Help me decide, going for SWR sound.

[jsh008]

I'm getting close to playing out again after a long several year break. I sold off all my old amps and basses. I'm playing rock / southern rock. I don't have a bunch of money at my disposal but I do have a little, so I'll have to buy one piece at a time. My main basses are a Modulus M-92, and a Lakland 55-02d.

Right now I'm practicing through an Eden 2x10, powered by a QSC usa1310, and I'm using a zoom b2.1u as a preamp. The zoom does ok with the SWR amp modeling, but I obviously need to upgrade a bit.

My last rig that I loved was a super redhead with a son of bertha extension box. I LOVED the sounds I got out of it.

4x10, or 1x15 + 2x10?

So do I buy a amp first? Do I keep using the QSC and just buy a swr preamp? Then add a 1x15 and switch out the eden for a swr at a later date? or do I jump right into a 4x10?

Just looking for some advise on my next purchase . . .

[CrashClint]

At lot has to do with the size of venue. I owned a Super Redhead for 15 years and would supplement it with either the 115 or the 210 depending if I were playing in or out doors. Club owners would complain about 115 as it wasn't really focused, it was just boom boom boom. When I decided I wanted more punch I went with the 410 and picked up a used SWR 750 which would handle the 410 and 115 together nicely. During this time experimenting I ended up selling the 210 and the 115 as I found the 410 was a work horse and just sounded more defined and better then combining the other two cabs.

It will cost a little more, but the Epifani UL410 rocks. I can play any gig with a GB Shuttle 6 and a 4 Ohm UL410. The only time I have gone above half way on the amp was for an outside gig and it performed perfect.

[jellymax]

myself, i am through with mixing & matching speaker sizes. it really is a crap shoot,
although if you stay within 1 brand you may do better. if more volume is what
you need & you like the eden 210, get another one.

if you have enough volume & want a tone change, then maybe try one of those
new swr lightweigt heads

if i liked swr, i would get 1 of those new lightweight heads, next, one of their
lightweight 210 cabs, stack them tall ways. next, sell the eden, get a 2nd
swr light 210 stacked tall ways. Bam!

my $.02

[jsh008]

So what about getting a swr preamp since I already have a decent power plant (also have a rmx 2450 just sitting around) as opposed to just getting a swr power amp? are there any advantages either way other than obviously having more power available and room to add more cabs if I needed? maybe I just answered my own question . . . so would there be any advantages of having a swr amp over a preamp and my qsc's? Weight isn't really a problem for me, so . . .

[JimmyM]

not really. should work out about the same. the only pre they've got, i believe, is the marcus miller. definitely better than the zoom, although the zoom is pretty good for what it costs. so for that reason i'd look for a head. used swr heads can be tremendous deals.

[username1]

For less money than the swr preamp you could get the new swr headlite head. It is also smaller than the marcus miller preamp and should be loud enough with a 410 to cover almost any job. Don't let it's small size fool you, it's a kick ass head and has the classic swr sound with more options like being able to completely bypass the aural enhancer.

[T. Alan Smith]

If I were putting together a "modern SWR rig", I would give serious consideration to a Thunderfunk atop a Berg AE410.

[JimmyM]

lol! never thought i'd hear of swr as anything but modern, but i guess it's been around for close to 30 years now. wish i hadn't sold my sm-500. not because i'd still play it, but because i got so little money for it compared to the new price.

[yamaha]

I really like SWR. Especially their cabs. Most awesome tone I got was from a 1x18 big ben under a 4x10, all SWR. wow. Now, the only SWR I have left is a 6x10 Goliath sr, and it is amazing. With SWR, I would seriously consider the used market. I find crazy deals on lots of used SWR quite often. If you keep the QSC, I would try to find a used Grand Prix (Not bad preamp, i liked it a lot). Now I know you said SWR, but as a SWR fan myself, I found the ampeg SVP-CL to be quite clean, but much richer than the Grand prix. anyways.....

As for cabs, anything in the pro series is good. Funny though, out of the 20 or so products I tried from SWR, the Redhed, the son of Bertha, and the Goliath JR were my least favorite 3.

But I still think the Spellblinder (baby blue), and the wm10 were amongst the best sounding small combos I ever heard. The 4,6,and 8x10 goliaths are tone monsters, and x series amps, and workingpro AMPS (not the cabs) are top notch stuff.

[Jim C]

I'd suggest getting a used SM-400 amp; they have nearly 0 resale value (like $200-$300)and the pre-Fender units will last forever; very good design and high quality components.

I don't think you will find an SWR pre for less than $350.

That way you could spend $800 on a Go Light cab and have high volume, SWR sound, and light weight; or buy a used heavy SWR cab from back in the day.

[39-Bassist]

You could look for a SWR TRIAD which sounds pretty good or if you really want the SWR cabinet "tone" and don't mind the weight and bulk you can get a Goliath cab for under $700...just a thought.
I've played throught both and honestly the best SWR cabinet for tone was the Megoliath 8x10.....but triad works good for a portable full range cabinet too...

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by yamaha

But I still think the Spellblinder (baby blue), and the wm10 were amongst the best sounding small combos I ever heard.

I loved the SWR WM10. I used a Tube Works 4001 Tube DI in front of it and that little think rocked. I used it at rehearsals for a 10 piece horn band and it did just fine. Also worked for jazz gigs and as a monitor when I did bigger gigs with PA support. Great amp.

I'd probably still be playing one (maybe with that Neo speaker replacement mod I saw people doing) if I hadn't found Genz Benz.

[jsh008]

sounds like some good stuff here . . .I think I'll stay away from the triads though. I found what could be a good deal on a 350x, 550x, or a bass 750. Would a 350x be able to push a 4x10 and maybe a 2x10? or should I start off looking at the 550x or above?

[39-Bassist]

Go with the 550x it will benefit you in long run and will handle much better any cab you want to use....better more power than not enough....besides it also dependes how efficient your cabs are also....just a thought.

[yamaha]

If I'm not mistaken, the 550X has recently been discontinued (few months) from the SWR line up. You might be able to get some pretty good deals there. The bass series are supposed to be awesome, but I never had the opportunity to try one. I have never gigged with a SWR Amp (preamp, yes), but from most reports, they are not super loud vs stated wattage, so a 350x might be a little shy at pushing a 4x10 an maybe a 2x10.

[will33]

Originally Posted by Jim C

I'd suggest getting a used SM-400 amp; they have nearly 0 resale value (like $200-$300)and the pre-Fender units will last forever; very good design and high quality components.

.

+1 on the SM400, I really like mine, haven't had any problems with it and got it used for around 2 bills.

Pre-Fender SWR's, Pre-CBS Fenders, Jess Oliver Ampegs. Funny how things go downhill when the originator is gone and the beancounters get ahold of it.

[MrLenny1]

Add an Eden 2x10. The flexibility of 2 cabs is great, you can always add or leave one at home. I like JellyMax suggestion of stacking. That gets the sound out further and makes for a good monitor. Used Edens are as low as $350-400 even for newer XST models.

[Ronny49]

The SM 400 is definitely a good amp and yes, they can be had for low buck. I just picked one up off Craigslist in perfect condition for $175!! The seller also sold me a Goliath Jr III for $50!! He was hurtin' and needed to pay the rent. Sweet amp! Very punchy and especially hooked up to my SWR GoLight 410 cab. I now have a 210 on top of my 410. But I do want to get a GoLight 15" cab to go underneath the 410. There are some on ebay right now and you can also look on used.guitarcenter.com and enter SWR in the search field and select AMPS from the drop down and do a national search. Guitar center will ship their used stuff anywhere in the lower 48.

[jellymax]

swr also made another preamp called 'interstellar overdrive' i see them used for
$200-300 US