Ampeg fridge revisited after 20 years...

[Muzz]

So I was at a rehearsal last night for a scratch band which has been assembled for a charity gig at the weekend - as I've mentioned before, I don't rehearse all that much, and where I do, there's no provided kit.

Anyway, at this rehearsal room there was an Ampeg 810 provided, so it seemed rude not to...I'd brought my Walkabout (this was a Rawk band rehearsal), so I plugged it in and...

1. Holy Ampage of Anchorage, the Walkabout goes VERY VERY LOUD through a biiiig cab...it was huuuge. There's a lot said about TE watts on here, but those Walkabout Watts are mahoosive...
2. For the first two songs, there was just a wall of bloomy bass behind me...very grin-inducing, but then...
3. Where's my definition gone? Where's the proper snarl? I ended up twiddling the EQ to try and get the sound I get from the Walkabout and the Super Twin, but couldn't quite get there.
4. I plugged my Super Twin back in, and there it was...like a duvet lifted...

I guess I would've needed some time to re-EQ properly, so it's not exactly a scientific A-B (it was a surprise, after all), but it was very much a mixed result. The ST [i]did[/i] sound like a smaller cab, but then again, that height of the 810 helps a lot - I think a pair of stacked Super Compacts instead would close that gap considerably*

Then, just to complete the experience, I shifted the 810 back across the room into the far corner. Ooog.

I strolled out with the ST in one hand without looking back. Much.



* Oh no, GAS......

Edited June 29, 2017 by Muzz

[Ghost_Bass]

Now imagine that you could get your hands on a BF eight10!!!!

[Lozz196]

Having had BF cabs I can certainly agree that they have a much less coloured sound than the majority of the regular brands that are about. Yes the S12T that I had sounded smaller than the Ampeg fridge, but the two S12Ts I had, well they def gave a good battle. There is something special about plugging into a full Ampeg stack though, it`s probably the same for guitarists using a Marshall full stack, seldom needed, but grin-inducing nonetheless.

[gillento]

I have NEVER managed to get a decent sound of any Ampeg 810 cab I've tried with an Ampeg CL, Mesa Walkabout, Ashdown ABM, MarkBass TA503, SWR GrandPrix/QSC RMX, ......

I guess I don't like the cab.

[andytoad]

Mine was always boomy, but on a positive, trouser flapping! 😀

[rOB]

Interesting. After hearing so much about ampeg stacks I finally got a chance to use one at a gig this weekend. I've been playing about 10 years but have never come across one before.

Initially I found it a little indistinct and not my thing at all. Bit of tweaking and it produced a nicer sound but still, not my thing.

Bit of a relief, there's no way I could logistically use one regularly.

Hopefully in the future I'll be able to spend a bit longer with one.

[Lozz196]

I suppose because I use a twangy/driven sound without too many lows could be why I find them really easy to get a good sound from. Maybe putting a sound through it that usually relies on one or two speaker cones to fill a room with bass results in a tad too much low-end, now that eight speakers are taking those lows

[chris_b]

I have never owned or lifted an SVT but I have use hired ones on tour (with lots of roadies) and they really are a force of nature. I can understand why they cornered the market and have stood the test of time, but they have never been an option for my world.

I did own an Ampeg 215 at one point and I could hardly get it from the car into the gig on my own. One of my more crazy buying decisions!

I notice that, these days, many of the bass players I watch (Nathan East, Willie Weeks etc) are touring with the Aguilar equivalent, the DB750 and DB810.

[leroydiamond]

Played through an Ampeg 8×10 driven by an Orange Terror 1000 with everything at 11. Total bass heaven.

[thodrik]

I love Ampeg 8x10s.

[Delberthot]

The place we rehearse has one in one of their rooms and I played through it on Thursday night with their SVT350.

On it's own I absolutely loved it but with the whole band playing it was just rumble. Plus I couldn't get it a a decent volume level where I could hear it but it wasn't overpowering the rest of the band.

I think I'll stick my my 10kg rig thanks. I can have it as loud as I need to be able to hear it on stage yet 5 feet away you can hardly hear it when the whole band are playing.

[casapete]

My SVT rig with 8x10 is still the sound I'm chasing, despite having sold it over 20 years ago.

Maybe a touch of rose tinted glasses going on, but with my 63 P-bass it sounded amazing.
Unlike other users, it wasn't the drive sounds that got me, just the warmth/power/bottom end
that it produced and that thing where you feel it in your body whilst your trousers flap away.
If only it was still possible for me now.....

[chris_b]

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1499587403' post='3332296']
My SVT rig with 8x10 is still the sound I'm chasing, despite having sold it over 20 years ago.[/quote]

For years I either owned or played through the biggest amps and cabs, but there's no point in looking back.

I always look forwards to the best I can sound now and I believe that I'm sounding better than at any time in the past.