SWR SM 1500

[Nikola-BN]

SWR SM-500, SM-900.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[baxter_x]

You welcome. I would advise the SM-500 as the 900 has had some overheating issues. It's a powerful amp but in a 2 rack space. So not a lot of room for airflow.
Also, I have owned the SM-400. This amp survived overheating, car accident, drops..... Most trouble free amp I ever owned.

 

[Al Kraft]

I'm an SWR fan and still own my SM-400S, but as others have said, buy new with a warranty and sleep better knowing you'll be good to go at all your gigs. My SM-400S has been bullet-proof, but I've owned it from it's first day in service and have taken extemely good care of it.

I suspect you can get the power and tone you seek in a new head where you could also have local factory (authorized) service and support available. If you just want to own a cool piece of history and already have your gigging needs covered, it's always fun to own stuff like this.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[arbiterusa]

I have been a lifelong SWR player but when my latest band kicked off in 2015, I knew I was going to need something repairable, as SWR had gone out of business two years earlier and they weren’t coming back.

After a lot of going through various amps, I ended up getting an MB500 from GK. Very close to the SWR tone (clean and even more clean) and if I need it fixed I can get it fixed.

They were the best bass amp company out there as far as I’m concerned but they just couldn’t sell enough to stay alive. It’s a damn shame.

 

[Nikola-BN]

I'm an SWR fan and still own my SM-400S, but as others have said, buy new with a warranty and sleep better knowing you'll be good to go at all your gigs. My SM-400S has been bullet-proof, but I've owned it from it's first day in service and have taken extemely good care of it.

I suspect you can get the power and tone you seek in a new head where you could also have local factory (authorized) service and support available. If you just want to own a cool piece of history and already have your gigging needs covered, it's always fun to own stuff like this.

Good luck with your decision.

Thanks a lot for the answer! It’s not just about the tone and volume, I wish I had something like this because it looks amazing for me.

 

[Nikola-BN]

I have been a lifelong SWR player but when my latest band kicked off in 2015, I knew I was going to need something repairable, as SWR had gone out of business two years earlier and they weren’t coming back.

After a lot of going through various amps, I ended up getting an MB500 from GK. Very close to the SWR tone (clean and even more clean) and if I need it fixed I can get it fixed.

They were the best bass amp company out there as far as I’m concerned but they just couldn’t sell enough to stay alive. It’s a damn shame.

Thanks a lot for the answer!
Too bad they are no longer produced

 

[David McIntire]

I love SWR gear. I have several pieces from their heyday that still perform great! Still have a great sound. And I have a lot of fun bringing mine out to confuse, in fun, younger players who haven't heard of em. I don't know if the SM1500 is the "best", but it was certainly the most powerful, and included nearly every feature SWR had included on all their amps in the past, plus some new ones.

I always wanted an SM1500. If it were me, I could not resist it. If I were to pick one up, I would bring a pedal, patch cables, and check every single knob, patch point, XLR out and speaker out. I would leave the amp on awhile, make sure its fan functions properly, and I would push its volume a bit while playing thru it to see if anything seems strange. With no signal thru it, I would turn the gain knob fully clockwise and then back, and the master, too. Check everything with a bass plugged in, and then with no bass plugged in. I'd check all the lights, a footswitch if included. Everything. Twice. If all checks out, I could not resist that monster. Just to see what it would do.

As others have mentioned. It's "old". Parts, and maybe repairmen, are scarce. Even in the USA it is hard to find em. SWR's days as a company and manufacturer are over. Sad, but true. So there is not much support, except for some extremely knowledgable guys around here. If the price is good, you don't mind the weight, and understand the risk? Get it. Then, head over to the SWR Fanclub and start a New Amp Day thread. In fact, search SWR Fanclub on Talkbass. Lots of guys there with experience, too. They may have more info. I'd love to hear about that amp.

I have, and use a bit, a 1993 SM-900. I bought it for 250 US Dollars. From a guy locally who toured it with the band Buck Cherry. A great deal! I mention the touring because... He bridged the amp the entire time. I imagine that amp was Tortured a bit. He bought it new, had it in a 2sp rack case (not much room to for air movement), ran it very loud, for several years. And then it sat for several years more. It still fires up and works perfectly. Folk say the later, Fender manufactured SWR amps like yours were not as good. That has not been my experience. I've owned SWR pieces from every time period, and compared em. Not a lot, if any, difference. Tho I can't say if the newer amps last as long as my old ones.

Hope it works out. I hope the amp works for ya if you decide to get it. I'd be a bit envious, actually. Except that weight. That is one big, heavy amp. Heh. I wish they'd have made a preamp only version of it. With power amps as light as they are today, a 20lb SM1500 would be a whole lot of fun.

Keep us posted. I always wanted one of those. It's one of the few amps that has eluded me.

 

[FenderB]

I wouldn't buy anything that you can't get parts for readily and had a limited production run.

 

[Al Kraft]

I wouldn't buy anything that you can't get parts for readily and had a limited production run.

Neither would I as a "daily driver". However, I suspect neither of us would mind owning a 60's era Olds 442, Pontiac GTO or even a Tucker 48 given those challenges as long as we had our dependable daily transportation needs covered other ways.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It hasn't been in production for a long time, no parts available, so I'd look at it somewhat like a used car - assume that you will probably get two years out of it and if the price is ok for that timeframe, get it. Now, it is a gamble it may only work for a month, it may be good for another ten years, but it will die sometime and you will not be able to fix it. Unless it's really cheap, I'd buy something new, modern and dependable.

 

[agedhorse]

IMO and IME, the Fender era SWR's were the MOST reliable, and by quite a wide margin too. Under Fender, they also met all of the safety standards in effect until the company was shut down. Fender did (IMO) give SWR the very best chance to succeed.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I have an SWR SM 400s and I love it. But seriously, why mess with something so old when there are so many reasonably priced newer offerings available? I'd recommend you buy something that offers a warranty.

For this and all suggestions that the OP gets something new or newer.
Remember, the OP is in Serbia

 

[David McIntire]

IMO and IME, the Fender era SWR's were the MOST reliable, and by quite a wide margin too. Under Fender, they also met all of the safety standards in effect until the company was shut down. Fender did (IMO) give SWR the very best chance to succeed.

Honestly, that's how I feel. However, I have that friend who swears there's a difference.

I do have a question, tho. Is there a definitive list of parts that are now unavailable? On occasion I do run into non working versions of the various amps. Could be worth the cash to harvest parts. Keep em around as replacements. In case, or more truthfully, when something fails. And, do you know if parts cross between pre and post Fender versions?

 

[agedhorse]

From what I know, Fender no longer stocks any SWR parts. I don't know what happened to the inventory, the biggest challenge is things like pots, switches, jacks, some semiconductors, power transformers and chassis parts.

Some parts are the same but others are not.

 

[David McIntire]

I figgered. Bassically, a crapshoot. Heh. Well, I'll use mine til I can't. Then get another to fix it.

Good question on Fender's SWR parts inventory. For a long time, I saw scads of parts on Ebay. Pots, switches, jacks, knobs, etc. All exterior, tho. No internals except jacks or fans. There aren't as many listings today. I need a fan. Ya don't suppose Fender would... nah. No way.

 

[Al Kraft]

I'm only guessing but I suspect a really good technician with proper schematics, an understanding of/experience with the design of SWR gear, and some creativity could likely help you find acceptable substitutions for many discrete common electrical/electronic components, possibly even cooling fans. Engineers and/or techs like agedhorse would be the kind of skill/knowledge/experience level I'm referring to. Even then there is only so much that can be done if sufficiently detailed information isn't available and/or current parts in production don't match up.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I'm only guessing but I suspect a really good technician with proper schematics, an understanding of/experience with the design of SWR gear, and some creativity could likely help you find acceptable substitutions for many discrete common electrical/electronic components, possibly even cooling fans. Engineers and/or techs like agedhorse would be the kind of skill/knowledge/experience level I'm referring to. Even then there is only so much that can be done if sufficiently detailed information isn't available and/or current parts in production don't match up.

Maybe, but then you have to find that person and ship a 67 lbs amp to them, unless you get very lucky and they're local. And the skill and experience isn't cheap.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Maybe, but then you have to find that person and ship a 67 lbs amp to them, unless you get very lucky and they're local. And the skill and experience isn't cheap.

May not be a lot of them around in Serbia. Some but, not a lot

 

[Skip Chucker]

From what I know, Fender no longer stocks any SWR parts. I don't know what happened to the inventory, the biggest challenge is things like pots, switches, jacks, some semiconductors, power transformers and chassis parts.

Some parts are the same but others are not.

I will echo this- the owner of the local guitar shop (as an aside he also used to own the radio shack next door, and the electronics repair shop two stores down) loves SWR amps and loves working on SWR amps. When my SM-400s's power switch went bad, he tried to order the part to Fender- but it's back ordered... forever...

He figured it out and ordered a similar spec part and made it work. I asked him what I should do as I love this amp- his reply, "Treat that thing like a classic car man, buy every single one just like it that you reasonably can for parts."

On the plus side you can find any and every schematic for SWR amps now. So if you have the parts and the skill, the world is your oyster.

To the OP- I'm sure it's a great amp, the real question is do you know a guy who can fix it when it breaks? If not, it's probably a safe bet to skip it and look for something else- even in Serbia.

 

[agedhorse]

It's time consuming to do a good job adapting a part that doesn't quite fit. I see a fair amount of real hack jobs with the expected results. It's often possible to adapt, but takes more skill than the average tech has IME.