Ampeg SVT

[stratcat62]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has tried running a guitar through an Ampeg SVT (yes, the 300 watt tone monster). I really love a loud, big, clean tone and I think this amp would do the trick. 'Texas Flood' was recorded with a 300 watt bass amp, though of course it was a Dumble. What do you guys think? Worth a shot?

[benoit]

I tried once on a new SVT Classic and didn't like it much. It was through an ampeg 8x10, FWIW.

[Bob-I]

In the 70's I played in duo where we used an SVT for bass pedals and a drum machine. My amp blew up and I played through the SVT for about a week. I was not especally good. I found it kinda dry and lifeless. I was really happy when I found a replacement xformer for my 5F6-A.

[tubetek]

Try to find a V9...Basically a SVT power section with a guitar preamp (V4, I think) The Stones used 'em for a while; IMO, too clean for my tastes but LOUD!! If you build it yourself, the sky's the limit; just use the guitar preamp of your choice. Just out of curiosity, where will you be playing that you could crank up such a monster?
Tom

[tubetek]

"I really love a loud, big, clean tone"
In that case, build a tube preamp and drive a Carver M1.5t stereo poweramp. Pretty cheap on EBay and 300+ watts RMS per channel; Also,you won't have to feed your wife/girlfriend/roadie steroids to move it!!
Tom

[lyman]

Try to find a V9...Basically a SVT power section with a guitar preamp (V4, I think) The Stones used 'em for a while; IMO, too clean for my tastes but LOUD!! If you build it yourself, the sky's the limit; just use the guitar preamp of your choice. Just out of curiosity, where will you be playing that you could crank up such a monster?
Tom

yes! I've used one of those old ampeg heads in the studio. might have been a v4 though. if you crank it up you get some nice gnarly, woolly lead sounds. super loud. turn it down and you get that total stones 70's rhythm sound.

[km6xz]

Go see a George Clinton concert, his whole back line is made up of old SVTs. The morning of a performance night he brought 13 of them to us to fix, set up and burnin one time, usually we got them in a couple at a time. If set up and balanced properly they take a lot of abuse and the tubes last a lot longer.

The V4 was a different animal, a very pleasant animal at that.

[stratcat62]

Try to find a V9...Basically a SVT power section with a guitar preamp (V4, I think) The Stones used 'em for a while; IMO, too clean for my tastes but LOUD!! If you build it yourself, the sky's the limit; just use the guitar preamp of your choice. Just out of curiosity, where will you be playing that you could crank up such a monster?
Tom

Thanks for the feedback guys. I don't know if I'd be cranking up the SVT, haha. I'd like everyone to go home alive at the end of the night. I do play fairly loud though. Last night at Jammin' Java (local club here in VA), I had my Twin on 8, and it sounds great, but it's fairly driven.

[skyboltone]

Go see a George Clinton concert, his whole back line is made up of old SVTs. The morning of a performance night he brought 13 of them to us to fix, set up and burnin one time, usually we got them in a couple at a time. If set up and balanced properly they take a lot of abuse and the tubes last a lot longer.

The V4 was a different animal, a very pleasant animal at that.

You must be KM6XZ mobile. You are a long way from home mister. I used to be KM6TV. Now AL7RU.

[km6xz]

Hi Skyboltone
Yes, 5,500 km from "home", a home I've see once in 5 years.
The call used now is RA1/KM6XZ but I've applied for a local call but it takes a long time for non-citizens.
I made my first radio contact with Russia(USSR) as a 10 year old, my first non-NA DX contact with a new novice class license and a home brew 6AQ5>6CL6>6146a transmitter on 15 meters which created my interest in studying about the country. My first contact was with students at the Radio Institute in Moscow, kids in their late teens who were getting the BSEE by age 20. My first visit here was back when it was still the USSR, 1976 and I fell in love with the city of Leningrad(now St Petersburg) and visited 100 times before moving here in 5 years ago.
I've traveled a lot, 86 countries but kept coming back here. The culture, music, women, and beauty are all exciting here, such that my last visit home I got so bored after 2 weeks in California I tried to change my flight to return 2 weeks early but ended up not since I had to pack up 600-800 lbs of lab equipment to prepare for shipping it here. Did I mention the Women?;>)

[thousandshirts]

Gordie Johnson, formerly of Big Sugar, now of Grady, uses a Garnet Herzog into two Ampeg SVTs for his live rig. Of course, it's ridiculously loud. But on the recordings I've heard, he gets a phenomenal sound from it. Definitely can provide plenty of sustain from sheer volume alone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ0GEbCTEyY

[Abstract]

I used to have a '76 SVT.

It was a good bass amp. It was a poor guitar amp.


If you want LOUD CLEAN's...go look for an Acoustic 370!!!
Should be <$350 on ebay/craigslist...solidstate but great.


I still have the one I got in HighSchool. Sounds as good as the SVT (different, but every bit as good, more musical to my ears) for bass, and a TON better for guitar.

fwiw, I'm running it thru a Peavey 1820 cabinet.


I did a review of it on Harmony Central User Reviews. It's towards the bottom.

[skyboltone]

Hi Skyboltone
Did I mention the Women?;>)

After watching the Olympics, I think I'll move to Brazil. Some of those Russian gals looked like bouncers in a biker bar.

[xk49w]

SVT 6550s. Good for organ or bass. Very honest up to clipping, almost transistor-like. Guitar, not so good.

[stratcat62]

Haha, I think I'll look a different direction. Thanks for the info. I'm also looking into the 135 watt Twin Reverb.