Fender Bassman 150 or SWR Workingpro 12?

[Orpheus55]

I play in a 10-piece rhythm & soul band that plays only gigs with 100% PA support. I basically only need a tilt-back stage monitor for close quarters work and have been considering these two. The Bassman 150 is a great value at MF closeout price ($350, was $499), and the reviews on the 200 watt SWR 12 are great. Anyone have experience with either of these in PA supported roles? I currently run a 2x10 avatar cab with a GK700RBII, which is more than enough for eveything we do and am looking to go more compact.

[JimmyM]

some people can hang with a single 12. i couldn't. it was loud enough and sounded good enough, but i felt it lacked the depth of a bigger cab. if you're willing to sacrifice tone for just a little more portability than what you have already, then either amp probably could work for you. but your current rig really isn't that big, and i'm not seeing much of an upside to downsizing even more.

out of those two amps, i'd probably go with the fender, but the swr is definitely comparable, it's just that i like the sound of the fender a little better and it looks cooler

[tramp]

I use a Bassman 150 and I like. I have played in a rhythm & blues band standing behind 4 horns with 100% PA. Even played an outside gig with it. I don't put a lot of bottom on it, I let the PA do that and everything works out fine. Right now I am in a 7 piece oldies band. Most of the time I bring my Bassman 150 and sometime I bring my Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 - 210t. Just depends how I feel. But I have no problem with bringing the 12"

[Orpheus55]

They are pretty comparable, 150 to 200 watts, so I'm thinking reliability would be important. As I understand it, SWR is now owned by Fender, and I'm wondering if the "true" Fender brand might be a factor. It does have an eminence speaker. Plus, I like the simplicity of the control layout; the gain+volume thing on the SWR seems a lot for a small package. $200 price difference is something, as the bassman is discounted for closeout. Any love for the SWR workingpro out there?

[tramp]

I had an SWR workingman's 15 and I didn't care for it. I couldn't dial in the tone that I wanted. I sold it and bought the Genz Benz. With the Bassman I have no problem dialing in the tone.

[Orpheus55]

Yeah, the bassman is hard to resist at the current price, and it is a bit lighter. I got by for years with a Kickback 15, even at large gigs, so I'm leaning toward the Fender.

[Bassman 100]

I played the tilt back Fender Bassman 100 version for years. It's DI to house was just amazing. I regret selling it to trade up. Mine did develope dirty pots after one year, but in saying that; I had had my eye on it for over a year in the store, so I got the old shop display model at €500, At the price, you can't go wrong. I couldn't handle the weight of the Fender 150. When I compared the Fender 100 to the Roland Cube 100, there was no contest, Fender won hands down. That's my experience.

[Son of Bovril]

if the SWR is anything like the onld workingman 15 I had, I would take the Fender over it. The SWR has some nice tones in it but I had to fight for years to find them and could never get a deep + full low end out of it no matter how I tried. I ended replacing it with a rumble 100 and was much happier... no eqing neccesary, just plug and play