That Sound (SWR / Aguilar)

[Judge2k11]

Hey folks,

I just signed up to the forum. I am a returning bass player who "retired" in 2007 to play drums in a jazz band. Though I am still playing with the jazz band, I have recently gotten the urge to get back into bass as well.

The main reason for "retiring" from bass was because my back was giving me so many problems, I couldn't even stand up with my bass any longer. I have since gotten into better shape and have done lots of physio to correct my back problems. I guess 4 years of sitting helped too

So, I am now looking to buy some bass gear. I am definitely looking for something LIGHT and easy to transport. Looking around at reviews and listening to clips on YT, I think I have narrowed down my amp search to either the SWR Headlite or the Aguilar TH500. I like the tone that the SWR puts out, but those new lightweight Aguilar cabs look sweet.

I like my bass tone to be as pure as possible but really round and punchy. In the past I've owned an Eden WT550, an Ampeg SVT 3Pro, an Ashdown Mag 300, a Yorkville XS400, and my last amp was an Eden Nemesis 600. To be quite honest, probably the sound I've liked best through the years is the Hartke 3500 through the XL cabs (though I've never owned one)but those Hartke heads are just to darn heavy. My next favourite head was the Yorkville XS400 that I ran through my Ampeg 6x10. Again, the XS400 is too heavy for me to cart around.

So, finally, the question...LOL. My question is not which head is better between the SWR and the Aguilar. My question is really about the Aguilar "sound". What exactly is the Aguilar sound? From the limited clips I could find on YT, there always seems to be a lot of grit in the mix. That is something that I am really not interested in. Can anyone clue me in a little more on what makes that Aguilar sound?

Much Thanks in Advance!

[Mcrelly]

can you get out and try out some swr and aguilar gear in montreal? I personally started with SWR went to rbi/stewart amps, then eden 550. cabs have been swr 12s, aguilar gs112s and bergantino 112. I like the edens heavy thick low end, plus the fine tuneable mids. while purchasing my gs112s from a heavy aggie supporting dealer I did try the aguilar 500. looking back on my swr 350 head compared to aguilar the aguilar is warmer on the low end and smoother in the highs. eden is even thicker when you want it to.. don't know about the swr headlite.

if you want light cab suggestions try epifani UL2 series cabs sound nice and were the lightest I could find, but about 50% more $$ than aguilar gs.

also check out this... basstasters.com || welcome

[gillento]

I would include the GenzBenz Streamliner 600 as well.
I have been using it lately with a couple of Aguilar SL112 cabs and I prefer it over the TH500 by Aguilar. It sounds punchier & thicker, more "all tube" like ... (that comes from a guy who has been favoring SS sounding heads for more than a decade....)