OP - do you know about the Aural Enhancer mod for the SWR amps? I did it on a couple of amps and they really opened up sonically, sitting in a live mix better.
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1991 SWR Pawnshop Score
- Thread starter Texan
- Start date
yeah i’m in the same boat as you… the days of playing shows with the swr rig are long past.
i’d love to see a small pedal builder make a batch of preamp pedals with any of those iconic swr voicings; i would buy in a heartbeat. i’ve seen lots of ampeg/gk/sunn/peavey preamp pedals that sound amazing… it’s time to give some love to swr! and i feel like i’ve seen a sm400 preset on a mass produced multi fx unit (maybe zoom?) and yes it’s hifi, but the tone similarities beyond that escape me… i’m guess i’m curious where does the magic actually come from? is it the tube in the preamp?
Things get particularly heavier at 2am.My experience is things get heavier over time! If it was only as bad as I remember that would be a win in my book.
One of my Korg DTR-1s lived there.
No issues with heat, other than the usual high temp nature of most things SWR.
- Feb 12, 2006
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- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
There are plenty of examples of heavy being unreliable too.
Great score! My Redhead, bought in 1987 and used regularly until 1996, was a workhorse. I got more mileage out of it than any amp I’ve ever owned, since I was typically doing an average of 5 gigs or rehearsals a week in that era when I wasn’t on the road.
I never found the weight to be an issue, but I was younger and stronger then and lightweight amps were not much of a thing yet. I appreciated the rack space, which was frequently occupied by some kind of processor. I had an early 80’s Music Man 212 cabinet that I was gifted at some point, and unexpectedly that was a great extension cab with the Redhead - when I hear recordings of that combination today it’s apparent that was one of the best sounding rigs I ever had.
I eventually discovered Euphonic Audio cabs sometime in the mid 90’s and they more or less pushed out all my SWR gear, including the Redhead. I have to say it served me very well, though!
I never found the weight to be an issue, but I was younger and stronger then and lightweight amps were not much of a thing yet. I appreciated the rack space, which was frequently occupied by some kind of processor. I had an early 80’s Music Man 212 cabinet that I was gifted at some point, and unexpectedly that was a great extension cab with the Redhead - when I hear recordings of that combination today it’s apparent that was one of the best sounding rigs I ever had.
I eventually discovered Euphonic Audio cabs sometime in the mid 90’s and they more or less pushed out all my SWR gear, including the Redhead. I have to say it served me very well, though!
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The Redhead is actually light when compared to what I have been using for gigging. No issues in more than 20 years, the most transparent amp I experienced.
I remember gigging in the mid 90s with a SWR Goliath 4x10 and I lived in a 3rd floor apartment. Needless to say at 3am getting to the door was like climbing My Everest holding an V8 engine block. Sounded amazing but it was deathly to lug around.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
I have a '91 Goliath and it clocks in at a solid 99lbs. I used to wear lugging it around as a badge of honor. Now it never leaves my studio. It's my home practice cab.
Thank you, I have been using it for a long time. It is challenging as you must have your chops right on -muting specially- since it will clearly amplify everything, good or bad.
In it's day, a Redhead (or the follow-on Super Redhead) sitting on a Goliath 410 was Big Medicine. But that day was long ago, a long with UK Trace Elliott.
A great deal (!) for a round-the-house amp, but for me too elderly too chance on paying gigs.
A great deal (!) for a round-the-house amp, but for me too elderly too chance on paying gigs.
There’s heavy and there’s efficient. Unless you have to carry these things up a long flight of stairs, you do not have to muscle them much more than a foot off the ground. Also, the leverage involved in sliding oblong cabs onto their backs (or fronts) into a truck, wagon, or SUV is reasonably manageable. None of that is present with the Redhead combo. It’s a genuine boulder.
and after a couple of post-gig drinks, they're like solid plutonium
I checked out a Metro and am happy that I went with the SRD, instead. The Eden was a fine amp but there was just something more-specialer® about the SWR.
