SVT: The Industry-standard Big-gig Bass Rig
Put simply: the Ampeg SVT is the industry-standard bass amp for large gigs. Why? Three hundred watts of fearsome tube power, along with flexible onboard tone shaping, gives the Ampeg SVT Classic the big-stage prowess that has made it the industry standard for touring bassists who play arena and stadium shows. Of course, when it comes time to record, those musicians often take their SVT amp heads into the studio, where they deliver the awesome signature roar that has been driving music and thrilling music lovers for over 50 years. The SVT employs Ampeg’s optimized Super Valve Technology circuitry, which generates the iconic SVT sound coveted by bass players of all levels, which is why it’s a cornerstone of virtually every amp simulation app. But in the real world, a bass amp has to move air — and the larger the venue, the more power required. And nothing moves air like an Ampeg SVT sitting atop an SVT 8 x 10-inch bass cabinet! Today's SVT-CL captures the sheer sonic majesty and harmonic richness of the Ampeg classic in a road-ready, all-tube bass amp head that will stand up to the most demanding tour schedules.
Related Videos: SVT-CL 300-watt Tube Bass Head
In a class of its own
The Ampeg SVT has set the standard for bass amplification, and it’s one of the most popular bass heads ever produced. The harmonically rich sound and legendary performance of the original Ampeg SVT are redefined in the SVT Classic. This dynamically powerful all-tube bass amp delivers a thunderous 300 watts of unsurpassed quality, reliability, and tonal flexibility. Although other companies have tried to capture the classic all-tube sound of ’60s and ’70s Ampeg bass heads, no one can touch the SVT. Classic Series Heads are designed for players looking for the authentic, vintage Ampeg tube sound that has earned worldwide respect. In the world of high-performance bass amps, the SVT-CL stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Absolute power
Ampeg originally developed the SVT to meet the challenges of a changing music business. At the end of the 1960s, live music was being presented in ever-larger venues. No longer would headline acts be content to play 2,700-seat theaters. The Rolling Stones were preparing for their breakout 1969 North American tour, during which they’d be exclusively playing arenas to sell-out crowds — and ambitious artists wanted a piece of that action. PA amplification would take a major step forward in August of that year with Bill Hanley’s bespoke design for the Woodstock festival sound system. And guitarists already had their walls of amp stacks, but amplification for electric bass — which requires more power due to the preponderance of low frequencies — lagged behind. Enter the mighty SVT. With six beefy 6550 output tubes in the engine room, the SVT-CL has the juice to push massive amounts of air.
Ultimate tweakability and flexibility
As simple physics dictates, no amp can drive sound all the way to the bleachers of a 40,000-seat sports stadium, so the SVT-CL features a 3-band EQ with a 5-position midrange and a balanced line out to feed your customized SVT tone to the house system. The SVT-CL’s flexible I/O also includes an effects loop (preamp out, power amp in) and a slave output to cascade your preamp signal out to another SVT, should you wish to build a formidable multi-SVT backline, as seen and heard on the tour stops of today’s preeminent music artists.
A half century of bass backline domination
So, the SVT story begins with the Rolling Stones. On November 27 and 28, 1969, The Rolling Stones headlined Madison Square Garden with opening acts Terry Reid, B.B. King, and Ike and Tina Turner. The New York Times called it “the major rock event of the year.” The Stones’ backline? A wall of Ampeg SVTs. Eight SVT heads perched atop 8 x 10-inch cabinets powered Keith Richards’ and Mick Taylor’s guitars, as well as Bill Wyman’s bass. Ampeg lucked into this pronominal public-relations coup. Months earlier, the Stones had shipped their own amps to Los Angeles to rehearse for their upcoming US tour. It wasn’t until they switched them on and they blew up, that they realized the amps were set up for UK voltage. Luckily, Ampeg was in a position to capitalize on this most unfortunate of circumstances, as they were nearing the end of the prototype phase for a new bass amp designed for just such a purpose.
A giant is born
With the first tour date only weeks away, Stones keyboard player and road manager Ian Stewart reached out to Ampeg’s Hollywood rep Rich Mandella who, seeing an opportunity, loaded up all the SVT prototypes and some old cabs into his truck and headed over to the Warner Bros. lot where the Stones were rehearsing. Richards, Taylor, and Wyman plugged in and cranked the 300-watt behemoths up to face-melting levels. Rich kept a wary eye on the amps (which immediately started showing signs of stress), and when he noticed one was about to fry, he’d switch heads. Since production was still months away and those prototype SVT heads were the only ones in existence, it was decided that Mandella would accompany the Stones on the tour as their personal Ampeg tech, to patrol behind the backline and make sure everything was copacetic. The Stones’ soon-to-be-legendary ’69 tour was off to an auspicious start. Quite the baptism of fire for Ampeg’s new amp! The tour helped Ampeg iron out the kinks and the SVT was unveiled at the 1969 NAMM show in Chicago. In the decades since, the Ampeg SVT would go on to become the most famous and sought-after bass amp in history.
When you’re ready to rock to big stages
Weighing in at a girthy 80 pounds (and ideally matched an SVT cab with an even more portly curb weight), you’re probably not going to be hoisting an SVT-CL head by its heavy-duty sprung side handles and carting it to club gigs. However, Sweetwater is fortunate to count among our loyal customers legions of touring bassists for whom there is no substitute. If you are in this lofty echelon — or aspire to be — know that the Ampeg SVT has set the standard for high-volume bass amplification for the last half century, and is poised to do so well into the next. Today’s SVT-CL embodies the flawless craftsmanship, unmatched sound, and unrivaled performance of this timeless classic, and it will serve you well for decades to come.
Ampeg SVT-CL 300-watt Tube Bass Head Features:
- Padded input
- speakON and 1/4-inch speaker outputs
- Complete tube protection
- User bias adjustment
- 2 x 12AX7 preamp tubes
- 2 x 12AU7 and 1 x 12AX7 driver tubes
- 6 x 6550 output tubes
- 3-band tone control with 5-position mid-tone control selector
- Ultra-high/Ultra-low switch
- Balanced line out, preamp out, power amp in, and slave output
- Heavy-duty sprung side handles
