naff with a hartke head I used.

[AndrewJordan]

Ah, my bad! I assumed it was only the lower two 10s that were ported as thats how it looks with the grill off. So it will sound quite different to the sealed 10s that I have been experimenting with. Good to know that and also good to know that you like it for down tuned stuff as that is what we do. Do you know if they use the same driver as the 810? Sounds like you've been inside it, is it vietnasmese? if so can you tell me if its plywood or chipboard?

I thought that the sealed 10s I played through had very good note definition. Would you say the same about the 610?

[danbowskill]

the eminence drivers in the 610 are 6ohm and tuned different. both have nice note definition, to me the 8 has slightly better highs and the 6 better lows.Mine is a slm USA one im not sure its ply??.....certainly not chipboard.

[AndrewJordan]

OK cheers for that!

[goingdownslow]

My 610 HLF is an SLM USA one and is made from OSB (Oriented Strand Board). I believe the Vietnamese ones are plywood.

[AndrewJordan]

Thanks! Just what I wanted to know.

[LennyP]

I used two of the older SVT 210HE cabs with different heads and it was great. Particularly with an ashdown head. Sounded tubey. Those two cabs were portable but still had a big sound.