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SWR Baby Blue II

G

Gravity

Aug 12, 2006
54
0
Kitchener/Toronto, Canada
#1
Anyone tried these amps?

I've got one rented from a local shop to use for some rehearsals. The sound of this little box blew me away, and I'm normally not an SWR guy at all.

Punch, depth, definition and volume. The preamp on this thing HAS to be different then the other SWR amps because I normally can't stand th tone of the WorkingPro or CLassic series.

Anyway, I just wanted to get some feedback, I'm diggin this little thing (maybe not $1k worth yet) and figured I'd see what everyone else had to say about it!
 
#2
I know the speaker configuration on the combos have changed over the years but I'm 99% sure the amp has stayed the same.
My favorite thing to do is to pull out the aural enhancer
knob to defeat the EQ.
IMO the electric/baby blue is the best amp SWR ever made;
though Mr. Rabe had input from different musicians and
engineers on desinging this amp.
excerpt from the manual
We would like to sincerely thank all the musicians and engineers that helped us with this project and especially
Walter Becker, Neil Stubenhaus, Phil Chen, Keith Jones,
Jimmy Haslip, Michael Rhodes, Phil Lesh, Dan Schwartz, Dann Glenn and Dwayne "Smitty" Smith.
:bassist:
 
#3
Way back in the day, I bought a Baby Blue, right when they first came out. I loved the tone of it, but it just didn't have the huevos I needed at the time. I think I paid ~$950-is for it. This was in the late 80s. I had the first one in Orange County, CA. Ended up selling it a few years down the road, but in retrospect, I shoulda kept it. Not really enough to gig with, except as a DB amp in a quiet jazz trio, but a GREAT recording amp. Tone for days, and if you didn't push them, the twin 8s and the 5 mid were a good combination of warmth and accuracy. Heavy little bugger, though, if I recall correctly...
 
#4
The baby blue is indeed a fine amp,are you using
the 110 or 2 8's?i have the original electric blue head
i agree with cruiser that the BB and elec blue are
swr's finest pre amps,:)
 
#5
To me one of the best bass amps ever made. In terms of sound it can do it all. Great for acoustic gigs with a singer songwriter. I gigged with one for two years two to three times a week. Replaced the tube once and the speakers once. The newer Celestions have a softer rolled surround and sound even better. It can sound like anything you want old new school. It's not hugely loud but tone for days. The "more me" feature where you run a signal from the board into it and listen with headphones speakers unplugged, allows you to be as loud in the mix as you like when recording. You can play with ummph and power without the engineer limiting or affecting your sound during tracking.
 
#8
I A-B'ed the baby baby blue a few years ago next to a workingman 4004 and a SWR 550x in a shop and the Baby Blue had by far the nicest tone of the three. I would've bought it on the spot if it wasn't for the fact that it was only 160 watts or so :( Just not powerful enough for me. But I really liked the sound and size of it though with that cute little 10" speaker :D
 
#9
I have the 2x8 version. It kills in the studio, and as a rehearsal amp. It's great for even medium sized venues if you're playing with musicians who can work at a "respectful" volume. It's great for Double bass as well.
I paid ~$600 for mine 3 years ago from the original owner, and it was dead mint, with the cover. They seem to go for about that price, when they come up, which is not often. If you really dig it, and it's a 2x8 with good speakers, I wouldn't hesitate to give ~$100 or so more for it...
 
#10
Also, sometimes I run my bass into a Yamaha PB1 preamp
and then out to the input to drive the EB pre; this will make the EB/BB a little less polite.:) Any quality pre would probably due and I've been wanting to try this with a tube pedal like the Blue Tube!
Every time I think that I want to get rid of the EB, I go and play it and say
Damn, this is a mighty fine sounding amp!!!
 
#18
tombowlus said:
I own a Baby Blue and a Baby Blue II. I really love them. These are my favorite SWR amps by a long shot. To my ears, they really don't sound like the rest of SWR's lineup (at least not what I have heard of their lineup).

Tom.
Click to expand...

Hello. I really would like to know if you could talk about the difference you found between the two version you own of the BB.. I'm deeply interested in this discussion as I'm looking for a BB, and as i have to buy it used (as it has been discontinued the 2x8 version I love...) I would like to know something about the varoius versions...
And what does it changes in terms of sound..?
Thank you so much...!
 
#19
Amin said:
Hello. I really would like to know if you could talk about the difference you found between the two version you own of the BB.. I'm deeply interested in this discussion as I'm looking for a BB, and as i have to buy it used (as it has been discontinued the 2x8 version I love...) I would like to know something about the varoius versions...
And what does it changes in terms of sound..?
Thank you so much...!
Click to expand...

Well, I am still trying to have the drivers repaired on my BB, but I have tried the amps from both through the speakers in the BBII, and they sound very similar to me.

Tom.
 

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