SWR WM 12 w/ Kydd EUB

[spcmstrbtasp]

I rarely post to this forum as I play a Kydd eub and not an actual double bass, but this seemed like the right place for this-

I recently had the opportunity to pick up a Pre-Fender SWR WM12 combo at a fire sale price that I couldn't turn down. I used it at a practice with an alt country 4 piece (ac gtr/vox , organ, drums, bass) immediately that evening. I am posting this because I was much more impressed than I ever thought I would be. Astonished and mystified is more like it...

My main rig for eb and eub is of late a MB LM2 and a Bag End S15XD. I also run a small pedal board with both a SABDDI and a SAAcoustic DI on it. I use the BDDI for EB and flavor and the Acoustic DI for EUB to buffer the Piezo on the KYDD.

Surprisingly, the SWR held up volume and tone wise w/o the need for the Acoustic DI inline. With other amps I've not been able to do this and achieve an acceptable level, though I can get a decent tone depending on the head.

In the past I've had the best (most authentic sounding) results with a GK 200MB, and slightly less good results with my MB LM2 and first gen Clarus heads. However, in nearly every case, I've liked the sound better with an additional pre-amp. At first it was a Fishman B100 and now the SansAmp Acoustic DI. Usually, w/o the pre, the sound from the Kydd is too thin to work in a band setting- but such is not the case with this SWR WM12! The low end was there with just a modest boost of that control- just past the center detent. Surprisingly, the highs and mids were less harsh than they are with the LM2 and even the well respected Clarus. I expected the SWR highs to be brittle. Granted I'd dialed back the treble control on the SWR quite a bit. Also, I was running the master volume at only 10:00 at the most, so not cranked though the input volume was at nearly 5:00.

So I am posting this here to see if anyone else has had a similar experience. It has me thinking about looking for a head that will give me similar results with the Bag End S15DX. I'm wondering now about the older SWR 350 heads.

However, one thing that concerns me is the hf response. Not to sound contradictory, but one thing I love about the MB LM2 and the Bag End is how well the VLE tames the coax horn. Still it is tough to get rid of the piezo brightness while retaining an element of percussion on the Kydd with the MB LM2. On the WM 12 I turned the piezo tweeter off completely, and the highs were more to my liking and fit in the mix better than they do with the Markbass or the Clarus.

I'm open to the possibility that this may all be an acoustical trick in that this band is at such a lower volume than my other gigs that I won't be able to achieve the tone I heard at rehearsal live, but only time will tell. Either way, I couldn't be happier with the WM12 in this setting, shocked as I am at that conclusion.

I look forward to your responses.

[fingers]

The WM12 is a great amp. I had one for years. I ended up moving to something smaller but for no other reason than size and weight. The tone was great. I did run it with the tweeter off though. It was crossed over at such a high frequency that all I got out of there was hiss and fingernoise.

[McGryff]

I'll have to agree with Marc here... I own one and it does a great job. The only misgivings I have with it are the size & weight. I can't do anything about it now, but it'll eventually be replaced by something more micro, but not just because of the tone; that part's fine.

[tornadobass]

I owned one for several years and loved it for electric bass.

For EUB and double bass with a pickup, I never found the sound I wanted. Always seemed too scooped, with lots of boom and clank but missing the middle of the sound. Finally sold it and am either using a Clarus/Wizzy setup or a GK MB150 combo.

The WM12 is okay if you leave it in one place, but seems clumsy to carry around without a little cart...pretty heavy compared to more recent gear.

[spcmstrbtasp]

Oh yeah, and I was also astounded at just how heavy it is...I've been spoiled by today's ultralight gear. Maybe, if the driver wears out, I'll consider replacing it with a neo Deltalite or something, but that would change the sound too...so who knows...

For now, it stays where that band rehearses

[tornadobass]

I think in this case it's not the speaker weight as much as the cab weight...it's built from MDF rather than plywood.

[spcmstrbtasp]

Wow, I didn't realize that SWR used that material. I thought all their stuff was birch ply. I guess any weight reduction would help though...