Cool that he worked as an intern under Jess Oliver, father of the Ampeg B-15!! Both Jess and Bill Hughes are owed a tremendous amount of gratitude for their contribution to the bass world.
What an amazing interview! It's wonderful to hear a groundbreaking audio mind explain the development of the SVT even if some of it is over my head. To you Mr Hughes, my unending gratitude. The Keith story is priceless!!
As a guitar player, I always loved The Stones sound in the early '70s. You look at all the live photos and videos of them using the Ampeg SVT heads and matching cabs on stage. You see the Stones back at that time in the studio using the Ampeg VT-22 amps and so on. I was always looking for that tone I could never really get out of another amp. You can tweak and get it close but not the same animal. I lucked out today, I found not one but two Ampeg V4's selling in a music shop in NY. I drove for 3 hours to check them out, Picked out one, played it, and noodled around with the rocker switches and nobs. I took her home with me with very much excitement. I hooked up my Ampeg to a 4/12 cab that I already had and I'm in heaven! nothing like it IMO. I get that Mick Taylor sound that I have been looking for a very long time. That's how good these Ampegs are. I had Marshalls, Fenders, Vox, Mesa Boogie, and yes they are good and all sound different, but they are not an Ampeg. Bill Hughes is a genius and way ahead of his time. If you find one, your a lucky one, Bass or Guitar, Just buy it. One warning though, it's loud as hell and you need to eat your Wheaties to carry them or get a friend to help or is stronger than you lol. It's worth all the weight and loudness, so clean when you want it to be. If you are practicing at home, get an overdrive, distortion or Big Fuzz pedal. They have a level because you won't be able to go past 2 on the volume without having your household cover their ears lol.
As an electrical engineer and bass player, this video is just great. Bill is cool!!.!!..pragmatic like most good engineers. I have '70 & '72 SVT's and a '70 SVT 8x10 cab. Thought about buying a 50th anniversary, but after buying an SVT-VR years before getting original SVT's, I realized the VR isn't that good compared to the originals. The power stage of the VR sounds legit, but not the preamp circuits. I wonder if channel one of the 50th anniversary is the real deal?? I truly can't believe how much better the old ones sound compared to the VR. Those old SVT's are special indeed. Makes our blues rock trio sound full live. So fun and lucky to have 2 of them.
Fender Bassmans of the early 60’s had four ten inch speakers already, although they were mostly used by guitarplayers... In the early 90’s I used to play an Ampeg 8x10 in various bands. Loved it! Such a great design that it worked great with every head you put on it. We lost our van. The cab became too big to bring along. I went 4x10. The last few years I went on using two Ampeg AV’s.
I think 6146B's sound better and louder but I like both. I bought my first used SVT in 1975 and have used them since. I've owned many different Ampegs including V4-B, B-15n, B-15s, B-18, I even have a 1959 Ampeg Bassamp 835 which sounds great. I also have a couple of 100 watt SS B-15T's Bill designed.
Ampeg a household name? I mean, Ampeg is huge in music and full SVT rigs are about as big and heavy as Maytag refrigerators but... I've owned two SVT amps and a B-15. I only wish my back were as heavy duty or powerful as an SVT.
I'm a guitar player. In 1973 I got my Ampeg VT-40. I would have liked to hear more about Ampeg guitar amps. From 1969 and throught the 1970s, The Stones were all about Ampeg, with some Fender Twin in the studio. Ampeg was the staple of their guitar sound! And The Stones are known such a golden guitar sound. Hey, let's hear more about Ampeg as a guitar amp. I have my VT-40, two V-2 heads, and my VT-22 was stolen, a pox on the thief.
My uncle, Bill Hughes, has passed away. My family is proud of his contributions to the music industry. May he rest in peace 🙏
Bill Hughes and Leo Fender are the godfathers of the electric bass. Legends!
Cool that he worked as an intern under Jess Oliver, father of the Ampeg B-15!! Both Jess and Bill Hughes are owed a tremendous amount of gratitude for their contribution to the bass world.
Much respect to Mr. Hughes and his influence on changing the history of music! Digging Ampeg SVT Time a lot... Looking forward to future episodes!
What an amazing interview! It's wonderful to hear a groundbreaking audio mind explain the development of the SVT even if some of it is over my head. To you Mr Hughes, my unending gratitude. The Keith story is priceless!!
As a guitar player, I always loved The Stones sound in the early '70s. You look at all the live photos and videos of them using the Ampeg SVT heads and matching cabs on stage. You see the Stones
back at that time in the studio using the Ampeg VT-22 amps and so on. I was always looking for that tone I could never really get out of another amp. You can tweak and get it close but not the same
animal. I lucked out today, I found not one but two Ampeg V4's selling in a music shop in NY. I drove for 3 hours to check them out, Picked out one, played it, and noodled around with the rocker switches and nobs. I took her home with me with very much excitement. I hooked up my Ampeg to a 4/12 cab that I already had and I'm in heaven! nothing like it IMO. I get that Mick Taylor sound
that I have been looking for a very long time. That's how good these Ampegs are. I had Marshalls, Fenders, Vox, Mesa Boogie, and yes they are good and all sound different, but they are not an
Ampeg. Bill Hughes is a genius and way ahead of his time. If you find one, your a lucky one, Bass or Guitar, Just buy it. One warning though, it's loud as hell and you need to eat your Wheaties to
carry them or get a friend to help or is stronger than you lol. It's worth all the weight and loudness, so clean when you want it to be. If you are practicing at home, get an overdrive, distortion or
Big Fuzz pedal. They have a level because you won't be able to go past 2 on the volume without having your household cover their ears lol.
This was awesome, I'm so happy you were able to interview him.
Fantastic interview. Top notch.
Awesome interview
Great fun to hear from The Source - what a gentle but still Razor Sharp old man! :D
I want that little amp sitting on the big one in the background. Awsome video guys
What a guy! Absolute legend.
That was an interesting and well done interview.
As an electrical engineer and bass player, this video is just great. Bill is cool!!.!!..pragmatic like most good engineers. I have '70 & '72 SVT's and a '70 SVT 8x10 cab. Thought about buying a 50th anniversary, but after buying an SVT-VR years before getting original SVT's, I realized the VR isn't that good compared to the originals. The power stage of the VR sounds legit, but not the preamp circuits. I wonder if channel one of the 50th anniversary is the real deal?? I truly can't believe how much better the old ones sound compared to the VR. Those old SVT's are special indeed. Makes our blues rock trio sound full live. So fun and lucky to have 2 of them.
Fender Bassmans of the early 60’s had four ten inch speakers already, although they were mostly used by guitarplayers...
In the early 90’s I used to play an Ampeg 8x10 in various bands.
Loved it! Such a great design that it worked great with every head you put on it.
We lost our van. The cab became too big to bring along. I went 4x10.
The last few years I went on using two Ampeg AV’s.
@BillHughes Legendary! thanks for making the SVT
Dino _ thanks for a great show - Jess, THANK YOU for that B-15 ... Master of Tone!
Just lovely!
Awesome stuff 💙, Awesome stuff 💙, Awesome stuff 💙, the Ampeg company!!!!!🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩💙
Not sure if i'm listening to a guitar solo or an interview. To bad, great idea, legend.
Imagine the stress Bill must've been under during that first tour, keeping all that heavy iron running.
I think 6146B's sound better and louder but I like both. I bought my first used SVT in 1975 and have used them since. I've owned many different Ampegs including V4-B, B-15n, B-15s, B-18, I even have a 1959 Ampeg Bassamp 835 which sounds great. I also have a couple of 100 watt SS B-15T's Bill designed.
Ampeg a household name? I mean, Ampeg is huge in music and full SVT rigs are about as big and heavy as Maytag refrigerators but... I've owned two SVT amps and a B-15. I only wish my back were as heavy duty or powerful as an SVT.
The background music is very distracting
I'm a guitar player. In 1973 I got my Ampeg VT-40. I would have liked to hear more about Ampeg guitar amps.
From 1969 and throught the 1970s, The Stones were all about Ampeg, with some Fender Twin in the studio. Ampeg was the staple of their guitar sound! And The Stones are known such a golden guitar sound. Hey, let's hear more about Ampeg as a guitar amp.
I have my VT-40, two V-2 heads, and my VT-22 was stolen, a pox on the thief.