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Bag End vs SWR ? (and Mesa )

mb94952

mb94952

Endorsing Artist : SFARZO STRINGS
Inactive
Supporting Member
Apr 16, 2007
9,437
8,453
57
Petaluma, California 94952
www.reverbnation.com
#1
Hey there. I have done a Google search as to not make another thread of many, but there was only one other one here and only had maybe a few responses.

As an Alembic / Cirrus owner / player too, I want to get the most out of my rig. Also, I am getting older and want to downsize gear and end up ultimately with a few rigs to choose from. I am currently playing through my SWR Baby Blue II head and SWR Marcus Miller GoLight 210 and 410 cabs. At the studio I have my SWR Bass 350 burgundy head through a Peavey 210. I also am going to take my Mesa M6 Carbine to replace the Bass 350 this week at the studio.

Would I be making a lateral move to Bag End from SWR / Mesa or is there a magical component I'm missing ? I know the two companies were a good apples to apples comparison.
 
#3
mmbongo said:
Just curious...why Bag End? What are you looking to gain?

Also, you said you would be moving away from SWR/Mesa but you didn't list any Mesa gear that you have.
Click to expand...
No, I am not moving away from, just entertaining the idea because I saw a used Bag End powered cab. Mesa M6 Carbine. I also have a Walkabout head. Ultimately, I'd like to get down to two or three "compact" rigs.

Good question - What am I trying to gain ? Not sure.
 
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#8
I’ll definitely agree with some of the sentiments here. You have a decent rig and if it sounds good, it is good. No reason to upgrade just in case you’re missing out on something. If there’s a particular sound or vibe you’re trying to achieve that you aren’t able to get with your current stuff then I’d start to look around.

Downsizing is definitely a concern though and there are plenty of lightweight options, though I don’t know how much lighter than the GoLights any other cabs would be. I unfortunately don’t have any experience with them, or the powered or neo Bag Ends, but I do have a couple of the older passive ceramic Bag End 15’s that I adore. Favorite cabs I’ve ever owned. Though, they’re on the heavier side and color your tone in a fairly significant way. I love the coloration/tone profile of them, but it’s not subtle. I have also had a chance to play an older ceramic magnet speaker version of the Bag End 210 and found it to sound really great. More full range and modern than the S15D’s I have. Again, not sure how different it is from a powered one or a newer neo speaker one.

And, in the name of total transparency, I’ve never found an SWR rig that I got along with, so I may not be the best person to weight in.

I can totally relate to wanting a more modular rig that you can kind of add to or take away from as needed. In my opinion, I think the best way to go for that kind of thing is to have multiple of the same smaller 8ohm speaker (112, 115, 210, etc.) and then a lightweight head or two that can power 2 or 3 of the cabs. That way you can scale up or down as needed and you can run all 3 (or 4!!) cabs for really big shows, or just take 1 cab for small gigs or rehearsals. And you get consistency of tone wherever you are.
 
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#10
ric4682 said:
I can totally relate to wanting a more modular rig that you can kind of add to or take away from as needed. In my opinion, I think the best way to go for that kind of thing is to have multiple of the same smaller 8ohm speaker (112, 115, 210, etc.) and then a lightweight head or two that can power 2 or 3 of the cabs. That way you can scale up or down as needed and you can run all 3 (or 4!!) cabs for really big shows, or just take 1 cab for small gigs or rehearsals. And you get consistency of tone wherever you are.
Click to expand...
I completely agree with this. Bass amplification has advanced at an exponential rate over the past 20 years and small, lightweight, compact cabs can do the work of much larger, heavier, older cabs now.

Since you're fond of the SWR stuff, I'm going to make an assumption that you like the "baked in" sound of David Nordschow's designs. I'm of the opinion that, when he started Eden after leaving SWR, his cabinets got better and that, when he sold Eden and started DNA his cabs got better still. Given what ric4682 stated above about modular rigs made up of small cabinets that can be added or subtracted to suit the gig, I would entertain the idea of using a rig made up of multiple DNA 112 or 210 cabinets, which would give you a sound that's directly descended from a sound you already know you like.
Also worth considering are LDS 112 or 210 cabs as Don Oatman has used the sound of Eden cabs as an influence on his designs if I'm not mistaken and my one (ceramic) LDS 112 supports that theory.

My only experience with Bag End is with their older, ceramic 115 cabs, which were really great but I don't consider them to be an 'apples to apples' comparison with SWR at all. They had a much different sound. Both companies made great cabs but I don't think they were even remotely similar.

Whatever you end up doing, keep your existing rig until you're sure you like any new stuff better because it sounds to me like you have a sound you're happy with currently and it would be a shame to lose that on speculation.
 
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#11
Dave W said:
Specifically what cab?

I used to use a pair of Bag End S15D’s. They were absolutely fantastic although a little lighter on the low end from what I remember. I got a lot of tone compliments with those cabs.
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Specifically the 55 lb powered cab on GC Used. It is called the Bag End PD10BX and it's a big investment even used.
https://bagend.com/product/pd10bx-n-bag-end-musical/

Thanks everyone for your excellent, supportive answers. I am just curious and I agree 100% that "If it's good, it IS good." I am very happy with my current rigs.

I know Bag End is usually a very heavy cab, and 55 lbs is the exception.
 
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#13
mb94952 said:
No, I am not moving away from, just entertaining the idea because I saw a used Bag End powered cab. Mesa M6 Carbine. I also have a Walkabout head. Ultimately, I'd like to get down to two or three "compact" rigs.

Good question - What am I trying to gain ? Not sure.
Click to expand...
What would be more liberating than a good ol' fashioned GEAR PURGE?

IF it were me, I'd clean your stuff, load it all up and drive to the best GC you know about and create a pile of working capital. Then look on TB Classifieds, your AREA stores/private listings and Reverb. Then put a MESA Subway head/cab(s) rig together. Leave a cab @ the studio and two @ home/car.

You'll be glad you did...!
 
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#15
I have a BagEnd 1x15 cab that weighs 37 lbs. I use it for my little gig cab. I power it with a SWR Bass 350 (chrome) head. I use a SWR Goliath JR 2x10 and a Son of Bertha 1x15 with a SWR SM500 for my larger gig rig. The SWR cabs are not heavy to me, if they were, they would be replaced.
 
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#16
I rocked an Alembic for several years and I’ve owned Bag End and currently own an SWR cab. I was (and am) very happy about my experiences with both. I’ve also got a lot of experience with various Mesa amps and cabs. And I really liked those too.

If I were shopping for a new cab right now I’d definitely consider Mesa as my first choice out of the three you’re looking at. Because while all three will deliver a great bass sound, Mesa has the advantages of: (a) still being in production unlike SWR; and (b) being known and more popular than Bag End - which means a higher resale value if you ever decide you want to get something else someday. Mesa’s service is also the best out there IMO.

So unless you want to take a chance on an orphan amp/cab line (with the original speakers since IMO it was the now long discontinued PAS drivers that set the Goliath series cabs apart) I’d probably avoid SWR unless you really want one and can get a good deal in it.

Still, as others suggested, if you still like what you currently have - and don’t have a clear idea of what you may want to migrate to - you’re probably better off holding off on buying something else for the time being. “Bird in the hand” as the saying goes n’est-ce pas? ;):)
 
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#17
ric4682 said:
I’ll definitely agree with some of the sentiments here. You have a decent rig and if it sounds good, it is good. No reason to upgrade just in case you’re missing out on something. If there’s a particular sound or vibe you’re trying to achieve that you aren’t able to get with your current stuff then I’d start to look around.

Downsizing is definitely a concern though and there are plenty of lightweight options, though I don’t know how much lighter than the GoLights any other cabs would be. I unfortunately don’t have any experience with them, or the powered or neo Bag Ends, but I do have a couple of the older passive ceramic Bag End 15’s that I adore. Favorite cabs I’ve ever owned. Though, they’re on the heavier side and color your tone in a fairly significant way. I love the coloration/tone profile of them, but it’s not subtle. I have also had a chance to play an older ceramic magnet speaker version of the Bag End 210 and found it to sound really great. More full range and modern than the S15D’s I have. Again, not sure how different it is from a powered one or a newer neo speaker one.

And, in the name of total transparency, I’ve never found an SWR rig that I got along with, so I may not be the best person to weight in.

I can totally relate to wanting a more modular rig that you can kind of add to or take away from as needed. In my opinion, I think the best way to go for that kind of thing is to have multiple of the same smaller 8ohm speaker (112, 115, 210, etc.) and then a lightweight head or two that can power 2 or 3 of the cabs. That way you can scale up or down as needed and you can run all 3 (or 4!!) cabs for really big shows, or just take 1 cab for small gigs or rehearsals. And you get consistency of tone wherever you are.
Click to expand...
Here ya go ...
Mesa.jpg
 
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