discreet

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1443816135' post='2878001'] Am using the BVT tomorrow - provided speakers but no amp, so taking that along as all my eq comes from my Preamp/DI pedal. [/quote] Would be very interested to know how you get on with it.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1443813047' post='2877972'] I did miss that, maybe I was thinking NOS! [/quote]

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1443813719' post='2877978'] Thanks for another interesting read Discreet. Have you moved the BVT on yet, or is there still time for a detailed a/b comparison? [/quote] Unfortunately not, the BVT now enjoys a new life as an item of furniture in the dining room of Lozz196. There's nothing wrong with the BVT, but the SVT is just more 'Ampeggy', unsurprisingly.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1443810889' post='2877960'] A quick Google failed to bring up a UK retailer so did you buy yours used? [/quote] Yes I did, from this very boutique. In the OP I did say it dates from between 1986 and 2005, but I should probably have mentioned specifically that it's a used amp. Maybe it should be UAD instead of NAD...

[b]UAD: Used Amp Day - Ampeg SVT350H[/b] [b]Specifications:[/b] [url="http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/svt-350h.pdf"]http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/svt-350h.pdf[/url] Why this is called an SVT I do not know, because 'SVT' stands for 'Super Valve Technology' and there are NO valves in the SVT350H. Not a single one. It's an all solid-state amp. It's basically an Ampeg B2R, which is a 350W 19" 2U rackmount SS amp. The SVT350H is a version of this amp that is supplied in a big wooden case that looks very much like Ampeg's true SVTs, i.e. the all-valve bass amp heads. So... I can only come to the conclusion that there is a market for amps that look like valve amps but are [i]not [/i]valve amps. There must be, otherwise why would Ampeg produce such a thing? You could say you like the look of the SVT but don't want the expense that valve maintenance and replacement can bring. You could also say you like the look of the SVT but don't want to haul a 36kg valve amp (the 350H is 20kg). However, my somewhat tenuous reason for buying one is down to Ampeg GAS which stemmed from buying a Behringer BVT4500H, which looks like a big Ampeg SVT but is also not a valve amp. It's also not an Ampeg, either. Confused? Not really, the BVT costs just £88 including VAT and delivery to the UK, so it's a no-brainer. The BVT is a Behringer parts-bucket job featuring that company's well-tested 300W power amp and a large toroidal transformer. This SVT is a USA SLM (St Louis Music)-built Ampeg (which dates it somewhere between 1986 and 2005), featuring that company's components, a MOSFET power amp ...and a large toroidal transformer. The BVT is rated at 450W Peak (318W RMS @ 4ohms) and the SVT is rated at 350W RMS @ 4ohms. Now then... considerable criticism has been directed at the SVT350H and its sister, the more-powerful SVT450H and they both get short shrift on bass forums here and elsewhere; partly because they're trying to look like something they're not - but mostly because received wisdom states they don't sound anywhere near as good as the all-valve amps they are impersonating - and to be fair, there is some truth in this. The best tone I've ever had was from a mighty USA Ampeg SVT-CL, 300W of all-valve muscle. Oh, yes. The SVT350H is not [i]quite [/i]in that league - BUT it's still a very loud, punchy amp with bags of heft, loads of character and an immensity that belies its transistorised guts. It's fairly similar in tone to my Ashdown ABM 500 Evo II, another chunky SS amp with ...a large toroidal transformer. The ABM is louder however, being rated at 575W RMS @ 4ohms. I used the SVT350H with my Schroeder 21012L at an audition today and it rocked. Acoustic drums were loud and the guitarist was a Les Paul aficionado with a Marshall 2X12 50W valve combo and extension cabinet. The Ampeg kept up easily with the master at 10:00, and it was [i]loud[/i]. It's a big-sounding amp and I was able to summon a pleasing amount of projection, attack and the Ampeg piano-like low-mid 'boing' with the EQ boosted slightly at 150Hz. This with a P-Bass straight into the input, no FX or preamp used. The rotary EQ controls were at 12:00. I got some favourable comments on the sound I was getting. I'd gig with this amp, no problem. It looks good, it's loud, hefty and very present, it's not as heavy as an all-valve amp and there's room to keep all your cables, bits and pieces and even a back-up amp (in my case a G-K MB200) [i]inside [/i]the box, under the amp and in the space where the power valves and big iron transformers would usually be... whether it turns out to be a reliable machine or not, time will tell. So I like it - and you probably would too. However, if you're on a budget and the 'real' all-valve Ampegs seem as out of reach as a new car - but you want a proper grown-up Ampeg bass amp for Behringer money - then I believe you'd do well to consider a used B2R (350W) or B2RE (450W), both of which manifest themselves as reasonable-looking 19" 2U SS amps, have the big sound and heft, and at 6.8kg and 11.8kg respectively are much lighter than the 350H. And you are likely to attract less laughing and finger-pointing in public, too. Probably.

You might have more luck buying a lightweight 4U rack bag and putting it in a suitable rucksack.

Well that's a whole load of stress and grief and no mistake. I hope it all works out for you in the end.

Something like that, only I stand up with my bass plugged into my Zoom B1on along with my phone which has my mp3s on it. I find playing a real bass and actually listening to the music helps a lot.

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1443708699' post='2877065'] I bet the box is heavier than the individual amp it contains, so id guess a weight of around 30kg for one box and two amps inside. Give or take a kilo or two. [/quote] I forgot to take the second box into account - duh.

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1443707692' post='2877056'] ...the bottom amp is being used purely as a slave power amp (preamp-out on the top connected into the poweramp-in on the bottom) so I don't need access to the controls on the bottom amp as the top one controls both anyway. [/quote] A bit heavy obviously - but apart from that, ingenious.

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1443699248' post='2876952'] I have now used one of the boxes to re-house my Ampeg and have therefore created this monster. Heavy? Just a tad! [/quote] A 'tad' in this case being, er... 43kg. That's pretty significant for an amp head. Ingenious solution, though... how about a pic of the front?

[quote name='artisan' timestamp='1443646249' post='2876648'] I've bitten the bullet & ordered the MB 800 Fusion, hope I like it. [/quote] A fantastic amp, I hope you like it too. It's hugely powerful, so no worries on that score.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1443691376' post='2876865'] I try and avoid uncritically raving about pieces of kit, but despite those couple of flaws this thing is useful, good value and I like the sound of it. The perceived volume seems about in line with what I'd expect of a 200 watt solid state amp and it behaves gracefully when pushed close to its limit. [/quote] A good, balanced post. I try to avoid uncritical raving too, but if I like something I tend to get excited about it. Perhaps a modicum of detachment would be appropriate in future! Interesting comments about wonkiness and fit and finish and so on - the last MB200 I had was a Stockton, CA USA-built model, and so is my current one. I've made no comments about build quality as they both seemed absolutely fine - not carved from a solid piece of titanium, but nowhere near being remarkable for any perceived lack of quality.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1443535413' post='2875611'] ...This is starting to look like BC's first-ever universally-liked piece of gear... [/quote] [quote name='intime-nick' timestamp='1443657179' post='2876716'] ...I've been unlucky, but being burnt 3 times leaves a lasting impression... [/quote] Excellent, this thread was beginning to be a bit one-sided. Seriously though, I can totally understand the once- (or thrice-) bitten, twice-shy attitude. It only takes one fault or breakdown (especially at a gig) to completely put one off a brand's entire range of gear. Illogical really, as all manufacturers usually have a quite predictable percentage of failures and no manufacturer can ever reach 100% reliability, but when it happens to you it seems [i]very[/i] logical! That all-important feeling of confidence in your gear is gone.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1443657215' post='2876717'] When you say "under a ton" do you mean in weight or cost.....? [/quote] Actually, 21.5kg is nowhere near the weight of a full-on all-valve SVT-CL which tips the scales at around 36kg and is [i]seriously [/i]heavy.

Concise, to the point, well-played and recorded, amusing and entertaining. What more do you want?

[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1443628345' post='2876418'] Loving the yolks folks [/quote][quote name='KevB' timestamp='1443628748' post='2876423'] These yours or did you poach them from someone else? [/quote] You guys crack me up.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1443627318' post='2876405'] The vast majority folks on BC are good eggs... albeit some of them are a little scrambled [/quote] ...and some are hard-boiled. Others are definitely fried. A minority won't come out of their shells...

[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1443613727' post='2876201'] I think you miss the point there Discreet. It's about the principle & a matter of trust within a community. If we ain't got that, we're screwed. Judging by the weight of your reply I guess you'd do/have done exactly the same as the seller. If you're fine with that that's great for you & it's good to know who's up front & who ain't. [/quote] Actually I wouldn't have done exactly the same as the seller, and never have. I generally like to move things quickly on here and if anything I will sell at lower than the market price to do so. But when I do, I don't have any issue whatsoever if the buyer then sells the item at a profit. I sell to him, the item is then his to do with as he sees fit. It's nothing to do with me once the item is no longer in my possession. [quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1443614138' post='2876205'] ...does detract somewhat from the community spirit. [/quote] There is certainly a fantastic community spirit on this forum that has been built up over a period of years - I value it greatly and feel honoured to be a part of it. But for me any feeling of 'community' stops on the threshold of the commercial forums here. It's business, nothing more. I just happen to think it's crazy to get irritated at what someone else does with an item that now belongs to them, regardless of where it came from in the first place and whether it was bought from you, or someone else. Once you sell something, that something is then disconnected from you and you have no further influence over it. If that bothers you in any way, then obviously you should not have sold that something, or asked for a higher price to offset your perceived value of it. That is my opinion.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1443612638' post='2876181'] ...it is surprisingly shallow... [/quote] Like some of the membership here. Wahey!! *Runs away*

[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1443609801' post='2876128'] Fine, everyone happy, I go home with a nice bass & the seller's got a great amp to keep or flip. Except almost immediately I see the seller trying to flog the amp for WAY more than his reckoned figure. [/quote] If everyone's happy then what's the problem? Once the deal is done the guy can do what the hell he likes with the amp. The sales forums on here are paid for by the people who use them via a subscription so it's a commercial enterprise. The idea of buying something and then selling it at a profit is what western (and increasingly eastern) industrialised civilisation is based on, for better or worse. You don't complain about shops buying stuff and selling it, do you? This is no different. [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1443611972' post='2876168'] Yep... far too many people using this forum to make a quick buck. [/quote] Again, the classified forums here are run to make money for the forum owners, so what's wrong with someone buying something here then selling it again? Everyone was happy with the deal initially, so what happens after that is irrelevant, surely? This isn't a bloody hippy commune, it's buying and selling. If you want a certain price for something then hold out for it, don't sell cheap then get sniffy if someone else does different.

[quote name='MOSCOWBASS' timestamp='1443533184' post='2875592'] As a matter of interest, i compared mine to my MB800 at a small gig, through my BF Midget T and the pic shows the controls, that to me matched level and tone pretty close. [/quote] That's very interesting. It's not exactly at full-tilt, is it? I think you could easily gig with one (depending on what kind of band you're in, etc), which makes this little amp quite a contender IMHO.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1443529741' post='2875544'] ...when buying a cab I tend to primarily consider more tangible factors such as power handling, efficiency, size, weight etc... [/quote] +1 I love 8x10 cabs but know from experience what a pain in the arse they can be. I suppose my journey has been about finding that sound and power in a practical package (regardless of speaker size) and I think I'm close to it.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1443524062' post='2875459'] Great little amps these... Had mine for a couple of years. I pair mine with an EA wizzy 10 for an easily transportable set up. Great review as ever Mark... you've done this little beast justice [/quote] Thanks Rob - you probably remember we've been here before, but an update never hurt anyone. If I could snag a Schro 1212L from somewhere that would be my ultimate lightweight rig.

[b]NAD - Gallien-Krueger MB200[/b] [b]Specifications:[/b] [url="http://www.gallien-krueger.com/mb-200-specs"][b]http://www.gallien-krueger.com/mb-200-specs[/b][/url] I had one of these little scamps a while back and stupidly moved it on. I picked this one up recently as part of a deal with the intention of keeping it as a back-up for my large Class A/B SS amps. It actually fits [i]inside[/i] my SVT350H with room to spare. The MB is also a SS amp - and as before, I'm surprised by the amount of heft and sheer volume available. The core tone is good, too... now read on. It's [i]really [/i]tiny - 7.75" wide, 1.75" high (without rubber feet) and 8" deep. So it'll fit in your gig bag with no problems whatsoever. It's light, too - less than 1kg. Rated at 200W RMS @ 4ohms and 140W RMS @ 8ohms. Front panel: One 1/4" (6.3mm) Jack input, -10db pad for active basses, a single Gain control, Contour switch - this cuts the mids for a scooped sound - it's either on or off. I doubt you would want to have this switched in live, as I suspect you'd lose your mids somewhat, but it does make the amp sound nice and lush at home-playing levels. Treble, Hi-Mid, Lo-Mid, Bass EQ controls. And of course, a power switch. It has a ring LED which changes from red to blue when it's ready to rock, just like its big brothers, the G-K MB500/MB800 and Fusions. On the rear we have an AC mains socket, XLR Direct Out with Pre or Post toggle, Aux in for playing your tunes through the amp (good for late-night headphone noodling), and a switched output that doubles as a headphone out or a line out depending on how you've toggled it. And of course the ubiquitous Neutrik Speakon speaker output - of which there is only one, so if you want to use two 8ohm cabs for maximum 4ohm beans, you will need to daisychain your cabs. Or use a single 4ohm cab, of course. I tried the amp both with my Schroeder 21012L (4ohms) and my two BFM J12s (2X 8ohms - 4ohms). As I said, it's a loud amp! Once again we realise that rated output means little, and the amount of 'volume' one perceives is largely due to the sensitivity of the cabs one uses, and other parameters. Running 200W @ 4ohms, there is more than enough power to keep up with a drummer and egocentric guitarist using a 50W Marshall Valve combo - an arse-shatteringly loud combo, by the way. How does it sound? Well, it's very good indeed. In fact it's something of a giant-killer given its size. It does share some tone with its big brothers - albeit with slightly less headroom and fewer EQ options - but the MB200 does have its own sound too, and you can definitely start to hear a bit of gain break-up at higher levels. It's SS break-up of course, but it's very musical and usable and it works well in the real world - and that's the bottom line. Think more MB500 than Fusion. So... it's very simple, very small, very light and it sounds very good. It's also very affordable. Like many others, I initially considered this as a back-up amp, a purpose for which it is well-suited, but it's really much better than that - if you're on a budget, or you just don't need a massively loud amp (and really, no-one needs a massively loud amp - that's just marketing) then this is for you. Like the rest of the G-K MB range, you don't need a preamp or sound-shaper in front of this little fellow - it sounds just great straight out of the box, it's totally plug and play. And its convenience, portability, simplicity, power and tone make it almost irresistible.