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SWR Sighting
- Thread starter Buzz
- Start date
everytime i bring my swr pro220 into rehearsal (instead of my ampegs and various more guitar-oriented amps) i get the pleased. "mmm the sweet smooth sounds of the swr!"
i´ve had mine for some years and keep coming back to it. great in recording and with effects. sweet bottom and topend.
sterile and scooped? yeah maybe, but sometimes it´s just the right thing.
it´s a littte weak in the powersection so i´ve been using it as a preamp sometimes. even used as a pre to my V4BH with great results! the bottom got tighter and the definition better...
i´ve had thoughts about selling it from time to time and last gig the bassplayer from the support act wanted to buy it. and it´s not the first time it has happend.
guess i´m gonna hold on to it!
i´ve had mine for some years and keep coming back to it. great in recording and with effects. sweet bottom and topend.
sterile and scooped? yeah maybe, but sometimes it´s just the right thing.
it´s a littte weak in the powersection so i´ve been using it as a preamp sometimes. even used as a pre to my V4BH with great results! the bottom got tighter and the definition better...
i´ve had thoughts about selling it from time to time and last gig the bassplayer from the support act wanted to buy it. and it´s not the first time it has happend.
guess i´m gonna hold on to it!
I always associated the word "sterile" with meaning that the tone is not colored by the amp itself. IMHO, the SWR allows the bass itself to be heard without being muddy.
I have owned lots of amps in my life - Fender Bassman, MusicMan HD150, Lab Series, Peavey combo, G-K 700RB, Peavey Max700, and probably a couple of others I skipped, but the SWR Silverado Special is by far, and I do mean BY FAR, the best amp I have ever owned. 350 watts alone, 450 watts at 2 ohms. I still use it, with the 2x12's on top of a BagEnd S15B-D. Amazing sound. I have performed with just the combo as a stage monitor at outdoor festivals in front of large crowds. The sound guys always say something about the tone and how easy it is to eq when using that amp.
Seriously, I have never noticed that SWR was bashed on this board any more often than G-K, Peavey, Eden, etc. I have nothing but good things to say about my SWR, except for the weight (95 lbs.). I bought it new in 1999 and have never looked back.
I have owned lots of amps in my life - Fender Bassman, MusicMan HD150, Lab Series, Peavey combo, G-K 700RB, Peavey Max700, and probably a couple of others I skipped, but the SWR Silverado Special is by far, and I do mean BY FAR, the best amp I have ever owned. 350 watts alone, 450 watts at 2 ohms. I still use it, with the 2x12's on top of a BagEnd S15B-D. Amazing sound. I have performed with just the combo as a stage monitor at outdoor festivals in front of large crowds. The sound guys always say something about the tone and how easy it is to eq when using that amp.
Seriously, I have never noticed that SWR was bashed on this board any more often than G-K, Peavey, Eden, etc. I have nothing but good things to say about my SWR, except for the weight (95 lbs.). I bought it new in 1999 and have never looked back.
I didn't mean to turn this into a 'defend your SWR gear' testimonial, but all of you have made me feel a little better about my stuff. 
If I ever felt that people were overly critical about SWR gear, I don't feel that way anymore. Maybe it was just my choice of threads to read. To be honest, I've tried and tested lots of different amps and cabs and I can't say that I really hated any of it. I PREFERRED some over others and that's why I bought what I have now, I'm sure like the majority have done.
Like some others, I've kept it but size and weight considerations have pushed me in another direction for regular gigging. For the right show, however, I'll bring out the fridge and let 'er rip!
If I ever felt that people were overly critical about SWR gear, I don't feel that way anymore. Maybe it was just my choice of threads to read. To be honest, I've tried and tested lots of different amps and cabs and I can't say that I really hated any of it. I PREFERRED some over others and that's why I bought what I have now, I'm sure like the majority have done.
Like some others, I've kept it but size and weight considerations have pushed me in another direction for regular gigging. For the right show, however, I'll bring out the fridge and let 'er rip!
I agree with you BluezillaBlueszilla said:I didn't mean to turn this into a 'defend your SWR gear' testimonial, but all of you have made me feel a little better about my stuff.
If I ever felt that people were overly critical about SWR gear, I don't feel that way anymore. Maybe it was just my choice of threads to read. To be honest, I've tried and tested lots of different amps and cabs and I can't say that I really hated any of it. I PREFERRED some over others and that's why I bought what I have now, I'm sure like the majority have done.
Like some others, I've kept it but size and weight considerations have pushed me in another direction for regular gigging. For the right show, however, I'll bring out the fridge and let 'er rip!
-SWR is one of the better middle-top of the line companies-they make dependable gear-I've been playing bass since 66 and owned or played on a lot of different amps in my life...my SWR set-up with my bass and my Sansamp bass Driver DI sounds alot like a Mesa or an Eden-also 2 great companies-fortunately now we have several companies that make good amps. Recently I've seen some really great bassists Really Playing SWR and sounding GREAT... ie...Marcus Miller,Christian McBride and Jimmy Hislip(Yellow Jackets)-AND I would bet Timothy B. Schmidt was really using it too(I saw the concert on TV)...so ...hold your head up...Peace...Da Cat. 
DAcat said:
As a SWR user myself who also thought the brand was bashed here at times, I think this might be some of the reason. SWRs sound is simply more flat/hifi/sterile/let's-your-bass-come-through/boring than most of the other brands it normally is associated with like Eden, Ampeg, Mesa, Ashdown etc. I think a lot of people just doesn't expect the sound they hear when they plug into an SWR rig right after having heard an Ampeg or whatever. The hifi sound is probally not what the majority really wants, and therefore when a big brand (=available to most) is sounding that way they're put off. And people who really want the hifi sound seem to think that SWR doesn't do it properly.
But then again, alot of people actually plays and love SWR, so maybe I should just shut up and watch my argument disolve
Here's a thought - if you have access to an SWR rig, plug a CD player into the Active input, set the EQ flat and listen. It's pretty flat, not too scooped at all. If you want scooped, go nuts with the Aural Enhancer control. Now try that with an Ampeg rig. I've always thought SWR pro gear sounded like good studio monitors, uncolored & revealing, which is a pain if your technique is as bad as mine has become. 
Coloration is NOT bad - it's a question of taste. I play a 6 string through FX & loopers so SWR suits me just fine (Michael Manring doesn't mind it either) If I was playing a p-bass in a blues band I'd want an ampeg rig. BUT with a Sansamp BDDI I can get that sweet mudthud from my SWR when I need it, and go back to clean when I don't. It's a reference point.
Just my 3.75 sheckels.
Coloration is NOT bad - it's a question of taste. I play a 6 string through FX & loopers so SWR suits me just fine (Michael Manring doesn't mind it either) If I was playing a p-bass in a blues band I'd want an ampeg rig. BUT with a Sansamp BDDI I can get that sweet mudthud from my SWR when I need it, and go back to clean when I don't. It's a reference point.
Just my 3.75 sheckels.
SWR's Professional line is still high-quality gear in terms of its construction and components (check the circuit boards: WIMA caps, etc.), though it is still production gear with the occasional problems always associated with machine assembly at any price point.
Their lesser stuff is, well, lesser stuff, outsourced Mexican and Indonesian goods with lower quality components.
I don't understand some of the peculiar whatnot they feel they need to add on, like that silly SubWave effect, especially on amps where it seems to make even less sense, like Invalid Link Removed a fairly conservative amp for an SWR (and I like mine a lot).
If anyone can provide me with an .MP3 of this effect in use when it doesn't sound ridiculous and is actually useful, I'd be grateful, as I can make no sense out of it.
Their lesser stuff is, well, lesser stuff, outsourced Mexican and Indonesian goods with lower quality components.
I don't understand some of the peculiar whatnot they feel they need to add on, like that silly SubWave effect, especially on amps where it seems to make even less sense, like Invalid Link Removed a fairly conservative amp for an SWR (and I like mine a lot).
If anyone can provide me with an .MP3 of this effect in use when it doesn't sound ridiculous and is actually useful, I'd be grateful, as I can make no sense out of it.
'strue. I went WM15 > Basic Black > Super Redhead, each step being a major improvement. And all of them exactly the right height for sitting on during soundchecks. Try that with an Ampeg SVT & 8x10 stack...
Seriously, the Redhead is a great example of CA engineering - it has that Ampex multitrack vibe when you open the lid.
Seriously, the Redhead is a great example of CA engineering - it has that Ampex multitrack vibe when you open the lid.
cgworkman said:Is that a good or bad thing?
Both, because although I'm perfectly content with my SWR rig as my 'clean' rig, I still want a 'character' rig.
It's a thing. An SWR rig & a Sansamp BDDI gives you the choice, is all. Unless collecting amps is your hobby - not that there's anything wrong with that...cgworkman said:Is that a good or bad thing?
huskies90 said:I think every bass player has his own sound. I play my Q4 through SWR stuff. I played a p-bass for years through an old Fender rig and it never fit right with the kind of music I play (jamband music - Phish, DMB Dead etc). The modulus / SWR combo (with Eden cabs) gives me the exact sound I LOVE...The fender set up sounded like mud. I remember reading on here that one person's "mud" is another person's "fat" while one person "sterile" is an other person's "crisp and clean" or something like that...
I'm pretty sure huskies90 will be diggin' an SWR I.O.D. on his gig this Thursday night.
I've never had a problem tone-wise with the SWR cabs I've owned over the years. At one time I ran 2 Goliath SR cabs whilst playing in a metal band. Scary loud!!!
Perhaps it was my often-repeated statement:huskies90 said:I remember reading on here that one person's "mud" is another person's "fat" while one person "sterile" is an other person's "crisp and clean" or something like that...
"Tone arguments are for morons."
Shorter, more to the point, easier to remember.
What's wrong with free advertizement? For example: SWR overnight ships a bass setup for Timmy to use on the show, and they get free advertisement, plus a tax write-off. After the show, the rig is shipped back to SWR's via Fed-ex overnight for someother band to use. How cool is that?
I just picked up the Eagles show on DVD and have been playing it this evening - I noticed the same thing. I have an SWR SM500 and have really been considering selling it. I haven't been able to get a tone out of it that I like when playing my Jazz (fingerstyle anyway - the slap tone is killer). I thought Timothy's tone was great - I realize the PA has a lot to do with it, but man - any ideas how to get a tone similar to his? Lot's of EQ options - I just haven't been able to find one that does it for me...
Bongolation said:
Bryan Beller - live solo from "Show Yourself". The first half of the clip backing the guitar solo is the Mo' Bass' "BassSynth" and "SubWave" engaged but played in a lower register. Around 1:40 he starts to traditionally solo with both effects still engaged, but it's clear to hear how they both interact with each other. Wonderful solo, both in composition as well as the use of multiple effects working together if you're into that.
I personally love the SubWave on my Mini Mo' and previously used other effects for multiple reasons: "filling in" the low end while soloing as Beller shows above, to play more melodically higher up while still providing low-end support sonically, and playing "disco octaves" patterns in lines where traditional octave fingering is hard or impossible.
I can understand why it might not be your cup o' tea, but it does have many uses as shown and heard above.
