Jon Willis (of the Facebook HX Stomp group - some users may be familiar with his tone sharing) has just posted his thoughts on the SGT. To paraphrase "Winner winner chicken dinner"
Long form:
"
This may become a long post.
I had the opportunity to spend the weekend gigging with the Ampeg SGT-DI.
I ran it into the FX return of my Fender 800 combo with 2x10 extension cabinet. So it was the sound of the Ampeg and the tonal character of the speakers.
Blown away. Period.
As much fun as I’ve had with the Stomp over the years, it’s been lackluster for me in a LIVE setting. The Ampeg SGTDI gave me everything I required with minimal tweaking.
The first gig Friday I used all 6 IR’s that came loaded and I found the 2x10 and 1x15 IRs to be the best sound off the stage. The 8x10 wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I’m going to experiment with a few other 8x10 IRs soon enough… maybe
The SVT setting is huge. Almost too huge at times. And honestly I believe that setting really requires the adjustment of the SGT/Grit circuit to make it pop. The B15 is incredibly accurate. Very smooth
The onboard Compression is “ok” not what I think of when I need compression. I found it to work much better as a way to take the “attack” off of the note. Very subtle and it’s nice. Since I’m not getting paid by anyone I can say that you’ll want an actual compressor in front of the SGTDI.
That being said. In the DAW the compression and SGT circuit were useful to get some great amp sag sounds. Those same settings didn’t translate as well on a stage.
Saturday was spent with no IRs and just focusing on the EQ only with no SGT circuit. The pedal does an amazing job at providing massive low mids that really carry a lot of sonic weight, (an area that the Helix and all the other digital platforms seem to fail to reproduce properly).
Again the B15 was spectacular and the SVT sounded like an SVT but didn’t “feel” like an SVT. As I stated before, I truly believe the SGT/Grit circuit will make the SVT mode more convincing.
Sunday’s gig was spent using no IRs again but utilizing the EQ and SGT circuits. I managed to dial in a B15 tone that was so convincing, I had to turn around a few times to make sure that I didn’t jump into an alternate timeline or something. 😉
IMHO, Low mids are the key to getting a bass tone to sit in a live mix. And the SGTDI has them a plenty.
The low cut switch allowed me to remove my trusty Rolls low cut from the FXloop of my amp. Someone at Ampeg figured out the proper slope of the low cut and it worked incredibly well.
Overall, the Ampeg SGTDI is a clear winner. Hands down.
This week I plan to deep dive into the SGT/Grit control to maximize the full spectrum of the Ampeg.
My #1 complaint is that it doesn’t have a tuner. 🤣
Also, if I can get picky, I think a silver and blue edition would be killer. 😉"