• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

SWR 8x10 Tower Replacement Driver?

You might get moderately close with whatever Eminence tells you, and for a single driver out of 8 it might not make much difference in sound (maybe mount the new different one on the bottom row if you do that). Personally, I would want to find a replacement from that same cab in the wild, but it might take some time. I'm not sure how similar they are to the other "Working" 10" based cabs, since that's the Rocco Prestia signature cab (hence the "Tower" name). Since it's an 8 ohm speaker you might get lucky (as opposed to a 32 ohm which would mean only another 8x10 would have them, most likely, and that was the only Working series 8x10 they made). I would also assume that even a "similar" driver from another Working cab would be closer in specs and sound than an off the shelf Eminence. Eminence will definitely try to sell you a new driver because they don't make any money if you go on ebay and reverb and get something used.

But if you find out that say a 4 ohm Workingman's (or WorkingPro, whatever) 2x10 has similar or even identical drivers, you could snag one of those for probably cheap (I would guess 200 or less), take out the driver you need, keep the other as a spare (or put it in the cab in the same row as the other one and use the good driver you take as the spare), and then find 2 suitable replacements for the Working cab and re-sell it as such, or just sell it empty for someone to do that themselves. That might not be the CHEAPEST method, but I believe it would yield the best results.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zacharybass76
I'm not sure how similar they are to the other "Working" 10" based cabs, since that's the Rocco Prestia signature cab (hence the "Tower" name).
My recollection after having owned the full T/O/P stack (as SWR called it back in the early 00s) was that the big difference was in the matching head. I believe the 810 was just a scaled up version of the other cabs in the line. The head was very different and very not-SWR sounding. I could be wrong about the cab, so don’t take that as anything verified, just a 13’ish year old memory from the time when I sold that cab.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Omega Monkey
One of the speakers in my Workingman's 810 just went out on me so I'd love to know what anyone found out as far as replacements go. I'm probably going to take it to a speaker repair place, to try and preserve the original parts and specs, but in the even that it's a goner some options would be nice.
 
One of the speakers in my Workingman's 810 just went out on me so I'd love to know what anyone found out as far as replacements go. I'm probably going to take it to a speaker repair place, to try and preserve the original parts and specs, but in the even that it's a goner some options would be nice.

I ended up going with the Eminence Alpha 10A speakers. They sound great, and it's an easy DIY deal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sectsmonk
I don’t think the Alpha 10 is very close to the original speaker.

The Eminence rep told me that it was the closest replacement speaker for the SWR Workingman's Tower that they currently make... almost spec for spec. It came straight from the source, so it's hard to deny. Lol

"Hello Zach,
The speaker in your Fender was made specifically for Fender, but, it is simply a slight adjustment to our Alpha-10A. It is the same speaker. So, to replace your SWR, I would fully recommend the ALPHA-10A as the speaker you need. You are essentially getting that exact replacement you were looking for."
- Eminence Rep
 
Last edited:
The Eminence rep told me that it was the closest replacement speaker for the SWR Workingman's Tower that they currently make... almost spec for spec. It came straight from the source, so it's hard to deny. Lol

"Hello Zach,
The speaker in your Fender was made specifically for Fender, but, it is simply a slight adjustment to our Alpha-10A. It is the same speaker. So, to replace your SWR, I would fully recommend the ALPHA-10A as the speaker you need. You are essentially getting that exact replacement you were looking for."
- Eminence Rep

Actually, it's easy to deny (since I worked for Fender during that time and worked on some of these projects), which is why trying to find a good used replacement was suggested. BUT, in absence of that, the Alpha 10A may be your best choice purely due to availability.

That doesn't Alpha 10A match (or even come close to) the original SWR drawing that I have, even the magnet weight is incorrect. There is no Eminence off the shelf driver with that motor, it was not a stock motor. Fs is also MUCH lower, part of the reason for the customization.

It's probably the closest driver they have to offer retail, and it may be close enough.
 
Actually, it's easy to deny (since I worked for Fender during that time and worked on some of these projects), which is why trying to find a good used replacement was suggested. BUT, in absence of that, the Alpha 10A may be your best choice purely due to availability.

That doesn't Alpha 10A match (or even come close to) the original SWR drawing that I have, even the magnet weight is incorrect. There is no Eminence off the shelf driver with that motor, it was not a stock motor. Fs is also MUCH lower, part of the reason for the customization.

It's probably the closest driver they have to offer retail, and it may be close enough.

Yeah, that's sorta the vibe I got from the rep. And I have replaced two of them with the 10a's so far, and they sound great. I'll eventually get around to the other 6 and have an all-new cab, but for now, I'm doing good with what I got.
 
  • Like
Reactions: agedhorse