Q1) What is the Venture Series?
The Venture^® Series is an entirely new product family from Ampeg! Venture amplifiers and cabinets deliver the modern style and features sought by contemporary bassists—continuing a tradition of innovation that stretches back to the dawn of the electric bass. The ultra-portable Venture amplifier heads are small and light enough to fit into a gig bag, a laptop bag, or our optional Venture carrying bags, making them ideal for the travelling bassist. Venture amplifiers pack plenty of punch via their Class D power sections—more than enough power to drive any of the Venture Series speaker cabinets, or practically any other cab bassists may encounter on their travels.

Q2) What are the most notable features of Venture heads?
Easy-to-use and intuitive controls, a legacy preamp, 3-band EQ with sweepable mids, Ultra Hi and 3-way Ultra Lo switches, an enhanced Super Grit Technology™ (SGT™) overdrive circuit with SVT^® and B15 voicings, an effects loop, an XLR direct output, an Aux input, a Phones output, and Neutrik^® speakON^® high-performance speaker output jacks. The V12 and V7 amplifiers also include a variable one-knob compressor, and Preamp Out and Power Amp In jacks.

Q3) Are these heads tube or solid state?
They have solid-state preamps and Class D power amplifiers.

Q4) How was the Super Grit Technology overdrive circuit enhanced?
We started with the beloved SGT overdrive circuit found on our Rocket Bass^® amps and added a Voice switch that lets you choose between the sound of the studio stalwart B-15 or the monster grind of the legendary SVT. The Grit and Level controls, in tandem the Voice switch, make for a super-versatile overdrive that lets you go from mild tube fatness to all-out mayhem.

Q5) What’s the advantage of having an EQ with sweepable mids?
Lots of legacy Ampeg products have a Midrange boost/cut control combined with a 5-way Frequency control that selects the frequency to be boosted or cut. We replaced them with a single duo-concentric control that combines both functions, but instead of being limited to five fixed frequencies, one control sweeps the entire range including the “in between” frequencies. You can still dial in the same familiar sounds as before—but you can also get a little more nuanced or even surgical with your midrange tailoring if you choose.

Q6) Can Venture heads help me practice and rehearse?
Yes. Venture heads include a stereo 1/8" Aux input, allowing you to connect an audio player and play along with any music. Plus, as a bonus you can also feed your in-ear monitor mix through the amp for a better live performance experience.

Q7) What other EQ controls are there besides the 3-band EQ?
Venture heads also include our treasured Ultra Hi and 3-way Ultra Lo switches for added tonal flexibility.

Q8) What are the power ratings of the three heads?
The V12 is a whopping 1200 watts @4Ω and 1%THD, the ultra-compact V3 is rated at 300 watts @4Ω and 1%THD, and the V7 sits nicely in the middle at 700 watts @4Ω and 1%THD.

Q9) These heads look compact. Are they also light?
Each Venture head is 50-60% lighter than our Portaflex^® heads! The V12 weighs 8.3 lbs./3.76 kg, the V7 weighs 6.12 lbs./3.10 kg, and the V3 weighs just 3.9 lbs./1.77 kg.

Q10) What’s the full scope of the footswitch functionality?
A 1/4" TRS dual footswitch will remotely toggle the SGT circuit (tip) and Mute (ring) on/off. If you connect a TS single footswitch, it will toggle the SGT on/off. That works with Ampeg AFP-1, AFP-2, and AFS2 footswitches, or most other “latching” footswitches. The front panel SGT On/Off switch is disabled when a footswitch is connected to the Switch jack, while the front panel Mute switch remains functional when a footswitch is connected.

Q11) How do the V12, V7, and V3 heads differ?
Aside from their different output power ratings, the V12 and V7 have the following features that the V3 does not:

• Preamp Out and Power Amp In
• Mix control for the effects loop
• One-knob variable compressor
• Dual parallel Neutrik speakON speaker outputs (the V3 has a single Neutrik speakON/1/4" combo output)

Q12) What connector types are compatible with those different speaker outputs?

Neutrik NL2 and NL4 speakON connectors are both compatible with the V3 amp’s single Neutrik speakON/1/4" combo output, as are standard 1/4" connectors. The dual parallel Neutrik speakON speaker outputs on the V12 and V7 amps are only compatible with NL2 speakON connectors.

Q13) Where is the one-knob compressor placed in the V12 and V7 amps’ signal chains?
After the SGT but before the gain and tone controls.

Q14) Are there any accessories for the Venture heads?
Yes. Heavy duty padded Venture carry bags and the AFS2 footswitch are both available from the Ampeg Webshop: ampeg.com

Q15) Where can I find the technical specifications for the three heads?
Here you go:

FEATURE	VENTURE V12 - VALUES
Output Power Rating @ 1% THD (@ 4 Ohm)	100 VAC = 1032W 100-240 VAC = 1220W (The output delta is less than 1 dB between the two outputs at 100V and 240V, respectively.)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	80 dB (20 Hz–20 kHz unweighted)
Maximum Gain @ 1 kHz	65 dB
Input Impedance	1 Meg
Power Amp	Class D - ICE power (switching)
Tone Controls	Bass: +/- 14 dB @ 40 Hz Mid: +/- 14 dB @ selected frequency Treble: +17/–14 dB @ 4 kHz
Power Requirements	100 VAC 100-240 VAC 50-60Hz 1600W Max
Size (H x W x D)	3.1 x 14.6 x 10.8 in 77.8 x 370 x 273.8 mm
Weight (Approximate)	8.3 lbs 3.76 kg
All specifications subject to change.

FEATURE	VENTURE V7 - VALUES
Output Power Rating @ 1% THD (@ 4 Ohm)	100-240 VAC = 700W
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	80 dB (20 Hz–20 kHz unweighted)
Maximum Gain @ 1 kHz	60 dB
Input Impedance	1 Meg
Power Amp	Class D - ICE power (switching)
Tone Controls	Bass: +/- 14 dB @ 40 Hz Mid: +/- 14 dB @ 500 Hz Treble: +17/–14 dB @ 4 kHz
Power Requirements	100-240 VAC 50-60Hz 1000W Max
Size (H x W x D)	3.1 x 11.4 x 10 in 77.8 x 290 x 254 mm
Weight (Approximate)	6.12 lbs 3.10 kg
All specifications subject to change.

FEATURE	VENTURE V3 - VALUES
Output Power Rating @ 1% THD (@ 4 Ohm)	100-240 VAC = 310W
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	80 dB (20 Hz–20 kHz unweighted)
Maximum Gain @ 1 kHz	60 dB
Input Impedance	1 Meg
Power Amp	Class D - ICE power (switching)
Tone Controls	Bass: +/- 14 dB @ 40 Hz Mid: +/- 14 dB @ 500 Hz Treble: +17/–14 dB @ 4 kHz
Power Requirements	100-240 VAC 50-60Hz 450W Max
Size (H x W x D)	2.6 x 9.1 x 10.3 in 65 x 231 x 261.5 mm
Weight (Approximate)	3.9 lbs 1.77 kg
All specifications subject to change.

Q16) Why isn’t the V7 shipping until Spring 2024?
We are dedicated to making the most innovative, reliable, and roadworthy bass products available—and the V7 just needs a little additional development time to fully meet the high expectations of bassists such as yourself.

Q17) Will these Venture heads also do my laundry?
Let’s just say they won’t take you to the cleaners!

Neutrik and speakON are registered trademarks of Neutrik AG Corporation.