Ampeg SVT-3Pro

I purchased this amp new, in December '07. The amp was made in 2007. This amp is definitley suited more to the needs of the modern rock/metal/funk player but might not suit those who require a more jazz/vintage tone. It is a hybrid amp (tube pre-amp with MOSFET power amp)and a has a 9-band graphic EQ, bass, mid and treble controls, as well as five presets. It also has DI out, effects loop and both Speakon and jack outputs. All of these features give the amp good verstaility and it is suited to small/medium sized venues. Power output is 450W @ 4ohms and 350w @ 8ohms. I generally play alt.rock/metal and it suits these styles well, and the tube pre-amp gives it a great advantage over similar sized solid state amps.

I currently play this amp through an SVT410-HLF cab. This works well as the power-handling of the cab matches the amp perfectly. I use a Fender Pbass Deluxe and '88 Stingray. Both sound excellent through the amp, although the Fender seems to have the edge in terms of getting the best out of the amp. I also use a Sansamp Bass Driver as a distortion unit and again the amp handles this well. The amp gives a lovley low-end growl with as much high as anyone would ever need, however anyone looking for softer tones might be disappointed with this unit. One other problem i have noticed is that, it seems to "clip" badly at med/high volumes when used with a passive bass! I noticed this recently during a tour with another band whose bassist used a passive SG bass. The amp sounded well, but seemed to clip whenever the player continually played over the pickup. This was not a one-off either, as it had happened to another band who also used this amp.

So far i have no complaints about this amp's reliability, I have used it at a number of gigs without a backup and it has been solid every time. It is built solidly although I would recommend the addition of a good solid rack case for added security.

I have had no direct dealings with Ampeg and i have used many of their products over the years. I tend to find that if you look after their amps, they look after you. However, I would advise anyone in europe/uk looking to buy one of these amps to be prepared for a wait. They are apparently in big demand and I was lucky to get this amp as it was a ex-shop display, otherwise I may have been waiting 3 months+ for a new one.

This amp is definitley worth the money I paid for it and if it was lost or stolen I would get another one. I got this amp as an alternative to a Tech 21 Landmark 600, which have been recently discontinued (WHY?!!) and am more than happy with it. My previous amp was an Ampeg B5R and i have also tried Peavey, Ashdown, Trace Elliot and SWR. This tops the lot!

275W @ 8ohms 450 @ 4ohms
tuner out, effects loop, ect. www.ampeg.com for all of it.

5 tubes in the pre, nice =]

i use a fender mustang 1960 RI
packs plenty of punch while still thumps the lows.

i pretty much only play rock on this head, but my friend has used it for jazz and it sounds great.

i use it currently with a peavey 410tx which is 8 ohms and the combonation sounds great... i do have to compete with 2 120W all tube peavey halfstacks, and a real loud drummer and the 275W doesnt quite cut the mustard when it comes to volume.

i did try the head out hooked up to an ampeg 810e which is 4ohms and it rocks. enough to convince me to buy an 8x10 of my own. im confident 450W with this amp will be enough.

dropped out of a truck (without a case)
still works just fine.


i bought a case shortly after though.

never had to deal with ampeg, but palen music center, where i purchased the amp was very helpful.

ive been playing for 3 or 4 years now, and currently im playing at least a show every weekend, with 2 practices a week and this amp has really done me well.

if it were lost or stolen i'd probably upgrade to the SVT-CL or a Mesa, something with a bit more output, but maybe not.

it sounds awesome, and does what its supposed to, it has the svt growl in a lightweight package.

Really versatile.I play alternative rock.One channel,effects loop and other features you can see in Ampeg's site.I use this head for practice,live and rehearsal.Plenty of power

I use a passive Mexico Fender jazz bass with Fender vintage '62 pickups.This is the real round,thick and rich bass sound i was searching for.I have tried Mesa/Boogie,Gallien Krueger,Eden,Marshall but this head wins all hands down.No distortion at high volumes

Haven't got it for along time but i know that Ampeg amps are the most relliable

Haven't dealt with them and i hope i will do

I have been playing for 10 years.I use an SWR Son Of Bertha 1x15.I would buy it again if it was stolen or lost

What to say that hasn't been said yet, check out ampeg's website.
I was looking for a head that could give me the warmth of the tubes, and some serious EQ options. That was the choice
I play different styles, by now rumba, rock, metal and so...

I love it. The sound really envolves you. I was not looking for a hi-fi sound-actually prefer the fatness and the growl, and this amp definetely kicks ass.
NO, it's not as loud as you could expect for 450w rms output.
But I fight weekly against Engl Invader+Mesa 4*12",a Marshall Valvestate+Marshall 4*10" and a psychotic drummer and never ran the master pot more than 8.5/10. No problem at all.
Matched with ampeg's 410he+15e it gives a full bodied sound.

If I ever have a grandson, I hope he has the chance to play granpa's ampeg. Only owned for 6 months but I don't think I'll need another amp.

Not needed by now

Been playin' bass for seven years, and been playin several amps, mostly a Peavey TKO115s, which was a good amp: versatile, reliable and resistant. Still own it. But when it was time to decide for a nice stack, went straight to Ampeg. This hybrid is the solution for any bassplayer who wants fullbodied, vintage bass sound. Not crystaline, but clear and very well defined low-end through a 15"+4*10". Now using an Ibanez EDB luthite, can't imagine the monster it will become with the Mayones I'm waiting for...
Expensive, yes, but after ten minutes playing you understand the price. Recommended.

Everything a bassit could want or need.

I found it hard to get a warm tone out of this amp even playing a p bass with vintage pickups through a Eden 15' cab I had no luck. For harder edged stuff this will do but you'd think with all the eq options you could get any tone.

Didn't own it long enough

I have dealt with SLM and they are excellent!

Been playing for 10yrs. Have been through a lot of gear some of which I should of kept. This amp is not one of them. Replaced this with a Genz Benz GBE 400 (a keeper) more versatile with uncolored sound that got my groove back!

All the features any bass player would need, and the best is the great tone and sweet ampeg sound! mine is the older SVT III-Pro.

Just pure Ampeg tone all the way! The preamp tubes 3x(12AX7) and the two driver tubes (12AX7, 12AU7) add to the color and tone!

Got it used and in good condition, no issues in the short time i've owned her? built like a tank but setting secured in SKB rack case.

Only time will tell?

Great people and frindly! called to ask few questions about the SVT III Pro and got my answers!

I have tried other brands of bass amps and found the Ampeg tone to be the best! You can buy a hand built bass amp and spend $2000 to $4000. But you???re just buying custom boutique Ampeg design with another manufacture name on it???the SVT classic is fantastic amp, but had to settle for the svt 3pro due to my cash flow, and I???m not disappointed, I can get the classic SVT tone and sound out of the 3pro no problem, just tweak the knobs it???s in there! Running through Ampeg BXT-410HL4 I tried the 4-pro but it just could get the classic sound like the 3-pro but still it's as loud as all hell and still sounds good.

Picked up this amp 3 months ago and have been loving every minute of it. Versatility, I can't say. I use this to play rock, thats what it was built for and it does its job very well. Started playing through a single Avatar 4x10 Neo 8 ohm cab, but it wasnt as loud as I thought it would be. I added a second matching cab dropping the load to 4 ohms and this thing turned into a fire breathing monster!

Sounder thin using any kind of passive pickups, I switched to a warwick rock bass with active eq and made all the diference. From day 1 I recieved nothing but raves about my tone. To find this killer tone did require some tweaking, and I added a bbe sonic maximizer(a must). Still dialing up my growl, but its coming. With my 8 10s hooked to this badboy, it can shake the floors 4 houses down.

I gig without a backup, but if I had another 900 bucks layin around I would snag another one. Zero problems so far.

Never dealt with them

Switched from ryhthm to bass 6 months ago and found my calling. This is THE rock amp, if someone stole it.. I would have to find another.

Mine is a mid to late 90's version previous to the design that is out now. The only feature difference is the newer ones have Neutrik connectors.

It appears to be well built and fairly versatile but I get what I want out of it without much tweaking at all (i.e. that classic growl and punch that only Ampeg seems to be able to deliver). As for features I think that's been covered well enough.

I use this amp at rehearsals and shows with my band. We play small to medium size clubs. I haven't had any trouble with volume. This thing is pretty loud.

I use a stock 1997 Fender Precision and run this through two Ampeg 1x15 Classic Series cabinets. I have a Classic Series 4x10 as well and haven't tried it in place of one of the 1x15's yet but I suspect that might make things a little too tinny sounding for my tastes.

I bought this head used and immediately had an amp tech go through it, clean it up, replace a couple minor things, and throw in a complete set of new JJ tubes. I used JJ tubes for my guitar amps too. I just like them. Plus I get them from Eurotubes because Bob is a great guy to deal with.

This amp definitely suits my style which is heavy independent rock (I guess, there are so many categories now I can't keep up). Basically I was going for a Jesus Lizard or Shellac type of bass sound with a bit more of a classic growl. When I stand in front of my stack I can feel it move my clothes and shake my guts a little.

I don't have any trouble with noise. I now have it racked with a power conditioner but even before that it was pretty quiet.

The sound quality of this thing is very impressive. I know someone that has an Ampeg SVT II (a late 80's non Pro) and I always drooled over that tone. This can get a lot of that same tone. It could never compete in volume of course but those all tube SVT's have way more headroom than I would use right now. Plus they weigh twice as much. The sound is very full, round, meaty, punchy, etc. It's just awesome in my opinion. So far Ampeg seems to be the only way to go for what I do.

I haven't had it long enough to know for sure but so far no trouble and I've heard these things go for a long time. It's an American made Ampeg so it should last a lifetime barring abuse or the unexpected.

I haven't dealt with Ampeg but I heard they've closed all their services centers and are going to start making things in China which to me is a big ugly black mark against them. Will the amps be cheaper because they're saving money on labor? I doubt it. They'll still say Ampeg on them...

I've been playing for about 20 years but have only been playing bass about 2 years. If I somehow lost this thing I wouldn't hesitate to seek another one out. It has a great sound and it's rackable/portable which is what I need.

I've tried other amps including GK which was ok, just not what I was looking for. I also tried the Peavey Pro Bass 500 which is very similar to the SVT III Pro but just couldn't get what I wanted out of that either. I still own a Peavey Mark IV head which is awesome. If you're on a budget or looking for something to use for practices or something where you don't want to use your main rig I highly recommend that. It's by far the best sounding solid state I've heard so far.

My SVT III Pro is one of the older ones so it doesn't have Neutrik connectors which would be nice. Otherwise I'm happy as can be.

Standard SVT-3 Pro features; check out their website...

Currenly have:
Warwick Corvette (5 str) - stock MEC pickups
Ampeg SVT 210 cab
GK 115 cab

Just discovering how versatile this amp is. I tend to like a middy smooth growl sound (the classic Ampeg sound I suppose), so I experiment mainly with shades within that spectrum. I don't think it can sound as clean as a GK 800, but I bet it could get pretty close.

I've only had this for 3 months, so it's really too soon to tell.

So, here's why I wrote this. I want to raise awareness to a problem that seems to be affecting a lot of SVT III Pros out there. These amps tend to become afflicted by an annoying buzz/distortion in the highs, regardless of volume. If this happens, the solution is most likely a MOSFET bias adjustment - in my case the bias was set too low. There's a small blue/white adjustable pot close to the MOSFET heatsinks. Talk to your tech about it... (do-it-yourselfers be warned: you can easily fry your amp if you adjust it too high, plus lethal voltages, etc). If you want schematics for this, feel free to email me - macisyourdaddy@hotmail.com

'Just passing on the great help that the online bass community offered me when I went searching for answers.

I give this a 5 rating only because I think it's a shame when I read about many owners who are looking for answers to this very problem - and many Ampeg dealers/techs/support folks apperently don't know about this. That's just my observation though.

Never dealt with the company. I'm using my independent amp tech with the occasional advice/consultation of online forums like this one.

I've been playing bass for 3 years - other instruments for 25.
Bought this used a few months ago; I believe it was built in 98. I play in rock band - we mostly jam and drink beer, but occasionally play bars.

This head is an industry standard, which is why I picked one up. It's really a rock head. It has one tone, heavy. It has a tube front-end and a tube drive control which is supposed to control "warmth". It has a built-in DI, graphic EQ, tone controls, a tuning mute, and a few other goodies. Heavy, good construction. Looks awesome as well!

I've used it most successfully on punk rock. I tried it on alt rock and jazzy stuff, and it just wasn't appropriate. The sound always has an edge to it, no subtlety. Hey, it's a rock head. But I didn't find the sound very flexible.

It can fill a room, lots of reserve. I measured the output and it fell a bit short of the rating, but you'd never know that from the sound. It's loud!

It's tube, so you probably shouldn't drop this baby. Plus it would put a hole in the floor! But it is built like a tank otherwise. Of course I'd gig without a backup - who takes backup amps to a gig???

never dealt with them and bought it used...

Been playing 20 years or so, everything from heavy metal to punk to jazz to alt rock. This amp is great for harder forms of rock and is sort of a classic (as are all Ampegs in the rock realm). But it sort of is a one trick pony. It's a bit awkward to carry if you don't have it in a rack, so I'd recommend that.