SWR Goliath II vs. SWR Goliath III

[Ben Esparza]

This question has been raised before as I did a search on the subject, but there were not a lot of responses that really held a lot of weight. I've owned both but not at the same time so I was never able to A/B compare the cabs.

[lowmid1]

I had both at the same time. The 3 had more power handling, it was lighter and it was a little more modern sounding, scooped mids etc. The 2 was heavier, less power handling and way more mids. I tried to use them both together but the result was not to my liking.

[fenderslaper]

I have them both. I usually use the III alone, (it has wheels, the II doesn't) but have used them both together and liked it. My take on them differs from lowmid1 however. I think they sound pretty much alike. They have the same speakers and horn, and the same Xover. One is tube port in the back the other is slot port in the front. I haven't weighed them, but they feel about the same when lifted. Is there something specific you would like to know?

[chaosMK]

I thought that G2 was more scooped than G3. Anyone else have experience? I've owned the G3 and enjoyed it but found it incapable of powerful deep lows and low mids (at least when compared to my Mesa cab).

[SoonerMatt]

I own an early model (read: pre-Fender) G-Jr III and it has a scooped sound and a very hot tweeter. From what I've found the original difference between the GII and GIIIs was simply power handling but once Fender bought SWR they designed them to be more scooped.

[Ben Esparza]

Originally Posted by fenderslaper

Is there something specific you would like to know?

Well I usually play blues, R&B, Motown, Stax, I slap occasionally. Looking for a warmer sound with the punch that the 10's offer. While looking for a warmer sound, I still want to be able to pull out a slap tone when called for.

[fenderslaper]

In my opinion, either cab will do the job. I'm running mine with a Carvin bx500 and I play blues with a little funk/slap in the mix. I think it's all in the amp. I love my rig. Goliath cabs have been the watermark for bass cabs for a long time. I know there are more modern designs, but at least for me, they give what I need. YMMV,and all that stuff.

[lowmid1]

The G2 was shorter and weighed 10-15 pounds more than the 3. Reason being is that the 2 had a seperate chamber for each driver and each chamber was ported out through one large tube in the back. I guess the extra plywood accounted for the extra weight. I put mesa type removable wheels on mine because it was awkward to move. I used them with a variety of different amps both individually and together and my observation as well as bandmates and soundmen was that the 2 had more mids. With the amp set flat I could quickly get a similiar sound from each cab by using the "enhance" or "contour" with the 2 cabinet. Together they did not complement each other the way I had hoped so I ended up using a Goliath senior but individually they were great cabinets. I do think that the PAS drivers were very nice.

[DanGR]

I have owned both. Something that I have not seen and think worth mentioning is that SWR cabs with 10's have a "break in" period. After they have mellowed, the warmth is the same. I think the III has more presence 30+ feet out.

[Jim Carr]

Both good cabs. I liked my GII a lot, and used it for blues, R&B, slap, rock, country, etc. I had the impression that the GIII handled more power. They are both heavy.

When I bought my GII, it was used, I paid $240.