• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Anyone else dislike SWR?

#21
I had a Goliath Sr , pre Fender. You'ld be hardpresed to come up with a better sounding LOUDER cab than that.

A workingman 15 will do just that. It will cover just about any working gig.

And it's hard to match the power and drive of a pre Fender RedHead.

An amps a tool. Let's face it a P Bass through an Ampeg porto just sits better than the best dog you've ever known. And SWR won't do that. But bring your Porto to a real gig with a Drummer wannabe and you'll wish you had that RedHead.
 
#22
My first "real" bass amp was a SWR Workingman. That was about 15 years ago. Since then I've been through about every major brand out there. I've now come full circle and am playing through a SWR Workingpro head as part of my stereo rig. I actually like the "baked in" low mid cut. My ears have always perceived that roughly 200hz area as mud. To each their own though.
 
#23
To me at least, the SWR sounds reflects that it was formulated back in the early 80's when most bass amps were muddy as hell. So they went the entire opposite direction. Razor sharp treble, sucked out low mids. I have to admit it really works well for some basses, in some bands. But for me, my Musicman basses sound like dental surgery through an SWR. Too much upper mid.
 
#25
SWR WM 1x15 = Great cab
SWR GIII = Sold, *nothing* on Mesa PH 4x10
SWR Son of Bertha = Sold, prefered the WM more
SWR Baby Blue = Sold, just to clean for me. Even with Sansamp I couldnt get a tone more than 60% of what I like
SWR Megoliath = Current cab. Absolute Link Removed, voiced right for me.

I guess I am just a huge low mids guy. I'd never buy one of their heads.
 
#27
chaosMK said:
SWR WM 1x15 = Great cab
SWR GIII = Sold, *nothing* on Mesa PH 4x10
SWR Son of Bertha = Sold, prefered the WM more
SWR Baby Blue = Sold, just to clean for me. Even with Sansamp I couldnt get a tone more than 60% of what I like
SWR Megoliath = Current cab. Absolute monster, voiced right for me.

I guess I am just a huge low mids guy.
Click to expand...

Wow - I haven't heard of too many folks who didn't like their Baby Blues.
I love my mine, especially for recording & for some of the smaller acoustic music gigs I've been doing on the side lately. The Baby Blue is super-clean, but it responds very well to overdrive & distortion pedals.
I just picked up an EBS Micro Bass, and used as a pre, with the tube sim button on & the drive control set around 20%, the Baby Blue delivers some really nice grind, especially with my Jazz Bass & my Spectors.
:bassist:
 
#28
I play through a WorkingPro 400 through a Fender 410 Pro ST (and at times combined with a Carvin 410), and it took quite a while before I found the tone I wanted out of my P-Bass. I was just about to give up on it.

I was unaware of the baked in mid cut, but I find it a bit funny because I didn't find my tone until I set the mid sweep to 200 and boosted to about 2 o'clock on the mids. I also increased the gain to just a smidge above 3'o'clock and she sings now. It's a good growly tone and if I dig in with a pick I can get it to grow just a touch of hair... just the thing I needed in the rock 3 piece I play in. :bassist:
 
#34
Amps are distinct from each other. There are qualities that Edens, Markbass, Trace, EA, etc. have that could invoke a similar thread. In fact each manufacturer has it's own idiosyncrasies that make or break it for you the consumer.

Tuck 'n Roll. Okay I owned and used.
Edens had too much of a signature sound, present.
Yellow cones.:eek:
THD just too much for me.
Too much of a signature sound in another direction.
Too much chrome.
Too HiFi.
Too Vintage Old School.
Too SS sounding, whatever that means.
Too tube sounding, whatever that means.
Too gritty all the time.
Reproduces half of the notes you play through it. PM me if you want to know about that.:)
Too small falls off my cab if the hi hat swoosh is too close.
Too heavy.
Too big for what it does.
Too big because I sleep in my car.
Won't fit on subway.
Poorly made. Cabs bad, amps good. Cabs good, amp bad.
Too expensive.
Terrible customer service.
Unreliable.
Bad design or implementation of said design.
Sold at GC.
Not sold at GC.
Amp of the week on TB.

:):)

Yet if you call yourself a musician, show up and get a passable to excellent sound out of it if it's your backline.
 
#35
The older Goliath 4x10" cabinets sounded great. I am not a huge fan of their heads as I find them a bit thin sounding, but for some they work well.

Also as a professional player... while I can get a pretty good tone out of most backlines, that doesn't mean I like it ;)
 
#36
AMJBASS said:
The older Goliath 4x10" cabinets sounded great. I am not a huge fan of their heads as I find them a bit thin sounding, but for some they work well.

Also as a professional player... while I can get a pretty good tone out of most backlines, that doesn't mean I like it ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree, I don't have to like it! :)

I find that SWR heads and cabs work well with basses that have a very strong sound and require little if any help from the head's eq. Of course there are exceptions. Just my mileage.:)
 
#38
Ive always wanted to try a bass VI on a 750x with the sub bass switch turned on. . .

I have a friend thats in a metal band local that uses SWR amps with ampeg cabs and hes always had a great modern metal tone. . . .
 
#39
I used an SM 400 with a 4 x 10 Goliath for many years...it always got the job done. I moved on to different brands but still have a 4 Ohm Goliath 4 x 10 in my arsenal of cabs..its a classic and it sounds great.

I could never get a good sound from the Triad cabinet ??
 
#40
Rocking a GKMB200 through a SWR JR2x10, perhaps its because i dont have a SWR head but personally i find the sound perfect, crisp lows, great scoop and clear highs, my musicman stingray sounds perfect through it, although SWR + P-bass with flats = yucky imo. Some people were mentioning the GK SWR combo, ima defs a big fan of that
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back