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SWR. Hate 'em? Love 'em?

#181
D.A.R.K. said:
no.
but i've owned alot of swr gear, starting years ago before the eden split,
and the quality was definitely better then.
i tried 400 and 900 heads, 4x10, 2x10, 1x18 cabs
they also used to use bag end speakers in their 18" cabs.
they are enemic as far as power goes.
so, imo, they're overpriced compared to other brands available.
Click to expand...


You missed my point. You don't like SWR, fine, and for you it will be overpriced at pretty much any price point. But from where I see it, considering how quickly bass players seem to be going through gear these days, you are always better off waiting a month for the latest whiz bang gear to show up on ebay or craig's at a significant discount. Retail price for new gear of any brand is always inflated, is what I meant. As much as I like SWR gear, I'd never buy it new. And I'd never buy a new Eden, Aguilar, Epifani or whatever. Just not worth it.

What do you mean by the "Eden split"? I wasn't aware that Eden had anything to do with the heads or any cab other than the original Goliath.
 
#183
I have been using SWR products for 10+ years w/o problem.

I have owned SM 400 / SM 500 / IOD pre / Stereo 800 power.
SWR Traid Cab
SWR Goliath ll Cab

Presently own and use Goliath lll - 4ohm version.

They where the first guys on the block to address the needs of the "Modern Bass Players" .... although they might not be as sexy as some of the new stuff on the market their stuff still does pretty well..
 
#184
I have to say that im a huge fan of pre-fender SWR. I have a workingmans red-eye 8x10 and a Goliath III 4x10, and a SM-400 head(tube pre/solid state power), and i get a thick solid response all the way from my low B to my High C. I know some of the cheap stuff(LA series mainly) doesnt really have any impressive features...but its a cheap amp. The truth is you get what you pay for, and if you want a solid workhorse amp or cab then SWR is definetly the way to go....at least pre-summer 2001.
 
#186
Can anyone defend the "pre-fender" vs. today rhetoric on SWR amps? I hear so much of this running around on here. I'd just love to see some kind of proof, a bootleg schematic, a side by side comparison, anything. SWR SM amps are still handmade in california, all heat sinks, pc boards, transformer, and chassis are all still hand assembled in california. The stacked knobs are asian. fyi, I play ampeg not SWR.
 
#187
I can. First off, the GIIIs and the previous generations (Fender or not) are different animals. However, I own a "pre-fender" GIII and a "post-fender" GIII. Side by side - same amp, same bass, same preamp - they sound exactly the same. I've gigged live with both and they are the same volume, etc.
 
#188
cgworkman said:
I can. First off, the GIIIs and the previous generations (Fender or not) are different animals. However, I own a "pre-fender" GIII and a "post-fender" GIII. Side by side - same amp, same bass, same preamp - they sound exactly the same. I've gigged live with both and they are the same volume, etc.
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I agree with cgworkman. Whether Fender had taken over or not the Is, IIs and IIIs all are different. Take your pick for your sound. Having had some of each I would say that the front porting and increased power handling of the IIIS were significant to me. The Is and IIs sounded great alone but kicking it loud I need the "more" that the IIIs give me. And please don't compare the price point equipment to other manufacturers who only have pro gear. SWR had a full line so everyone could get in on the act and later afford their pro line. Is that a bad idea?
It's interesting that to sustain this much emnity a product has to be good. You don't hear this type of wrath leveled at inferior products.
 
#190
Hey there,
I'm new to the TalkBass world but I'm a long time SWR fan and thought I'd throw in my $.02. I've come to find my SWR gear to be the most reliable gear I've had. Ampeg's, had'em and had'em blow up, same with Eden. My first "real" rig was a Bass 350 and a Triad cab. This worked well for me for many years but left me wanting more power. Thus, I went for the best gear Ampeg had to offer and had nothing but problems. Then, I started to dabble in Eden and never felt I was getting my money's worth and I had some reliability issues. Now I'm back to a simple SWR 750 with a new Mesa cab and love it. To be honest, I do a lot of tone shapeing else where but I always find the basic sound appropriate. The SWR gear delivers every time and for me that's what counts.
 
#191
themagicmedicin said:
Can anyone defend the "pre-fender" vs. today rhetoric on SWR amps? I hear so much of this running around on here. I'd just love to see some kind of proof, a bootleg schematic, a side by side comparison, anything. SWR SM amps are still handmade in california, all heat sinks, pc boards, transformer, and chassis are all still hand assembled in california. The stacked knobs are asian. fyi, I play ampeg not SWR.
Click to expand...


Personally I would still trust the pro line stuff from swr. It is the "new products" that scare me. I am using a swr baby baby blue, (2003ish??) and I would love to trade photos of the "guts" with an earlier one. Actually, I'd probably trust any of the u.s made swr stuff and pass on the rest...
 
#192
SM-900 (bridged) + Ampeg 810E + BDDI = :cool:

I completely agree with the previous posters about SWR heads and Ampeg working well together (no tweeter for me!)...however...

I also agree with the two posters who praised the SWR and BDDI thing.

If you want to get a thick "Ampeg" sound out of an SWR head - get the Ampeg cab and a BDDI. It's not quite as juicy as an all tube head, but it's pretty badass.

I have had the same problems with overheating the SM-900 in a rack as the other posters. I'm going to try the fan rig. I had tried one before, but your picture helps.

I currently lug mine around (carefully) by the handle and let it breathe all night. It now stays comfortably cool and rocks me hard.

Last thing: Regarding volume and power output issues. My guitarist who is very experienced with PA systems recommended I just run the master volume wide open since it is essentially an attenuator. He reminded me that back in the day many amps only had one volume (gain) knob. His recommendation was open it up for headroom and get that attenuator out of the way.

I have gotten a lot more non-clipped volume than using the manual recommended "set the preamp until you see the pre amp clip light...etc." system. I basically use my preamp gain as the master volume and it sounds much better. No noise either. (yes, I am aware of how it interacts with all the other components, I use an effects loop for my pedals and the BDDI level at the end of the signal chain compensates for any signal loss going into the power stage)

It it LOUD and with that sealed cab it punches like a mother.:bassist:
 
#195
The 0x said:
Every other SWR amp i've tried with an SWR cab with 10" speakers was wayy to clanky.
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I'm stuck with my underpowered workingman2004 amp while my gk1001 is in the shop. Horrifically underpowered for being in a band with two marshall halfstacks. It's interesting that the 'clank' really helps out in a band situation (particularly when you're underpowered). Warwick + SWR will cut thru any mix. If i play by myself with these clank settings i must say it's offensive; but when playing with my rock band, boy does she cook! It doesn't hurt that it's coming from an el whappo tho, and I still don't even half the limiter coming on, it's a powerful setup.

But in regular situations, i still really like SWR too. Just thought i'd mention how impressed i am when it's put to use with a loud band.
 
#196
unatratnag said:
I'm stuck with my underpowered workingman2004 amp while my gk1001 is in the shop. Horrifically underpowered for being in a band with two marshall halfstacks.
Click to expand...

I'm right there with you.
2004s are underpowered indeed.
Especially with a 2x15.
They make good practice amps, I suppose.
Now I'm just trying to sell it.
My SWR experience hasn't been too great.
 
#198
ihixulu said:
You missed my point. You don't like SWR, fine, and for you it will be overpriced at pretty much any price point. But from where I see it, considering how quickly bass players seem to be going through gear these days, you are always better off waiting a month for the latest whiz bang gear to show up on ebay or craig's at a significant discount. Retail price for new gear of any brand is always inflated, is what I meant. As much as I like SWR gear, I'd never buy it new. And I'd never buy a new Eden, Aguilar, Epifani or whatever. Just not worth it.

What do you mean by the "Eden split"? I wasn't aware that Eden had anything to do with the heads or any cab other than the original Goliath.
Click to expand...

does this make more sense: i've owned swr gear over the years, even before the eden guy left the company.
i don't know the depth to which he was involved, don't really care, i just know that things changed at that point and alot of folks say it was a turning point for them. i'm no historian, just a player. i'm just illustrating how long i've given their gear a try.
and of course used gear is less expensive, but it is also a crap shoot.
the benefit of paying new prices is the benefit of a decent warranty.
anyway, there is alot of expensive gear i've bought new that was worth every penny.
the swr amps in particular, to me, are overpriced even with a warranty.
 
#200
D.A.R.K. said:
... even before the eden guy left the company.
i don't know the depth to which he was involved, don't really care, i just know that things changed at that point and alot of folks say it was a turning point for them. i'm no historian, just a player. ...
Click to expand...

If you don't know the facts maybe you shouldn't be conjecturing. As it stands, there was no involvement by Eden i.e. David Nordchow with anything but the original Goliath and Goliath Jr. cab. They were hired by SWR to build the cabs, that's it. Therefore the only difference that occured as a result of David "Eden" "leaving" was that power handling was increased for the Goliath II cab...a net positive.

AFAIK, the first major turning point was when SWR Engineering became SWR Sound and Steve Rabe became something less than head honcho at the firm.

D.A.R.K. said:
the swr amps in particular, to me, are overpriced even with a warranty.
Click to expand...
That fact was quite obvious from your previous posts.
 

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