DGBass Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 I couldn't find a thread that specifically answered the question I am about to ask. Also, the reason I ask is that even though I've played through a number of Ampeg rigs and amps over the years, I've never actually owned an Ampeg setup mainly due to the crushing weight and portability problems a classic SVT rig would present for me, and thats the rig I've always wanted to own. One other reason I ask is that during a rehearshal at a local studio just recently, I played through an old Ampeg BA115 HP combo. It is alledgedly a 220 watt combo with a 1x15 speaker and a variable compression horn tweeter with L-Pad attenuator. It has a 5 position preset tone switch and curiously with my Precision with flats plugged straight in I was able to easily get that tone I've heard on so many records and at so many gigs that sits just perfectly in the mix. Its a solid state combo with no tubes but the little preset switch has straight out of the box great sounds. So, do you need and SVT head and an 8x10 to get That Ampeg Sound? and does anyone get that sound without using an SVT rig with anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 I had the Portaflex rig for a while. It's much lighter. Adding the Sansamp VT pedal gets you in the right area. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassybert Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 (edited) Getting that sound is the reason I use a Programmable Sansamp as my preamp, usually into the effects return of whatever amp I’m using. Coupled with a P bass it nails that lovely, fat but warm growl I love about Ampeg’s. Edited June 26 by Bassybert 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 That 60ish Motown ploddy sound (b15) or that 70ish punk/hardrock (v4) sound or that 80s onward svt sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 I’m going to pile on with the Tech21 VTDI that @Cat Burrito suggests. I use one through my clean, Phil Jones rig. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 (edited) In the context of rock I’ve owned the SVT CL bass head and SVT 610 cab More recently was using the V4B and SVT212AV cab I think the tone to me is a warm deep full sound with a little natural valve grit as required. It worked well in every rock band I played in. Today I’ve played the Ampeg PF800 head which was very close in sound but I moved it on as you do ! Ashdown RM800 EVO II gets close too as it has a warm sound although the drive feature isn’t close at all EICH T900 is my current amp and it’s clean and punchy and I prefer the clarity with this amp and better speakers so I’ve moved from the warm vintage tone and like the clear tone of the EICH I don’t think you need the very heavy amps from the past to sound as good in a band today just be thankful it weighs alot less !! Plus it’s easier selling class D amps as lighter to ship etc Edited June 26 by BassAdder60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 As a few others have already said, this is exactly what the SansAmp pedal range is designed to do. I’ve had a very mixed experience with Ampeg. My local rehearsal studio has the SVTIII amps through either the 8x10, 6x10, or 4x10 cabs. I cannot for the life of me get a decent sound out of those amps and instead take my own combo to rehearsals. By contrast, using one of their all valve models through either the 8x10 or 6x10 cab and its tonal heaven with everything set pretty much flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 I had the Ampeg PF500 and thought that - aside from lack of gain - did very well. I’ve currently got the Ampeg SCR-DI pedal for home use and really like it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediocre Polymath Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 I recently had a go with the new Ampeg Venture V3 head at the Yamaha/Line6/Ampeg showroom in central London. They're wee small class D things, but make a very nice noise. The B15/SVT voiced overdrive circuit sounded good to my ears, and it did the low-gain "growl" thing very well. The EQ, with its semi-parametric midrange, is very versatile and I generally found it much more usable and musical than any three- or four-band EQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aniki Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 In my experience there are very few alternatives that truly nail the SVT Classic / 810 sound. I've used this combo among others for over 30 years. I also own a couple of sansamps. I feel that although the sansamp does a reasonable approximation of the Ampeg sound it definitely doesn't nail it. It's just kind of a 'sansamp' sound. I'm not techy enough to say exactly why the SVT sound is so unique as in my case it was as simple as all dials at midday; engage the ultra high and ultra low and done! I think the voicing of their cabs may play some part. I also feel the SVT is a bit of a one trick pony. Of course, if that trick is what you desire then great... Take my opinion with a pinch of salt as I'm also a 'class D' hater! Tried a load of them but gone back to valves and transformers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 10 minutes ago, aniki said: In my experience there are very few alternatives that truly nail the SVT Classic / 810 sound. I've used this combo among others for over 30 years. I also own a couple of sansamps. I feel that although the sansamp does a reasonable approximation of the Ampeg sound it definitely doesn't nail it. It's just kind of a 'sansamp' sound. I'm not techy enough to say exactly why the SVT sound is so unique as in my case it was as simple as all dials at midday; engage the ultra high and ultra low and done! I think the voicing of their cabs may play some part. Agree, I love Tech21 gear but I’ve always found their stuff to sound like a Sansamp (which is a great sound imo). I adopted the same approach on the eq with my PF500, just sounded great. Similarly agree re the cabs - I think the voicing really adds in to the Ampeg sound, maybe their low end - not quite so low as many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 I've had an SVP-Pro and now own an V4B, and think it's something about how well the EQ suits the sound I like, and how the driven valves add a bit of extra...extra to the overall picture. Oddly, I never got on with the SansAmp I had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joel406 Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 I tried to love Ampeg. I really did. Same with Hartke. I owned SVT to PF. Cabs and all. Just won't work "for me". GK was what did it for me back in the day. Now GK has totally screwed itself with their new line. Amped hasn't evolved significantly in a long time. For me the Mesa Subway line saved the day. And my Epifani UL 901 is even better. Punch and clarity. But even these are over shadowed by the QuadCortex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 Once upon a time a renowned US bassist had some time to kill and he recorded tracks off a loop pedal. The all tube DI was his goto for putting in front of his stage Ampeg in lieu of a mic. He reckoned it was pukka Ampeg coming from the PA so long as they didn't mess with it. Up against the tube DI was a Sansamp VT. He EQ'd the Sansamp to sound just like the DI. Then he recorded the same loops through each with leveled signals. Only three quarters of those brave enough to try to discern the fake tubes from real tubes got it right. There was a 50/50 chance to get it right without even listening to the tracks! The bassist was no mathematician and persisted to claim 75% could tell real tubes from emulation. Statistically 75% is not very flash at all. Perhaps a real mathematician could say how flash. My intuitive maths: If you had an eight sided die and it was half ones and half twos you get 50% random. If you skillfully cover two ones with twos you get 75% twos. So 1/4 of the bassists who answered had actual skill in detecting tubes? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGBass Posted June 27 Author Share Posted June 27 A combination of B15 & SVT. I looked at the settings and the BA combo was set to Preset 2 ( -12db cut @500Hz). The ported 1x15 cab was quite thumpy sounding. The variable horn on the combo seemed to add an edgy top end that I'd associate with an SVT. The studio also has a Class-D PF350 head but I struggled to get a usable sound from that by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 I’ve notvowned one, but what about an SGT-DI throught a powered cab? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 I bought a Tech 21 VT bass pedal and I think it nails the sound. I plugged it into my Hartke HA1400 2x10 combo (in my office of course) and was blown away by the sound I should try it on a gig sometime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 (edited) I think getting close to sound is one challenge but the feel of playing into a full valve amp cannot easily recreated Edited June 27 by BassAdder60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 (edited) 12 hours ago, Downunderwonder said: Once upon a time a renowned US bassist had some time to kill and he recorded tracks off a loop pedal. The all tube DI was his goto for putting in front of his stage Ampeg in lieu of a mic. He reckoned it was pukka Ampeg coming from the PA so long as they didn't mess with it. Up against the tube DI was a Sansamp VT. He EQ'd the Sansamp to sound just like the DI. Then he recorded the same loops through each with leveled signals. Only three quarters of those brave enough to try to discern the fake tubes from real tubes got it right. There was a 50/50 chance to get it right without even listening to the tracks! The bassist was no mathematician and persisted to claim 75% could tell real tubes from emulation. Statistically 75% is not very flash at all. Perhaps a real mathematician could say how flash. My intuitive maths: If you had an eight sided die and it was half ones and half twos you get 50% random. If you skillfully cover two ones with twos you get 75% twos. So 1/4 of the bassists who answered had actual skill in detecting tubes? Right... So what is your actual point with all this? Also I don't think that is how statistics works. As for OP, maybe try the One Control Silver Peg? For a cheaper solution there is also the Joyo R-30 Tidal Wave Bass Preamp, which is a clone of the Tech 21 Sansamp V2 (I would avoid the original first version and clones of it, as it sucks upper mids big time). If you insist on tubes Sushi Box Effects got an Ampeg like preamp too with real tubes in. Edited June 27 by Baloney Balderdash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 No Sansamp will dry socks the way an SVT does though. End of line. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killerfridge Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 13 hours ago, Downunderwonder said: Once upon a time a renowned US bassist had some time to kill and he recorded tracks off a loop pedal. The all tube DI was his goto for putting in front of his stage Ampeg in lieu of a mic. He reckoned it was pukka Ampeg coming from the PA so long as they didn't mess with it. Up against the tube DI was a Sansamp VT. He EQ'd the Sansamp to sound just like the DI. Then he recorded the same loops through each with leveled signals. Only three quarters of those brave enough to try to discern the fake tubes from real tubes got it right. There was a 50/50 chance to get it right without even listening to the tracks! The bassist was no mathematician and persisted to claim 75% could tell real tubes from emulation. Statistically 75% is not very flash at all. Perhaps a real mathematician could say how flash. My intuitive maths: If you had an eight sided die and it was half ones and half twos you get 50% random. If you skillfully cover two ones with twos you get 75% twos. So 1/4 of the bassists who answered had actual skill in detecting tubes? It depends on the sample size. But you're right that their conclusion was wrong. It reminds me of the times this happened on TB; testing tonewoods someone recorded a vintage P, then the same neck bolted to a piece of pine with the pickup in the same place (some of those details may be wrong, it was a while ago). It ended up being about a 60/40 split in the votes, so the conclusion was drawn: 60% percent of TBers have the golden ears to be able to hear the difference. 🤦♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 For those who are using a Sansamp to get the Ampeg tone, are you using the recommended settings in the manual or have you created your own. If so, can anyone share their settings please. I also did a gig and used one of the BA combo's, I think it was a 1x12 and I wasn't really very hopeful of it sounding very good but I was really blown away with it. It sounded really really good with my fretless Precision. I've also used a PF500 head which again I was really impressed with, I only moved it on as I wanted something lighter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassybert Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 (edited) 57 minutes ago, ahpook said: No Sansamp will dry socks the way an SVT does though. End of line. That’s like comparing apples and oranges, the Sansamp is just a preamp/DI. Edited June 27 by Bassybert 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 I'm very happy with the Ampeg SGT-DI pedal I got recently - I almost only play at home now, so having the sound of an SVT into my headphones is great 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 23 minutes ago, Graham said: I'm very happy with the Ampeg SGT-DI pedal I got recently - I almost only play at home now, so having the sound of an SVT into my headphones is great Yep the SGT pedal gets you real close I think 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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