Well, I've finally gigged enough with my new 12-packs that I feel that I can properly review 'em. For those who don't know, SWR discontinued the 12-pack 2-12 tweeterless bins a couple of months ago and Zzounds (among others) were blowing them out at $320 each including shipping.
I bought two.
The accompanying amps are Trace Elliot V6 or a Trace Elliot V300H. No stomp boxes or gizmos. Four-string bass.
I have gigged indoors and outdoors. Big hall, small room, stage, floor, tent, the works. So here's my observation:
These are old school. No pretenses to being modern. The drivers (which I assume are Eminence, but I have no evidence one way or the other) are quick for 12s, so they go fairly high -- I'd guess 4k maybe 5k tops. The low end is solid, tight, and powerful. I don't know if they would be ok for a 5er but because they're so solid on my E, I'd guess yes. The lack of tweeter is not an issue for me. I play old music (Aretha, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, R&B, funky pop, and some rock), finger-style 95%, and these really hit that zone.
Stage clarity is great and I have never had a problem with hearing myself. One of the outdoor gigs, I only brought one bin and it was fine. These handle power very well and it never sounded stressed. I think that 12s are a nice compromise between 10s and 15s and these bins pretty much epitomise that classic R&B/rock tone without the mud.
The drivers are side-by-side rather than angled, so they are a little harder to lug by oneself. But they "only" weigh 66 lbs each, so it's not brutal. I put casters on one bin. I'm also going to try them stacked vertically and my next gig so I can test the "line-array" theory and see if it makes a sonic difference.
In any case, I'm a happy boy. I'm glad that I got two. I'm sorry that SWR has discontinued them, but hey, they never really promoted them so I'm not surprised. They are beautifully made (11-ply birch, tolex, good hardware) and push BIG air. No mud, no crud. Gas gone.
I bought two.
The accompanying amps are Trace Elliot V6 or a Trace Elliot V300H. No stomp boxes or gizmos. Four-string bass.
I have gigged indoors and outdoors. Big hall, small room, stage, floor, tent, the works. So here's my observation:
These are old school. No pretenses to being modern. The drivers (which I assume are Eminence, but I have no evidence one way or the other) are quick for 12s, so they go fairly high -- I'd guess 4k maybe 5k tops. The low end is solid, tight, and powerful. I don't know if they would be ok for a 5er but because they're so solid on my E, I'd guess yes. The lack of tweeter is not an issue for me. I play old music (Aretha, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, R&B, funky pop, and some rock), finger-style 95%, and these really hit that zone.
Stage clarity is great and I have never had a problem with hearing myself. One of the outdoor gigs, I only brought one bin and it was fine. These handle power very well and it never sounded stressed. I think that 12s are a nice compromise between 10s and 15s and these bins pretty much epitomise that classic R&B/rock tone without the mud.
The drivers are side-by-side rather than angled, so they are a little harder to lug by oneself. But they "only" weigh 66 lbs each, so it's not brutal. I put casters on one bin. I'm also going to try them stacked vertically and my next gig so I can test the "line-array" theory and see if it makes a sonic difference.
In any case, I'm a happy boy. I'm glad that I got two. I'm sorry that SWR has discontinued them, but hey, they never really promoted them so I'm not surprised. They are beautifully made (11-ply birch, tolex, good hardware) and push BIG air. No mud, no crud. Gas gone.
