nice job on the video and the comparison, my Dad worked with CTS oddly after working in Elkhart for almost 6 years for a division of Electrolux, CTS hired him for the Brownsville TX twin plant operation with Matamoros Mexico. (Loudspeaker divsison), I toured a magnet plant with him once in Ciudad Juarez Mexico. (Ceramic round magnet generations of CTS speakers) He worked all the way through his retirement in Brownsville. Those 1980's generation are not the ones in most demand, but costs drive business decisions for most all big corporations. Now it seems China's low cost and to some extent Thailand have most of the speaker business. My Dad's Navy training in electronic theory helped him throughout his career. (no black box to replace on board ships// had to be able to fix and repair things in the field)
Love your honest approach to your videos yasper...i use 1972 marshall major bass head and 2x2x15 tall marshall bass cabs..hell of a sound..think U2 joshua tree...also use vintage fender basses...mullard 10M master series preamp valves jjtesla kt88's...3D quality to my tone. Keep up the brills videos matey..fantastic stuff..you and guy pratt my faves. Cheers.
Wow! Guy Pratt, that's some company! Never really tried the Marshall bass stuff. Never tried the Mullards either. Pretty much rely on what my tech guy offers me. 2 2x15 cab's! That's pretty much insane. Thanks a bunch man.
The Alnicos sound better, fuller sounding and less harsh although the others one sound pretty good too, they have more midrange and I think they're a little louder. You probably already know this but you shouldn't run an SVT head into a 8 ohm load, you'll wear out your power tubes quicker and have less power out. Nice playing, I've been using SVT's for over 40 years now, have two flatback cabs with original speakers and two late 70's heads. I started out with a used blue line head and cab in 1976. Incidentally try an EBS valvedrive overdrive, they sound really good, got an 12AX7 tube in them, they're not cheap though but well worth the money.
Thank you man, saw your comment on Talkbass too. My techguy says the 8 ohm is ok, but I'll check once again, of course you loose some power but still plenty for the small 4x10 cab. Do you actually gig with the 2 cabs? Cool about the overdrive, worthwhile checking.
@@JasperMortier You shouldnt really lose power.That would be true if it was a solid state amp. Those heads are built so well that they should be fine into 8 ohms. Perhaps will wear out the tubes faster though indeed.
@@lowqualityguitarvideos Thank you. I prefer 8x10 anyhow if I need more volume. I don't like the sound of a 4x10 cranked. It's just a small closed cab and can only do so much.
Both sound good but to my ears ,the Alnicos have a better bass end & smooth tone but imo the Legends are even & smooth but still defined and handle the lower notes easier...almost 10" EBS sounding to my ears.. our ears and tonal tastes are subjective & all different ,handy having different speaker cabs for different gigs, recording etc... good demo... SVT's are ace, i want the reissued 100w tube version.... good vid, very interesting.....i use 15" Eminence bass speakers in Ashdown cabs, round ceramic...in case anyones interested... lol
Ha ha, round ceramics. Very special, yes. I like! The Legends may seem to be a bit more tight ('handling the low notes'), but man the lows from the alnico's are just awesome. Inmediately gives you this punch. Play for let's say a Verdine White line (like 'Jupiter' for instance) with either the J-bass or the P-bass and that tight punch is right there. But once again the low end often is overbearing in bad sounding situations and in that case the cut-through (low)mids of the Legends work just better for me. The V4 (I guess you mean that one) is a killer amp although I like the B25 best (but only 50/60 watts). Ciao!
@@JasperMortier..... V4, that's the one, i luv most SVT amps as tubes are special... i agree with you about the alnico speakers, if i could afford it i would buy 4 of them as their is something special, more organic with alnico drive units... i like the legends but i would prefer alnico as i like an old school tone... just like pickups their is something special about using alnico magnets, a shame most makers, Celestion etc sell them for such a high price.... both of the speakers sounded great on my expensive AV system but i know what you mean, to appreciate them properly you have to be in the same room as the cabinet... the B25 is a great amp, i would use any SVT valve amp before most other amps, my Warwick WA300 is really good as it's real Class A & sounds ace but I'm saving hard for that V4, i never use overdrive or distortion footpedals etc, like a lot of people i like to get my grit from cranking a Class A amp, especially an SVT valve amp...sweet.... i will have to check out the B25 as the V4 100w of valve amp is a bit to much for cranking at times... cheers.... 👍
I really like the legends! For the darker sound, I'd rather use a B15. B15 won't keep up with a band anyways, so you may as well use a nice creamy old speaker. SVTs I prefer that brilliance and a pretty pure sound.
@@JasperMortier No not currently but I've played many SVTs with 810s that are provided at gigs. I have a home recording studio that I am trying to outfit for bass recording. I purchased my first SVT on Monday, it's a mid-70s "curved line." I'm going to try the 212 av cabinet to go with it for medium gigs and touring, and then pair it with an 810 when I can. I will say, I played an SVT VR with the anniversary 810 and it was the best bass sound I've ever had live. I went with a vintage SVT just because it will be easier to repair and go up in value in the long run. My next purchase may be a B15.
@@bassedthechannel Both the SVT VR and the cab are really good yes. I just did a show with the this cab supplied by the festival on a bit outdoor stage and my own head and was really happy.
@@bassedthechannel For 'just recording' I totally like the alnico's. For me the Legends are really a kind of compromise speaker totally suited for more difficult acoustic circumstances.
Alnicos sits more in the mids and this mids are clear and "listenable" :) The Legends have mids like "stuffy nose", but gives a little more lows. The Alnicos seems to be more guitar seakers than bass speakers, but i like them more. Nice video, thanks. It would be realy interesting, if someone could try also the old Altec 425-8A in the 810 flatback cab, as Ampeg used to use them in some period.
Oh man, it's depressing just how much better the Alnicos sound. I'd love to be able to buy new stuff that sounds like the vintage stuff, but nothing comes close.
Thanks for a super nice video, Jasper. I don't know why you are talking about "muffled" sound and no high end if you use flatwounds in your basses which does not have probably anything over 1khz... You may try p-bass with roudnowunds, play some with the pick also to really hear the differences and the test would be better for sure. With flatwounds it just does not make any sense to tell if the speakers are this/that muddy/open etc. I have agot a lot of old ampeg amps (I collect them & restore) and two 8x10, one squareback from 1974 and one tiltback from 1979. Sound of these cabs is almost identical. I believe that CTS equipped cab has a bit less efficiency so it might sound "weaker" when you compare it side by side. Other that that '79 is easier to move around and this is the one I choose for recordings and live sessions. When Emimence took CTS in around '74 they did a 32ohm 10" driver remake to handle more power than CTS and have THE SAME sound. They did it well. The CTS fridges were 220-240W, the Eminence ones were 280W so in most cases they could handle SVT without need of another cabinet. Also you are right about the MTI, they have the same eminence speakers like 75-79 U.S. era cabs. By the way, the MTI cabs are excellent contruction. My friend got one here.
Thanks so much for your thorough reply. I really appreciate that. I know it's weird, but some cabs/speakers do sound muffled even with old flatwounds and also with the tone rolled off. I'm of course not talking about tweeters or something, but I'm looking for that presence that some speaker/cab combinations seem to lack. And I absolutely do hear and feel a difference between the early 70-ies alnicos and late 70-ies ceramics at least with the ones I came across. I think the ceramics are more even, more neutral and excelent for recording, whereas the alnicos have this super gutsy low mid bump which is great for live, but can sound a bit forced recorded. As with the reissues: they have a mid boost which I like in live situations, but recorded are a bit nasty. But I just made a Fender style 2x10 cabinet (that is made out of pine and with screwed front and back panels). This surprisingly gives more articulation even with exact the same speakers and also close miked. I'm making a video soon and I'll include my roundwound strung maple neck p-bass with the tone totally open this time, promise!
@@JasperMortier Allright! Have you tried the Heritage 8x10? They did excellent job on reproducing silverface cab there. But still, I would place it after those.
No not yet. I only tried a 4x10 HLF Heritage which didn't impress me at all, but that's a different concept of course with 2x10s being ported a.o. But I'm happy with the Legends (vs. the old speakers) cause I mainly need a usable cab for all of the different live situations and those new speakers seem more flexible. Maybe I'm going to switch to the Neos. Makes my 4x10s 30kg (65pounds)!@@dustblowboro
Getting dirt is the biggest problem with SVTs. It more than makes up for that drawback. Im going to try some different speakers too...hence my presence here. I like big fat distorted stuff too. Speakers start to make a huge difference in guitar so it prolly does w bass too...when you WANT distortion.
I think if you want dirt from an all tube amp, you should try a less powerfull amp. Changing just the speakers won't give you more distortion. An SVT is just way too loud if it distorts in most cases, unless you're playing stadiums and big outdoor festivals. Plus with the old speakers you're risking of blowing them up. Try a bassman 100 or Ampeg V4 (also 100 watts) or Orange or HiWatt. Another idea is get a guitar set up for the distorttion parallel to your regular bass set. That's what John Paul Jones does and 'Monsieur Paul': the incredible bassplayer of the Belgian band Triggerfinger with awesome results (also pretty loud though!).
To me, Legends sound markedly dull or woolly. When they sound sharper with pick etc, they sound toy-like. The legends also influence your playing it seems, and not, in my opinion, for the good. I like the CTS by far. I appreciate this video. The legends wont go into my SVT cabs and this video saved me some money. I currently have Eden 10s in my 3 bass cabs with 18" cells in each. The 10" is so important with SVTs and it doesnt seem any modern speaker manufacturer can get any daylight out of making their new designs actually sound like something. They all get their cones from china. The US/British made cones back then used completely different pulp with a lot of hardwood in it. The pulp used in China is primarily recycled junk chemically processed to death to approximate Kraft-like paper. So all the modern manufacturers are out on a limb as they use cones that is from "Mars" compared what was made till the early 80s. Thats the reason it all generally sucks and sounds nothing like the old speakers.
The Legends wooly? I think the Legends are way more midheavy. The alnico's are super warm and can become a bit wooly according to the circumstances in my opinion. Yes the alnico's totally sound 'better' and more alive, but once again: in live situations tend to get burried.
Great demo. I also have 2 810 flatbacks with all Alnicos in them. Nothing sounds better when hooked up to a vintage SVT head. How do you mic these for recording?
Darn. Bet that sounds good. I always use an Electro Voice RE20. I must say for recording the 10" is not my speaker of choice although you can get great results and I often don't have anything else. It always sounds a bit scooped compared to a 15". The popularity of the B15 has a good reason I guess.
Ampeg also had a 8x10 cab from either the late 80's or early 90's with electro voice speakers. I tried it out once with my old svt head. Wow it was actually way too loud but it had a very clear sound and full range. I was comapring it to my old SVT 70's cab which had a more smoother tone to it that I liked even though I played very heavy and distorted. Great video you have shared with us. Now with the legend speaker, did you try to bump up the low end just a touch to give it the same warmth as the CTS? legends def had the midrange but man those CTS sound perfect to me.
That must have been some heavy beast! You can EQ the Legends of course and get close by means of the sound spectrum, but those Alnico's have a tight push in the low end that I (and a lot of devotees) never get from any other speaker. But like I say in the video, that effect tends to get burried easily under louder and/or not-optimal acoustic conditions.
@@JasperMortier Was it ever heavy, way too heavy !! haha. I decided to not buy it as it was way too loud as well. But I think paired with a vintage V4B it may have been more controlled. There is something about those old CTS speakers that sounds great !
Ampeg did not have any cab with Electro Voice as a primary spekaer. They offered them like upgrade in the late 70s, but only for 15-inch as far as I remember. Too clean and dynamic for me...
Use both. Tone means nothing if your "lost in the mix" probably use an entirely different rig if I wanted something other than this vintage vibe. Yorkville xs400t and a humbucker bass with halfrounds are my current thing. I need a bunch of what you got and maybe you need a bit of my rig.
Hoi Jasper. Ik heb een Dynacord BA300 staan met de originele 8x10 cabinet erbij (JBL). Zou ik leuk vinden als je die eens zou willen reviewen. Want jouw aanslag is tegek.
Nou ja nooit van gehoord. En is dat een 8x10 Dynacord cab? Ik vind het wel een geinig idee, maar omdat het niet echt een courant ding is hebben de meeste mensen er niet zoveel aan denk ik. Dank voor het compliment trouwens.
Hi Jasper, if you used jensen jch10/50 32 ohms 4x10, it was very good, what do you say about cabinet 2x15 8ohms each in parallel eminence 1518 made in usa for 4ohms, I'll wait
I'm not completely sure if I understand you well, but I never said I like the Jensens in a 4x10. They work to improve your highs in a 8x10: with lets say 6x10 'regular' 10's and then 2 Jensens added, but standalone the Jensens are way too thin sounding. 'The' 2x15 cabinet doesn't exist I think. Totally depends on the size and the construction (closed? ported?) and of course: your taste! But I really had good results with Eminence 15" speakers for sure. I do own a Beta 15 that sounds awesome in a closed cabinet. I never tried the 1518. Isn't that a guitar speaker?
I did make a video about using a 15" guitar speaker in a cabinet trying to get a certain sound. While that works pretty good I later replaced the guitar speaker with the Eminence Beta 15" (=bass speaker) I was talking about and that sounds way better for me by all means. Check it out if you like: ua-cam.com/video/Yi5-oBJUi0c/v-deo.html
The Classic is a super amp for sometimes ridiculous low prices. It depends on the tubes in there, but the old SVTs do sound almost more modern. A bit more tight and bit more mid push. The CL is almost a bit more Fender Bassman like. I did shift from Svetlanas to Sovteks a while ago and it did start to sound a bit more like the CL (which also has Sovteks I think). But once again the SVT-CL is a killer amp. I think - and many with me - that the SVT 'non pro' from the 1980ies comes closest to the old SVTs.
I should try them. I still didn't. But I saw so many threads about the 32ohm thing in paralel being important that I didn't even dare so to speak and I played different closed cabinets with 8 ohm speakers that totally didn't have this sound at all.
I don't think that would work. You really have to hear them both in the same room on the same cabinet. I just compared a blue line VR from the far East to mine. The difference is significant. On the VR I had to turn the mids almost to 3 o'clock and cut the lows a litte to get a bit comparable sound. The VR sounds more 'wooly', more compressed, totally warm, but has less cut through low mids. The old one is tighter. I think both had Sovteks power tubes, but still a lot of stuff depends on the way the amp is serviced of course. A while ago I compared mine to a USA made CL, wich gave me the same impression.
I am looking for a late 70s eminence speaker to return my 8x10 back to stock. Do you have one?? And if not, do you know of one good vintage alternative alnico speaker that's like the cts that was used in the early 70s?
Sorry. I sold my ceramic Eminences a while ago. Keep an eye on Ebay. They are offered every now and then. By 'vintage alternative' do you mean new made reïssue or an alternative brand of Alnico speaker made in the early 70-ies? For sure there's no alnico reïssue bassspeaker (only ceramics or neos) and I'm pretty sure there's no early 70-ies made alternative to the CTS alnico 32ohm 10".
@@JasperMortier hey man, thank you for replying to me a year back. UA-cam has this problem where it will not notify me about replies and I have had so many missed replies from people, but I really appreciate you takin the time to get back to me. Mine has the 70s ceramic eminence speakers and one is replaced by I think a new eminence, probably the one you’re using. Sounds great, does well for me so far. I couldn’t find a replacement. Tryin to keep my eye out for one of these cts alnico to throw in there for recording purposes. Cheers!
@@TheChadPad I would not mix the ceramics and the alnico's though. I used 4 of both for a while and they didn't work together nicely. So I think just 1 ceramic replacement is no problem and maybe replace it some day with a vintage ceramic if you find one.
I'm sorry, I don't know. I tried a seventies one and it just didn’t work for me. I’m probably gonna step on a few toes, but it seems to me like they cut off a bit of the low end to get more mid end power or something. So it acts more like an guitar amp (and of course it's used by a lot of guitarplayers). I miss the typical Ampeg low end push. Maybe you can modify that, I don’t know. Plus it just hasn’t enough overall power for me in general, just like the Bassman 100 (which I DO like). The B25 I like very much, but has even less power…… Ideal would be a 200 watt B25 around 25 kg’s! In general the reïssues I tried missed some of the typical 'mid-bite/cut-through' character compared to the old stuff. All the best!
@@JasperMortier I happen to have a V4B 1976 and an Ampeg 810 with CTS flatbacks 1971 I believe. It has so much low end that I have to tame it sometimes. I could agree that the SVT-CL is going to sound a bit deeper since it has a higher watt output after all. Low end is all about the watt headrom. I don't miss the low end on my V4B though!
Thanks, great video and great grooves!
Thanks man. I'm not yet as productive as you are, but I'll get there! Ciao.
I agree. This man can play bass. I also love his nice deep vintage tone.
Really nice to hear an svt demo that isn’t just pushed to 11 and overdriven. Thank you!
Yes, SVTs only go up to 10. Damn.
And your question about the strings disappeared? Flats on the P-bass and rounds on the Jazz (in this video).
You are the Johan Segeborn of the bass world! He's a guitarist that does a lot of demos like this
I'll check him out!
He’s actually primarily a bass player 😂
That's a hell of a compliment.
Thanks so much for taking the time to make and post this video! Great information.
Thank YOU so much!
Great video, super helpful information, thank you.
Cool! Thanks.
nice job on the video and the comparison, my Dad worked with CTS oddly after working in Elkhart for almost 6 years for a division of Electrolux, CTS hired him for the Brownsville TX twin plant operation with Matamoros Mexico. (Loudspeaker divsison), I toured a magnet plant with him once in Ciudad Juarez Mexico. (Ceramic round magnet generations of CTS speakers) He worked all the way through his retirement in Brownsville. Those 1980's generation are not the ones in most demand, but costs drive business decisions for most all big corporations. Now it seems China's low cost and to some extent Thailand have most of the speaker business. My Dad's Navy training in electronic theory helped him throughout his career. (no black box to replace on board ships// had to be able to fix and repair things in the field)
Wow! Nice inside story. Thanks.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to put this together!
Thanks for the taking the time to watch it!
GREAT VIDEO Jasper. Thank you for putting this all together!
Thank YOU!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!!!
Thanks! A lot of the knowledgde is acquired during the making of the videos by the way. Really helps me focus.
Love your honest approach to your videos yasper...i use 1972 marshall major bass head and 2x2x15 tall marshall bass cabs..hell of a sound..think U2 joshua tree...also use vintage fender basses...mullard 10M master series preamp valves jjtesla kt88's...3D quality to my tone. Keep up the brills videos matey..fantastic stuff..you and guy pratt my faves. Cheers.
Wow! Guy Pratt, that's some company! Never really tried the Marshall bass stuff. Never tried the Mullards either. Pretty much rely on what my tech guy offers me. 2 2x15 cab's! That's pretty much insane. Thanks a bunch man.
You make great demo videos! Keep it up.
Thanks man.
The Alnicos sound better, fuller sounding and less harsh although the others one sound pretty good too, they have more midrange and I think they're a little louder. You probably already know this but you shouldn't run an SVT head into a 8 ohm load, you'll wear out your power tubes quicker and have less power out. Nice playing, I've been using SVT's for over 40 years now, have two flatback cabs with original speakers and two late 70's heads. I started out with a used blue line head and cab in 1976. Incidentally try an EBS valvedrive overdrive, they sound really good, got an 12AX7 tube in them, they're not cheap though but well worth the money.
Thank you man, saw your comment on Talkbass too. My techguy says the 8 ohm is ok, but I'll check once again, of course you loose some power but still plenty for the small 4x10 cab. Do you actually gig with the 2 cabs? Cool about the overdrive, worthwhile checking.
@@JasperMortier You shouldnt really lose power.That would be true if it was a solid state amp. Those heads are built so well that they should be fine into 8 ohms. Perhaps will wear out the tubes faster though indeed.
@@lowqualityguitarvideos Thank you. I prefer 8x10 anyhow if I need more volume. I don't like the sound of a 4x10 cranked. It's just a small closed cab and can only do so much.
Very interesting stuff thanks for that Jimmy
Great recording quality. Nice job!
Thanks.
EXCELLENT!!!!!! You´re the best!!!
Ha ha, thank you! Hopefully the information provided helps.
alnico.
excellent piece, bell/subbed
Both sound good but to my ears ,the Alnicos have a better bass end & smooth tone but imo the Legends are even & smooth but still defined and handle the lower notes easier...almost 10" EBS sounding to my ears.. our ears and tonal tastes are subjective & all different ,handy having different speaker cabs for different gigs, recording etc... good demo... SVT's are ace, i want the reissued 100w tube version.... good vid, very interesting.....i use 15" Eminence bass speakers in Ashdown cabs, round ceramic...in case anyones interested... lol
Ha ha, round ceramics. Very special, yes. I like! The Legends may seem to be a bit more tight ('handling the low notes'), but man the lows from the alnico's are just awesome. Inmediately gives you this punch. Play for let's say a Verdine White line (like 'Jupiter' for instance) with either the J-bass or the P-bass and that tight punch is right there. But once again the low end often is overbearing in bad sounding situations and in that case the cut-through (low)mids of the Legends work just better for me. The V4 (I guess you mean that one) is a killer amp although I like the B25 best (but only 50/60 watts). Ciao!
@@JasperMortier..... V4, that's the one, i luv most SVT amps as tubes are special... i agree with you about the alnico speakers, if i could afford it i would buy 4 of them as their is something special, more organic with alnico drive units... i like the legends but i would prefer alnico as i like an old school tone... just like pickups their is something special about using alnico magnets, a shame most makers, Celestion etc sell them for such a high price.... both of the speakers sounded great on my expensive AV system but i know what you mean, to appreciate them properly you have to be in the same room as the cabinet... the B25 is a great amp, i would use any SVT valve amp before most other amps, my Warwick WA300 is really good as it's real Class A & sounds ace but I'm saving hard for that V4, i never use overdrive or distortion footpedals etc, like a lot of people i like to get my grit from cranking a Class A amp, especially an SVT valve amp...sweet.... i will have to check out the B25 as the V4 100w of valve amp is a bit to much for cranking at times... cheers.... 👍
I really like the legends! For the darker sound, I'd rather use a B15. B15 won't keep up with a band anyways, so you may as well use a nice creamy old speaker. SVTs I prefer that brilliance and a pretty pure sound.
Cool! So you’re talking about how they sound in my video or do you actually use them?
@@JasperMortier No not currently but I've played many SVTs with 810s that are provided at gigs. I have a home recording studio that I am trying to outfit for bass recording. I purchased my first SVT on Monday, it's a mid-70s "curved line." I'm going to try the 212 av cabinet to go with it for medium gigs and touring, and then pair it with an 810 when I can.
I will say, I played an SVT VR with the anniversary 810 and it was the best bass sound I've ever had live. I went with a vintage SVT just because it will be easier to repair and go up in value in the long run. My next purchase may be a B15.
@@JasperMortier In the video I stilled the punchiness of the reissues more. but I also lean towards the rock n roll sound.
@@bassedthechannel Both the SVT VR and the cab are really good yes. I just did a show with the this cab supplied by the festival on a bit outdoor stage and my own head and was really happy.
@@bassedthechannel For 'just recording' I totally like the alnico's. For me the Legends are really a kind of compromise speaker totally suited for more difficult acoustic circumstances.
Alnicos sits more in the mids and this mids are clear and "listenable" :) The Legends have mids like "stuffy nose", but gives a little more lows. The Alnicos seems to be more guitar seakers than bass speakers, but i like them more. Nice video, thanks. It would be realy interesting, if someone could try also the old Altec 425-8A in the 810 flatback cab, as Ampeg used to use them in some period.
Pff, wow, no I never ran into those Alecs!
Oh man, it's depressing just how much better the Alnicos sound. I'd love to be able to buy new stuff that sounds like the vintage stuff, but nothing comes close.
I do agree, but the vintage speakers tend to get burried in live situations. So I stick to the reïssues.
Thanks for a super nice video, Jasper. I don't know why you are talking about "muffled" sound and no high end if you use flatwounds in your basses which does not have probably anything over 1khz... You may try p-bass with roudnowunds, play some with the pick also to really hear the differences and the test would be better for sure. With flatwounds it just does not make any sense to tell if the speakers are this/that muddy/open etc. I have agot a lot of old ampeg amps (I collect them & restore) and two 8x10, one squareback from 1974 and one tiltback from 1979. Sound of these cabs is almost identical. I believe that CTS equipped cab has a bit less efficiency so it might sound "weaker" when you compare it side by side. Other that that '79 is easier to move around and this is the one I choose for recordings and live sessions. When Emimence took CTS in around '74 they did a 32ohm 10" driver remake to handle more power than CTS and have THE SAME sound. They did it well. The CTS fridges were 220-240W, the Eminence ones were 280W so in most cases they could handle SVT without need of another cabinet. Also you are right about the MTI, they have the same eminence speakers like 75-79 U.S. era cabs. By the way, the MTI cabs are excellent contruction. My friend got one here.
Thanks so much for your thorough reply. I really appreciate that. I know it's weird, but some cabs/speakers do sound muffled even with old flatwounds and also with the tone rolled off. I'm of course not talking about tweeters or something, but I'm looking for that presence that some speaker/cab combinations seem to lack. And I absolutely do hear and feel a difference between the early 70-ies alnicos and late 70-ies ceramics at least with the ones I came across. I think the ceramics are more even, more neutral and excelent for recording, whereas the alnicos have this super gutsy low mid bump which is great for live, but can sound a bit forced recorded. As with the reissues: they have a mid boost which I like in live situations, but recorded are a bit nasty. But I just made a Fender style 2x10 cabinet (that is made out of pine and with screwed front and back panels). This surprisingly gives more articulation even with exact the same speakers and also close miked. I'm making a video soon and I'll include my roundwound strung maple neck p-bass with the tone totally open this time, promise!
@@JasperMortier Allright! Have you tried the Heritage 8x10? They did excellent job on reproducing silverface cab there. But still, I would place it after those.
No not yet. I only tried a 4x10 HLF Heritage which didn't impress me at all, but that's a different concept of course with 2x10s being ported a.o. But I'm happy with the Legends (vs. the old speakers) cause I mainly need a usable cab for all of the different live situations and those new speakers seem more flexible. Maybe I'm going to switch to the Neos. Makes my 4x10s 30kg (65pounds)!@@dustblowboro
Getting dirt is the biggest problem with SVTs. It more than makes up for that drawback. Im going to try some different speakers too...hence my presence here. I like big fat distorted stuff too. Speakers start to make a huge difference in guitar so it prolly does w bass too...when you WANT distortion.
I think if you want dirt from an all tube amp, you should try a less powerfull amp. Changing just the speakers won't give you more distortion. An SVT is just way too loud if it distorts in most cases, unless you're playing stadiums and big outdoor festivals. Plus with the old speakers you're risking of blowing them up. Try a bassman 100 or Ampeg V4 (also 100 watts) or Orange or HiWatt. Another idea is get a guitar set up for the distorttion parallel to your regular bass set. That's what John Paul Jones does and 'Monsieur Paul': the incredible bassplayer of the Belgian band Triggerfinger with awesome results (also pretty loud though!).
To me, Legends sound markedly dull or woolly. When they sound sharper with pick etc, they sound toy-like. The legends also influence your playing it seems, and not, in my opinion, for the good. I like the CTS by far. I appreciate this video. The legends wont go into my SVT cabs and this video saved me some money. I currently have Eden 10s in my 3 bass cabs with 18" cells in each. The 10" is so important with SVTs and it doesnt seem any modern speaker manufacturer can get any daylight out of making their new designs actually sound like something. They all get their cones from china. The US/British made cones back then used completely different pulp with a lot of hardwood in it. The pulp used in China is primarily recycled junk chemically processed to death to approximate Kraft-like paper. So all the modern manufacturers are out on a limb as they use cones that is from "Mars" compared what was made till the early 80s. Thats the reason it all generally sucks and sounds nothing like the old speakers.
The Legends wooly? I think the Legends are way more midheavy. The alnico's are super warm and can become a bit wooly according to the circumstances in my opinion. Yes the alnico's totally sound 'better' and more alive, but once again: in live situations tend to get burried.
Alnico more mids that A sound and Legends more V sound if you know what I mean. Legend seems to have more spare volume too, definitely modern sound
I like a legend !! 👏👋
Haha, thanks.
They both sounded great....I think the CTS were a little warmer to my ears.
Totally, but are burried live often, so I switched back to 8 Legends. Thanks!
Great demo. I also have 2 810 flatbacks with all Alnicos in them. Nothing sounds better when hooked up to a vintage SVT head. How do you mic these for recording?
Darn. Bet that sounds good. I always use an Electro Voice RE20. I must say for recording the 10" is not my speaker of choice although you can get great results and I often don't have anything else. It always sounds a bit scooped compared to a 15". The popularity of the B15 has a good reason I guess.
Ampeg also had a 8x10 cab from either the late 80's or early 90's with electro voice speakers. I tried it out once with my old svt head. Wow it was actually way too loud but it had a very clear sound and full range. I was comapring it to my old SVT 70's cab which had a more smoother tone to it that I liked even though I played very heavy and distorted. Great video you have shared with us. Now with the legend speaker, did you try to bump up the low end just a touch to give it the same warmth as the CTS? legends def had the midrange but man those CTS sound perfect to me.
That must have been some heavy beast! You can EQ the Legends of course and get close by means of the sound spectrum, but those Alnico's have a tight push in the low end that I (and a lot of devotees) never get from any other speaker. But like I say in the video, that effect tends to get burried easily under louder and/or not-optimal acoustic conditions.
@@JasperMortier Was it ever heavy, way too heavy !! haha. I decided to not buy it as it was way too loud as well. But I think paired with a vintage V4B it may have been more controlled. There is something about those old CTS speakers that sounds great !
Ampeg did not have any cab with Electro Voice as a primary spekaer. They offered them like upgrade in the late 70s, but only for 15-inch as far as I remember. Too clean and dynamic for me...
Use both. Tone means nothing if your "lost in the mix" probably use an entirely different rig if I wanted something other than this vintage vibe. Yorkville xs400t and a humbucker bass with halfrounds are my current thing.
I need a bunch of what you got and maybe you need a bit of my rig.
Ha ha. We both need gigs. No gig no rig!
@@JasperMortier facts.
Hoi Jasper. Ik heb een Dynacord BA300 staan met de originele 8x10 cabinet erbij (JBL). Zou ik leuk vinden als je die eens zou willen reviewen. Want jouw aanslag is tegek.
Nou ja nooit van gehoord. En is dat een 8x10 Dynacord cab? Ik vind het wel een geinig idee, maar omdat het niet echt een courant ding is hebben de meeste mensen er niet zoveel aan denk ik. Dank voor het compliment trouwens.
Hi Jasper, if you used jensen jch10/50 32 ohms 4x10, it was very good, what do you say about cabinet 2x15 8ohms each in parallel eminence 1518 made in usa for 4ohms, I'll wait
I'm not completely sure if I understand you well, but I never said I like the Jensens in a 4x10. They work to improve your highs in a 8x10: with lets say 6x10 'regular' 10's and then 2 Jensens added, but standalone the Jensens are way too thin sounding. 'The' 2x15 cabinet doesn't exist I think. Totally depends on the size and the construction (closed? ported?) and of course: your taste! But I really had good results with Eminence 15" speakers for sure. I do own a Beta 15 that sounds awesome in a closed cabinet. I never tried the 1518. Isn't that a guitar speaker?
I did make a video about using a 15" guitar speaker in a cabinet trying to get a certain sound. While that works pretty good I later replaced the guitar speaker with the Eminence Beta 15" (=bass speaker) I was talking about and that sounds way better for me by all means. Check it out if you like: ua-cam.com/video/Yi5-oBJUi0c/v-deo.html
Have you tried out the SVT-CL? Wonder how you think it compares to your vintage model
The Classic is a super amp for sometimes ridiculous low prices. It depends on the tubes in there, but the old SVTs do sound almost more modern. A bit more tight and bit more mid push. The CL is almost a bit more Fender Bassman like. I did shift from Svetlanas to Sovteks a while ago and it did start to sound a bit more like the CL (which also has Sovteks I think). But once again the SVT-CL is a killer amp. I think - and many with me - that the SVT 'non pro' from the 1980ies comes closest to the old SVTs.
What do you think about the delta speakers? Compared to the Legends?
I should try them. I still didn't. But I saw so many threads about the 32ohm thing in paralel being important that I didn't even dare so to speak and I played different closed cabinets with 8 ohm speakers that totally didn't have this sound at all.
Hi! Excelent! I was looking for this comparison. Can you share the plans of the cabinet build? Thanks!!!!
Cool, hope it helps! I'll upload something and share a link as soon as I have time.
Hope this works. On my mac download starts inmediately: www.jaspermortier.com/4x10cab.zip
@@JasperMortier it's no longer available
@@marcojp94 I put it back again (I took it off after a couple of months)!
Alnico... always!
I saw 6 1971 ones on Ebay. Tempted!
Great Sound. I would like to EQ my 1978 SVT-VR like yours. Could send your SVT (Channel 1 and 2) from this video? I appreciated.
I don't think that would work. You really have to hear them both in the same room on the same cabinet. I just compared a blue line VR from the far East to mine. The difference is significant. On the VR I had to turn the mids almost to 3 o'clock and cut the lows a litte to get a bit comparable sound. The VR sounds more 'wooly', more compressed, totally warm, but has less cut through low mids. The old one is tighter. I think both had Sovteks power tubes, but still a lot of stuff depends on the way the amp is serviced of course. A while ago I compared mine to a USA made CL, wich gave me the same impression.
I am looking for a late 70s eminence speaker to return my 8x10 back to stock. Do you have one?? And if not, do you know of one good vintage alternative alnico speaker that's like the cts that was used in the early 70s?
Sorry. I sold my ceramic Eminences a while ago. Keep an eye on Ebay. They are offered every now and then. By 'vintage alternative' do you mean new made reïssue or an alternative brand of Alnico speaker made in the early 70-ies? For sure there's no alnico reïssue bassspeaker (only ceramics or neos) and I'm pretty sure there's no early 70-ies made alternative to the CTS alnico 32ohm 10".
@@JasperMortier hey man, thank you for replying to me a year back. UA-cam has this problem where it will not notify me about replies and I have had so many missed replies from people, but I really appreciate you takin the time to get back to me. Mine has the 70s ceramic eminence speakers and one is replaced by I think a new eminence, probably the one you’re using. Sounds great, does well for me so far. I couldn’t find a replacement. Tryin to keep my eye out for one of these cts alnico to throw in there for recording purposes. Cheers!
@@TheChadPad I would not mix the ceramics and the alnico's though. I used 4 of both for a while and they didn't work together nicely. So I think just 1 ceramic replacement is no problem and maybe replace it some day with a vintage ceramic if you find one.
The drummer could be your twin brother :)
I'll ask him!
What do you think about V-4B Reissue , are they any good ?
I'm sorry, I don't know. I tried a seventies one and it just didn’t work for me. I’m probably gonna step on a few toes, but it seems to me like they cut off a bit of the low end to get more mid end power or something. So it acts more like an guitar amp (and of course it's used by a lot of guitarplayers). I miss the typical Ampeg low end push. Maybe you can modify that, I don’t know. Plus it just hasn’t enough overall power for me in general, just like the Bassman 100 (which I DO like). The B25 I like very much, but has even less power…… Ideal would be a 200 watt B25 around 25 kg’s! In general the reïssues I tried missed some of the typical 'mid-bite/cut-through' character compared to the old stuff. All the best!
@@JasperMortier I agree, the demos I've seen of the V-4B RI doesn't seem to have much low end at all.
@@bflo1000 I used one with a svthlf410. pretty awesome but I never gigged with it. sold it and got another with set. deadly
@@1okanaganguy How is it for low end?
@@JasperMortier I happen to have a V4B 1976 and an Ampeg 810 with CTS flatbacks 1971 I believe. It has so much low end that I have to tame it sometimes. I could agree that the SVT-CL is going to sound a bit deeper since it has a higher watt output after all. Low end is all about the watt headrom. I don't miss the low end on my V4B though!