Ampeg SVT II PRO / Non Pro Owners Thread

[donslow]

So thanks to @Beedster & @chris_b I averted disaster recently in deciding NOT to sell my SVT II Pro

Suggestion made by @Beedster to start up a thread dedicated to owners of this beast of an amplifier so here we are!

Let’s make this the SVT II knowledge shop?!

Let’s hear about your experiences with this amp?

Show us your rigs?!
What cabs do you use?

Did you change valves? What were your thoughts?

Amp settings?

How do you transport such a lump?

What problems (if any) have you had? 
Any thoughts / comments / experiences you have had with this head are more than welcome....

 

Ill kick this off with one “issue” I have....

I’ve seen a lot to suggest that this amp should be cased / racked, which makes a lot of sense but when I bought the amp I was advised NOT to case / rack it. The reason being that with the vents on the sides, most racks / cases won’t have suitable ventilation to prevent overheating and then failure / damage.

Anyone have any thoughts / experience with this?!

Edited February 16, 2020 by donslow

[King Tut]

Following!

[Beedster]

Just now, King Tut said:

Following!

Likewise, nice one @donslow

I'll add my thoughts re cases once I've had breakfast

[Beedster]

1 hour ago, donslow said:

So thanks to @Beedster & @chris_b I averted disaster recently in deciding NOT to sell my SVT II Pro

A very wise decision mate

[donslow]

2 minutes ago, Beedster said:

A very wise decision mate

Ha ha I’m starting to see that, made an excuse for an impromptu jam last night with some friends, first time it’s been plugged in in a year, definitely a wise choice to keep hold of it....still grinning....

[donslow]

If it helps anyone, here is the reply I got from Ampeg regarding a query I had with this head shortly after getting it some years ago....

 

Question(s) to Ampeg.....
Hello there, I have a couple of technical queries to pose to yourselves

I recently acquired a used SVT2 Pro head

During the second time using it, it cut out in me completely, I ran it into a local service centre and they diagnosed a faulty resistor, resistor replaced, full service and health check later, it was given the all clear

My main query is regarding tubes and bias lights on the back, although the amp SEEMS to be working perfectly, there is what appears to be just one (I can't tell if it's reflection off of the others or there is more than one doing this) tube that is glowing purple, the service centre said the tubes were all fine upon testing them and sometime a blue/purple glow happens, is this correct?

Also, the bias lights are both green (as should be so I believe) but as soon as I start playing my bass (or even not playing, maybe just tapping the body or strings) they both briefly flash red, every time, is there a fault or is this perfectly normal?
 

Reply FROM Ampeg...

Hi Dan, 
Your bias lights are acting as they should.  At idle they should just be green.

Here's a link that explains the blue glow you are seeing in some of your tubes:

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/what-is-blue-glow-in-vacuum-tubes.732194/

All the best,

[Dood]

I’ll chime in later... but I really want a US SVT II Pro! I miss my old one lol!!

#NothingButMothsInMyWalletNow

[Beedster]

Whilst I get the idea that this thread is about knowledge and experience of the SVT-II, I also think it should be in praise, so here's my thoughts on my SVT-II as posted in Donslow's original thread yesterday

Just reread that and remembered why I sold - and then bought another - SVT-II. The answer to 'what comes close' in my experience is nothing, seriously, not even the SVT-VR and the rest of the Ampeg large tube amps range. I'm no tech so can't tell you why this is, but I can say that having sold my first SVT-II, and realising my mistake, I owned two SVT (US re-issues) before realising that they can't do what this amp can do. I've also owned pretty much every large amp Mesa have made - 400+, Prodigy, Titan, M-Pulse, Big Block 750 and Buster, as well as a Aggie DB-750, some pretty nice pre-amp power amp combinations, including an Aggie DB-659 with an SVT-300 power amp (which got close), but nothing among that list makes me feel what the SVT-II makes me feel. And music for me is all about feeling, I'm not a great bass player by any means, but I love how I feel when I play bass on my own or with the band, and a huge part of that feeling for me is the tone, and the sheer psychoacoustic pleasure I get from this is irreplaceable. So for me, the SVT is an emotion machine, something that I can't quantify in mechanistic terms, but something that adds a huge amount of what is important to me into my experience of playing the bass. If I ever get to the point at which my back is too weak to carry it, I'd happily spend the £300 or so required to get a very high quality rack/trolley case for it, and if it meant a two person carry onto the stage, so be it. I use it even at small gigs, not because I need it, but because I like it (and unlike some tube amps it does quiet pretty well). 

So, the SVT-II is my emotion machine

[Beedster]

13 hours ago, donslow said:

I'll kick this off with one “issue” I have....

I’ve seen a lot to suggest that this amp should be cased / racked, which makes a lot of sense but when I bought the amp I was advised NOT to case / rack it. The reason being that with the vents on the sides, most racks / cases won’t have suitable ventilation to prevent overheating and then failure / damage.

Anyone have any thoughts / experience with this?!

I use my un-racked/cased in part for this reason, in part because it looks better un-racked, and in part because the shock-mount case I have adds over 10kg to the weight, and given the already serious weight of this thing, those 10kgs make a difference. Given we're going to be gigging a lot more this year, with increased risk of it getting damaged, I'd like to find a good ventilated case for it, even if it needs to be 6u to get decent air flow around the case. Very keen to hear the experience and advice of others?

Thanks

Chris

[roonjuice]

This thread is my home

[Noisyjon]

I think it was @Happy Jack who once said that the SVT II Pro actually produces the sound in your head when you think of big valve amps.

I totally agree with this and it was only the weight of the mother that made me sell it!

Edited February 18, 2020 by Noisyjon
Edit!

[Noisyjon]

To expand - I used my one through 2x Barefaced Gen1 Compacts (1x15 cabs) and it was all there sound wise. Incredible. Loved it.

But it just broke me physically humping it around and lifting it onto the top of the cabs. It was like you needed to be a cross between a weight lifter and a furniture removal expert getting it about. I had it mounted in a lightweight 4u ABS case so nothing silly going on there.

 

[Dood]

My interest in the SVT 2 Pro have been resparked.. not by playing through the real thing, but spending a lot of time with the SVT 4 Pro model on the Line 6 Helix. Running the model in to  cabinet sims of the speakers I used to use with my SVT 2 immediately reminded me of not only the tone but the feel of my old rig. I mean, I spent over 15 years with the same set up, live and in the studio.. and it was weird to be reminded of the good and bad about it, yet not have a physical amp in the room? Gahhhhh ha ha!

Of course there’s certain things that a pair of big ole studio monitors or my favourite cans on my ears  can’t reproduce... that magic spot on the SVT dial up on stage. I do miss that, even if each of my cabinets weighed 45Kg on top of the weight of lugging that SVT up on top every gig!!!! Maybe I’ll just have one for my “home play time rig” ha ha!

[Beedster]

17 minutes ago, Noisyjon said:

To expand - I used my one through 2x Barefaced Gen1 Compacts (1x15 cabs) and it was all there sound wise. Incredible. Loved it.

I’m thinking of doing the same, I just need one more Gen 1 Compact

Or a Mesa 1516EV

[Dood]

Funnily I was just wondering what an SVT 2 Pro on top of a Barefaced Big Twin 2 might be like!

[Pow_22]

My second favourite ever bass tone was through an SVTII Non Pro into an 810 cab, with my flats loaded P bass it was glorious!  Only topped by the same cab with an old Japanese MTI era SVT, that actually cause a stirring in my loins!!!

[cetera]

I used to have an SVT-II Pro (Premier Edition) head. Used it 4 times and it crapped out on 2 of those occasions. Apparently the protection circuitry on these was VERY delicate and could kick in at any time.

Sod that.... I needed reliability. Got myself a GK800RB and have never looked back.

I remember speaking to Ken Hensley (Ampeg rep at the time) and he took me aside aside and simply said "You know when you see bands with these heads onstage.... well they never have just one... and the others aren't plugged in. Make of that what you will..."

Always loved the original SVT-II though. Different kettle of fish....

[Paddy515]

Just couldnt put up with the weight, GuitarGuitar offered me £500 as it included a flightcase but sold it for £600 and it went this week to N. Ireland (cost £65 to courier but thankfully arrived intact). So much bite and punched my tone to the forefront of the mix, admired by many gig-goers but at 60, I needed something more sensible.

[Niall6002]

I bought a SVT 2 Premier edition Number 16/250, 4 years ago and immediately retubed it,

I mounted it in a large rack case and made a perforated mirror stainless top cover and added four cooling fans with housings and a fan power supply and controller,

it sits on a pair of Genz Benz Uber Neo 1288T cabs,

it sounds like the big tube amp that you heard in your head when you thought of big tube amps!

its big, warm and sounds absolutely huge when cranked!

sounds smooth and warm with my fretless too,

a beautiful amp,

truly special.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Niall6002
More photos

[Pow_22]

This GAS inducing thread is making me think about sticking my peavey valve head up for sale to fund an SVT II

[Beedster]

18 hours ago, Niall6002 said:

I bought a SVT 2 Premier edition Number 16/250, 4 years ago and immediately retubed it,

I mounted it in a large rack case and made a perforated mirror stainless top cover and added four cooling fans with housings and a fan power supply and controller,

it sits on a pair of Genz Benz Uber Neo 1288T cabs,

it sounds like the big tube amp that you heard in your head when you thought of big tube amps!

its big, warm and sounds absolutely huge when cranked!

sounds smooth and warm with my fretless too,

a beautiful amp,

truly special.

 

That's lovely Niall, really lovely. My main problem with my SVT-II (same as yours by the way) is that I would rather not use a really oversized shock-mount case, but commercially available racks simply do not provide decent ventilation, so I end up using it un-cased. I'm not sure how wise that is, as it's all to easy to damage, and whilst I assume that it's better ventilated than in a plastic case, fans and a decent case as above would be a step up. Is a custom built case my only option? Seems crazy if so given the number of these things out there, but I'm also guessing that a lot of the reliability issues might be the result of poor ventilation of an amp that can get very hot?

Suggestions welcome folks

[Beedster]

8 hours ago, Pow_22 said:

This GAS inducing thread is making me think about sticking my peavey valve head up for sale to fund an SVT II

There's two on eBay at the moment, three if you include one that's being sold as part of a big rig. I was looking for months and didn't see any 

[Niall6002]

2 hours ago, Beedster said:

That's lovely Niall, really lovely. My main problem with my SVT-II (same as yours by the way) is that I would rather not use a really oversized shock-mount case, but commercially available racks simply do not provide decent ventilation, so I end up using it un-cased. I'm not sure how wise that is, as it's all to easy to damage, and whilst I assume that it's better ventilated than in a plastic case, fans and a decent case as above would be a step up. Is a custom built case my only option? Seems crazy if so given the number of these things out there, but I'm also guessing that a lot of the reliability issues might be the result of poor ventilation of an amp that can get very hot?

Suggestions welcome folks

Hi Beedster,

mine was like a Pizza oven in the rack case before I added the fans,

I'm convinced that proper cooling will greatly extend this amps life,

if you would like any custom metal parts to aid cooling I would be delighted to help,

you could cut a hole out of the side of a sleeve where the fan is and replace it with a perforated mirror stainless plate.

 

awesome amps!

[Pow_22]

13 hours ago, Beedster said:

There's two on eBay at the moment, three if you include one that's being sold as part of a big rig. I was looking for months and didn't see any 

I know, my finger has been hovering over the Offer button on the USA coloured logo one daily for a while now 😬

[donslow]

@Niall6002 oh my! That really is something to behold, some nice work and I’d imagine a worthwhile effort?! Dread to think of the weight though....