Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL Reviews

5.0/5.0 based on 3 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Bronson Warren
from Ada, OK USA
March 14, 2012Music Background:
Semi-pro musician

Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL

The last time I owned an Ampeg was in the mid-70's. I had a used V4-B and an SVT 8 X 10 Cabinet. It was a great amp and I should have never sold it. I just purchased the Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL and Heritage 8 X 10 cabinet. Since the mid-70's I have owned various different amps in all shapes and sizes. I now know why you see an SVT in almost every concert, etc. This rig has amazing tone plus more power than I will ever need ( but nice to have, just in case). I don't have (or had) another amp than can come close to the tone it gets. Solid State or Digital just don't compare if you are looking for "The Sound." Save your bucks, it is worth the price.

TG
from Florida
September 9, 2011Music Background:
Keyboardist (25 years), guitarist (8 years), bassist (7 years), drummer (10 years), project studio engineer (15 years).

Cream of the Crop

It really doesn't get any better than this. I purchased the Heritage SVT-CL along with the Heritage 810E cabinet and there really are no words to describe it--but I'll try.

First off, the tone is simply amazing. I haven't been able to make this rig sound bad. At low gain, the tubes give a jazz bass a nice warm, thick, but clear tone. It's that perfect mix of body and clarity. You can easily hear the subtle nuances of a lick played in the upper registers and when the player drops to the bottom frets on the low strings, it just hits hard. You can hear an unquestionable difference between when you dig into the strings or just lightly pluck one. Inexpensive basses sound instantly better; quality basses just sound insane.

At high gain, you get that perfect grunge sound (think Muse), nicely broken up by the tubes going to work. At the same time, you still get the clarity of the bass's tone. It's really simply something that must be heard in person.

Aside from that, at 300 watts, this puppy gets LOUD. I personally fear ever trying to use it in my house as I am certain that even with the volume at 9:00, it will bust the seals on any nearby windows. I am not exaggerating or joking. I'm dead serious that I will not use it paired with the 810E in my house. It's just not worth it. This must be carefully used in a venue that can handle it if you're going to pair it with a full-stack cab and it's probably not a good idea to use it if placed against a wall (unless it's concrete or something), but that would be a tone killer anyway. Just a warning. I've paired it with a Mesa 4x10 (not sure of the exact model) and it was much tamer on the volume side.

In recordings, the tone from this amp and it's mated cabinet is perfect. Even with no EQ or compression, sound from it sat well in mixes (of course some tweaking ultimately occurs in any mix... but it was simply uncanny how well it sounded out of the box with no effort).

The bottom line: if you have the money for it and you are serious about your bass tone, this head is a winner. If you don't have the money, save your money and wait to buy it when you can afford it rather than buying something below it. This is a quality piece of gear that will last a lifetime if well cared for. It's built like a tank and will serve as a true workhorse for any serious bassist. Plus, there's nothing like showing up to a gig with legit gear (and knowing how to use it). You'll always be taken seriously with such a rig in tow. :)

Scott Christopher
from Fremont WA
April 12, 2010Music Background:
FUNK

Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL Review by ScottyXmusic !

I recently purchased the new Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL from my local music store and I am very impressed with the USA Made all tube power amp !

My first impression of the amp upon discovering it just 2 days after it 's arrival on the showroom floor was how great it looks. I really like the black sparkle grill cloth. Nice touch Ampeg !

At first I had to ask myself..."What is this...?"

I know Ampeg Bass Amps very well but I had never seen this amp before ? Here was this beautiful Ampeg bass amp sitting on top of a perfectly matching sparkling black 8 X 10 cabinet.

So I grabbed the closest USA Jazz Bass off the rack and plugged it in. As they say first impressions are everything and I immediately experienced what they call the "Big O" for bassists...if you know what I mean ?

The Ampeg Hertitage is rich with warm tube tone and is so clean and crystal clear that I was instantly impressed by how it made the Jazz Bass sound like a bass is supposed to.

My mind instantly flashed back to all the great bass tones I had always admired over the years. I could feel the full tube power vibrating through the air and permeating my body.

At that very moment I knew I had to have this Ampeg!

My heart was thumping and I got so excited thinking about how good my rig was going to sound on my next gig and how blown away my fellow bassists would be when they heard this amp.

So i asked my my local store salesman / fellow bassist and trusted friend "Jimmy" to tell me what this thing was ?

FYI Jimmy is one of the most amazing bassists by anybody's standards, so of course I trust his knowledge and experience. He told me it was the new Heritage Series and it was the newest model from Ampeg made in Woodinville Wa USA.

Jimmy brought me up to speed about how it was the latest full tube amp from Ampeg and was built with the highest quality components in a limited production amount this year. This particular Ampeg was #50 of apparently 250 to be manufactured in 2010.

If you want the full details you can go to www.ampeg.com to get all the juicy info about everything Ampeg has ever brought to the music world.

The next thing Jimmy said was "...This amp has tone for days...!"

He knows everything about the bass gear he sells...and I know this to be true...sooooooo...

...the Next day I came back and bought the amp !

I already have an ampeg 6 X 10 cab so I regretfully didn't purchase the matching 8 X 10 with the sparkling black grill at the time. They were a beautiful matched set and I hated to separate them but my USA 6 X 10 is so solid and portable I don't need the 8 X 10.

My 6 X 10 blows doors off hinges ! hee hee ;-)

My review is a 5 star rating for the Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL at the time of this posting. *****

Thanks for reading,

ScottyXmusic