High Praise for SV20!

[svinyard]

Good choice. No outboard gear to make it usable needed.

Beautttiess! Man that JCM800 looks mint. That's a good point if you're gigging right?...especially with the ugly variac. I love that tone but damn, it definitely wins the award for ugliest piece of gear...of all time lol.

 

[marshallmellowed]

That being the case, why do some professional players, who do so much more than just hobby play at home, go with an SV instead of a 1987/etc if it's such a difference? (Not saying I don't think the 1987x isn't better & I don't have experience playing a very large venue) Personally it doesn't make much of a difference for me being that it's close enough and the thing holding me back is definitely not my amp lol. I don't think Johan is pulling anyone's chain or lying fwiw and that dude has vastly more experience than any of us.

When it comes to these types of comparisons, I personally don't pay much attention to "that guy must know what he's talking about...". I have both amps sitting here in the same room, and I trust my own ears over all else. You really have to play amps (any amps) side by side in the same room to hear (and feel) what some of us are referring to. In Johan's recording, it can be best heard in the section of playing @2:29 through the Superlead, compared 3:09 through the SV20. Listen to that section through some good speakers (not tiny PC speakers), and you'll hear it. Of course, the difference is way more pronounced when playing through the amps in the same room, much more than in the recording. When you say "Personally, it doesn't make that much of a difference for me", that's really all that matters for anyone. I like both, but I play through the SLP 95% of the time. If I were hauling an amp back and forth on a regular basis, I could certainly make due with the SV20.

 

[JohnnyBandera]

Sounds like it’s getting the job done and popular among touring country guitarists. I’m sure its size and weight are a big factor. I’m pretty blown away right now by the Friedman Plex. To me the small box plexi isn’t too heavy or bulky. I’m able to get sounds with it through messing around with the switches and stuff that sound like what I’ve imagined (an admitted Hendrix, SRV nut).

It had more balls, punch, and clarity/sparkle than my hdrx20, more in line with the hdrx100 I had but got rid of, and can even match some of my favorite twin reverb sounds. Headroom is good, mv and gain controls are great. I only used it so far with my hdrx 1x12 cab with the v type and it gets clear the room loud, nearly as loud as cranked 2x10s or 2x12s . I need to try different cabs, better speakers, and I think it would sound even better.

 

[marshallmellowed]

I have a 1987S and a SV20H. Both are great amps however, the SV20 doesn't break your back, is loud enough to play without micing up in small venues, but sounds huge through a PA. I can concur that pros will be using them on tour. The only thing "missing" is the completely unusable deafening volume that is required from the 1987/1959 amps. I am yet to hear an attenuator that preserves the mojo of a cranked 1987/1959, because that sound comes from the amp being unshackled and the signal voltage going to the speakers moving the speakers, creating that sound. Therefore attenuation = less signal voltage = different sound.
The SV produces a close enough impression of it's bigger brothers to impress me. Don't get me wrong, 1987/1959's are an experience, for the player, that is unrivalled. However for the audience, the SV20 hits close enough to the bullseye.

Saving one's back is important, especially as we get older.

 

[Georgiatec]

Saving one's back is important, especially as we get older.

Tell me about it. Currently on a sabbatical from lugging gear and playing golf due to a bad back....just as the British summer (all 3 days of it) seems to have arrived.
Lugging Marshall stacks then standing playing and singing with a Les Paul slung around your neck is a real workout at 64 years old.

 

[marshallmellowed]

Tell me about it. Currently on a sabbatical from lugging gear and playing golf due to a bad back....just as the British summer (all 3 days of it) seems to have arrived.
Lugging Marshall stacks then standing playing and singing with a Les Paul slung around your neck is a real workout at 64 years old.

Yep, played 6 outdoor gigs in July, and the temps and humidity were up there (mid 90's). My guitars are Les Paul style ESP's and are pretty heavy. I use a wide Levi padded strap, which makes a big difference. The only guitar gear I have to lug around, aside from my heavy ass guitars, is my Fractal AX8. Everything else is PA related stuff.

 

[vivanchenko]

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Slackers.

 

[svinyard]

Yep, played 6 outdoor gigs in July, and the temps and humidity were up there (mid 90's). My guitars are Les Paul style ESP's and are pretty heavy. I use a wide Levi padded strap, which makes a big difference. The only guitar gear I have haul around, aside from my heavy ass guitars, is my Fractal AX8. Everything else is PA related stuff.

Ah man, you've got all the sweet amps. You aren't tempted to leave the Fractal as a backup instead when playing Live?

 

[itchybro]

Re: Brett's buddy is probably Kenny Greenberg. (Weapons grade studio rat and side meat I've heard a LOT)

This is Peter Stroud's rig. He's Sheryl Crow's MD along with the other guitarist Audley Freed. He's also the Co-founder of 65 amps. So... I'm sure he qualifies as a tone snob.

 

[marshallmellowed]

Ah man, you've got all the sweet amps. You aren't tempted to leave the Fractal as a backup instead when playing Live?

It's always tempting, but we cover a lot of songs that need "certain" sounds to cover the way we want to cover them. I'd end up running through the Fractal just to get those sounds, so it's easier to just go direct from the Fractal. I've got the Fractal dialed very close to one of my Marshall's (mic'd). I'd also need a huge board of pedals to replace what the Fractal is taking care of. With mains & subs to haul I've got enough shit to lug around already.

 

[DAC1260]

I was watching some Brett Papa Youtube stuff...that dude is great. He dives into all kinds of amps. I saw him mention the SV20:

"My friend who play guitar with Kenny Chesney plays the SV20 for his stadium gigs and it sounds fantastic!"

Pretty cool. It's amazing what people are doing with the studio heads. I like them because they are so dang portable, sorta affordable when used (ST20 is 800$ on Craigslist), sound good and easily attenuated (passively without wall wort) ......but its always interesting to see guys using them professionally.

I’ve got a SV20 and a 2061X both running 1965 cabs with G10 Greenbacks. The only thing I did on the SV20 was replace the transformers with Merren Audio’s. That is the only mod my ears required. The 2061X also got the Merrens but was also tweaked by Roy Blankenship. I play them both everyday and they both sound incredible. The SV20 sounds similar enough to a plexi for me, and the 2061X sounds close enough to a JTM-45 for me. I’ve owned the 2061X before the SV20 amps were made and I’m lucky to have them both.

 

[DAC1260]

I’ve got a SV20 and a 2061X both running 1965 cabs with G10 Greenbacks. The only thing I did on the SV20 was replace the transformers with Merren Audio’s. That is the only mod my ears required. The 2061X also got the Merrens but was also tweaked by Roy Blankenship. I play them both everyday and they both sound incredible. The SV20 sounds similar enough to a plexi for me, and the 2061X sounds close enough to a JTM-45 for me. I’ve owned the 2061X before the SV20 amps were made and I’m lucky to have them both.

 

[DWSumms09]

I’ve got a SV20 and a 2061X both running 1965 cabs with G10 Greenbacks. The only thing I did on the SV20 was replace the transformers with Merren Audio’s. That is the only mod my ears required. The 2061X also got the Merrens but was also tweaked by Roy Blankenship. I play them both everyday and they both sound incredible. The SV20 sounds similar enough to a plexi for me, and the 2061X sounds close enough to a JTM-45 for me. I’ve owned the 2061X before the SV20 amps were made and I’m lucky to have them both.

Where did you order your Merrens from and which ones did you get? I emailed them but got no response.

Also can you describe the impact the new transformer made on your SV20? Thinking of doing the same to mine!