Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
SWR SM 900 Never Ending Problems... Please help me!
- Thread starter Gokhan91
- Start date
I bought a brand new one back in 97 and it sucked. Thank God GC had a 30 day return policy. Took it back and got me a nice GK.
Well first off, dude edited the part of his post that was getting the responses in question.
OK I'll help.
If you don't like SWR gear buy something else.
If you do like the amp and would like to continue using it, stop saying SWR sucks and find a reputable repair place that can diagnose and fix the amp.
/end thread.
Maybe a good idea. For what it's worth, the short time that I owned one it seemed to always run hot. Like it was normal for that amp.
I'll give it a go...
What cabs are you running and what are the ohm ratings on them? Exactly how are they hooked up to the amp?
It may be completely normal. I'm not that familiar with SWR to know for sure, but if it's hot the fan is going to run.
What bass are you using? Is it active or passive? If it's active, how are the controls set on the bass itself? How are the controls set on the amp itself?
It's possible, but until you answer the other questions I've asked it's impossible to tell. Right now it sounds like user error to me...
2-3 years isn't that old, but it doesn't mean electrical components can't fail during that time. It really depends on how the thing is used.
Now, considering yours is 20 years old, I'm not sure what relevance that has.
If you don't like it sell it.
What cabs are you running and what are the ohm ratings on them? Exactly how are they hooked up to the amp?
It may be completely normal. I'm not that familiar with SWR to know for sure, but if it's hot the fan is going to run.
What bass are you using? Is it active or passive? If it's active, how are the controls set on the bass itself? How are the controls set on the amp itself?
It's possible, but until you answer the other questions I've asked it's impossible to tell. Right now it sounds like user error to me...
2-3 years isn't that old, but it doesn't mean electrical components can't fail during that time. It really depends on how the thing is used.
Now, considering yours is 20 years old, I'm not sure what relevance that has.
If you don't like it sell it.
For what it's worth, I owned an SM-900 with the same exact problem as yours. Fan would come on immediately, face plate was very hot to the touch, etc.
It wasn't until the amp went into thermal protection and shut down that I got rid of it.
That amp runs hot. If it's in a rack, take it out of the rack and put a fan in front of it...or better yet, make a portable air-conditioner part of your gig rig.
A tech can't fix what is essentially a design flaw.
There may be a possible fix: the fan on the SM-900 is both undersized and has no exhaust. It just either pushes outside air in or pulls it out. Mine pushed the air in, but the hot air had nowhere to vent. If you drill some holes in the outer case or the faceplate, that might help with the ventilation problem.
It wasn't until the amp went into thermal protection and shut down that I got rid of it.
That amp runs hot. If it's in a rack, take it out of the rack and put a fan in front of it...or better yet, make a portable air-conditioner part of your gig rig.
A tech can't fix what is essentially a design flaw.
There may be a possible fix: the fan on the SM-900 is both undersized and has no exhaust. It just either pushes outside air in or pulls it out. Mine pushed the air in, but the hot air had nowhere to vent. If you drill some holes in the outer case or the faceplate, that might help with the ventilation problem.
Where are the rest of the controls on the amp? I'm mainly interested in the Gain and Master Volume. Which input are you plugging the bass into?
Are you sure you're clipping the power amp? How do you know?
Unless I'm reading the manual wrong, running two 8 ohm cabs in stereo mode is only going to run 175w to each cab...
What cabs are you running anyways?
Try one thing at a time...
Leave the bass plugged in to one input or the other. I'd go with the active input.
You shouldn't really need to mess with the gain once it's set if you're always using the same bass. Set it so that the light barely comes on when you're hitting the strings your hardest during normal playing.
Adjust the master from there for the volume you'd like.
Did you see the other question I asked in the last post?
Leave the bass plugged in to one input or the other. I'd go with the active input.
You shouldn't really need to mess with the gain once it's set if you're always using the same bass. Set it so that the light barely comes on when you're hitting the strings your hardest during normal playing.
Adjust the master from there for the volume you'd like.
Did you see the other question I asked in the last post?
