Your enthusiasm just shines right through! I can tell you're in your element playing the G&L through that SVT. Thanks for yet another great video!!

I had my first SVT in 1972. 2 8x10 bottoms. awsome amp. My first amp with a fan. Ill never forget the large lettering on the back. "Caution. Exposure to high sound levels, may cause loss of hearing acuity".

@johnnyx9892

Жыл бұрын

What????

What a cool fellow :>) Great story too.I just got a 1969 SVT head and 8x10 cab Both bought together back in 1973.Getting the head refurbished now and man,you got me excited to hear it when I get it back.Using a fretless 5 string Precision which I absolutely LOVE .Go Wormouth.

Dave...while we're name dropping, I've met Dennis Kager of Ampeg days of old whose designed a whole bunch of amps for many different brands. Not only have I met him, but he is in fact, my amp tech! Him and his brother John (who does guitar work) run a repair shop right up the street from where I work and I've been going to them for about 5 years now. Their work is second to none...not to take anything away from your talents there, sir! I also plan on name dropping you too one day Dave! Cheers!

Hey Dave, the smile on your face at around 12:30, when you say "man this thing sounds good!" is just priceless!.... Cheers for another superb video!

I have owned and played an Acoustic model 320 with the model 408 cab since 1980. An SVT could not touch my rig . The 408 drove 4 15 inch speakers at 2 ohms. Over 120 decibels within ten feet of this enclosure is on the label right on the back of the cab. It is a beast for a SS amp.

YES! Love Ampeg! Some of the best amps in the world!

Nothing like an SVT.. I recently bought an SVT VR and I used the same car analogy as you did to describe to a buddy why I needed this head!

@mwanichi

3 жыл бұрын

I use that analogy all the time too...after seeing this video.

Spot on! way to go Dave, I had many years ago the geminni ll and iv loved them. Oh mine too used to have radio noise come through it sometimes.

"Nothing Like It" Amen, brother!! Just (finally) found a deal I could actually afford on an American made CL! Life is good! Be well, Dave!

This 10 year old video hit my feed today, gotta say Dave hasn't changed much since then, Music and a good sandwich must keep him young! I laughed at "pop the windows out".

Dave!! Glad you make these videos!! Ive enjoyed a bunch of em!!! Good Fun Indeed!! :)

I appreciate anytime someone tries to do well.

My rig b4 going direct. SVT 8x10 cab. 300 watt power amp and a BBE sonic maximizer. Closest to the real thing man. Love you vids.

Right on, cool G&L AND nod to Thin Lizzy! cheers!

Naw, it's my philosophy. I got a vintage VOX guitar amp and cab (for my flying V) and plugged my P bass ('57 vintage pup) and wow!! 1968 'The Moody Blues' John Lodge bass tones!!! not very LOUD, but man..all butter :)

A sound like nothing else for sure. I played with a buddy for many gigs , he used an svt head and a gk cabinet, best sound ever

Great info man will be watching more vids from you! peace

Brilliant video ..... been thinking about getting one

I would love to have one of these..But I did the next best thing for a fraction of the cost Ampeg svp pro pre amp with a qsc power amp...Oh and I use it all the time in my house with the loud fan and the somewhat noisy preamp....I run it through a svt 410 fhl cabinet..As Dave would say HOLY SMOKES the walls are caving in! I love the tube biasing feature on this thing..No more looking for the tiny pot and using two meters to bias the tubes..Once again great vid Dave.

I got a Jess Oliver 50 watt head a few weeks ago. Really rockin sound running through a bassman 412

The GKs are very good bass amps. I used a few in the studio and when touring over seas.

great video man

i love my ampeg gear. 8x10 and SVT-7pro for gigs and SVP-pro for recording at home!

If you cant fix it no one can Dave.You are the best.

Awesome Amp!!..Awesome stories!!....this guy is "freaken" Cool!!!

Nice ! Thanks Dave !

I have to agree. The SVT is the best. I had a 1976 that was great but it was very touchy and I was always having to bias the output tubes. The only other all tube amp for bass I've ever used was a 1967 Marshall Major which was great in a whole other way with KT 88's. Not as loud as the SVT but it had the best sound at breakup. Back then I'd run a solid state Sunn Coliseum head with the Major into 2 x 15's (my 8 x 10 with the Marshall) and get probably the best rock bass sound ever. Loud...

Note that the little tubes in back are not the preamp tubes, they are the phase inverter and bias tubes. The preamp tubes (three or four, I forget which) are inside the preamp chassis.

Love your videos. Bro show your face a bit see whose behind the genius, lol. Anyway, have you done any vids about Mu-Tron vintage pedals and such? I have a small collection and eat up anything I could watch about them. Have a few rare ones.

loved to have one of this.. every one uses this one on stage!

Dave . Could you explain the procedure on the " Balance " adjustment on the back. It would be awesome if you could do a short video on just that adjustment itself. Thanks and keep low and in the pocket Bass brother.

3 decades ago I'm playing full timer using a 70's SVT w/ 8-10 cab. the svt head fails mid-gig and an electrical arc flame shot out of it. but yea, when working nuthin sounds like it...add a fender precision bass and game over.

That's was interesting servicing the amp.no failure.good at go.I can tell you really enjoy playing that bass through that.funnnnn.my nephew just started playing bass any suggestions.I know its gonna be funny.

great video...I have owned a number of ampegs and finally bought up to a VR............I messaged you in hopes of a bit more info!

Yep There heavy buggers alright! Still like my Fender Pro though! I use to use a Musicman 130w Bass/Guitar head & it sometimes use to give a quick squeal/screetch sound when I use to have the bright switch on for a while. It never did it when the bright switch was off. Odd hey? U can't beat tube sound....:) Great Vid Dave.

What do you throw a drowning bass player? ... his SVT head.

@punman5392

8 жыл бұрын

Seals the deal lol

@erics3644

3 жыл бұрын

LOL. I've had 2 SVT's in my 30 years of playing. An SVTII non pro, and a newer Heritage head. Honestly I was disappointed. I WANTED to love them but I just wasn't thrilled with the muddy tone. Ended up with a FANTASTIC GK 800RB

Hey Dave, how did you adjust the balance knob in the back. I tried to turn mine until green and it didnt change

nice video, hey quick question, so how does an average joe like me set the bias balance control without any test equipment?

Love my SVT!

God, I know I've heard that riff at @12:30 but I can't place it. Anyway, great video. My Peavey Vypyr 120's pre-amp tube went microphonic awhile back with some the powertubes scrambling eggs. I wish would have seen this before having it serviced.

I've never owned an SVT but, I had 2 V-4b's I ran in stereo until my back and shoulders couldn't take it any more. Awesome tone but with modern technology, Tech 21specifically, my back pain is history.

Well, you're crazy as a bed bug but I like you. Keep up the good work.

ive always wanted one of these.. a big heavy tube amp to shake the floors playing groove metal in clubs..

@davey4557 it seems to happen when pluged in. Ive had work done on it like 10 years ago to get the reverb working. However, its 35+ years old and only a traynor so i doubt ill be putting anything else into it. Be a diffrent story if it was a marshall :D thanks for the info!

I know that the problem wasn't a microphonic tube, but just wondering , where are the other preamp tubes located? For example , when you had it open and were tapping the tubes, there were only the 6 power tubes and 3 preamp tubes visible, but there are 2 more preamp tubes somewhere? Are they on the bottom of the board? I have an SVT CL and am curious because I want to get new preamp tubes but don't know where the other ones are!

ur awseome dave

When I flip the standby switch it creates a crackling sound through the speakers and channel 1 crackles as well. Replaced tubes and did a thorough cleaning of the guts. could it be the preamp tube for channel 1 and maybe just replace the standby switch? any ideas? SVT-VR SVT 610

dave...my '03 slm svt has the trots......after a warm up and stand by on there is a significant unwanted fuzz tone at low volume (around one) which goes away when you turn it up more,but it's awful loud at one...any idea where to look before i have to drag it to a tech.....i don't have access to another pre amp to isolate/test at the moment...both lights on the back are green...

When you're doing the balance, how do you check the 25 Volts out with the voltmeter? Do you have to open up a speaker cabinet to connect the terminals of the voltmeter to the terminals of a speaker?

There are more than those three pre amp tubes...you STILL have to get to them.

Between the cab and the shear power and headroom from the amp, you could cause things to break. I was running a 100 watt twin, I think we all hurt each other....in a good way...rock roll

my dream amp

I just put a new set of 6550's into the vr and set the bias to good green lights and moved the balance pot until it turns orange with the lowest amount of hum by ear would this be the same, or my question is if the 2 bias pots are bright green and I have orange with the least amount of hum would this be the best way without a signal generater

Hey dude, very nice vid, awesome that you had mentioned to "not take amp from freezing cold and turning it on", it was always on my mind. I know - common sense is always best, but.. what do you consider freezing cold? Would going from 5C to 25C be ok?

@punman5392

8 жыл бұрын

That's a pretty big difference. I would at least leave it for about 30 mins to and hour before turning it on

Nice G&L jb2....The smart mans Jazz bass!Check out the new G&L JB.....Very NIce!

don't forget two extra 12ax7 ecc83 tubes on the front side inside the preamp controls.

Cool

davey davey davey...i love you man.

ive been using ampeg svts for over 30yrs.in the old days we used Sylvania tubes.but I have found sovtek tubes take pretty much anything you can throw at them,the older sovteks not sure about newer ones

ive had quite a few ampeg heads fail from vairious faults in the venue i worked in for 10 years, ive had ones that blue the quick blow fuses, and ones that just shut down and the green power light when red indicating some kind of fault.

can you make a video on how to do the signal generater and the dvm check for this, I am going to buy a signal generater and was wondering where you plug it into the svt and how you check the 25vrms

An Ampeg Portaflex "fliptop" Would seem to be more practical as a bedroom amplifier. Hey, it was good enough for James Jamerson to record Motown records with!

@goodun2974

3 жыл бұрын

@Majority of 1 , interesting. I just skimmed a half-dozen articles about Jamersons' gear, and while he did play through a B15 live, it appears that in the studio he mostly played through a custom, studio-built 5-channel tube preamp that was designed to handle *all* the guitars/ guitarists in-house, rather than have them playing through various buzzy old amps and the sound engineers being subject to dealing with sound leakage and level changes from mic-ing them. Although, a custom tube preamp likely isn't what most musicians think of as going " direct-in" either; in my youth, a DI box used to be nothing more than an impedance-matching transformer that didn't change the instrument's but ensured a high signal to noise ratio. A tube preamp is gonna color things significantly by comparison. Anyway, I shot from the hip when I posted my original comment, using my remembrance of what I read some tears ago in the Ampeg history book " The Story Behind the Sound" . I guess this is what happens when one takes things at face value without checking out a second or third source! . 🤔 Still, a Portaflex does seem a more appropriate bedroom amp than an SVT!

when you set the balance right is it orange on the light or green

There should be a temperature dependent circuit to control the cooling fan speed. Yes, amps need to be warmed up to room temperature sitting in the car trunk at -20c in Canada. Your bass riff..sounds like it's from a Fleetwood Mac song if I remember..but which song? Go your own way?

Quick question. SVT CL's run 4ohm and switch to 2 ohm. I know resistance will reduce the power by using my 8 OHM Sunn Cab, but will it really damage amp components.../ .... Great story about the heater lol. My SVT amp could keep my 'behind the amp' food hot for between songs at my gigs : ) ...

@davey4557 ya it does it with every guitar and cable, and i tried the pencil trick.

Hi Dave. I have a made in USA SVT CL. I have been getting a static noise when I play. I tried switching cabs and cables and it still exists. My power tubes aren't that old. It seems more noticeable when I first start to play but subsides a little as the amp gets hotter but is still there. Help please ???

What are your thoughts on using an SVT with a guitar like the Stones? Just thought I'd ask to see if you thought it was a good idea for large scale gigs.

I’ve had a couple SVT’s over the years. They sound great.. better than great... glorious; no other bass amp of that power or capacity sounds as good or better, IMO. Beyond that they’re a ginormous pain in the ass, back, and wallet. If you’re touring, have the budget, vehicle and strong helper apes to load, unload, and move around the whole rig then it’s the amp to run with. For other than that you would be a gluten.

The Molson's guy! . My SVT has no LEDs, I have to do scope work for balance, It uses the 6146B tubes, not the 6550s, and it is 360+ watts up to 800+, not 300+pk. Do I use it at home? Rarely! 50w is fine for home, or a Bronco Bass amp for an apartment. Fender, Mesa & Acoustic made some okay 300W+ tube Bass amps. The SVT 8x10 closed cell cabs had a lot to do with the sound. Loud but even hi lo & mid. No excess rumble notes that overpower other notes! PJ cab is a neat. I use 375 watt load banks.

Also depends on how much WEIGHT you wanna pack around......I've had SVT's before...Love playin' thru 'em....After awhile, Hated packing them around....

Do you prefer the CL or this VR version?

I have this same head and have set the balance different than you, because I don't have a signal generater, I set the bass up to 10 and set the balance pot until it's orange, should it be orange or green or off and how much of the balance pot not being set right will effect the tone and tube wear, I'm getting good tone and about 65 gigs on a set of power tubes thanks for reading looking forward to some advice on the bias pots

that fan noise is not right..... the fan in my svt is quiet, and i never even think about it.......... i say your friend should buy one and enjoy life :). i never take mine anywhere either but it gets played alot....cheers, cool video sir :)

I have the sudden urge to watch F1 racing...

@stevebell4853

4 жыл бұрын

Eddie Irvine?

Yes the svt is the best bass amp around. Unfortunately its a back breaker. But i have been using 2 ampeg V 4B. @ 100 watts each. Seems to work ok for me.

Old school test! If your amp cant take a bang on top or rapid jacking, throw it away.. :) Thats how we tested after a repair...

Love my Traynor TBA200

@TehSeanRadcliffe typo. it's actually spelled "Farts". you're welcome

What Is Your Opinion On Traynor Bass Amps?? I Live Near Cincinnati Ohio And Aren't Really Available Here To Test Drive.

Dave, I like the video but I have a question for you. You do realize that the SVT-VR amps have eight preamp tubes in them, right? (4 x 12AX7 & 4 x 12AU7) You were tapping on the three driver/PI tubes with the pencil. The five preamp tubes are on a separate preamp board that you have to remove (like the old ones). I have the schematics if you want them.

@cascadian3679

Жыл бұрын

I have an SVT on the bench with the same three preamp tubes in the rear (12au7, 12au7, 12ax7) plus 2 more 12ax7 on a board in the control panel chassis that must be removed from the cabinet to access.

could it have been a supplied power issue? I know tube amps are really picky about "clean" voltage etc.

davey what would you recommend for an amplifier with tubes to use at home?

@davey4557 I know, seriously. Don't take it too hard, scene kids are like that. You're lucky you grew up with incredible music.

You sir, are a funny man. Do you know anything about Mesa bass heads? How do they compare with the svt? If at all... Haha!

got a tube amp question, what does it usually mean when you can hear a radio station through a tube amp? I think mines posessed!

Dave has inspired me to get a bass.. I'm an ok drummer and novice guitar player, but I'm 46 and don't have a lot of time to sit around and learn to play like EVH, or even do a bad impersonation of someone that great. Bass is a happy medium between drums and guitar. I want to learn to play songs, and w/ a bass there are a lot fewer notes in a song than guitar. Dave rocks, and that SVT does sound sweet.

@trappenweisseguy27

8 жыл бұрын

That old chestnut??. Well, easier to learn but harder to master. Stick to Fenders or clones for superior ergonomics.

There is nothing wrong with the awesome beast, just a bad cable, yep!

@davey4557 Thanks Brutha, I do appreciate it!

@davey4557 by turning the 40htz bass knob on the eq all the way up and the amp up to good volume and then testing the signal off the speaker chord going into the bass cabinet, would I get shocked or anything, if you could find out for me and let me know

@davey4557 VT 22 I believe in the studio.

hey Dave, tube vs solid state bass amps? What do you think?

I got a signal generater from a freind could you tell me where to send the signal in at on the amp and where to test it at on the amp with a dvm thank you for your help

@davey4557 Right on... Useful info is never B.S.

Opened for Brother Cane back in the 90's. The bass player beat the shit out of he's SVT the whole gig. I was saying I Gotta Have an SVT. Stupid me. Just go direct and be in the mix out front. Cheers.

I know the club where the rooms were so cold....it was in Camrose Alberta....I used my " Power hair" dryer....LOL

LOL, when you used the tube amp as a space heater did you have it hooked to a load or a speaker cab? I went years without knowing that you shouldn’t power up a tube amp without a load

@DavesWorldofFunStuff

3 ай бұрын

it's fine in stand by without a load

Play a strat trough one of these with 4x10's.. Yes please.

@davey4557 can I set this with the 40 htz knob from the bass all the way up and check with a dvm on the speaker cord going into the cabinet