SWR 550X... for classic rock???

Southpaw5 · #1 10-11-2010, 11:58 AM

So let me start by saying I love this rig for what I play for fun, slap and funk fingerstyle. But i play in a rock band that is a bit more classic rock and am trying to dial in a good sound for this. with my old peavey tko i'd just turn the eq into a frown and be done, but I can't seem to get what I want out of this yet. Can I get around the scooped out sound without losing the bottom? BTW I'm playing through a Goliath 2 4x10 and a Goliath 3 jr 2x10.The bass for gigs and band practice is a Fender jazz w/flats. Does anyone else use this kind of gear to get that kind of sound or am I grasping at straws to avoid buying a different setup? Buying a new or even used rig isn't really an option now.

natw42 · #2 10-11-2010, 01:09 PM

My swr experience - Workingman Pro 15, Silverado Special, LA15. So not what you've been using, but I'm familiar with the pre on most swrs.

My recommendations - Make sure that Aural Enhancer is all the way down. Dial in some low mids. Crank the volume and use a lighter touch.

To be honest, I always found swr's a little lacking in terms of that low end juiciness needed for rock. YMMV, IMHO, blahbitty blah blah.

But you might be able to get something usable.

anderbass · #3 10-11-2010, 01:26 PM

It really sounds like you just need a VT pedal. Do a search and you'll find lots of info/threads here about them.

dannoman · #4 10-11-2010, 01:33 PM

I use a 550X with an Ampeg 8x10 and my sound if very classic imo. I have the bass, mids and treble set around the 1-2 o'clock area.

My main basses are Yamaha Attitude and a MTD Kingston Saratoga 5 stringer (both passive) among several other basses and Rotosound rounds on all my basses. I personally think the reason is no tweeters. I love this sound, its full with lots of growl but still has definition, harmonics ring out like crazy, don't really slap that much but what little i do it works fine...

ursus · #5 10-11-2010, 02:40 PM

I use a SWR 550X together with a Berg AE410 or two TKS 1x12 cabs (with no tweeters) I´m very pleased with this amp. I play rock, funk and soul.

Southpaw5 · #6 10-18-2010, 10:13 AM

Bump for more responses

bassyRyan · #7 10-23-2010, 10:51 PM

I have been playing SWR (350, 750 heads, Goliath and Son Of Bertha cabs) for almost a decade in a classic rock setting and know of what you speak. I never liked my tone and always found it lacking until I bought a Sansamp BDDI and eventually a VTBass. Problem solved.

JimmyM · #8 10-23-2010, 10:57 PM

it's hard to argue with ampeg tone for classic rock and i love the vt. but honestly, i never had a problem getting a good sound for classic rock with the swr sm-500 i used to have. just boost the mids and don't cut the low end. i used to have a pretty significant mid boost on it to get it to work for me, and never really lacked low end.

will33 · #9 10-23-2010, 11:05 PM

Most SWR's have an innate tone profile that takes out some of the strong lowmids you want for rock. Try cutting out the deep bass and putting in a healthy boost around 200-250. Take out the high treble and see how you like it.

bassyRyan · #10 10-23-2010, 11:22 PM

The SWR cabs are excellent for rock, the heads...not so much. I am not going to jump on the "natural scoop" bandwagon but I will say that SWR (350, 550, 750) heads are inherantly sterile sounding, despite a tube preamp (Hartke's sound warmer for crying out loud). One can absolutely dial up a good tone using SWR heads, especially in conjunction with their cabs, but for "classic" rock, it has always needed help, IMO. As far as the SM series goes, they are voiced slightly differently from the rest of the line and represent the core of what made SWR big. Still, based on experience, I would take SWR on tour before any brand that I have owned.

will33 · #11 10-23-2010, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southpaw5

Does anyone else use this kind of gear to get that kind of sound or am I grasping at straws to avoid buying a different setup? Buying a new or even used rig isn't really an option now.

If you can operate a solder iron, there is a simple mod you can do without even buying any parts, read through this thread, the graphs tell the story.

SWR Aural Enhancer Bypass

Even if you don't want to do the mod, you can mimick it by making a couple tone knob adjusments. Do the 200-300hz boost using one of your mid sweeps. Then you can suck out the extreme lows that'll get lost in the mix anyway 1 of 2 ways. You can either turn your lowest sweep all the way down to 30-40hz or however low it goes and chop it all the way, or you can chop your bass knob to get rid of all the lowend and then put it back in around 80hz using a boost there on your lowest sweep.

I play an SM400S and have never had a problem getting nice fat tones for R&B/motown or classic/hard rock but they won't come naturally, takes a little knob turning. If you do the mod, that will become the natural voicing of the amp meaning if you want to get back to the nice funk/slap setting you scoop out what you put in by doing the mod. Also note how to really operate the aural enhancer. As long as you keep it below noon, it's a gain boost that'll fatten up the sound without scooping out any mids. Get above noon and it starts to do the "V" eq thing taking you back to the scooped funk/slap thing. That's stuff sounds good in certain settings but will leave you totally lost in a thick rock mix.

will33 · #12 10-23-2010, 11:49 PM

Should note that I've been meaning to do the mod but haven't yet and still don't have a problem getting good tone. Which way to taylor the lowend will likely depend on your speakers and how they react to it. If you do the "cut out the lows with the bass knob and put it back in where you want it" method, fish around on the freq. sweep knob to find a sweet spot, it may vary with various cabs. I wouldn't think you need a different amp at all provided yours works like it should, these things have a ton of eq control but that also means more fiddling, not exactly plug-n-play.

Look at the graphs in the mod thread and even if you don't do the mod, use that info to really know what you're lacking/what you need and use the knobs to get it. Basically correct for SWR's inherent tone. The eq possibilities on these amps are pretty far reaching, more than some folks care to deal with.

beyondthe48 · #13 10-16-2011, 11:16 AM

i like mine, i basically dialed in the suggested tone by will33 just by ear. its a solid amp that has good features and was a great amp for doing 2 bands (ambient and rock) if i just played rock i might try the SM400s or an acoustic.

getting it new in box for 400$ was great too, thats all i had for an amp and i found it to be better IMO than the hartke 3500 the carvin bx500 and basically equal with the GK400RB2 (which was a close second)