Ampeg SVT 1540HE Cabinet

Straight-ahead 400w cabinet: four 10" speakers, one 15" speaker. Very heavy!! 2 lower rear wheels, & a handle bar at the upper rear of the cab; sort of a built-in dolly cart. Has input jacks for engaging all the speakers at once, as well as 1 each for engaging either the four 10s or the one 15 alone, respectively. Small attenuator switch between the input jacks that further allows you to modify the sound.

THIS is what bass sound is all about. I may be jaded some as I always knew from the get go, as a bassist, that I wanted an Ampeg sound. This amp delivers it like no other brand I've tried. Although a 400w cab, I currently run it with a 200w Fender BXR head and yet can get some LOUD volume merely cranking the head up to 3 or 4. Gotta wonder how much more I could get if I had an actual Ampeg 400w head?

Honestly I've only had it for 2 or so months so its a bit unfair to judge this with any certainty. Although used, its performed like a world heavyweight champ everytime, though.

Its a used cab so I don't figure I'd get any support from the Ampeg folks.

Got it for a steal from a used music shop. Has come through mightily every time I've used it. The sound is what I always perceived modern rock bass should sound like. I don't play distorted, by the way, but I don't doubt it could handle that style if I opted for it.

If it weren't for the price it was being offered at I wouldn't have gotten it, though. Its very heavy, has no side handles for ease of carrying up or down stairs; plus the attenuator switch inconveniently sticks out too much from the back. Thus when you load it onto the back of a truck (practically a requirement b/c it WILL NOT fit in a car), your natural inclination to load it in & onto its back will almost immediately result in the attenuator switch popping (if not snapping) right off. Rather than destroy a feature that may some day come in handy my bandmates & I have gotten used to loading it into the truck on its side.
OVERALL, its a magnificent amplifier, but til you're regularly playing outdoor or sizeable venues, using a smaller half stack or one large 15" speaker cab is far more practical.

I play classic rock.
This speaker has plenty of power, especially if you biamp.

The features are pretty straight forward, not much to tell here.
It has a 1x15 and 4x10. Plug in a decent powerfull amp, and you are ready to rock.

As the others mentioned it's is heavy, but I don't think it's so bad.
Most speakers designed to deliver significant amounts of low end are heavy. If a larger venue provides a bass rig, they will probably have a similar size cabinet. That's just the way it goes.

I use a fender deluxe jazz 5 string and sometimes a no-name fretless a friend of mine built.
This is a great cabinet for larger stages; It has enough power that I always hear myself over the drums. The 4X10 helps cut through loud guitars (deliver a good attack) and the 15 delivers the thump. Really great sound. I love these older cabinets.
Ampeg rocks!

I have Never had a problem. It fell out of the back of the van and hit the street hard (the van was standing still, not moving) but it worked fine at the gig that night.

The warranty on this baby has long expired I'm sure.

I have been playing professionally, touring the US & internationally for about 6 years, and playing the bass for 11 years.

I Wish I could use one overseas. I use the 8x10 overseas which is great too, but there is something in the tone of this cab that gives it a edge over the 8x10; warmth, roundness.

These cabinets are hard to come by. If it were stolen I would look for another one.

very simple--not many features--it puts out bass sound..4xs 10 + 15 --like it's cousin the 8x10 only more low end I guess..
has wheels & a handle which is cool-kind of a dolly effect--it is VERY heavy-definaly something to think about as it gets a liitle old carting around a fridge after a couple of gigs. need two people to move up stairs.
I will knock one off for being so heavy.
handling power is NOT an issue w/ this speaker.

good if you need endless volume--great for any loud music--esp. punk or heavy rock..
sound is amazing--great low end-really smooth --will shake walls & not complain. if you play yani dave mathews jazz it would be overkill.

wish this had inset jacks-these can break cause they stick out.
...a back up of this thing? that's funny.
hmm-works every time I plug into it so....

n/a

been playing for almost 20 years.. I have lots of stuff..too much to mention--lots of vintage stuff. I play this with a GK800.

if somebody swiped it I would get another I guess...or maybe something smaller.

love: pure warm round tone, more than enough volume
hate: I know to get the volume you need the size, but dam-you also need a good size van.

I have tried many other cabs--new ones (eden, jbl,trace elliot), old ones(musicman, fender)--I have probably had 10+ different bass speakers--this is probably the best sounding I have played --at least for what I play (punk) + as I said it's also the heaviest.

I purchased this cabinet back in 92-93. I did a trade in on some large cumbersome Peavey cabinets I was using. What made me decide on Ampeg was of course the name and good history. What I really liked is that it has 4-10's and 1-15. This is good for use on small stages as well as large ones. You can get that extra throw of the low end to the front of a large stage with the single 15" speaker. I also liked the fact that the cabinet is built with a handle on the back and two whells so it can be transported similar to using a dolly. It has a large power handling 1200 watts rated at 4 ohms which is more than I'll ever need unless I start playing large halls. It has good reproduction for about any sound you want, I use it for loud rock music.

The sound of this cabinet is awesome. It can take about anything you throw at it. It has the good sound of an Ampeg 8-10, but as I mentioned before it has the 15" for good low end projection. I use an old Peavey solid state Megabass head with tons of power and a Fender Precision bass. It gives me everything I would ever want for a bass sound. It is crisp and clear at all volumes. I have played outdoor shows with it and had no problem hearing myself. Before sound-check at an outdoor show I decided to see how it would handle all of the power from my head. I had my head maxed out and the Ampeg did not even flinch. The sound was not distorted one bit! I will never sell this cabinet, if anything I'll probably be buried in it.

It's an Ampeg, so there is no problem. I know a lot of people say that you'll pay for the name, but when it comes to Ampeg I can honestly say ever dollar is well spent. I have had this cabinet for 10 years without one single problem. Anytime I had a problem it was either pickups or the bass head. Never ever has it been the cabinet. This monster is rock solid.

I have never contacted them so I would not be able to give my opinion. I will say the that they have a great website for technical information.

The cabinet is everything that I desire to reproduce powerful bass. I have been playing for over twenty years and I don't even look at other bass cabinets. I have all I need right here. If anything I look for old bass heads. If it was stolen I would be crushed. I would buy another one as soon as possible. There is no comparison to other products other than to compare it to Ampeg. If you are looking for a cabinet bite the bullet, spend the extra cash, and buy this cabinet. I'm not trying to be a salesman, I just want to get the point across that this is solid, solid, solid! It is versatile for small or large stages and has a great power rating. Do yourself a favor and buy an Ampeg, you will never purhacse anything else!!!!