Ampeg SVT-3Pro

Wide variety of features - can get any sound you're looking for.

Wide variety of settings - can get any sound you're looking for.

Very reliable - it's Ampeg!

Only had to contact them a couple times for ALL the Ampeg products I've owned over the years, and they were helpful each time.

Been playing bass for over 15 years. Owned every major gigging amp known, including GK400, Ampeg 200T, Hartke 3500, GK800, Ampeg SVT-3 Pro, GK1001, and others... This one is one of my top faves.

450 W @ 4ohms
5 tubes in the pre, MOSFET power amp section
Graphic EQ, Tube Gain etc..you know what comes with this amp.
I traded my Peavey head for it, not sure when this one was made. Its used but in good condition.

I gave it a 9 on features - there is a lot of tone shaping options and the tube pre amp is great but it would be nice to get a little more grit and overdrive out of of it!

I'm currently using a Lakland 55-01, stock Bartolini MK1 pick ups with DR High Beams. I match it with a classic Ampeg 4x10HLF.

As I said, there are a lot of tones you can get from this amp. The EQ is pretty veratile. People complain about the lack of headroom with this amp - I find this will vary depending on the music you're playing and the band you are in. The Graphic EQ is pretty powerful on these amps, keeping it flat and bumping up the gain on the EQ works great. I run a Sansamp BDDI with it and quite frankly never had a problem where I lacked headroom.

Now here's where it gets hairy - the amp worked and sounded awesome once I first got it. After a few weeks of playing through it at band practice I noticed a drop in volume after playing for about an hour or two. I did some research and all signs pointed to changing the pre amp tubes. I did this and it actually made things worse!

When I put the new pre amp tubes in it I was getting major volume issues and unpleasant distortion even at low volume. I took the new tubes out, threw the old ones back in - same problem!

It now turns out that the amp needs a MOSFET Bias - supposedly a common issue with the SVT3 Pro's. For whatever reason, the switch thats used to bias the MOSFET is very sensitive and has a tendency to get moved around during transportation. What a horrible design flaw! You would think that an amp thats built as tough as all of Ampeg products would not have this kind of issue but it does.

I am now in the process of tracking down a qualified bass tech in my area with no luck. Every place I have gone to either does not do biasing (huh?!) or they just work on old school guitar tube amps. I COULD send this amp away to Ampeg's closest repair facility via my local Long & McQuade music shop, but that would cost an arm and a leg! I'm gonna have to keep searching for a qualified bass amp technician in my area or accross the border in the US. Until then this thing is basically as useful as a block of cement.

What the hell is going on with LOUD?!?! Anybody out there??? I tried calling, emailing several times and got nowhere. Does anybody actually work there in the customer service department anymore? I know the company is going through some issues but come on. Maybe I will write them a letter..or try smoke signals.

Now I know this is an older head and I got it used, but the problem I got with it is really pissing me off. I've been after the Ampeg sound for a long time and when I finally do get it, the amp craps the bed. It DID sound great and I'm sure I would be more than happy with this amp if I could actually get it fixed. Right now its not the case.

i have been playing bass for about 25 yrs,i have used many amps over this period.eventually was able to buy an old 70s model svt and of course it was a monster.then in the 90s bought an svt3 pro.it was an american made one and for some reasn i had to sell it.now i own another one but this one is made in vietnam.comparing it to the american made one i find no differences,the quality and construction
is solid,i use this amp with a 410 speaker cab which is 8 ohms and for small gigs it is perfect.when i play bigger halls i use an 810.this amp will move some serious air and has plenty of power through the 810

i use fender jazzbasses and this amp will give you that old svt sound,its lighter than the old ones and of course the all tube svt is
capable of running 2 810 cabinets at 2 ohms.but all in all the svt3 pro is a good amp.the problem i see with most bass players is they plug into an amp and its either great or crap.well if you sit down and take the time to experiment with this amp it is pretty versatile.i use this amp for big shows with the810 cab and it is powerful,what more do you need!if your a major recording artist and your touring playing big venues youll probably wnat more power,but this amp will work

i have had no issues with this amp,run it the way should,dont push it beyond 4 ohms and youll have no problems

never had to use them

i like ampegs as far as being made overseas well what isnt today,its a shame but thats the american way.america is for sale!

This amp has both knob controls and a 9-band equilizer, a tube pre-amp and various swithches that boost or cut certain frequencies.

I think this is one of the worst bass amps I ever played. Despite the many ways it allows you to modify tone, I can't get a decent sound out of it (and I tried several times). Of course 'decent' is a matter of taste, but I found this amp pushy, soggy and muddy. It made my Epiphone Jack Casady bass sound cheap, and my Gretsch Broadkaster fretless like a walrus throwing up.

This is probably a dependable amp. The ones I played belong to a studio where we practice now and then. They are used constantly by all sorts of bands and they seem to hold out.

Judging from all the positive reviews this amp is probably worth checking out. Maybe it is an acquired taste, maybe I have an acquired distaste. What I can tell is that if you're looking for a natural bass tone this will probably not be your amp of choice. I have over 20 years of experience as a bass player (blues / rock).

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.