Ampeg SVP Pro Bass Preamp

The manual is entirely adequate, and comes in handy for defining the detailed functions of everything. You could literally plug & play though, as the control scheme is pretty intuitive. It's easy to get a good sound out of this pre right off the bat, and I think the unit has just the right amount of control without getting carried away. With 'different strokes' and all, a little knob twiddling will be in order for finding 'your' sound. Another area for consideration is the Drive and Gain controls, and how they work in conjunction with one another toward obtaining varying degrees of overdrive. Even with the Gain set as stipulated in the manual, adjusting the Drive knob affects the overall sound, and additional EQ teaks may be desired. Even still, this pre is not something that will drive you mad with knob twiddling and experimentation. Once the initial 'dial-in' trials are over, you're likely to find something you like, then stick with it. The only thing I thought the manual was lacking was a schematic for proper tube placement of the (4) 12AX7's and (1) 12AU7.

I'm running this preamp stereo into a QSC 1850HD. I have a BBE 482 in line via the SVP's f/x loop, but that's pretty much it. I run (2) 210XLT's off one side, and (1) 18" extension cab off the other. My main basses are a Cirrus 6 and NS4CR. I haven't used the graphic EQ on the SVP up to this point, but it's great to have should the room call for it. I've found the other controls entirely adequate so far.

Ok sound. This unit sounds great, and it really excels in a rock or blues setting. I play mostly hard rock, so I couldn't be happier with the sounds I'm able to get from this thing. I plan on using it for quite some time, and it hasn't left me wondering what I'm missing when considering other preamps. If you want a classic tube sound for rock, it's there, and with all the rich overtones you would expect. If you like things even more agressive, it's got that too. The Drive control, Gain control, and versatile EQ provide for a multitude of overdrive tones. The overdrive sounds are VERY well done too, always sounds good, never harsh really. The overall sound bias is definitely Ampeg, but then, that's something you know going in. Bottom line, if you play rock, hard rock, metal, or blues, check this one out.

The unit is also quiet, actually dead quiet in my rig. That is of course unless you get really radical with the high end EQ, but then, most equipment will hiss given that scenario. I haven't test driven the DI yet, so I cannot comment on sound quality or noise issues in that regard. The bass from the unit is not boomy either, but sounds very nice and deep even with the LOW knob at around 3 o'clock. Just don't go diming the LOW knob with the ULTRA LO depressed, or I'm sure your cabinets will let you know about it. I would prefer a more flexible mid control, but you can only cut/boost given the 5 mid frequencies they've selected. Still, the choices make some sense, and they are certainly usable toward getting a good sound. It's by no means necessary to get radical with the controls in order to get a ton of good sound here, and if you allow ample time for the intial 'dial-in' period, this unit will reward you with great sound.

So far, so good. I've had the unit for less than a year, but have had zero issues. I believe you get a 5 year warranty on these things if you buy new, so that's good piece of mind. Since we're dealing with only preamp tubes here, maintenance should be really minimal. I noticed a good deal of heat coming from the top vents after the unit has been operating at a stretch, but I have an empty rack space above the SVP in order to accomodate this circumstance. It would probably be fine regardless, but I figure it's to my advantage to alleviate any stresses on my equipment when possible.

Good rating, very responsive. I've emailed them several times in the past, and they usually hit me back that very same day. Never had to deal with them for warranty or repairs yet, but my impressions so far have been favorable. Plus, we're not talking about a start-up company here either, so the warranty really does help you rest easy.

I see this unit being mostly for rock, hard rock, and metal. There are possibly other genres that would benefit, but I'm a rock guy myself, so I'll leave it at that. For rock, definitely test drive one of these babies when you go shopping for a preamp. If it were stolen, I would probably go buy the same thing again (creature of habit). I like a lot of things about this unit, and my dislikes are pretty minor. I compared the SVP to other units, but based on a price/benefit type analysis, I found this unit to be a great value. The controls are effective, and never get in the way. With the kind of material I've been playing, I anticipate using this preamp for a long time to come. Like I said, I haven't even lusted after another pre since I picked this one up. It does the job for me day after day.

I usually use an Esh-Stinger 5 string with Kent Armstrong Pickups.
I also have a Rickenbacker and some other basses, but the Esh is my fave!
I play metal since...I guess 10 years and the SVP-Pro is perfect fpr that. You can have all kind of sounds, but NOT heavy distortion!! Something Ampeg should make better. Anyway..so I've used it with a Tech21NYC SansAmp Bass Driver DI to get more distortion. A Warwick WPA about 900 Watts (also stolen), an Ampeg 4x 10" and an Ampeg 1x15" helped me to get all out of it. The 15" kicked ass, the 4-10" was a good add-on but I've tried it with another 15"...had been better.

I've bought it 1998. It was stolen in spring 2001. Anyway..if I ever get enough money again, I'll buy it again.
9 Band-EQ, Distortion (could be better...too soft), Tuner-Out, XLR-Out - Pre/Post switchable, mute,..........

I had some problems when I've got the amp with the "In", because it peaked to easy. Changing the tubes is a lot of work because it's very hard to get to them. But after it has been repaired I used it without any backup every gig! So a clear...

never dealt...

Without the SVP-Pro I only have my old Peavy Mark3 Top (150Watts) but I've tried many stacks and pre's like G/K, TC Electronics, Hughes&Kettner, Trace Elliot, Marshall, Rocktron,...but no one of those amps could beat the Ampeg.

Start everyhting up the middle for a signature Ampeg sound (some extra emphasis on the mids). After playing a bit, activate the low and high boosts and hear the sound blossum. Why do they even need a graphic EQ? It's cake getting a great tone without it.

After the recent Groove Tube upgrade, the Sound quality is the warmest available anywhere. I know you're thinking Aguilar, Alembic, Demter . . . forget it. The Ampeg SVP has the standard in tube bass tone if that's what you're after.

Five tubes can be risky and I did have problems with the DI right after I bought it (which was remedied after shipping it back to Ampeg), but when it comes to the heat of the performance, forget it - The SVP will still be ready long after the roadies have clearded the gear.

Very friendly and reasonable. I got to know people there by name when they offered a tube upgrade and the warrenty repair was ungodly fast (wow! under 2 weeks!!).

I have played through them all for all styles of play and keep coming back to the SVP. It's not necessarily built like an Aguilar or as pro as a Demeter, but the peice just plain SOUNDS better - and why else are we into gear in the first place!

The Svp Pro is a very nice pre amp. It has a ton of very good sounds to go along with it's large number of controls that take a bit of using to master. I like the midrange control with it's five positions, I use position 2 most of the time, sometimes 3. The pre amp has an interesting control called "drive" that does alot to change the tone. You also have a "gain" and a master volume, so it is somewhat confusingly labeled. What it does is increase the drive to the preamp circuitry as well as smooth out the tone to make the overdrive sounds more pleasing. I use it sparingly sometimes, it's great to make an overly clean setup pick up some harmonic content, can really make it fuzzy and "Jack Brucy" if you want it to too. The regular EQ works nicely, just like it should, the bass and treble controls are centered at useful frequencys and the "brite" and "ultra high and Ultra Lo" are handy too. The manual is ok, it gives you a few ideas to try for some different sounds ranging from funk to country. The unit uses five preamp tubes and no solid state circuitry is in the signal path when you have the graphic EQ turned off. It's nice too by the way to add a finishing touch to the sound.

I use the SVP-Pro with a Carvin LB-90 bass,ART Dual Levelar compressor, Ampeg SVP-1500 amp and Ampeg 410 Pro cabinet. It sounds VERY impressive. It has power and punch because of the cabinet and amp, but the pre amp makes it have a nice pleasing sound that's a joy to play! I find it to not be terribly noisy and now that I've used the whole combination on several gigs I've got the sound nailed! I only use the effects loop to insert my compressor into the signal chain, the mute switch and tuner out are all nice features that work well too. Having a balanced out with a level control is great too, I send my signal right to the board through the snake with one mic cord, slick.

I did have some problems with the first unit right out of the box! A cold solder joint that I fixed rather than hassle with sending it back. I live in a rural area and sometimes this is the best thing to do. I had it going in about ten minutes and while I was working on it I got to check out the workman ship and construction which was quite nice. Don't let this scare you, I'm the only one I know about that's had this problem.

I ordered a manual for the SVP-1500 that I purchased used and they got it to me in a flash, no problem.

In our band we play lots of different styles, my Ampeg SVP-pro does this with style. It seems to sound great without hardly any fiddling at the gig. It does take a bit of effort to find your sound, but once you are familiar with the unit, it's great. Highly recommended. Do use a large amp and a cabinet that can handle it and it'll work great!

The SVP-Pro is a very versatile bass preamp, but a little tricky to get a particular sound out of at first. I assumed that being just knobs and stuff it would be easy, but there are a lot of knobs and they really interact with each other. The drive control in particular has a major effect on how the EQ sounds. Once you dial it in to your taste though, it sounds great, and the controls are very smooth and linear - you won't totally muck up your sound by turning a control pot just a little like some units. The throw/range of the controls is very smooth and musical.
No patches except the one you've dialed up. The EQ is footswitchable though, so you can set up a different sound with it.
The manual is very good, and gives some starting points for settings for different musical styles. The manual doesn't give you any info about replacing tubes though, instead stating there are no "user serviceable parts inside". I guess this is to keep Nimrods from electrocuting themselves (product liability CYA)- but hey, how hard can it be to change the tubes?
No firmware since it's not a software based product.
I also got the factory footswitch, so I could engage the mute without having to go back to the rack. It was kind of pricy ($29), but is pretty solid, has a classy Ampeg logo on it, and two LED's (Red and Green) on it for status. The footswitch engages the mute function and toggles the EQ in and out (two separate switches in one housing). If you're like me and like to get all the accesories with something, it's worth the money. One thing I really like about the footswitch is that it uses a standard stereo cable (TRS). These used to be hard to get, but are now readily available, in lengths up to 30'. With this type of design, if your cable gets roached, you can get another, instead of having to take the box apart and fit a new one, like with most footswitches that have the cable integrated with the box. Having a separate cable also lets you select an appropriate length, instead of the 5 or 10 feet they always seem to give you with a footswitch.
I upgraded the tubes on mine with RUBY STR 7025's (to replace the four 12AX7's) and a Phillips NOS Mil Spec Tube to replace the 12AU7. I did this to try and reduce some hiss (see below) - I would say it helped some (and improved the tone), but not really enough to justify the cost of the tubes. It would be a good upgrade after a number of years when the tubes needed replacing though

This thing kicks some serious butt. It has tone to die for - when I hooked it up I could have kicked myself for not having bought it sooner. I also tried an Alembic F1-X (which is a GREAT preamp), but the Ampeg won me over because it's tone has attitude with a capital A.
Especially if you are playing rock, roots, or any type of music requiring a cutting sound with edge and attitude, this is the one. It would also be good for more mellow styles (as I said it's very versatile).
I use the Ampeg SVP Pro for two basic setups. The large one, which I can rarely use live is biamped, with a Carvin 2 x 10 for highs, and two Carvin RL-115 (15") cabs for lows. I use a QSC 1400 (300 watts into each low end cab) for lows and a Carvin HT750 (one side @ 250 watts) into the Carvin 2 x 10. The output from the Ampeg goes into an Ashly 24 db/octave crossover (a refugee from my PA setup) to be split into lows and highs, and then the lows and highs each go into a separate channel of a Behringer Composer. The Composer compresses the highs and lows separately (a technique I heartily recommend, ESPECIALLY if you think a compressor kills your bass tone), and then feeds the lows and highs to separate amps and the different cabinets.
I had this stuff BEFORE I got the Ampeg, and when I installed it the sound of the rig became absolutely crushing. Before it was really loud and clean (I hate to admit it, but I was using a Peavey ProBass 1000 preamp) but had no real character. The first time I hooked up the Ampeg, the rest of my band was blown away - they thought my sound was great already, but this preamp really got their attention.
The second setup, which is what I mainly use out live is just the Ampeg into the Carvin HT750 amp, using one side (250 watts) into the 2 x 10 cab. Needless to say this does not compare to the big rig, but still really holds it's own. Sometimes I'll add one of the 15" cabs full range to this (using the other side of the amp), and this setup (500 watts into one 15" and two 10"s w/horn) sounds better than most rigs I've heard.
I guess the thing I like most about the Ampeg is that you can crank a lot of mids into your sound for definition of the notes without getting a nasal or honky quality to your tone. The highs are very glassy too, you just have to be careful about the hiss. The lows of course really kick too, and can make a small 2 x 10 cab (within it's excursion limits) sound really huge.
This preamp brings to mind two really distinct tones - the SVT tone on the old Van Halen stuff, and the Rush "Moving Pictures" tone. The SVP Pro really nails both of these, but can also excel at more contemporary tones.
My favorite "modern" sounds come from Eddie Jackson of Queensryche and John Myung of Dream Theater. The SVP Pro can do a good job of emulating these guy's tone as well.
The bottom line though is that this preamp can really give your sound it's own voice. Although it can sound like other stuff, it's really good to find your own sound. I think the fact that a guitar player, keyboardist, and drummer were immediately impressed says a lot. I've also gotten compliments from a lot of people when playing out with the SVP Pro.
As you can tell, I sort of like it.
Distortion - The drive control can be cranked all the way up, and in concert with the gain will give you that old "Jack Bruce" type sound. A little less will give you the "Moving Pictures" Rush type sound.
Not as over the top as a stomp box, but then again a lot more tasteful. If you record with this tone, you won't be asking yourself two years later "what the hell was I thinking" like you would if you used a stompbox.
I'm reducing the overall rating one point for the preamp hiss.
The only caveat is some high end hiss. This preamp is known for this problem, but you really only hear it if you are running a cab with a horn (4 x 10 w/horn or 2 x 10 w/horn). If you don't use a lot of treble boost, it's not too bad. I usually use a compressor with a gate (with my biamped setup) and

I have only had this unit for 6 months, but it does not seem to be a problem at all. I would gig without backup.
I opened it up to replace the tubes, and the inside looked pretty sturdy and neat. The tubes sockets WERE VERY TIGHT though, and the circuit board wiggled a bit as I pulled them out and put the new tubes in.
The only thing I don't care for is that the back panel jacks are the conductive plastic variety, mounted right on the circuit board instead of to the panel itself. As long as you keep the unit in a rack, and don't yank on the cables a lot it should be ok.

N/A - Although I've heard they are very good.
I haven't had any trouble so I don't know how good or bad they are.
Ampeg knows it's rep is based on it's Bass gear (yeah they do make guitar stuff too), so I imagine they try to keep people happy.
One nice thing is that there is no warranty card to fill out. Keep your receipt and the unit is warrantied for FIVE YEARS. That's pretty good in my opinion, in this day of 90 days labor, one year parts.

I play mainly rock, although I really like old and new prog rock (ELP, Dream Theater, etc.). I really liked the Alembic F1-X, but the Ampeg is the piece for rock (and cheaper to boot). Also the Alembic has that annoying DI on the front, and lacks modern amenenties like a tuner out jack.
I've been playing bass now for over 20 years, this is the best device for obtaining a great bass tone that I've ever bought. I started out with crap gear, then graduated to an Acoustic 220 head with two 1 x 15" JBL Loaded cabs which I used for about 12 years. Later I added the Peavey preamp and the QSC with two more cabs. Then I started biamping. I spent about 4 years changing cabs, adding amps, etc. and the Ampeg has made the biggest improvement in my sound. I'm totally happy with it (my sound) now.
If it was lost or stolen, I would have to get another one ASAP - I could't live without it.
I love virtually everything about it.
I hate the high end hiss, but I can live with it (for the record the Alembic F1-X was kind of hissy too, just not as bad).
A built in crossover would be nice, but since I use an outboard one it's not a big deal.
My favorite feature is the EQ. It's super flexible, and hard to screw up. It reminds me of a really good mixing console like you would find in a high end recording studio. You don't twist the EQ knobs to find a good sound, because it all sounds good. You twist the EQ knobs to find the sound that you want.
I compared it to the Alembic F1-X, which is a great piece. The Ampeg had more control, more features (except no crossover), and a better sound for rock. The price differential of $150 also played a part, but if the pricing had been reversed, I would have payed the extra for the Ampeg. (Note: I'm not dissing the Alembic, it's a GREAT Preamp, and in fact I think I will eventually pick one up).
Once you get your tone dialed in, it's smooth sailing with the Ampeg. the response to touch is really dynamic, and unlike my old preamp, I don't find myself continually turning up or down - get it set within the first song or two and leave it alone.
Again, I'm taking the overall rating down one notch for the high end hiss. If they fixed this, the Ampeg SVP Pro would be perfect.

This preamp is easy to use, once you familiarize yourself with the controls. The manual is decent, but it will take some experimenting to get your best tone. There are actually three controls to adjust your volume: gain, drive, and master. The ultra high and low, plus bright switch are great for someone like me, who uses a pick. I like a bright, trebly, but deep tone. The midrange is very versatile also, with two knobs to adjust the frequency voicing and range. The 9 band graphic EQ works in conjunction with the other knobs- something I did not discover for quite some time. Very cool. There is a pad switch for active basses. At the rear, there is tuner out, footswitch (for mute and graphic EQ),\ effects loop, twin preamp out, balanced out (with level and pre or post EQ).

I have two passive basses. One is a Fender Precision Plus ('91) ash body, maple neck, with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders (P & J), with a 2TEK bridge. The other is a Hamer Cruise 5, alder body, maple/rose- wood neck, Duncan Basslines jazz style, also with a 2TEK bridge. The Hamer is warm, bright, and has great tone, The Fender is very ballsy and punchy with the quarter pounders, with tons of output. I use an A-B box to switch quickly during live shows. My cabs are an Ampeg 410 Pro, and a 1x18 on the bottom. I feel the sound quality is awesome. I use the SVP with a Carvin FET 1000 power amp. This is the sound of rock, as far as I'm concerned. I set the gain at about 3/4, the drive just over 1/2, and adjust the master to taste (usually half way). You never need worry about cutting thru with an Ampeg, as the audience will not only hear you loud and clear, but will feel the bass in their chest.

I have had no problems, just be sure you use thick guage,like monster cable, speaker cords. It does make a difference with bass. I never use a backup.

I have not had to use the company yet, but I did email them once, and I actually got a response. Wow.

I play bass in a power trio, and my guitarist says Marshall and Ampeg go together very well. I love this preamp. Nothing rocks the casbah like an SVT. And this is that sound in a preamp. I will never need to look for a better bass sound, as this is it. My jones is satisfied!

This bass pre-amp , for the $, is one of the best I've played. True tube sound, controls are smooth, very linear. This is one of the only ALL-TUBE pre-amps out there for this money.Full control over bass, mids, treble, EQ, drive.

Delivers a warm sound (tubes), but you can get "solid state" influenced "piano wire" bass with the wide ranges available and roundwound strings. Since I use an SWR Goliath w/horn, I detect some approx. 1Khz preamp hiss (that you can't remove w/the EQ) even though I run the horn "way back". I plan "Hush" noise reduction for low volume applications and recording. Master volume only slightly increases hiss.

So far, no problems. Seems to run at a moderate temperature for an all-tube pre-amp. I would have no problem gigging w/o a back-up. Definately no special tribal dances or holding your mouth just right to make this thing crank.

No experience here yet. But the manual is very basic and sooner or later I will have to make contact w/them for specific information regarding electronic values not covered in the manual.

I looked at the Trace, SWR, Peavey, Ampeg SVP II (used), and hybrid or all-tube pre/power integrated units. I decided on the SVP PRO w/ Crown Power Base 1 (8 ohm bridge @ 430W) into the SWR Goliath (4x10 w/horn). If you want a very versatile unit for a variety of styles...this may be it. I like it!

It's not very hard to get a good usable bass tone from this bad boy. It's very controllable and flexible.

I haven't noticed any noise yet, what I have noticed is that this thing sounds killer! The tone from the five tubes is incredible, very warm and clean until you crank the gain or drive controls, and then it overdrives and distorts very musically and harmonically.

Very reliable and well built. All the knobs and jacks are very solid.

I would definetly buy this unti again. It has all the tone I expected and then some. Every bass player without a full SVT head and 8X10 cab on a budget should get one of these. Warning: This does alter other effect pedals sounds. My Morley Power Fuzz Wah sounds way better, and my DOD Death Metal sounds way worse. Also you need a stereo 1/4 plug to two mono 1/4 plug adapter to use the EQ and mute footswitch functions.