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Ampeg USA or Vietnam


shine182
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So, I've changed out my studio bass amp. Problem being the new runs a max 4ohm load. It looks like my current 4x10 is going to get the boot, unless I purchase another cab. However, I could probably get my mits on an Ampeg SVT 410 HLF from an old band member. Tiny snag is its not USA made, it Vietnamese. Its not so much the origin of manufacture that I'm concerned with, but the differences between the cabs. I understand the Vietnam one is quite a bit lighter, using poplar ply etc. Has anyone played both or has anyone just got a view on this particular cab? I used to run a USA SVT 210HE & 115 and thought they were great. I seem to remember playing a 410 HLF in a store years ago and it sounding very dark indeed. Any thoughts? 

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I found those cabs pretty woeful, but the ones I’ve used were always hired in and may have been ragged to death... I play an Ampeg amp And love the sound but a lot of their products from the last years have relied on the name, and have not been of good design in my humble opinion.
 If you’re dead set on Ampeg, then just try that cab. If it works for you, awesome! I’d never want to move around something that big ever again, when there are more modern cabs from Greenboy, Barefaced, Genz Benz etc. that offer more spl, which sounds more focussed, in a more compact and lightweight package.

 

Is your current cab 2 ohms?

Edited by Jazzjames
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This would be a fun thread on another bass forum...

Seriously, I have used both US and non-US Ampegs and not really noticed much difference between the US and non-US cabs. I haven't tried the new US made 'Heritage' series of cabs though.  Bear in mind if you are buying used cabinets then 'how good' the cabinets are could depend a lot on who owned the cabinets and how hard they were gigged.

The 4x10HLF is a pretty dark and subby cab to me. It delivers absolutely loads of deep low bass owing to the massive bass ports in the cab. To me I always had trouble taming the low end and getting a lot of definition. It is also a really heavy and bulky cabinet and is much deeper than most standard 4x10 cabinets. I actually found it easier to move an Ampeg 6x10 which I think is a really underrated cabinet. For the right price I would still consider the 4x10HLF though as it is a good workhorse cab.

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14 minutes ago, thodrik said:

This would be a fun thread on another bass forum...

Seriously, I have used both US and non-US Ampegs and not really noticed much difference between the US and non-US cabs. I haven't tried the new US made 'Heritage' series of cabs though.  Bear in mind if you are buying used cabinets then 'how good' the cabinets are could depend a lot on who owned the cabinets and how hard they were gigged.

The 4x10HLF is a pretty dark and subby cab to me. It delivers absolutely loads of deep low bass owing to the massive bass ports in the cab. To me I always had trouble taming the low end and getting a lot of definition. It is also a really heavy and bulky cabinet and is much deeper than most standard 4x10 cabinets. I actually found it easier to move an Ampeg 6x10 which I think is a really underrated cabinet. For the right price I would still consider the 4x10HLF though as it is a good workhorse cab.

Thodrik explained my grievances with the cab very well!

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I used one on tour last year and really liked it. I do however have a twangy/driven tone so was able to achieve the twang & grind easily whilst the HLFs natural lows stayed really prominent. I can see that someone wanting a traditional bass tone might find the low-end a tad overpowering though. 

Edited by Lozz196
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Where workmanship is concerned if anything the Vietnamese would be better. The drivers are the same, all that would differ there is coming out of the Eminence factory in Kentucky or the one in Dongguan. The wood one can't say for sure. I doubt that they'd import Italian Poplar to Vietnam, it's probably a local species. There are major plywood mills in Vietnam, so one of them would be the likely source.

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6 hours ago, Jazzjames said:

I found those cabs pretty woeful, but the ones I’ve used were always hired in and may have been ragged to death... I play an Ampeg amp And love the sound but a lot of their products from the last years have relied on the name, and have not been of good design in my humble opinion.
 If you’re dead set on Ampeg, then just try that cab. If it works for you, awesome! I’d never want to move around something that big ever again, when there are more modern cabs from Greenboy, Barefaced, Genz Benz etc. that offer more spl, which sounds more focussed, in a more compact and lightweight package.

 

Is your current cab 2 ohms?

It's not really going to be moved around this cab. Will spend most of its life in my little bedroom studio setup. I could stick a 810 in there and it wouldn't take up anymore space etc. Interesting question about the ohm rating. I might have got myself confused here. Current cabs 8ohm. I've 4 and 2ohm outs on the new, well old Peavey Alpha Bass valve head. Can I run a single 8ohm load into this? 

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5 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I used one on tour last year and really liked it. I do however have a twangy/driven tone so was able to achieve the twang & grind easily whilst the HLFs natural lows stayed really prominent. I can see that someone wanting a traditional bass tone might find the low-end a tad overpowering though. 

Sounds like it might fit the bill for me. I'm a pick player. Like a slightly more driven sound with warm lows and a present twang!

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22 hours ago, shine182 said:

So, I've changed out my studio bass amp. Problem being the new runs a max 4ohm load. .....

 

12 minutes ago, shine182 said:

..........spend most of its life in my little bedroom studio setup. ..........I might have got myself confused here. Current cabs 8ohm. I've 4 and 2ohm outs on the new, well old Peavey Alpha Bass valve head. Can I run a single 8ohm load into this? 

I may read this wrong but for me if you have a small studio setup getting an 810 in there would be overkill and / or deafening! I think there is a little bit of confusion on the Peavey outputs, they are minimum ohms not max. When it says 4ohm output it means you can plug a single or combination of 4, 8, 16 ohm etc cabs in with no probs. I think that if your happy with your current amp and cab just plug in and play away. This does however mean that you lose an excuse for GAS!

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As this is an alpha bass (my old one 😃) and it being all valve i was always under the impression that the heads outputs needed to see matched impedance?  Happy to be proven wrong but i thought being all valve it was best to stick to what the outputs stated

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8 minutes ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

With valves the cab impedance should be equal to or lower than the tap rated load. With SS the cab impedance should be equal to or greater than the head rated minimum load.

Bill, so in this case I do indeed need a load of 4ohms or lower? i.e. I can't just plug my 8ohm cab into this all valve head (SS rectifier).

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50 minutes ago, Acebassmusic said:

 

I may read this wrong but for me if you have a small studio setup getting an 810 in there would be overkill and / or deafening! I think there is a little bit of confusion on the Peavey outputs, they are minimum ohms not max. When it says 4ohm output it means you can plug a single or combination of 4, 8, 16 ohm etc cabs in with no probs. I think that if your happy with your current amp and cab just plug in and play away. This does however mean that you lose an excuse for GAS!

I do get confused with ohms and the like I must confess! Lol your probably right regards an 8x10. Although they are ridiculously cheap at the mo with the new wave of lightweight cabs! Also, even at very low volume there is somthing trouser flapping about being stood in front of a fridge when just practicing :)

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3 hours ago, shine182 said:

Bill, so in this case I do indeed need a load of 4ohms or lower? i.e. I can't just plug my 8ohm cab into this all valve head (SS rectifier).

If the amp output jack says 4 ohms, yes. Using it occasionally for bedroom practice with an 8 ohm cab wouldn't bother it, but I wouldn't gig it with an 8 ohm cab.

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