AMPEG SVP-PRO Owner's Manual

Owners Guide for the

Owners Guide for the

Bass Preamp

Bass Preamp

10k4k2k1k503001809040

PEAK / MUTE

-15dB

MUTE

LO

BRT

HI

EQ

ACTIVE /

PEAK

ON

LEVEL

+8dB

-10dB

0

+12dB

-12dB

ULTRA LO /

BRIGHT

ULTRA HI /

GRAPHIC EQ

PAD /

MUTE

GAIN DRIVE BASS MIDRANGE FREQUENCY TREBLE GRAPHIC EQ MASTER POWERINPUT

Ampeg® is Proudly Made in America

Ampeg

®

is Proudly Made in America

2

Important Safeguards and Precautions:

All Ampeg products are designed for continuous safe operation, as long as common sense is used and steps are taken to
help avoid certain problems. Abiding by the following rules can help prevent damage to your preamp, yourself and others.

• The preamp is equipped with a three-pronged AC power cord. To reduce the risk of electrical shock, NEVER
remove or otherwise attempt to defeat the ground pin of the power cord.

• Connect the preamp ONLY to a properly grounded AC outlet of the proper voltage for your preamp.

• Avoid sudden temperature extremes, rain and moisture. Also, avoid sudden and intense impact. (If the pre-

amp has been subjected to any of the preceding abuses, have it looked at by an authorized service center.)

• Unplug the preamp before cleaning it. NEVER spray liquid cleaners onto the preamp. Wipe it with a slight-
ly dampened, lint-free cloth to remove dirt and film.

• Don’t use the preamp if it has sustained damage to the chassis, controls, or power cord. Refer the unit to
an authorized service center for inspection.

• NOTE: Amplifiers capable of producing high volume levels are also capable of inflicting permanent hearing
loss or damage, if the exposure to such levels is prolonged. Such damage is progressive and irreversible!

Caution is advised and ear protection is recommended when playing at extremely loud levels.

The chart below shows the U.S. Government Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations
which were in effect at the time of this publication for permissible noise exposure, per 29CRF1910, Table G-16.

According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of those listed above could result in some hearing loss.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,

DO NOT REMOVE COVER.

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

ATTENTION

RISQUE D'ELECTROCUTION

NE PAS OUVRIR

ATTENTION: POUR REDUIRE D'ELECTROCUTION NE PAS

ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUNE PIECE INTERNE N'EST REPRABLE

PAR L'UTILISATEUR. POUR TOUTE REPARATION, S'ADRESSER A UN

TECHNICIEN QUALIFIE.

VORSICHT

ELEKTRISCHE SCHLAGGEFAHR

NICHT OFFENEN

VORSICHT: ZUR MINIMIERUNG ELEKTRISCHER SCHLAGGEFAHR NICHT

DEN DECKEL ABENHMEN. INTERNE TEILE KONNEN NICHT VOM

BENUTZER GEWARTET WERDEN. DIE WARTUNG IS QUALIFIZIERTEM

WARTUNGSPERSONAL ZU UBERLASSEN.

THIS EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED TO PROVIDE SAFE AND RELIABLE OPERATION. IN ORDER TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF THE
UNIT AND PREVENTACCIDENTAL DAMAGES OR INJURY, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE PRECAUTIONARY GUIDELINES:

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOTOPEN CHASSIS; DO NOTDEFEAT OR REMOVE THE GROUND PIN OF THE POWER
CORD; CONNECT ONLY TO APROPERLY GROUNDED AC POWER OUTLET.

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
CAUTION: NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
CAUTION: OUR AMPLIFIERS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HIGH SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS. CONTINUED EXPOSURE TO HIGH SOUND PRESSURE

LEVELS CAN CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING IMPAIRMENTOR LOSS. USER CAUTION IS ADVISED AND EAR PROTECTION IS RECOMMENDED IF UNIT IS
OPERATED AT HIGH VOLUME.

"IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE USER TO REFER TO THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL"
"REFERREZ-VOUS AU MANUAL D'UTILISATION"
"UNBEDINGT IN DER BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG NACHSCHLAGEN"

EXPLANATION OF
GRAPHICAL SYMBOLS:

"DANGEROUS VOLTAGE"
"DANGER HAUTE TENSION"
"GEFAHLICHE SPANNUNG"

=

=

SOUND LEVEL dBA DURATION PER DAY

SLOW RESPONSE IN HOURS

90 8
92 6
95 4
97 3

100 2

SOUND LEVEL dBA DURATION PER DAY

SLOW RESPONSE IN HOURS

102 1-1/2
105 1
110 1/2
115 1/4 or less

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Important Safeguards and Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

The Front Panel Controls and Their Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

The Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Some Suggested Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Changing the Tubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

System Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .back cover

SVP-PRO Bass Preamp

3

An Introduction to your new Ampeg SVP-PRO Bass Preamp

The harmonically rich sound and legendary performance of the AMPEG SVT are redefined in
the SVP-PRO. This dynamic preamp delivers unsurpassed quality, reliability and tonal flexibility
and offers the classic vibrancy of tubes. The SVP-PRO is the preamp section of our much­respected SVT-2 PRO. All of the features and controls of your SVP-PRO are covered in detail in
this owner’s guide. We recommend that you read it before you use the preamp.

Features

In the world of high performance bass amps, Ampeg’s SVT amplifiers stand alone. Keeping
with true Ampeg tradition, the SVP-PRO Bass Preamp offers you more performance and flexi­bility than any other preamp in its class. Listed below are some of the outstanding features of
your new preamp - features which set it apart from the competition! Additional information on
these features can be found on the pages indicated.

• PAD: A switchable input pad, this feature is perfect for basses with active electron-
ics or very “hot” pickups (page 4)

• MUTE SWITCH: Allows you to tune your bass in private (page 4)

• ULTRA LOW, ULTRA HIGH AND BRIGHT SWITCHES: Lets you tailor the sound

to suit your tastes “with the touch of a button” (page 4)

• 5-POSITION MIDRANGE SELECTOR: Five center frequency points are available
to get just the right midrange voice (page 4)

• 9-BAND GRAPHIC EQ: Shapes the sound to your own exacting standards (or use it
as a “second channel” for bass solos). An independent level control lets you adjust
the Graphic EQ volume. Switchable at front panel or with a footswitch (page 4)

• TRANSFORMER BALANCED OUT: Electrically isolate your system from the PA or
recording mixer to eliminate ground loop hum

SVP-PRO Bass Preamp