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NCD: SWR Henry the 8x8

#21
I bought one new back when pterodactyls clouded the skies. I used it with an Alembic FX1 preamp into an SWR Stereo 800 amp for several years. I switched to using a pair of Henry Jr. 4X8 cabs with an SM400s head. They have a very similar sound provided there is a bit of distance between the back wall of the stage and the Henry Jr. (The Jrs are rear-ported while the Srs are front ported, so placement matters.) The Jrs only weigh about 35 pounds, so they're a breeze to move. I very rarely use an amp anymore, but when I do, it's usually into a pair of Henry Jrs. They're exceedingly hard to find now, but definitely worth checking out. I took a couple of pics while cleaning gear in the garage about a decade ago.
 

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#22
They also work well with ACME B2's. Below is the VERY LARGE outdoor stage rig with no side fills for bass so this allowed me to be heard all over the stage and then some. The 8x8 alone works great in clubs we've been in that have issues with FOH providing bass on stage. As mentioned above, do not treat it as a sub or a 15 cab. The ACME's are giving me plenty of lows on the rig below. A QSC 2402 is run stereo with one side to ACME's and one side to Henry. DBX 166xL is for speaker protection mainly.

OutdoorRigFXd 102508.JPG


I mixed driver sizes and lived to tell about it !!!!
 
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#25
Johnny Crab said:
They also work well with ACME B2's. Below is the VERY LARGE outdoor stage rig with no side fills for bass so this allowed me to be heard all over the stage and then some. The 8x8 alone works great in clubs we've been in that have issues with FOH providing bass on stage. As mentioned above, do not treat it as a sub or a 15 cab. The ACME's are giving me plenty of lows on the rig below. A QSC 2402 is run stereo with one side to ACME's and one side to Henry. DBX 166xL is for speaker protection mainly.

View attachment 1113216

I mixed driver sizes and lived to tell about it !!!!
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Nice basses! Triple humbuckers!? Oh my!
Gimme!
 
#27
So, it's come to my attention that I can get a V4b or SVT-CL for a crazy good price. Anyone have experience with either head through the Henry?

I'm concerned the V4b won't put out enough. I'm currently running my TH500 at 2 o'clock on the gain and 9 o'clock on the master. My worry with the SVT is murdering those 8s. Thoughts?
 
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#28
Nathanlwbc said:
Just picked this guy up from GC's used inventory.

My first impression is that it's louder than I expected, easier to move than I expected and takes all of the dirt I'm throwing at it from my amp (TH500)/board extremely well.

Trying it out with my noisy rock band tonight!
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If you don't mind me asking, how much was it?

And to others familiar with this cab, what is a fair price for it?
 
#29
I used to have a henry 8x8 and loved it while using a solid state power amp with it.
I then switched to using my all tube amps and ended up blowing 3 different speakers in it! It did not seem to like tube amps at all, at least for me. I didn't have the bass cranked and wasn't playing extremely loud either.
Replaced the speakers and got rid of it as quick as I could.
You may have better luck...

Nathanlwbc said:
So, it's come to my attention that I can get a V4b or SVT-CL for a crazy good price. Anyone have experience with either head through the Henry?

I'm concerned the V4b won't put out enough. I'm currently running my TH500 at 2 o'clock on the gain and 9 o'clock on the master. My worry with the SVT is murdering those 8s. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
#30
Nathanlwbc said:
So, it's come to my attention that I can get a V4b or SVT-CL for a crazy good price. Anyone have experience with either head through the Henry?

I'm concerned the V4b won't put out enough. I'm currently running my TH500 at 2 o'clock on the gain and 9 o'clock on the master. My worry with the SVT is murdering those 8s. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I ran my SVT II at between 11:00 to 1:00 on the volume knob with my Henry 8X8 all the time. I was playing in a band with two guitarists, both of whom ran 100 watt Marshall half stacks at a pretty good clip. It was a very loud band, and the SVT / 8X8 combination didn't even break a sweat. I think the most I ever had to turn that amp up with that cab was about 2/3, and that was at a crappy outdoor show with no PA support for guitars or bass (drums & vocals only). I don't think an SVT-CL can hurt that cab.

As mentioned before, though, it's a very deep sounding cab, and with the way it pumps the ultra low end you may find yourself trimming back the bass eq on your amp a touch if you're playing in a rock context and you're looking for more grind & less thump.
 
#31
wintremute said:
If you don't mind me asking, how much was it?

And to others familiar with this cab, what is a fair price for it?
Click to expand...

I paid $475 shipped. There weren't too many options out there to get a comparable price on it. I thought that was fair.

e-flat said:
I ran my SVT II at between 11:00 to 1:00 on the volume knob with my Henry 8X8 all the time. I was playing in a band with two guitarists, both of whom ran 100 watt Marshall half stacks at a pretty good clip. It was a very loud band, and the SVT / 8X8 combination didn't even break a sweat. I think the most I ever had to turn that amp up with that cab was about 2/3, and that was at a crappy outdoor show with no PA support for guitars or bass (drums & vocals only). I don't think an SVT-CL can hurt that cab.

As mentioned before, though, it's a very deep sounding cab, and with the way it pumps the ultra low end you may find yourself trimming back the bass eq on your amp a touch if you're playing in a rock context and you're looking for more grind & less thump.
Click to expand...

I played a show with it on Saturday, and I did find myself dialing the bass back a hair because I was rattling things off the walls ;)

Despite being tempted (who hasn't dreamed of an SVT?), it probably isn't necessary, though. My TH500 sounds 1,000 times better through this cab.
 
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#32
Nathanlwbc said:
So, it's come to my attention that I can get a V4b or SVT-CL for a crazy good price. Anyone have experience with either head through the Henry?

I'm concerned the V4b won't put out enough. I'm currently running my TH500 at 2 o'clock on the gain and 9 o'clock on the master. My worry with the SVT is murdering those 8s. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
One of my all time favorite stage tones was a G&L L-2000 into a '73 V-4 through a Henry. I say either would be fantastic.
 
#34
Nathanlwbc said:
mikeyvr6 said:
One of my all time favorite stage tones was a G&L L-2000 into a '73 V-4 through a Henry. I say either would be fantastic.
Click to expand...

How did it hold up volume-wise?
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Never had an issue volume-wise with that cabinet no matter the amp. Back then I rarely had PA support so I played all kinds of venues with it. It had nearly the same volume and more bottom than my Ampeg 810E I had at the time. It's the one cab that I most regret getting selling.
 
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#35
I played through one at a Music Store a few years ago. The sound pressure that thing creates actually hurt my ears. I had to turn down :-)
 
#38
Razman said:
Great cab! Don't treat it like a sub. It is a great cab for metal. I don't care for SWR's piezo tweeters, but it isn't terrible. Enjoy it!
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Long time user here. I always dial SWR tweeters to barely on. Then they seem balanced with cones.
Remaining never sells: BBII with multiple speak swaps and LA-8 with Celestion 8” and Summit TD-100 as pre. Killer!
 
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