It is me or are Ampeg hybrid heads a bit meh?

[BassManGraham]

I have been playing for more years than I care to remember, but never owned an iconic Ampeg rig.

Recently I played a couple of festival rigs where backline was provided and there was insufficient turnaround to use my own gear. After a quick fiddle with numerous tone settings on an Ampeg head I got a fairly decent onstage sound thru an Ampeg 4x10.  I was fairly impressed, so I decided to seek one out . I tried a couple of preowned SVT Pro 3 heads advertised on a site in Ireland. I was not impressed. I then did  direct A/B comparison using my Quilter BB800 thru an Ampeg SVT 8x10, (and then my Barefaced Super 12T). I was totally underwhelmed by  the SVT Pro 3. IMHO my Quilter blew the SVT PRO 3 away in all areas.. Far better tone, punch and clean power for less than half the new price? 

Any views on what might be a better Ampeg head to try BTW I am way past the heavyweight SVT 4 VALVE jobs!

Edited August 22, 2018 by BassManGraham

[la bam]

Im interested in this topic.

However, must add .............. our practice room had an old batted ampeg 8x10 and svt3 pro. I tried the amp once before the band turned up and it sounded like the worst thing ever ....... dull, really low bass and growly, but in a speaker blown way, so i didnt use it. A couple of months later i left my amp head at home so had to plug in to the 3pro. Same sound, poor. Then the band kicked in and WOW! it fitted perfectly, plenty of power and lovely bassyness without that stacatto bass note sound that some amps can give out. It was very musical and just blended lovely with everything we did.

So, id always see how it sounded with a band, rather than stand alone.

[BassManGraham]

1 hour ago, la bam said:

Im interested in this topic.

However, must add .............. our practice room had an old batted ampeg 8x10 and svt3 pro. I tried the amp once before the band turned up and it sounded like the worst thing ever ....... dull, really low bass and growly, but in a speaker blown way, so i didnt use it. A couple of months later i left my amp head at home so had to plug in to the 3pro. Same sound, poor. Then the band kicked in and WOW! it fitted perfectly, plenty of power and lovely bassyness without that stacatto bass note sound that some amps can give out. It was very musical and just blended lovely with everything we did.

So, id always see how it sounded with a band, rather than stand alone.

Interesting, I thought stand alone sound wasn't great a fuzziness and lack of clarity as I like a clean sound, but in fairness it sounded pretty good with band at full tilt!

[Lozz196]

I had a PF500 which was great, had another which wasn`t due to it not making it through one rehearsal. Re the SVT3-PRO, a change of valves can really help, I bought a set of higher gain ones for my old one from Watford Valves and it made the amp seem much livelier than the stock ones. People do seem to like the 7-PRO, but if the Ampeg head you used at the festivals were the heavyweight ones, sorry but not many amps are going to get there in terms of that sound.

[goingdownslow]

Having the bias set correctly also helps with the SVT3-Pro.

[discreet]

Most amps sound a bit 'meh' played solo. Any amp that sounds perfect when played solo is likely to be inaudible or lacking definition when used in concert.

Which is why an amp that is auditioned in a shop or at home won't reveal its true nature until you fire it up with a band, preferably at a gig.

I think this is why amps have 'contour' controls and why Markbass have filter controls - to make them sound good solo, at home. Just don't use these controls too much at a gig, or you will in effect be miming...

Edited August 21, 2018 by discreet

[Cat Burrito]

I LOVE my Ampeg Portaflex PF-50T. All tube goodness and not too heavy. The PF500 & PF800 are great too. I always wanted an Ampeg as a young player & they don't disappoint now I'm older. 

[chris_b]

I used an Ampeg SVT3 PRO for 10 years through Mesa Boogie 210 & 115 EV cabs. A great room shaking sound every time.

I tried a BB800 through a Barefaced SC and liked it, a lot, but not enough to make me sell my Aguilar AG700.

No accounting for taste.

[BassManGraham]

11 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I had a PF500 which was great, had another which wasn`t due to it not making it through one rehearsal. Re the SVT3-PRO, a change of valves can really help, I bought a set of higher gain ones for my old one from Watford Valves and it made the amp seem much livelier than the stock ones. People do seem to like the 7-PRO, but if the Ampeg head you used at the festivals were the heavyweight ones, sorry but not many amps are going to get there in terms of that sound.

I remember hearing about a few reliability issues with the PF heads when I was looking for a small class D head a few years back. I went for a GK MB500 at the time. Good point about changing valves.

[Cat Burrito]

6 hours ago, BassManGraham said:

I remember hearing about a few reliability issues with the PF heads when I was looking for a small class D head a few years back.

The very first run of the PF500 heads weren't great but the problem was quickly addressed. It didn't affect any other model. It still often gets mentioned but it was a short run problem years ago.

[BassManGraham]

3 hours ago, Cat Burrito said:

The very first run of the PF500 heads weren't great but the problem was quickly addressed. It didn't affect any other model. It still often gets mentioned but it was a short run problem years ago.

That's reassuring and good to know. Thanks

[Sarlscharisma]

I start with what do my fave bass players use and take it from there.  The SVT pro 3 is a stalwart of many a punk/grunge/indie band and sounds great in band context. 

Personally I use Mesa Walkabout/bb750 and sounds great.  Lightish weight and sound great live and solo use.  Anything works with Walkabout imho, bb750 is a bit more difficult to match with cabs/basses.

 

 

[TheGreek]

They had an Ampeg combo in the Rehearsal studio we used in Watford - never lacked punch but it didn't excite me either.

Horses for courses I suppose.

[Roger2611]

I had an SVT 7 Pro the other year and struggled to find anything of that classic Ampeg sound in it so it was sold on, I still use an old Ampeg B1E in my studio as both a practice amp and a nice line out signal for recording, I have far more time for that than I did the SVT 7 Pro

[JPJ]

Last weekend I played through a SVT4 in combination with the famous 8*10 ‘fridge in our local rehearsal room. Took me a while to dial in a tone I was happy with, and I still felt like one or two notes were dropping out, but the possibilities with the 4 are pretty endless so I’m sure that with more time I’d have dialled in a fully working tone. One thing the rig had was heft, and I mean real man sized heft. I’ve used a 3pro in the past and found it easier to dial in, but if you’re going ampeg, then you really need to try one of the all valve versions. Sure, your back will disown you, but your ears will love you for ever 😂

[davehux]

I’m a fully paid up member of the I love Ampeg Club - better make that clear at the start.

I’ve had an SVT3 and it was OK on its own. Sounded much better with a BDI21 in front of it, but that sort of defeated the object - Ampegging an Ampeg to make it more Ampeggy.

i currently have a PF500, which bought after owning an Orange OB1-300 for a while and hating the thing. The PF gets much closer to what I think of as the Ampeg sound, and I can carry it around in a laptop case.

I’ve also got a Micro VR, which was for small gigs and a lightweight backup. I gave it a full band rehearsal last week, and it sounded absolutely amazing. Full, deep, well rounded. I’d forgotten how good it was. OK, it’s ‘only’ 200w into 4ohms, but every single one of them was just perfect.

Yes, in an ideal world, I’d have an SVT and an 8x10, but we play small pubs and clubs, and it would make no sense at all.

So, maybe give the SVT3 a miss and look at some others. They’re certainly not ‘meh’!!! 🙂

 

 

[skidder652003]

14 hours ago, davehux said:

I’m a fully paid up member of the I love Ampeg Club - better make that clear at the start.

I’ve had an SVT3 and it was OK on its own. Sounded much better with a BDI21 in front of it, but that sort of defeated the object - Ampegging an Ampeg to make it more Ampeggy.

i currently have a PF500, which bought after owning an Orange OB1-300 for a while and hating the thing. The PF gets much closer to what I think of as the Ampeg sound, and I can carry it around in a laptop case.

I’ve also got a Micro VR, which was for small gigs and a lightweight backup. I gave it a full band rehearsal last week, and it sounded absolutely amazing. Full, deep, well rounded. I’d forgotten how good it was. OK, it’s ‘only’ 200w into 4ohms, but every single one of them was just perfect.

Yes, in an ideal world, I’d have an SVT and an 8x10, but we play small pubs and clubs, and it would make no sense at all.

So, maybe give the SVT3 a miss and look at some others. They’re certainly not ‘meh’!!! 🙂

 

 

They make no sense at all but I always get a kick watching the landlords face drop when we drag it in

[fretmeister]

The SVT4Pro is the only one I really liked.

But there is no way I'm every carrying one again!