Bass Gear Review

Reviewer	Mike Legris
Manufacturer	Ampeg (SLM)
Model	SVT-CL (classic) w/ SVT 810EH classic
Price	around 3400$ canadian (including taxes)

Dimensions	The all stack is about the size of a regular fridge
Wattage	300 watt RMS
Speaker(s)	8x10 inch speakers
EQ	bass, treble, mid, midrange freq. selector, ultra high and ultra
	low boosts.
Controls	gain.
Other	User bias control(tube protection circuity), direct out, slave ou
	t, preamp out.

This is a genuine classic. The SVT-CL and SVT 810EH are the reissue of the original classic SVT stack that was manifactured by SLM in the 70's. Soundwise, it's pretty much the same that the original. SLM is still using the good old 6550 power tubes (6 of'em), 2 12AU7 and 1 12AX7 preamp tubes. Result: a warm, powerfull, fat and pretty clear bass sound. You can, of course, get the classic distorted growl by turning the gain at maximum position, but if you prefer a clean sound (like I do) you just have to turn it down. What can I say... this amp has a great tone natural tone, you don't need an EQ or compressor or anything 'cos it's just great, I even like it better then the SVT-II PRO!!! The SVT-CL and SVT 810EH also has a very solid construction and conserves the original vintage styling, it's only "blacker". The tube protection circuit (new for this model, wasn't on the original) is very effective and gives your tubes a longer live. Well, finally, I think this is the best bass amp ever, it's the only amp I'd ever play with. The only dislike I have about it is it's weight, but I can live with this!!! :-)

Construction	100%
Loudness	100%
Clarity	100%
depends on the bass you're using...
Tone	100%
Size/Bulkiness	90%
Value	100%
Overall	100%