Which Ampeg bass head/cab setup for clean tone in prog metal?

[Josh Burgess]

I'm mainly a guitarist but I bought a Spector Euro 5 string for recording awhile back and have so much fun playing it I'm thinking about playing bass more often and getting a head and cab for it too.

I was thinking Ampeg SVT-4 Pro and SVT 8x10.... but kinda curious about the SVT-CL Classic and the 1540 I think it's called... the one that looks like the 8x10, but is actually a 4x10 + 1x15...

I don't really use a distorted sound much... more into a clean bass tone for prog metal/rock (think John Myung from Dream Theater, Colin Edwin from Porcupine Tree, Dan Briggs from Between The Buried and Me, Arif Mirabdolbaghi from Protest The Hero, etc.)....

What do you guys think?

 

[Morgan138]

I'm not sure how much you're seeing those Ampeg heads for, but I'd go with a rack setup instead if you're looking for clean. Maybe Sansamp + solid state power amp. Right now I'm using something like that (preamp + EQ + 1200 watt amp) through two Acme 2x10s and it's incredibly deep and clean sounding, definitely more so than any Ampeg I've ever heard. I also use my bass rig for upright though, so it's not a typical setup.

Anyhow, I guess the short version is that I haven't been that impressed by Ampeg's SS stuff and I think there are better and/or cheaper options out there.

 

[vespiz]

We have an SVT-CL in the shop and a 6x10 cab to go with it. It sounds so good. I plugged a Fender Jazz Bass straight into it (no pedals, straight eq) and the sound was there. Not a cheap combination, mind you.

I think some of those players do have OD/distortion in their sound, tho' it might not be so apparent at first. Just a slight crunch to make the sound be more defined.
You might get that nice crunch just with the pre-amp of a good tubeamp.

 

[DaWolf]

Our bass player has a SVT2-pro and 8x10 and plays it clean. Sounds massive.
I made an impulse with this and here`s a raw sample just DI and impulse : http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1018681/14-Bass-consolidated-090916_1732.mp3

 

[PhilTheBeard]

svt4-pro is a very clean and amazing amp and it sounds great with either the ampeg 8x10 or the mesa 8x10

 

[egan.]

Yes the classic sounds, well, classic and the other SVT's are generally a bit more hi-fi and less mid focused. All good heads IME. I would go for the 8x10 but if you want 4x10 and a 15 I would save my back and gain some clarity by getting separates.

 

[ChrisTanakaCanwell]

The 1540 is an 8ohm cab, so if you ever want to play bass in a band you might not have enough volume for rehearsals unless you run another cab with it. Especially if you go with one of the solid state Ampeg heads. It sounds great though!