Two of the Most Revered SVT Tone Circuits in One Amp
In designing the 50th anniversary model, Ampeg evaluated the historic designs and tones of the SVT in order to make the amp a sonic tour-de-force. They ultimately decided to put two distinct SVT designs into one product to create the ultimate SVT. Over the years, slight changes in the SVT front-panel design included the switch from "Blueline" to "Blackline" variations, which coincided with Ampeg's 1971 purchase by Magnavox, shortly after the switch to 6550 output tubes. (Blueline models with 6550s are the rarest, and very dear when you can find them). Thankfully, Ampeg has engineered both 1969 Blueline and 1975 Blackline channels into the Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT — and the two can even be jumped together! Channel one delivers the authentic sound of the original 1969 SVT that launched the series, while Channel two is voiced from a hand-picked mid-'70s model that represents the definitive evolution of golden-era SVT tone.
Related Videos: Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT 300-watt Tube Bass Head
50 years of backline domination
Unveiled at the 1969 NAMM show in Chicago, Ampeg's 300-watt SVT (Super Vacuum Tube) bass head weighed in at 95 pounds and contained 14 tubes, six of which were big-bottle 6146 power tubes. The amps even came with a warning label: "This amp is capable of delivering sound pressure levels that may cause permanent hearing damage." And what kind of speakers could handle all that power? Nothing less than two cabinets, each weighing 105 pounds and packing eight 10" speakers. And so began the legend of the SVT, which has set the standard for professional bass amplification for a half-century. To celebrate the 50th year of the SVT, Ampeg has created the Special Edition Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT.
Rule the stage with massive, roaring bass power
Both channels of the Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT are still complimented with the fearsome and unrivaled SVT 300-watt tube power section with specially sourced and matched Ampeg Super Valve 6550s. Each unit is handcrafted in the USA and utilizes high-quality, state-of-the-art components and production techniques to ensure reliable operation, gig after gig. Bassists at Sweetwater are impressed with modern features such as an XLR DI output, Neutrik speakOn outputs, user biasing, and spring-loaded side handles. For this special anniversary edition, Ampeg has paid meticulous attention to detail, as seen in the laser-etched front panel, robust cabinet construction, and top-quality hardware. The combination of "best-of-the-best" channel selection, legendary SVT tone and power, modern USA assembly, and highly detailed cosmetics make the Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT a bass amp primed to rule any stage. It's the SVT you've been waiting for.
An unconventional beginning for a legendary amp
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" cabinets powered Keith Richards' and Mick Taylor's guitars, as well as Bill Wyman's bass. Ampeg lucked into this phenomenal 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.
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 Brothers 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 showed 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.
Ampeg SVT Heritage 50th Anniversary 300-Watt Tube Bass Head Features:
- Flagship amp with "best-of-the-best" channel selection, legendary SVT tone and power, modern USA assembly, and highly detailed cosmetics
- 2 revered circuits in one amp: 1969 Blueline and 1975 Blackline
- Handcrafted in the USA from durable top-drawer components
- Detailed, period-correct graphics and fonts
- Modern features, including XLR DI output, speakOn outputs, user biasing, and spring-loaded side handles
- Specially sourced and matched Ampeg Super Valve 6550 tubes
