Please watch: "Vintage Fender Jazz Bass From Japan" • Vintage Fender Jazz Ba... -~- Ampeg SVT Vintage Series Nothing Like It Best Bass Amplifier in the World
I had my first SVT in 1972. 2 8x10 bottoms. awsome amp. My first amp with a fan. Ill never forget the large lettering on the back. "Caution. Exposure to high sound levels, may cause loss of hearing acuity".
Dave...while we're name dropping, I've met Dennis Kager of Ampeg days of old whose designed a whole bunch of amps for many different brands. Not only have I met him, but he is in fact, my amp tech! Him and his brother John (who does guitar work) run a repair shop right up the street from where I work and I've been going to them for about 5 years now. Their work is second to none...not to take anything away from your talents there, sir! I also plan on name dropping you too one day Dave! Cheers!
I have owned and played an Acoustic model 320 with the model 408 cab since 1980. An SVT could not touch my rig . The 408 drove 4 15 inch speakers at 2 ohms. Over 120 decibels within ten feet of this enclosure is on the label right on the back of the cab. It is a beast for a SS amp.
What a cool fellow :>) Great story too.I just got a 1969 SVT head and 8x10 cab Both bought together back in 1973.Getting the head refurbished now and man,you got me excited to hear it when I get it back.Using a fretless 5 string Precision which I absolutely LOVE .Go Wormouth.
Dave . Could you explain the procedure on the " Balance " adjustment on the back. It would be awesome if you could do a short video on just that adjustment itself. Thanks and keep low and in the pocket Bass brother.
Note that the little tubes in back are not the preamp tubes, they are the phase inverter and bias tubes. The preamp tubes (three or four, I forget which) are inside the preamp chassis.
Naw, it's my philosophy. I got a vintage VOX guitar amp and cab (for my flying V) and plugged my P bass ('57 vintage pup) and wow!! 1968 'The Moody Blues' John Lodge bass tones!!! not very LOUD, but man..all butter :)
This 10 year old video hit my feed today, gotta say Dave hasn't changed much since then, Music and a good sandwich must keep him young! I laughed at "pop the windows out".
LOL. I've had 2 SVT's in my 30 years of playing. An SVTII non pro, and a newer Heritage head. Honestly I was disappointed. I WANTED to love them but I just wasn't thrilled with the muddy tone. Ended up with a FANTASTIC GK 800RB
I would love to have one of these..But I did the next best thing for a fraction of the cost Ampeg svp pro pre amp with a qsc power amp...Oh and I use it all the time in my house with the loud fan and the somewhat noisy preamp....I run it through a svt 410 fhl cabinet..As Dave would say HOLY SMOKES the walls are caving in! I love the tube biasing feature on this thing..No more looking for the tiny pot and using two meters to bias the tubes..Once again great vid Dave.
I have to agree. The SVT is the best. I had a 1976 that was great but it was very touchy and I was always having to bias the output tubes. The only other all tube amp for bass I've ever used was a 1967 Marshall Major which was great in a whole other way with KT 88's. Not as loud as the SVT but it had the best sound at breakup. Back then I'd run a solid state Sunn Coliseum head with the Major into 2 x 15's (my 8 x 10 with the Marshall) and get probably the best rock bass sound ever. Loud...
Dave, I like the video but I have a question for you. You do realize that the SVT-VR amps have eight preamp tubes in them, right? (4 x 12AX7 & 4 x 12AU7) You were tapping on the three driver/PI tubes with the pencil. The five preamp tubes are on a separate preamp board that you have to remove (like the old ones). I have the schematics if you want them.
I have an SVT on the bench with the same three preamp tubes in the rear (12au7, 12au7, 12ax7) plus 2 more 12ax7 on a board in the control panel chassis that must be removed from the cabinet to access.
An Ampeg Portaflex "fliptop" Would seem to be more practical as a bedroom amplifier. Hey, it was good enough for James Jamerson to record Motown records with!
@Majority of 1 , interesting. I just skimmed a half-dozen articles about Jamersons' gear, and while he did play through a B15 live, it appears that in the studio he mostly played through a custom, studio-built 5-channel tube preamp that was designed to handle *all* the guitars/ guitarists in-house, rather than have them playing through various buzzy old amps and the sound engineers being subject to dealing with sound leakage and level changes from mic-ing them. Although, a custom tube preamp likely isn't what most musicians think of as going " direct-in" either; in my youth, a DI box used to be nothing more than an impedance-matching transformer that didn't change the instrument's but ensured a high signal to noise ratio. A tube preamp is gonna color things significantly by comparison. Anyway, I shot from the hip when I posted my original comment, using my remembrance of what I read some tears ago in the Ampeg history book " The Story Behind the Sound" . I guess this is what happens when one takes things at face value without checking out a second or third source! . 🤔 Still, a Portaflex does seem a more appropriate bedroom amp than an SVT!
3 decades ago I'm playing full timer using a 70's SVT w/ 8-10 cab. the svt head fails mid-gig and an electrical arc flame shot out of it. but yea, when working nuthin sounds like it...add a fender precision bass and game over.
When you're doing the balance, how do you check the 25 Volts out with the voltmeter? Do you have to open up a speaker cabinet to connect the terminals of the voltmeter to the terminals of a speaker?
Between the cab and the shear power and headroom from the amp, you could cause things to break. I was running a 100 watt twin, I think we all hurt each other....in a good way...rock roll
I just put a new set of 6550's into the vr and set the bias to good green lights and moved the balance pot until it turns orange with the lowest amount of hum by ear would this be the same, or my question is if the 2 bias pots are bright green and I have orange with the least amount of hum would this be the best way without a signal generater
ive been using ampeg svts for over 30yrs.in the old days we used Sylvania tubes.but I have found sovtek tubes take pretty much anything you can throw at them,the older sovteks not sure about newer ones
Hey dude, very nice vid, awesome that you had mentioned to "not take amp from freezing cold and turning it on", it was always on my mind. I know - common sense is always best, but.. what do you consider freezing cold? Would going from 5C to 25C be ok?
@davey4557 it seems to happen when pluged in. Ive had work done on it like 10 years ago to get the reverb working. However, its 35+ years old and only a traynor so i doubt ill be putting anything else into it. Be a diffrent story if it was a marshall :D thanks for the info!
The Molson's guy! . My SVT has no LEDs, I have to do scope work for balance, It uses the 6146B tubes, not the 6550s, and it is 360+ watts up to 800+, not 300+pk. Do I use it at home? Rarely! 50w is fine for home, or a Bronco Bass amp for an apartment. Fender, Mesa & Acoustic made some okay 300W+ tube Bass amps. The SVT 8x10 closed cell cabs had a lot to do with the sound. Loud but even hi lo & mid. No excess rumble notes that overpower other notes! PJ cab is a neat. I use 375 watt load banks.
Love your videos. Bro show your face a bit see whose behind the genius, lol. Anyway, have you done any vids about Mu-Tron vintage pedals and such? I have a small collection and eat up anything I could watch about them. Have a few rare ones.
Also depends on how much WEIGHT you wanna pack around......I've had SVT's before...Love playin' thru 'em....After awhile, Hated packing them around....
I've never owned an SVT but, I had 2 V-4b's I ran in stereo until my back and shoulders couldn't take it any more. Awesome tone but with modern technology, Tech 21specifically, my back pain is history.
Yes the svt is the best bass amp around. Unfortunately its a back breaker. But i have been using 2 ampeg V 4B. @ 100 watts each. Seems to work ok for me.
That's was interesting servicing the amp.no failure.good at go.I can tell you really enjoy playing that bass through that.funnnnn.my nephew just started playing bass any suggestions.I know its gonna be funny.
I guess preamps tubes are actually in the front panel, no design change about that, those 3 tubes in the rear panel are the phase inverter drivers and bias circuit. About the "car racing" example and tubes vs solid state... well, I guess Mister Gallien could argue better than me, nevermind ;^)
Ciao Dave, I'm agree ... but in the other way, I guess ;^) But I'm just a weekend bass player, as an electronic tech guy may be I'm kind of biased about that ;^) Gab
+Dave's World of Fun Stuff Gallien Krueger's are hard to beat. I've had a 400rb for years, I'd rather lug around multiple small items than 1 huge item.
Yep There heavy buggers alright! Still like my Fender Pro though! I use to use a Musicman 130w Bass/Guitar head & it sometimes use to give a quick squeal/screetch sound when I use to have the bright switch on for a while. It never did it when the bright switch was off. Odd hey? U can't beat tube sound....:) Great Vid Dave.
There should be a temperature dependent circuit to control the cooling fan speed. Yes, amps need to be warmed up to room temperature sitting in the car trunk at -20c in Canada. Your bass riff..sounds like it's from a Fleetwood Mac song if I remember..but which song? Go your own way?
that fan noise is not right..... the fan in my svt is quiet, and i never even think about it.......... i say your friend should buy one and enjoy life :). i never take mine anywhere either but it gets played alot....cheers, cool video sir :)
I’ve had a couple SVT’s over the years. They sound great.. better than great... glorious; no other bass amp of that power or capacity sounds as good or better, IMO. Beyond that they’re a ginormous pain in the ass, back, and wallet. If you’re touring, have the budget, vehicle and strong helper apes to load, unload, and move around the whole rig then it’s the amp to run with. For other than that you would be a gluten.
Bipolar transistors are fixed voltage, variable current devices. Reduce the resistance on the output, and they try to output more current. Too many speakers in parallel act like a short circuit and boom! Vacuum tubes are fixed current variable voltage devices. Increase the resistance on the output, and they try to put out more voltage. Too many speakers in series and it acts like an open circuit and boom!
The originals didn't have fans like that did they? I used to play with a guy who had one set up to practice and play with him. Then again he played SO LOUD you ears were ringing all night so I don't remember that fan noise .
God, I know I've heard that riff at @12:30 but I can't place it. Anyway, great video. My Peavey Vypyr 120's pre-amp tube went microphonic awhile back with some the powertubes scrambling eggs. I wish would have seen this before having it serviced.
I know that the problem wasn't a microphonic tube, but just wondering , where are the other preamp tubes located? For example , when you had it open and were tapping the tubes, there were only the 6 power tubes and 3 preamp tubes visible, but there are 2 more preamp tubes somewhere? Are they on the bottom of the board? I have an SVT CL and am curious because I want to get new preamp tubes but don't know where the other ones are!
ive had quite a few ampeg heads fail from vairious faults in the venue i worked in for 10 years, ive had ones that blue the quick blow fuses, and ones that just shut down and the green power light when red indicating some kind of fault.
LOL, when you used the tube amp as a space heater did you have it hooked to a load or a speaker cab? I went years without knowing that you shouldn’t power up a tube amp without a load
I'm pretty careful with mine, it looks like new and sounds good, but the extra pot isn't nessasary it cause a little extra time, this amp will need ajusted for bias every month or even week just a hair, and that changes the balance again, everytime I put it up against another head it clearly wins the tone thing
What are your thoughts on using an SVT with a guitar like the Stones? Just thought I'd ask to see if you thought it was a good idea for large scale gigs.
I have this same head and have set the balance different than you, because I don't have a signal generater, I set the bass up to 10 and set the balance pot until it's orange, should it be orange or green or off and how much of the balance pot not being set right will effect the tone and tube wear, I'm getting good tone and about 65 gigs on a set of power tubes thanks for reading looking forward to some advice on the bias pots
can you make a video on how to do the signal generater and the dvm check for this, I am going to buy a signal generater and was wondering where you plug it into the svt and how you check the 25vrms
Quick question. SVT CL's run 4ohm and switch to 2 ohm. I know resistance will reduce the power by using my 8 OHM Sunn Cab, but will it really damage amp components.../ .... Great story about the heater lol. My SVT amp could keep my 'behind the amp' food hot for between songs at my gigs : ) ...
like the mesa boogie 400+ over the svt ,,the ampeg always broke down:( but they rock,love the tone,but the 400+ never failed me in 10+years,, they are heavy mothers to cart about though!
@davey4557 by turning the 40htz bass knob on the eq all the way up and the amp up to good volume and then testing the signal off the speaker chord going into the bass cabinet, would I get shocked or anything, if you could find out for me and let me know
I got a signal generater from a freind could you tell me where to send the signal in at on the amp and where to test it at on the amp with a dvm thank you for your help
dave...my '03 slm svt has the trots......after a warm up and stand by on there is a significant unwanted fuzz tone at low volume (around one) which goes away when you turn it up more,but it's awful loud at one...any idea where to look before i have to drag it to a tech.....i don't have access to another pre amp to isolate/test at the moment...both lights on the back are green...
I hate SVT's They are big, heavy, expensive to maintain and not terribly reliable. I respect your opinion Dave but would you gig with one nowadays? I went solid state early.
fyrcrack1 heck I'd gig with one!... I was given the pleasure of trying one out and these amps sound beastly!... probably sound really cool on my Hartke 410XL cab XDD
One word. TONE. There's a reason why you can hear this amp on countless recordings. It's the same reason you see at least one of these in almost every recording studio
I had my first SVT in 1972. 2 8x10 bottoms. awsome amp. My first amp with a fan. Ill never forget the large lettering on the back. "Caution. Exposure to high sound levels, may cause loss of hearing acuity".
What????
Your enthusiasm just shines right through! I can tell you're in your element playing the G&L through that SVT. Thanks for yet another great video!!
Dave...while we're name dropping, I've met Dennis Kager of Ampeg days of old whose designed a whole bunch of amps for many different brands. Not only have I met him, but he is in fact, my amp tech! Him and his brother John (who does guitar work) run a repair shop right up the street from where I work and I've been going to them for about 5 years now. Their work is second to none...not to take anything away from your talents there, sir! I also plan on name dropping you too one day Dave! Cheers!
I have owned and played an Acoustic model 320 with the model 408 cab since 1980. An SVT could not touch my rig . The 408 drove 4 15 inch speakers at 2 ohms. Over 120 decibels within ten feet of this enclosure is on the label right on the back of the cab. It is a beast for a SS amp.
Nothing like an SVT.. I recently bought an SVT VR and I used the same car analogy as you did to describe to a buddy why I needed this head!
I use that analogy all the time too...after seeing this video.
What a cool fellow :>) Great story too.I just got a 1969 SVT head and 8x10 cab Both bought together back in 1973.Getting the head refurbished now and man,you got me excited to hear it when I get it back.Using a fretless 5 string Precision which I absolutely LOVE .Go Wormouth.
Dave . Could you explain the procedure on the " Balance " adjustment on the back. It would be awesome if you could do a short video on just that adjustment itself. Thanks and keep low and in the pocket Bass brother.
Note that the little tubes in back are not the preamp tubes, they are the phase inverter and bias tubes. The preamp tubes (three or four, I forget which) are inside the preamp chassis.
Hey Dave, the smile on your face at around 12:30, when you say "man this thing sounds good!" is just priceless!....
Cheers for another superb video!
I appreciate anytime someone tries to do well.
Naw, it's my philosophy. I got a vintage VOX guitar amp and cab (for my flying V) and plugged my P bass ('57 vintage pup) and wow!! 1968 'The Moody Blues' John Lodge bass tones!!! not very LOUD, but man..all butter :)
"Nothing Like It" Amen, brother!! Just (finally) found a deal I could actually afford on an American made CL! Life is good! Be well, Dave!
This 10 year old video hit my feed today, gotta say Dave hasn't changed much since then, Music and a good sandwich must keep him young! I laughed at "pop the windows out".
What do you throw a drowning bass player? ... his SVT head.
Seals the deal lol
LOL. I've had 2 SVT's in my 30 years of playing. An SVTII non pro, and a newer Heritage head. Honestly I was disappointed. I WANTED to love them but I just wasn't thrilled with the muddy tone. Ended up with a FANTASTIC GK 800RB
A sound like nothing else for sure. I played with a buddy for many gigs , he used an svt head and a gk cabinet, best sound ever
YES! Love Ampeg! Some of the best amps in the world!
I would love to have one of these..But I did the next best thing for a fraction of the cost Ampeg svp pro pre amp with a qsc power amp...Oh and I use it all the time in my house with the loud fan and the somewhat noisy preamp....I run it through a svt 410 fhl cabinet..As Dave would say HOLY SMOKES the walls are caving in! I love the tube biasing feature on this thing..No more looking for the tiny pot and using two meters to bias the tubes..Once again great vid Dave.
There are more than those three pre amp tubes...you STILL have to get to them.
My rig b4 going direct. SVT 8x10 cab. 300 watt power amp and a BBE sonic maximizer. Closest to the real thing man. Love you vids.
i love my ampeg gear. 8x10 and SVT-7pro for gigs and SVP-pro for recording at home!
I have to agree. The SVT is the best. I had a 1976 that was great but it was very touchy and I was always having to bias the output tubes. The only other all tube amp for bass I've ever used was a 1967 Marshall Major which was great in a whole other way with KT 88's. Not as loud as the SVT but it had the best sound at breakup. Back then I'd run a solid state Sunn Coliseum head with the Major into 2 x 15's (my 8 x 10 with the Marshall) and get probably the best rock bass sound ever. Loud...
nice video, hey quick question, so how does an average joe like me set the bias balance control without any test equipment?
Right on, cool G&L AND nod to Thin Lizzy! cheers!
The GKs are very good bass amps. I used a few in the studio and when touring over seas.
Dave, I like the video but I have a question for you. You do realize that the SVT-VR amps have eight preamp tubes in them, right? (4 x 12AX7 & 4 x 12AU7) You were tapping on the three driver/PI tubes with the pencil. The five preamp tubes are on a separate preamp board that you have to remove (like the old ones). I have the schematics if you want them.
I have an SVT on the bench with the same three preamp tubes in the rear (12au7, 12au7, 12ax7) plus 2 more 12ax7 on a board in the control panel chassis that must be removed from the cabinet to access.
If you cant fix it no one can Dave.You are the best.
Spot on! way to go Dave, I had many years ago the geminni ll and iv loved them. Oh mine too used to have radio noise come through it sometimes.
An Ampeg Portaflex "fliptop" Would seem to be more practical as a bedroom amplifier. Hey, it was good enough for James Jamerson to record Motown records with!
@Majority of 1 , interesting. I just skimmed a half-dozen articles about Jamersons' gear, and while he did play through a B15 live, it appears that in the studio he mostly played through a custom, studio-built 5-channel tube preamp that was designed to handle *all* the guitars/ guitarists in-house, rather than have them playing through various buzzy old amps and the sound engineers being subject to dealing with sound leakage and level changes from mic-ing them. Although, a custom tube preamp likely isn't what most musicians think of as going " direct-in" either; in my youth, a DI box used to be nothing more than an impedance-matching transformer that didn't change the instrument's but ensured a high signal to noise ratio. A tube preamp is gonna color things significantly by comparison. Anyway, I shot from the hip when I posted my original comment, using my remembrance of what I read some tears ago in the Ampeg history book " The Story Behind the Sound" . I guess this is what happens when one takes things at face value without checking out a second or third source! . 🤔
Still, a Portaflex does seem a more appropriate bedroom amp than an SVT!
don't forget two extra 12ax7 ecc83 tubes on the front side inside the preamp controls.
3 decades ago I'm playing full timer using a 70's SVT w/ 8-10 cab. the svt head fails mid-gig and an electrical arc flame shot out of it. but yea, when working nuthin sounds like it...add a fender precision bass and game over.
When you're doing the balance, how do you check the 25 Volts out with the voltmeter? Do you have to open up a speaker cabinet to connect the terminals of the voltmeter to the terminals of a speaker?
Between the cab and the shear power and headroom from the amp, you could cause things to break. I was running a 100 watt twin, I think we all hurt each other....in a good way...rock roll
ive always wanted one of these.. a big heavy tube amp to shake the floors playing groove metal in clubs..
I just put a new set of 6550's into the vr and set the bias to good green lights and moved the balance pot until it turns orange with the lowest amount of hum by ear would this be the same, or my question is if the 2 bias pots are bright green and I have orange with the least amount of hum would this be the best way without a signal generater
I got a Jess Oliver 50 watt head a few weeks ago. Really rockin sound running through a bassman 412
ive been using ampeg svts for over 30yrs.in the old days we used Sylvania tubes.but
I have found sovtek tubes take pretty much anything you can throw at them,the older sovteks not sure about newer ones
Dave!! Glad you make these videos!! Ive enjoyed a bunch of em!!! Good Fun Indeed!! :)
Hey dude, very nice vid, awesome that you had mentioned to "not take amp from freezing cold and turning it on", it was always on my mind. I know - common sense is always best, but.. what do you consider freezing cold? Would going from 5C to 25C be ok?
That's a pretty big difference. I would at least leave it for about 30 mins to and hour before turning it on
Hey Dave, how did you adjust the balance knob in the back. I tried to turn mine until green and it didnt change
@davey4557 it seems to happen when pluged in. Ive had work done on it like 10 years ago to get the reverb working. However, its 35+ years old and only a traynor so i doubt ill be putting anything else into it. Be a diffrent story if it was a marshall :D thanks for the info!
Do you prefer the CL or this VR version?
The Molson's guy! . My SVT has no LEDs, I have to do scope work for balance, It uses the 6146B tubes, not the 6550s, and it is 360+ watts up to 800+, not 300+pk. Do I use it at home? Rarely! 50w is fine for home, or a Bronco Bass amp for an apartment. Fender, Mesa & Acoustic made some okay 300W+ tube Bass amps. The SVT 8x10 closed cell cabs had a lot to do with the sound. Loud but even hi lo & mid. No excess rumble notes that overpower other notes! PJ cab is a neat. I use 375 watt load banks.
@davey4557 ya it does it with every guitar and cable, and i tried the pencil trick.
Love your videos. Bro show your face a bit see whose behind the genius, lol. Anyway, have you done any vids about Mu-Tron vintage pedals and such? I have a small collection and eat up anything I could watch about them. Have a few rare ones.
Also depends on how much WEIGHT you wanna pack around......I've had SVT's before...Love playin' thru 'em....After awhile, Hated packing them around....
when you set the balance right is it orange on the light or green
@TehSeanRadcliffe typo. it's actually spelled "Farts".
you're welcome
Well, you're crazy as a bed bug but I like you. Keep up the good work.
loved to have one of this.. every one uses this one on stage!
I've never owned an SVT but, I had 2 V-4b's I ran in stereo until my back and shoulders couldn't take it any more. Awesome tone but with modern technology, Tech 21specifically, my back pain is history.
Yes the svt is the best bass amp around. Unfortunately its a back breaker. But i have been using 2 ampeg V 4B. @ 100 watts each. Seems to work ok for me.
That's was interesting servicing the amp.no failure.good at go.I can tell you really enjoy playing that bass through that.funnnnn.my nephew just started playing bass any suggestions.I know its gonna be funny.
I guess preamps tubes are actually in the front panel, no design change about that, those 3 tubes in the rear panel are the phase inverter drivers and bias circuit. About the "car racing" example and tubes vs solid state... well, I guess Mister Gallien could argue better than me, nevermind ;^)
Ciao Dave, I'm agree ... but in the other way, I guess ;^) But I'm just a weekend bass player, as an electronic tech guy may be I'm kind of biased about that ;^)
Gab
+Dave's World of Fun Stuff Gallien Krueger's are hard to beat. I've had a 400rb for years, I'd rather lug around multiple small items than 1 huge item.
Nice G&L jb2....The smart mans Jazz bass!Check out the new G&L JB.....Very NIce!
Awesome Amp!!..Awesome stories!!....this guy is "freaken" Cool!!!
@davey4557 I know, seriously. Don't take it too hard, scene kids are like that. You're lucky you grew up with incredible music.
Yep There heavy buggers alright! Still like my Fender Pro though!
I use to use a Musicman 130w Bass/Guitar head & it sometimes use to give a quick squeal/screetch sound when I use to have the bright switch on for a while. It never did it when the bright switch was off. Odd hey?
U can't beat tube sound....:)
Great Vid Dave.
I have the sudden urge to watch F1 racing...
Eddie Irvine?
There should be a temperature dependent circuit to control the cooling fan speed.
Yes, amps need to be warmed up to room temperature sitting in the car
trunk at -20c in Canada. Your bass riff..sounds like it's from a Fleetwood Mac
song if I remember..but which song? Go your own way?
Brilliant video ..... been thinking about getting one
that fan noise is not right..... the fan in my svt is quiet, and i never even think about it.......... i say your friend should buy one and enjoy life :). i never take mine anywhere either but it gets played alot....cheers, cool video sir :)
I’ve had a couple SVT’s over the years. They sound great.. better than great... glorious; no other bass amp of that power or capacity sounds as good or better, IMO. Beyond that they’re a ginormous pain in the ass, back, and wallet. If you’re touring, have the budget, vehicle and strong helper apes to load, unload, and move around the whole rig then it’s the amp to run with. For other than that you would be a gluten.
great video...I have owned a number of ampegs and finally bought up to a VR............I messaged you in hopes of a bit more info!
Bipolar transistors are fixed voltage, variable current devices.
Reduce the resistance on the output, and they try to output more current.
Too many speakers in parallel act like a short circuit and boom!
Vacuum tubes are fixed current variable voltage devices.
Increase the resistance on the output, and they try to put out more voltage.
Too many speakers in series and it acts like an open circuit and boom!
The originals didn't have fans like that did they? I used to play with a guy who had one set up to practice and play with him. Then again he played SO LOUD you ears were ringing all night so I don't remember that fan noise
.
Great info man will be watching more vids from you! peace
God, I know I've heard that riff at @12:30 but I can't place it.
Anyway, great video. My Peavey Vypyr 120's pre-amp tube went microphonic awhile back with some the powertubes scrambling eggs. I wish would have seen this before having it serviced.
I know that the problem wasn't a microphonic tube, but just wondering , where are the other preamp tubes located? For example , when you had it open and were tapping the tubes, there were only the 6 power tubes and 3 preamp tubes visible, but there are 2 more preamp tubes somewhere? Are they on the bottom of the board? I have an SVT CL and am curious because I want to get new preamp tubes but don't know where the other ones are!
Old school test!
If your amp cant take a bang on top or rapid jacking, throw it away.. :)
Thats how we tested after a repair...
ive had quite a few ampeg heads fail from vairious faults in the venue i worked in for 10 years, ive had ones that blue the quick blow fuses, and ones that just shut down and the green power light when red indicating some kind of fault.
Respond to this video... Did I hear Bad Reputation by Thin Lizzy at 12:31 ? HUGE Thin Lizzy fan here.
You sir, are a funny man. Do you know anything about Mesa bass heads? How do they compare with the svt? If at all... Haha!
LOL, when you used the tube amp as a space heater did you have it hooked to a load or a speaker cab? I went years without knowing that you shouldn’t power up a tube amp without a load
it's fine in stand by without a load
could it have been a supplied power issue? I know tube amps are really picky about "clean" voltage etc.
I'm pretty careful with mine, it looks like new and sounds good, but the extra pot isn't nessasary it cause a little extra time, this amp will need ajusted for bias every month or even week just a hair, and that changes the balance again, everytime I put it up against another head it clearly wins the tone thing
davey davey davey...i love you man.
What are your thoughts on using an SVT with a guitar like the Stones? Just thought I'd ask to see if you thought it was a good idea for large scale gigs.
What Is Your Opinion On Traynor Bass Amps?? I Live Near Cincinnati Ohio And Aren't Really Available Here To Test Drive.
great video man
my dream amp
@davey4557 VT 22 I believe in the studio.
I have this same head and have set the balance different than you, because I don't have a signal generater, I set the bass up to 10 and set the balance pot until it's orange, should it be orange or green or off and how much of the balance pot not being set right will effect the tone and tube wear, I'm getting good tone and about 65 gigs on a set of power tubes thanks for reading looking forward to some advice on the bias pots
Nice !
Thanks Dave !
can you make a video on how to do the signal generater and the dvm check for this, I am going to buy a signal generater and was wondering where you plug it into the svt and how you check the 25vrms
ur awseome dave
Quick question. SVT CL's run 4ohm and switch to 2 ohm. I know resistance will reduce the power by using my 8 OHM Sunn Cab, but will it really damage amp components.../ .... Great story about the heater lol. My SVT amp could keep my 'behind the amp' food hot for between songs at my gigs : ) ...
There is nothing wrong with the awesome beast, just a bad cable, yep!
like the mesa boogie 400+ over the svt ,,the ampeg always broke down:( but they rock,love the tone,but the 400+ never failed me in 10+years,,
they are heavy mothers to cart about though!
I know the club where the rooms were so cold....it was in Camrose Alberta....I used my " Power hair" dryer....LOL
Can't disagree with you here mate. This thing is the bass player's Mecca of bass amps.
@davey4557 by turning the 40htz bass knob on the eq all the way up and the amp up to good volume and then testing the signal off the speaker chord going into the bass cabinet, would I get shocked or anything, if you could find out for me and let me know
Why would you have one of these in your bedroom? or house?
@davey4557 Right on... Useful info is never B.S.
I thought it was a given that lots of stuff can be fixed or tested by bashing on them...lol
I got a signal generater from a freind could you tell me where to send the signal in at on the amp and where to test it at on the amp with a dvm thank you for your help
Get it under the Duvet Dave.
dave...my '03 slm svt has the trots......after a warm up and stand by on there is a significant unwanted fuzz tone at low volume (around one) which goes away when you turn it up more,but it's awful loud at one...any idea where to look before i have to drag it to a tech.....i don't have access to another pre amp to isolate/test at the moment...both lights on the back are green...
i've got a V4B.... still sounds awesome, no fan either.
I hate SVT's They are big, heavy, expensive to maintain and not terribly reliable. I respect your opinion Dave but would you gig with one nowadays? I went solid state early.
They must have something going for them, ive never been to a live show when the bassist wasnt using one.
fyrcrack1 heck I'd gig with one!... I was given the pleasure of trying one out and these amps sound beastly!... probably sound really cool on my Hartke 410XL cab XDD
One word. TONE. There's a reason why you can hear this amp on countless recordings. It's the same reason you see at least one of these in almost every recording studio
Play a strat trough one of these with 4x10's..
Yes please.