Ampeg SVT-3PRO Bass Amplifier Head (450 Watts)

Step up to Ampeg's most popular bass head, packed with 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes. Dial in your tone with the 9-band graphic EQ and 5-position midrange switch.

$1,249.99

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    $104.17
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    $156.25
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    $208.33
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    $312.50
Overall User Ratings (based on 56 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(56) (see rating details)
Submitted September 15, 2012 by keith z in Baltimore, MD

"Ampeg enough said"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Welcome to the pros. If you are looking for that classic sound with the built in ability to dial in any tone, this is your head. As a professional musician that plays a lot of shows the fact that it fits inside a rack is great. Setup is a breeze, I have all of my road gear in a rack, just plug in the matched Ampeg classic 4 10 cabinet and your good to go. 10 min top set up/ break down time. Just remember to let those tubes warm up. This is the second SVT 3 I have owned. I had one early 1990's and it never let me down but it was made in USA. This unit is made over sea so time will tell the reliability. I have always carried extra tubes with me just in case but have never had to use them in a emergency. I change them out once a year. Love zZounds they are great pay and play get the gear you need now at a great price.

Musical Background:

Professional, 25+ years, Bass, Guitar,

Musical Style:

Rock, Blues, Rockabilly,
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Submitted February 6, 2011 by a customer from rocketmail.com

Ampeg SVT-3PRO Bass Head Customer Review

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
i expect to be satisfied with this unit for as long as im allowed to use it,it belongs to the drummer of my band whom owns his own sound buisness providing PA and backline gear for bands willing to pay the rental fee.But i do plan on buying my own & also the svt 8x10 classic cab.
Sound
if god played bass this is what he would use and how he would sound,ive been playing for 20 years and ive used everything from hartke,carvin,eden,aguilar,peavey..and im telling ya this head matched with the svt 810 classic cab its the ultimate in hard rock and country tone. there is flat out no comparison i dont even think the 2500$ ampeg svt tube classic sounds this good and ive used it too.
Features
the most useful features on this head is the boost buttons and the midrandge requency control,you can literally dial in any tone u need from a tight compressed fat country tone to a rip roaring metal tone using the tube drive knob.possibilites seem endless with this rig.
Ease of Use
its very easy to use all the knobs and switches are self explanitory just plug it to a cab set ur tone turn up ur volume and ur ready to go.
Quality
this bass head is solid as a rock medium thick steel frame,tough knobs,heavyduty sliders on the eq.
Value
this head may be 800$ new but the thing is once you own it you'll most likely never need another one because its so touch and well made and the tone is amazing,and just because its only 450watts dont let it fool you you'll deffinately cut threw the stage mix regardless if ur lead player is using a marshall jcm2000 or not.
Manufacturer Support
ive never had to deal with ampeg because this product is so well made its never needed a repair
The Wow Factor
in all respect this peice of equiptment is phenominal,the tone is amazing,its beautiful in its simplicity,its very light weight and not to big or not to small in physical size.i could use my carvin or peavey but question is ,why would i when this sounds so much better?

Musical Background:

20 years as active musician/studio musician

Musical Style:

country,rock,metal,funk,gospel
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Submitted June 28, 2019 by Eddie West in Jacksonville, FL

"Absolutely Satisfied"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I absolutely love this Amp... The 450 watts is VERY warm and full....Recently did a Sorority party with about 700-800 people in large hotel ballroom with EASE. Didn't even plug into the PA. It was actually too loud. The only complaint I could ever have is that wish it was more than 275 W at 8 ohms maybe 350...but Hey even that is loud and warm as well for a lot of places....I'm completely satisfied with either 8 or 4 ohms rating
Sound
Warm crisp and full
Ease of Use
The eq band is very complicated. But once you set it LEAVE IT and only adjust the knobs.... It'll never fail you

Musical Background:

Bass player 20 years Professionally.. 2 bands 2 churches

Musical Style:

Hip hop, funk, R&B, Pop, Rock, Gospel, Smooth Jazz
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Submitted May 25, 2003 by a customer from comcast.net

"One Year Road Test Review"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
This is a killer/ keeper system. I'm very satisfied with it.
Sound
After one year I get a very clean sound with almost limitless sound quality options. Although with all of its options, you can get hiss by turning up the high frequencies too much. Best if you balance out the EQ with the guitar tones and cabinet adjustments.
Features
Good features, especially the on the back which allow jacking into house systems & recording equipment. The "Frequency" switch seems to make little difference in sound quality. But, I'm still experimenting with various sound settings.
Quality
After about 50 hours of use, I had to get a tube replaced. But, it may have been due to bumbing, as well as the one bad tube from the factory that day. Since then (about 150 hours & several months), I've had no problems.
Value
When I first got my Ampeg, I thought "This sounds great!". Everytime I play it,I hear from more & more converts saying the same. And the price has gone up on it since I bought it about a year ago.
Manufacturer Support
I have not dealt with Ampeg directly, only the local retailer that sold me the equipment. And after some initial "who has the amp?" mixups, they were pretty good.
The Wow Factor
My SVT-3 Pro head, along with my BXT-410HL-4 cabinet, give me a great, unbeatable sound.

Musical Style:

60's, 70's funk/ contemporary gospel.
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Submitted August 20, 2003 by a customer from yahoo.com

"this amp rocks!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
to be honest if i had the money i would buy an svt classic head right now but for 5 or 6 hundred dollars less, nothing comes close.
Sound
this is by far one of the best sounding amps out there. i travel full time with this amp and it has been incredible. the versatility rocks. you can get any where from hard puchy tones, to awesome rock tones, to an incredibly smooth tone. i would recomend this amp to a anyone wanting to get sweet tone, especially for the money.
Features
an awesome feature is the foot switch. the foot switch rock because you can set your amp up for one smooth tone the kick in the eq for a sweet punchy tone, and when your done with a set you can just mute it and get off stage. for places you cant crank up your rig the direct out still gives you awesome tone. many amps that have direct out s@@k out all of your tone and leave you with a horrible sounding bass.
Quality
this amp is made for the road. i travel full thime with it and it hasnt given me any trouble. i dropped the thing before and it barely made any marks on the amp, and still worked just as awesome.
Value
this amp is deffinately worth the money. other amps may cost a little less but you wont get near the quality or the tone.
Manufacturer Support
to be honest support isnt the best. if anyhting should happen to your amp and you have to send it in, dont plan on having it back for a couple of weeks.
The Wow Factor
i personally think you have problems saying that an amp has sex appeal or that you could lust over it, but not too many other amps will give you the same tone for the money

Musical Style:

i like almost everything except country (some incredible bass players though)
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Submitted July 11, 2011 by a customer from buffalo.com

"Buyer beware!!"

Overall: 1.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
unsatisfied from the start. definitely looking to buy a different head now- probably a complete solid state. i chose this amp for it's tonal capabilies, which i will admit are vast, but the amp is difficult to use. poor craftsmanship and components are garbage. wouldn't pay over 300 dollars for an amp like this.
Sound
I tried and tried and tried and even with the 9 band eq and a sans amp vt bass i just couldn't dial in the tone i wanted. Unpredictable, tone changes, volume drops, etc. Can't turn this amp up very loud without peaking, tubes blow easily. Doesn't seem to pump out alleged 450 watts of power.
Features
As disappointed i am with this amp, i can't deny some of its useful features. Tuner out stays active even when mute button is on, 9band eq is nice for those looking for their perfect tone, switchable midrange is nice, and speakon / 1/4" speaker cable inputs a must
Ease of Use
so many tonal options, just couldn't find mine.
Quality
just had my second one malfunction. first one had power issue, just wouldn't turn on. tried everything, different outlets, different cords, etc. only had that one for about a month. and NOW, my second one is making this really horrible scratchy poppy noise that gets worse the longer i have it on! Terrible. only reason i gave it a 2 instead of a 1 is because the construction of the amp itself and it's knobs levers switches are all very heavy duty and seem to be well made.
Value
a thousand bucks for this piece of garbage? save yourself some money and go with a reliable solid state head.
Manufacturer Support
dealt with zzounds for the first amp that malfunctioned, and they were awesome. friendly, knowledgable support team, not on hold for very long before they picked up and helped me out. haven't dealt with ampeg- hoping they are the same way.
The Wow Factor
amp looks great and is rack mountable.

Musical Background:

active musician

Musical Style:

Rock / Indie
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Submitted August 29, 2018 by Fenix B in Kingman, AZ

"Just Unholy Thunder"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I have been a Musician and bass player for 36+ years Semi-pro and Now Pro player. I have played on everything you can think of, if you say it I have played it, plain and simple. I have only loved 2 amps in my whole life and when I gave up music years ago for a bit I sold the best amp in the world (Fender Bassman 100 1968 edition) and the second one was an Ampeg (don't remember the model but was tubes) this might be Love #3 but I knew that when I researched Heads, I went with the Pro 3 for weight for international shipping (touring) and I didn't go with the Pro 4. However I love the Pro 4 I figured I will try the Pro 3 and sure enough I was not let down by this unholy thunder I get from it, the guys in the band say they can feel their insides rumble when I crank this up, and things on the rehearsal walls tend to not stay on the walls. I only run an Alpha/Omega Dark Glass for some overdrive and Distortion punch in some parts of my playing. This thing has so many sounds and the EQ bar none is coolest thing, Right on the fly you can change your tone with a movement of the EQ. I will be thinking about getting a 2nd one for my rack because I love to have the thunder at my finger tips for those gigs that the sound guy is sleeping or playing words with friends! If you want a super heavy and flexible head and reliable then look no further. Ampeg has a history of making great amps, and Millions of players can't be wrong!

Musical Background:

I have been playing since I was 9 years old, 4 string bass player. Now in pro band FirstStrike®

Musical Style:

Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, Heavy Metal, Blues Metal, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal
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Submitted July 19, 2019 by Frank S in Las Vegas, NV

"Monster AMP!!!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This thing is a killer, and when you pair it up with an 8X10 SVT cab, you will blow away the guitar players and the drummer in your band! They will wonder if they will have brain trauma from the thunder that comes out of this Demon of an amp! I love it so much that I do plan on getting a back up one for the road sometime soon. If you are looking for pure madness in bottom end, then you have to get this amp. I cannot tell you how happy this has made me. I could rant for hours and tell you, but if you get a chance try one out!

Musical Background:

Over 38+ years playing Bass and then guitar.

Musical Style:

Rock and Roll, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Metal and Thrash Metal...
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"All the tone without all the pain in the ass of other companies."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Sound
Everything that a bass player needs PERIOD!
Features
Alot of options.
Quality
SLM manufactured in St. Louis Mo. The best made.
Value
For the money, you get the power and tone!
Manufacturer Support
TOTL> Top of the line.

Musical Style:

our own
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