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SWR. Hate 'em? Love 'em?

#61
adept_inept said:
working pros are mexico.

and according to what swr told me, so are the x series, the difference is the tube pre and the added effects like mo bass and the swr version of ashdowns sub harmonizer.
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The distributor told me the SWR pro and Series X are made in the US. But if a SWR guy told you they're made in Mexico..


For those of you criticising the low end of the SWRs, have you tried the new Series X that come with tube pre's?
 
#62
I got rid of my SWR heads and preamps because the tone wasn't there for me.

I got rid of my previous SWR cabs because I kept blowing them up.

I'm getting rid of my current SWR cab (Goliath Sr.) because it took SWR FIVE MONTHS to get me two replacement speakers. (To be fair the top two blew because the cab tipped over and fell on its face - not SWR's fault.) I tour pretty heavily and I can't have missing speakers in my cab for five freaking months.

Screw SWR. :mad:
 
#63
Well I am starting in this thread way to late. I bought my first SWR SS-220 in 1988. I have been hooked on thier amps ever since. Well, until Fender bought them. I moved from my 220 up to the SM-400. I had that for almost 5 years. Then I moved up to the Bass 750. This amp, IMO, is awesome. It gives me everything I need and more. Power, clean tone and it handles all my Low B Bottom end. I liked SWR so much, I modified the logo and got my first Tattoo with it. I have since moved away from the cabinets. The horns are harsh at best and the cabinets are too heavy. I have had my Bass 750 for 6 years now. I have considered getting something else, but this amp sounds just way to damn good to change.
 
#64
Oh yea, I forgot to add that I had a Working mans 115. One of the worst combo amps I ever owned. I ended up blowing it up after the 5th time I used it. I traded it for a Ashdown, hated it, then I just went to a SWR Bass Monitor (With a different horn) and my SWR Bass 750 for smaller gigs.
 
#65
I've owned all the Goliath series cabinets except the 8x10, and currently own the Interstellar Overdrive preamp. All the gear performed and sounded great, and I've never had any reliability issues. Overall I think SWR is good value for the money.

I now use Bergantino cabinets. The Bergs are better, but they are also more expensive.
 
#66
I have a SWR Silverado Special combo from the late 90's. I bought it new the last year or two they made them. It's basically a pro series redhead with 2x12 instead of 2x10. I got it because I loved the tone. (though I always turn the tweeter off) As I got more live experience, I realized that it was never as loud as I expected considering the weight, and it started making strange distorting noises near the end of the waranty. I got it fixed under waranty, but now it's two years past warranty, and the noises are back but worse whenever I push the gain and volume past the halfway point. It still has great tone at low volume but what good is great tone if you can't use it?

Amp repair prices being what they are, my next project will be removing the head and speakers, replacing them with a carvin power amp and higher rated speakers and using it as a slave for my portabass 250 head which has tone that I like just as much in a much smaller package.

If SWR put out a basic pre, I might be interested, as I love the swr "sound" but nothing in their current range currently has my attention.
 
#67
syciprider said:
Stingrays and SWRs go so well together.:hyper:
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yup . .
IMG_0415.gif


It's one of the 1st Super Redheads (pre-fender)
I use it mostly for practice now - still sounds great
 
#68
I've owned a Workingman 300 for several years. Very happy with it. 18 lbs, 340 watts @ 2.67 ohms. Only problem I've had, it shut down once on a hot evening because of a thermal problem. It had never done that before until I installed it in a 2 space carpeted rack. I bought a clip on fan and its been fine since.

Judicious use of the aural enhance and graphic EQ
can make quite a difference in its tonal output. Having a wireless to go around the venue and hear exactly what it sounds like helps a bunch. The settings when playing with the band are very different than when I practice alone.

Michael Manring gets great tone from his amps.
 
#70
i think SWR cabinets are very colored and only have one tone. in limited situations, i have been able to enjoy it, but i would never be interested in buying.

i have enjoyed the model of the IOD in the johnson j-station modelling preamp. it sounds a lot better than the SVT and trace models, and bass/goliath models. from what i understand of their heads, i think i'd enjoy them well enough, but i don't see them beating eden for sound, performance, weight, and cost.

my experience with eden is similar to SWR. i really like eden heads with other cabinets, but i don't like eden cabinets with any head but eden. the first time i demoed a bergantino HT-112 was with a WT head. and i really enjoyed it.

but when i was looking for a cabinet to replace a carvin 115, i played a peavey max and ampeg SVP-BSP through a K2 using eden, ampeg, and SWR 210s and 115s, and i didn't like a single one. i've since gotten an HT-112, and i use a warwick pre and crest pro 7200.

the bottom line for me is that SWR just doesn't offer anything intriguing -- it's not small, it's not powerful, i don't like the sound, and it's expensive. woo.

robb.
 
#71
the higher level stuff may be overpriced, but my WorkingPro has no coloration wutsoever, IMO. also, it was definitely a good deal. rackmountable 400 watts for 550 and a mute/compressor circuitry on included footpedal. definitely seems worth it. the only other amps in the price range (not including used stuff or carvin-like brands) were the GK backlinestuff and the lowest level ampeg, which i felt colored my sound too much and was definitely not worth the price.

all in all, im veryy happy. i mean, i have a kicking rig for 850. ands it portable. i can't complain.

now, as far as a new bass...
 
#72
I put my Ampeg B-100R on consignment & bought a closeout WM 2x10C about three weeks ago. I was impressed when I first tried this combo a year ago (but couldn't afford it) and I'm at least as impressed now that I've owned it for a bit. I've only taken it out to play to a couple rehearsals, but it seems to keep up with no problems. I like the tone, and I've had nothing but compliments on it so far either. I don't like it better than the B-100 necessarily, they're just different sounding amps. I appreciate the punchy, clean tone of the SWR, and I really appreciate the bigger headroom & ability to hook up an extension cab.

The tone hasn't been a problem for me, but as others have said, I don't overdo the Enhancer knob (I keep it around 10-11 o'clock, mostly), and I try to EQ to whatever room I'm in, rather than have a set configuration in mind. Also, I make use of the casters for more than just wheels... if the room is boomy, I leave them on to minimize coupling. It worked like a charm with the Ampeg, and it seems to work equally as well with the 2x10C.

So yeah... obviously I dig SWR stuff (or at least this model), and I'll give it a big thumbs up. And, since I haven't had it long, I can't say it holds together well, since I haven't had it long enough to make that evaluation, but she hasn't broken down on me yet, and I guess I'm not too worried about it.
 
#73
i had swr stuff in the past (bass 350, then sm500, goliath 3 and son of bertha). i was always happy with the sound i was able to get, and it always seemed loud enough (i ran it bridged mono, but never played anywhere huge). the chrome started flaking off the grille for the sob while under warranty- took them 3 months to get me a new one, and then only because i called and complained... that stuff is now gone (and boy did i take a bath on it!)... when i first got my bass 350, i sent off an email to swr (pre-fender), got a response that day... when i called to complain about the grille taking forever, i was on hold for like 45 minutes... i don't do any business with the fender (or gibson) borgs any more (i remember the day i read in bp that fender bought swr and my heart just sank knowing the resale value on my gear was going to drop)- there are plenty of other companies that value my being a customer and give good customer service to match their fine products... of course, this is all my own opinion and in my experience
 
#74
I once owned an SM-900,and tried for a couple of months to get a good tone out of it. It never happend. I picked up a 400-S several months ago,and the difference is like night and day. I play it through an SWR WM 212 that I installed a pair of Eminence Deltas,and the tone that it produces is just wonderfull.I haven't pushed it,and don't need to. I had heard that the preamp in the 900 is different from all the others.And by the way it sounds,I think they were right.Anybody else done a compairison between the two amps? Just curious.
 
#75
Over the years, I've had a number of SWR products. For me, when I ran SWR heads into SWR cab, the sound was too crisp and too clear. Eventually I switched to Ampeg gear... and that was too muddy and big, so I switched back to SWR... and back again.

Overall I'd say I liked SWR heads with Ampeg cabs, and Ampeg heads with SWR cabs. In all the products I've owned by both companies... I never had a single problem with the SWR gear. Never blew a speaker, never blew an amp, they always worked and sounded exactly the same. Every piece of Ampeg gear I've ever owned needed a repair at some point... although that may just be because I gig a lot more with the Ampeg gear. who knows?
 
#78
What are your thoughts on Pre/Post Fender SWR? Does anyone else in here feel like I do. When SWR was bought by Fender, it was completely lost. It seems to be a company that wants to compete with Behringer. The WM line has become the front line and the "Pro" series has become what the WM line used to be. SWR no longer has the bass player made mentality and it no longer is a Bass rig for bass players by bass players. It is an assembly line made carbon copy of what it used to be. Same with Eden and sadly several others.:(
 
#79
xgabriel said:
Anybody have the WorkingPro 700? Any thoughts on that?
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i have the workingpro 400, which is the exact same model minus 300 watts. i love my working pro, but i hate how it soiunds thru swr cabs. thru avatar cabs, its awesome.

the features are great, tone shaping is simple and easy, and i reeally like the "bass intensifier" and the aural enhancer a lot.

the included footpedal is a nice touch, and there is definitely more than enough power from my 400 alone. i couldnt even imagine what the 700 would be like.
 
#80
adept_inept said:
i have the workingpro 400, which is the exact same model minus 300 watts. i love my working pro, but i hate how it soiunds thru swr cabs. thru avatar cabs, its awesome.

the features are great, tone shaping is simple and easy, and i reeally like the "bass intensifier" and the aural enhancer a lot.

the included footpedal is a nice touch, and there is definitely more than enough power from my 400 alone. i couldnt even imagine what the 700 would be like.
Click to expand...

nice. I have mine running to an avatar 410 neo, and I think it sounds great. I pretty much agree with everything you said, although I never use the foot pedal.
 

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