NAD: SWR Workingman's 10 - good choice?

Was looking for a decent practice amp (I'm fairly new to bass) with direct out that I could lay down some basic scratch tracks and practice. For the price, sounded as good as anything new in a similar price range. Seems like a decent amp, but I'll probably do something about that handle....

I have 30 days to give it a spin, should I consider anything else <= $200 or did I do ok (seriously, I don't know.)

Thanks,




Its gonna be paired with an Ibanez Black Eagle re-issue:

 

Everything seems to work fine - its loud enough for what I need. I still need to test out the direct out into the console, but apart from that, seems solid.

Sound-wise, I compared this against a Fender Rumble 40, Hartke 50, and Ampeg BA110. The Rumble seemed “soft” while the Hartke seemed to “punch” the best. I tried two different Ampegs and one sounded good while the other seemed just so-so. Thought I’d really go for the Ampeg, but that could have just been mental association with the brand. I think to get xlr out in anything new, it was putting me over $200 and that killed those more than anything.

The SWR seemed to punch like the Hartke, but have slightly less of an edge to it - not sure if that makes sense (I probably dialed everything in at noon on both, just as a rudimentary comparison.) Anyway, for price, sound, and a direct out, it seemed to fit the bill.

I just don’t know how well the SWR stuff holds up - read about a few of them cooking themselves, but that may have been with an extension cabinet configuration at lower impedance. I won’t run it anywhere near its design limits.

Seems like “weight” is the main thing retiring this older gear, at least in the “portable” packages. Or did you just find a sound you liked better, or needed larger setup?

 

Thanks for the suggestion - I just don't think I need that much power right now - not gigging, just creating basslines for music I am writing and wanting an authentic sound over something sampled.

Thank you, appreciate the input.