Nothing wrong with SWR at all. I think on TB it is defiantly not the "in" gear. I always strive to get my tone regardless of what is in or not.
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**New SWR headlite Mini-Amp**
- Thread starter tallboybass
- Start date
Nothing wrong with SWR at all. I think on TB it is defiantly not the "in" gear. I always strive to get my tone regardless of what is in or not.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,037
- 5
- 220,965
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
You bring up a great point IMO, there's a comfort and familiarity factor that goes into the sound and feel of any product... be it a bass, an amp, strings or even a pair of shoes. You have to find something that fits you well.
Just had a chance to try out the Headlite, and it's most certainly a sweet little head. I only had a chance to play it through a Hartke HyDrive 1x15" but it was very impressive and easy to use, with plenty of that SWR tone that most folks that are interested in this head would be after. It seemed like it could get really loud, but it was hard to tell in our demo room. All in all, a very cool head.
I think what I find most intriguing about these new micros from SWR is the Amplite. A tiny, acceptably powerful amp you can carry in your gig bag for any use you deem necessary - bass, PA, guitar, keys, stage monitors... you get the point. Also the ability to rack several of them up and use your pre of choice sounds pretty cool. The Headlite... I think you have to want the SWR sound for that to be of interest.
Everyone keeps talking about this amp being great for those who want the "SWR sound." I've never plugged into an SWR, I assume the SWR is a HiFi quick sound from stuff I read. Is the SWR tube pre a warm one?
Doesn't this head look versatile enough to achieve any sound? I would think with the parametric EQ you could dial in multiple eq points to emulate multiple manufacturers.
Doesn't this head look versatile enough to achieve any sound? I would think with the parametric EQ you could dial in multiple eq points to emulate multiple manufacturers.
As one who played SWR rigs for many years, there really is an 'SWR sound'... very clean, VERY wide (i.e., deep bass, sizzly treble, somewhat scooped mids... the original 'poster boy amps' for what later became known as a 'hi fi' bass tone). Great if that's what you are into.
All my amps have powerful EQ, but I can't make any of them to sound like each other
These things seem to be for sale all over the place now, even ebay. Anyone here own one yet? Opinions?
nothing really to add to this great discussion, other than, i like the direction SWR is going these days.
huge fan of the MM preamp, and the new golight MM 4x10 cab, and given the "MM designed/voiced" aural control (and yes, i like it!), cant wait to get my hands on the headlite, despite the corny name...
wonder how this stacks up against GK's new tubed up mb fusion offering...
huge fan of the MM preamp, and the new golight MM 4x10 cab, and given the "MM designed/voiced" aural control (and yes, i like it!), cant wait to get my hands on the headlite, despite the corny name...
wonder how this stacks up against GK's new tubed up mb fusion offering...
Been playing with the Amplite for a couple of days now. I've been using it with 2 Berg HT112 cabs and an Ashley BP41 pre, and I have to say that I am impressed. Makes me very curious about the Headlite, or another suitable mini pre?
I've been going back and forth on what micro-head to buy, and after playing the headlite for a second time today, I'm really liking this little amp. I got a chance to really open it up with a few different cabs, and I was able to dial in lots of great tones. For those in this thread who didn't think 400 watts would be enough, my play testing proved that it would indeed be more than enough. I'm not an expert in the "SWR Sound", but this little box has plenty of great clean tones....I didn't attempt to overdrive the preamp tube at all so I can't vouch for overdriven tones.
The basses: Schecter Stargazer 5 String, Fender MIM Standard Jazz 5, Ernie Ball Musicman 4
The cabinets: TC Electronics 212, Eden D210-MBX wedge, Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 12, Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 6x10.
Not going to comment on everything above, but one my WOW moments was plugging the headlight into the Mesa 6x10. The sound was MASSIVE. Noon on both the gain and master and the amp room was filled with wonderful bass sounds. The Eden was disappointing, it sounded very choked. The powerhouse 12 was a great box for a small single 112, but the TC was a perfect match IMO. I started with this box and came back after playing both Mesa Boogie cabinets, and both myself and the sales guy (a good friend of mine) immediately noticed how much smoother the TC cabinet sounded. I believe I'll picking up this combination tomorrow
The basses: Schecter Stargazer 5 String, Fender MIM Standard Jazz 5, Ernie Ball Musicman 4
The cabinets: TC Electronics 212, Eden D210-MBX wedge, Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 12, Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 6x10.
Not going to comment on everything above, but one my WOW moments was plugging the headlight into the Mesa 6x10. The sound was MASSIVE. Noon on both the gain and master and the amp room was filled with wonderful bass sounds. The Eden was disappointing, it sounded very choked. The powerhouse 12 was a great box for a small single 112, but the TC was a perfect match IMO. I started with this box and came back after playing both Mesa Boogie cabinets, and both myself and the sales guy (a good friend of mine) immediately noticed how much smoother the TC cabinet sounded. I believe I'll picking up this combination tomorrow
D
I'm intrigued.
I like the "SWR Sound", the lightweight, and it's in a good enough price range.
I figure, use it alone for most BG & DB gigs, throw in my SansAmp BDD for grit and doubling gigs. Pair it with some sort of neo 1X10 or 1X12, and the total rig weighs less than 25 pounds.
As far as the power rating, I think it's in a nice spot. I have no need for a 1200 watt amp beyond my desire for overkill. I rarely play outdoor shows, and on the odd ball gig, they have a PA. Heck, in the last year, I have played 2 gigs where they didn't have a PA, and my little SWR WM12 was more than plenty (store front theatre gigs). Every bar gig, every other theatre gig, every rock show...they've taken a DI out of my amp.
The pedal board & rack comments from a few pages ago...
It all depends on the circles that you play. The only gigs that I bring pedals to are theatre gigs where I'm going to be leaving my gear there for weeks. On my current theatre gig, I'm using a whole 2 pedals, an octave divider and a chorus.
The rest of my gigs, it's minimal gear. My only regular "pedal" is a little Korg CA 30 tuner that lives in my gig bags. I take public transit, so lighter is better. If a head/amp fits into a pocket of my gig bag, that makes me even more happy.
I do NOT use a rack regularly anymore, and I cringe at the idea. If I was driving to the gigs, then sure, why not. However, I need to be able to carry all my gear with me in one trip, often to work, and then to the gig.
I'm a ways away from having money for a new amp, but I could see this one being in contention for my money. The familiarity aspect of SWR plays big into it. I also like the hifi nature of the tone, yet when i need a more old school sound, the SansAmps are perfect for that.
enjoy.
I like the "SWR Sound", the lightweight, and it's in a good enough price range.
I figure, use it alone for most BG & DB gigs, throw in my SansAmp BDD for grit and doubling gigs. Pair it with some sort of neo 1X10 or 1X12, and the total rig weighs less than 25 pounds.
As far as the power rating, I think it's in a nice spot. I have no need for a 1200 watt amp beyond my desire for overkill. I rarely play outdoor shows, and on the odd ball gig, they have a PA. Heck, in the last year, I have played 2 gigs where they didn't have a PA, and my little SWR WM12 was more than plenty (store front theatre gigs). Every bar gig, every other theatre gig, every rock show...they've taken a DI out of my amp.
The pedal board & rack comments from a few pages ago...
It all depends on the circles that you play. The only gigs that I bring pedals to are theatre gigs where I'm going to be leaving my gear there for weeks. On my current theatre gig, I'm using a whole 2 pedals, an octave divider and a chorus.
The rest of my gigs, it's minimal gear. My only regular "pedal" is a little Korg CA 30 tuner that lives in my gig bags. I take public transit, so lighter is better. If a head/amp fits into a pocket of my gig bag, that makes me even more happy.
I do NOT use a rack regularly anymore, and I cringe at the idea. If I was driving to the gigs, then sure, why not. However, I need to be able to carry all my gear with me in one trip, often to work, and then to the gig.
I'm a ways away from having money for a new amp, but I could see this one being in contention for my money. The familiarity aspect of SWR plays big into it. I also like the hifi nature of the tone, yet when i need a more old school sound, the SansAmps are perfect for that.
enjoy.
We just got through a/b'ing the Shuttle 9.0 and the Headlight
with an Epi UL110 and Berg HT112 to use for upright bass, as
well as some larger boxes for electric gigs. We used two
different basses. One had a Full Circle, one had a Realist.
One of the main issues that bugged us (and everyone I know)
is that as much as we love three bands of parametric eq,
there is virtually no way to see where they are set without
picking the amp up and searching for the little black dot on the
silver knob. We finally had to put tape on all the knobs just to
see where things were set. Two of my friends have used this
amp on gigs and said this is a MAJOR design flaw.
Having said that, the amp sounded very good for electric
bass. The switchable aural enhancer is a real winner. Very nice
We would have liked a tuner out jack, since a number of us
"lazy" types using micro amps, have gone to using a Korg gb1,
tuner. Its about the length of one finger and the width of two.
It plugs in the tuner out in back of most amps and sticks up
behind the amp. Small, easy, accurate. Ahh technology...
The bottom line is.... the Headlight sounded (SWR) great for
electric bass. The Shuttle 9.0 sounded just as good, just
a little different. The big difference was that the 9.0 sounded
MUCH better with the upright basses. Less ringing and more
accurate, even with all the eq of the Headlight. We did use
a 10 megohm pre with both basses. It just sounded better
when we used it. Even with the Realist.
with an Epi UL110 and Berg HT112 to use for upright bass, as
well as some larger boxes for electric gigs. We used two
different basses. One had a Full Circle, one had a Realist.
One of the main issues that bugged us (and everyone I know)
is that as much as we love three bands of parametric eq,
there is virtually no way to see where they are set without
picking the amp up and searching for the little black dot on the
silver knob. We finally had to put tape on all the knobs just to
see where things were set. Two of my friends have used this
amp on gigs and said this is a MAJOR design flaw.
Having said that, the amp sounded very good for electric
bass. The switchable aural enhancer is a real winner. Very nice
We would have liked a tuner out jack, since a number of us
"lazy" types using micro amps, have gone to using a Korg gb1,
tuner. Its about the length of one finger and the width of two.
It plugs in the tuner out in back of most amps and sticks up
behind the amp. Small, easy, accurate. Ahh technology...
The bottom line is.... the Headlight sounded (SWR) great for
electric bass. The Shuttle 9.0 sounded just as good, just
a little different. The big difference was that the 9.0 sounded
MUCH better with the upright basses. Less ringing and more
accurate, even with all the eq of the Headlight. We did use
a 10 megohm pre with both basses. It just sounded better
when we used it. Even with the Realist.
so you like the realist less than the full circle? always dug them both but i think i like the realist a bit more. could have been the basses, though. actually i like the rev solo ii, but i'd much rather see a bass with any of those than a bp100, that's for sure.
D
Sounds like I'd need to do my own shootout with a Shuttle & the SWR. The SWR sound is something that I am familiar with, and like, yes, even on DB. However, the two SWRs that I use regularly are both WorkingMan series combos (my own WM12, and a back WM15 at a venue I regularly play). A little bit different than their other lines.
Thanks for the heads up. I like the Realist quite a bit. I'd love to end up going with an AMT, but I can't justify the bread. Jimmy, I'm with you, anything is better than a BP100. I remember having to turn the treble all the way down on the amp I used in high school because of that thing.
Thanks for the heads up. I like the Realist quite a bit. I'd love to end up going with an AMT, but I can't justify the bread. Jimmy, I'm with you, anything is better than a BP100. I remember having to turn the treble all the way down on the amp I used in high school because of that thing.
Please understand how important t is to use a 10 megohm
buffer preamp with most Piezo pickups. It just makes all the
difference. Especially with a pickup like the BP100.
I think the DPA mics are a much better investment than the
AMT's. Many guys are switching over. Go over to the DB side
and do a search. Lots of info.
I like the Headlight. Its just hard to see the controls on a gig.
Either on dark or light stages. Good features though. The 9.0
just sounded better, with much more power.
that's part of the reason i went with the rev solo ii. doesn't need one. i did, however, have a microbass ii i'd use with uprights on the road, and it was still murder to get a good sound out of the bp100's i seem to get stuck with.
tried both the headlite and shuttle 9.0 into a berg ht112er, and frankly, the swr smokes the shuttle in terms of responsive feel. the swr is much punchier and faster feeling under the fingertips right outta the box w/ no EQ. and maybe its cause of the more advanced eq section of the headlite, but it was *easier for me to find a great sound on the swr. and dare i say, i liked using the aural enhancer! w/ the 600hz mode, i could get a thick fingerstyle/slap sound in a jiff w/ my sadowsky's onboard pre. and the compressor was mighty handy. also, didnt pump and breathe too bad for such a small unit.
swr did their homework on this one. too bad the execution isnt up to par, i.e. the only problem i found on the swr is the crappy/shoddy workmanship. knobs felt rather loose and too easy to spin, and not nearly as tactile and solid as the shuttle. and the power plug of the swr had a little too much play and felt like it was glued in properly.
