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Ampeg Venture V3 300-watt Bass Head

300W Compact Bass Amp Head with Class D Power Amp, Analog Solid-state Preamp, SGT Overdrive Circuit, 3-band EQ, and XLR-DI
4 Write review Item ID: VentureV3
$499.99

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Venture V3 300-watt Bass Head and Carry Bag

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Venture V3 300-watt Bass Head and 1x12 Cabinet

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Ampeg Venture V3 300-watt Bass Head
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Venture Forth with an Ampeg by Your Side

Since 1946, Ampeg has captivated the ears of low-end users with superb tone and pivotal power. With a long history of innovation at its back, Ampeg sailed into uncharted territory with the Venture Series! The Venture V3 300-watt Bass Head packs together the benefits of Class D power, compact size, comprehensive I/O, and intuitive tone-shaping controls. Some at Sweetwater have said the special ingredient in the Ampeg Venture V3 is the Super Grit Technology Overdrive circuit that boasts the voicings of both the SVT and B15. This beauty of Ampeg engineering also boasts an FX Loop, XLR-DI, and a headphone output. All of these features and more set this head up as another Ampeg triumph — Sweetwater bassists certainly think so!

Related Videos: Venture V3 300-watt Bass Head

Power that’s all Ampeg

The Venture Series was built for modern-day bassists requiring a portable yet powerful amp head. Under the hood, the V3 sports all-analog circuitry, excepting, of course, the solid-state Class D amplifier. The Venture V3’s 300 watts of power give it plenty of juice to drive every speaker cabinet in the Venture Series, in addition to nearly every speaker you’ll come in contact with on the road.

Legendary tone built right in

The Venture V3 Bass Head offers you the power of its footswitchable SGT (Super Grit Technology) Overdrive circuit for satisfying crunch and powerful drive. Within this circuit, you can tap into the tonal excellence of two of Ampeg’s coveted amplifiers: the SVT and the B15. If you’re unfamiliar with the SVT’s signature roar and harmonic richness, Ampeg invites you to flick the switch and see what the fuss is about. Similarly, the B15 is ready to take you back to vintage sound with tonal qualities all its own. After you’ve picked your poison, you can dial in the amount of grit with a stacked knob configuration. The Venture V3 also provides bassists with a 3-band EQ that includes sweepable Mids, Ultra Hi, and 3-way Ultra Lo.

Comprehensive connections

Playing the bass is a formidable challenge unto itself, but it’s easier to succeed when Ampeg sets you up with all the requirements needed. The Venture V3 offers an XLR-DI, headphone output, and FX Loop for work on the stage or in the studio. The FX Loop is included to provide you more options of integrating your pedals and effects into the signal chain. With all the requisite controls at your fingertips, you’ll find more time for churning out killer grooves and sculpting your dream tone.

Compact size perfect for on-the-go bassists

The Venture V3 is the smallest of the Venture Series, and thanks to a compact design, it can easily fit in a gig bag or even a laptop bag. This makes it the perfect amp head for traveling bassists! You can also grab an optional Venture carrying bag to transport your V3 in ultimate style and protection.

Ampeg Venture V3 Bass Head Features:

  • Venture Series puts power and portability at the forefront
  • Powerful Class D power section capable of 300 watts at 4 ohms
  • 3-band EQ with sweepable mids, Ultra Hi, and 3-way Ultra Lo knobs
  • Footswitchable Super Grit Technology Overdrive circuit with SVT and B15 voicings
  • XLR-DI and headphone output
  • Included FX Loop adds another option for integrating pedals and effects into the signal chain
  • Neutrik speakON output for ultra-clear signal
  • Small and compact — fits in a gig bag!

Additional Media

Bass Guitar Amp Buying Guide

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Solid State
  • Number of Channels: 1-channel
  • Total Power: 300W
  • Effects: Overdrive
  • EQ: 3-band EQ, Mid frequeny, Ultra Low Switch, Ultra Hi Switch
  • Inputs: 1 x 1/4", 1 x 1/8" (aux in)
  • Outputs: 1 x SpeakON (4 ohms), 1 x XLR (DI out)
  • Headphones: 1 x 1/4"
  • Effects Loop: Yes
  • Footswitch I/O: 1 x 1/4" TRS (overdrive, mute)
  • Footswitch Included: No
  • Power Source: Standard IEC AC cable
  • Height: 2.6"
  • Width: 9.1"
  • Depth: 10.3"
  • Weight: 3.9 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 99-025-1105

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Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5

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Not perfect but it’s a keeper for me!

I did throw together a quick unboxing and first impressions video for anyone who would want that, it's on YouTube.

I'll generally be pairing the V3 with an SVT210AV, which means head and cab together are just under 30 pounds. So, initial thoughts - I'll definitely be keeping it. There are a huge diversity of sounds in here, many of them great and of course a few of them not so great. I particularly don't care for the low cut switch and the highly overdriven sounds aren't for me

People want to know how the SGT thing is - well the SVT and B15 settings are not amp sims. it just an analog overdrive circuit. Playing with level and gain knobs feels exactly like you're using a built in overdrive pedal, because you are. It's not like playing an old tube amp - there is way more overdrive available at lower volumes than you would ever get on an SVT or B15, which for most people will be a good thing. If you're into this sort of thing they take stacked drive pedals extremely well. I like lower gain, higher output quite a lot for both.

The other obvious question: is the V3 loud enough? For me, yes. But I'm also all about reasonable volume at rehearsals and could always have more fed back to me in a monitor at a show. The actual volume out of the amp is also super dependent on the cab setup. So far I've tried a single SVT210, a pair of SVT210s, and an old mini fridge 410HLF. I'd say the even the single 210 can easily keep up with a modest drummer. Adding the second 210 gives a big boost to the low end and maybe a 25% volume increase. And then with the mini fridge I could shake the house down, plenty to give there. The only negative for volume is that there isn't really that much clean headroom - if you want a very clean sound you're not going to get all that loud. But if you're looking for a super clean sound you probably already know these are not the amps for you.

I have a couple of complaints that I can't skip over. When I first tried it out in a store I was put off by just how light weight and light duty this thing really is. The knobs are pretty solid but the switches and rockers feel like what you'd get on an effects pedal or mid level DI. I'd never bought an ultra portable class D head so maybe I just wasn't sure what to expect. This amp is not for throwing into a pile of gear in the van, you'll need it in a laptop bag or case of some kind. Once I got used to that idea, that this is basically a DI with a built in power amp, I was pretty much good with it, except for two problems - the stock feet are also about the size you'd see on a stomp box, not fit for dropping it on top of a variety of cabs that might have strap handles or weirdly placed feet cups or whatever. And whatever they finished this enclosure with, it is super crazy scuffable. The two units I saw in stores already had minor marks, and mine was utterly shredded with road rash from sitting on my cab's handle for about one hour.

If you want to add bigger feet, FYI the screw slots are threaded for metric M3.

Overall it's a 5 for its price point. I can dial in a bunch of great sounds and it's a really great feature set under $. I wish it had been built half a pound heavier and sturdier, sure, but maybe that would have meant $ more or whatever, I don't know. The super scratchy paint is a bummer but not a dealbreaker.
by Kevin from Michigan on

Ampeg Venture V3

Historically, I'm not an Ampeg guy although I have used a bit of their gear here and there. When the Venture series came out I was using the SGT preamp in my teaching studio along with a Darkglass 200w head and a Revsound 1x8". The sound was perfect. I decided to ditch the amp and preamp and switch to the Venture V3. It's been on and running in my office now, everyday for several months with no issues. I think the gear it replaced sounded a little bit better, but the Venture head is still plenty good and reasonably close sound wise.

I have no issues with the head. I like the control layout and the features. I do wish I could coax a little more grit out of it without going full on distorted. Other than that, I'm happy with my purchase.
by John Reid from West Texas on
Music background: Pro teacher and player

Buen equipo por el precio

I am still exploring the equipment, I have actually tested it in trials, and there is something interesting about it, unlike the Micro CL that I had, I have tested it in a Micro CL Stack cabinet and it seems quite more subtle and refined to me, the micro circuit SGT works well, it was difficult for me to adjust the gain, so as not to saturate the signal, but once configured, it is a very noble and versatile amplifier to play some rock, blues, ska, punk and even reggae, I don't think so. suitable for jazz... I have worked with it with my P Bass and my recently acquired Epiphone Embassy Pro, which sounds very similar to the Gibson Thunderbird, and the sound is quite balanced in bass and with quite a presence of adjustable mids through the frequency selector , which gives a more present growl, unlike the classic 3-band EQ of the SVTs, which works quite well in the mix, with an average drummer and discreet guitarists. Currently, I plan to mic the mini stack to a Yamaha 500 PA, to reinforce the mids and give a little more presence in open spaces. It really is a device to take everywhere, it fits in any small space and few will notice it, a good purchase if you want your bass to sound defined and organic at the same time, and if you have little space to store it and you play in bars or pubs , or parties of less than 100 people.
by Rodrigo from Dallas, Texas on

MORE JUNK!

Hello Everyone, I just bought this brand new Ampeg Venture 3. Since I had 2 PF500's & 1 PF800 Go dead on me
(DREADED FAULT LIGHT!) I love the Amoeg tone and I am Stubborn! Thinking they might have fixed everything I decided to fork out $ for this 300w amp. DON'T BUY IT! I play bebop/smooth jazz at a very low volume in my bedroom. This piece of crap went out twice. Gain was about 10:00 volume at 2:00! I sent it back immediately, I think these are all made in Vietnam!
by Sweetwater Customer on
See also: Bass Amp Heads, Ampeg, Ampeg Bass Guitar Amp Heads
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