• 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.

Double Bass swr workingman's 10 VS. eden cxc 110

K

karlgustav

Aug 30, 2005
49
0
Europe,Estonia
#1
Hey,I'm looking for a combo that would suit doublebass(with underwood) and 5 string electric bass(with active pickups&EQ)
for small gigs and rehersal.Light weight and portability are important.I'm choosing between SWR workingman's 10 and Eden cxc110.So,if anyone has expieriences with these models,I'd be more then happy to hear about it.
 
#3
karlgustav said:
Hey,I'm looking for a combo that would suit doublebass(with underwood) and 5 string electric bass(with active pickups&EQ)
for small gigs and rehersal.Light weight and portability are important.I'm choosing between SWR workingman's 10 and Eden cxc110.So,if anyone has expieriences with these models,I'd be more then happy to hear about it.
Click to expand...

I had the WM10, it's got a good sound but not much volume. If you want light and portable, look into one of the Acoustic Image heads paired with a good light weight 10 or 12 inch cab of your choice. If you plan on using an EBG 5, I would get a light weight 12 or a pair of them if you need to get more volume.
 
#5
I've never been terribly impressed w/the volume and/or tone of SWR stuff(I've owned a 350 & 750 watt head and 6x10 cab), but I am waiting right now on a CXC-110 replacement(long story- see it on my thread entitled 'Stinkin' UPS'). This a VERY loud little rig. I already have a CX-110 extension cab for it, so I can't wait to take it outside. The coolest thing for me is that it does an extremely good job w/my upright and bass guitars. I've never been so impressed w/an amplifier. I vote Eden. Twice. ;)
 
#6
I used an swr workingman's ten for a while--I also had an swr redhead and a workingman's 12. They all shared, to my ears, a horrible plasticy midrange sound. I don't know why, or what, but I could never dial it out. The midrange always reminded me of styrofoam. I was glad to see the last of the SWR gear go out the door. I know a lot of people love it, and I'm not saying they are wrong--but in my hands it sounded harsh and bad. The redhead I had was really well made and well thought out, but I could never get a sound I liked

Eden gear has, again to my ears, and again I may be wrong or just quirky, a smiley eq--a sharply boosted low end, bright highs, and a cut midrange. It sounds better than SWR to me, but they have a lot on common. Most bass amps have kind of a signature sound--ampeg stuff usually has a low midrange peak--it's what I hear as the ampeg sound. Eden's sound is, to my ears, a boosted low end and a boosted top. Works well for a very "modern" electric bass sound, the sound of active pickups and preamps

Try them both, but I'd get the Eden if it were just those two. I also think SWR's build quality has declined in the last year or two
 
#7
I'm a happy user of an Eden WT330 (same amp as in the CXC110) with a 210XST. I mainly play slab, but my EUB sounds much better through the Eden than through other amps I've tried. A friend who owns the CXC110 finds it plenty loud enough for his jazz gigs, and with it's 2 Ohm capabilty it can put loads of extra grunt into an added 4 Ohm cab for loud gigs.
I find the Eden sounds more neutral than SWR (or any of the other big names) so that it brings out the true character of your instrument, for better or worse.
Since I bought the Eden, I've also had to work on my technique because this amp is so honest...
 
#8
Karlgustav -- I dont' have experience with the Eden, though I hear good things about their products. I do have experience with the SWR Workingmans 10 and I would advise against it. It may actually be fine for the electric bass guitar, but not a good choice for acoustic double bass. It has a harsh, trebly sound that is hard to get rid of (as another post pointed out), and it doesn't give you much volume. I recently got rid of mine. I now use a small Gallien-Krueger combo amp (MB 150) that gives me a much better sound, and more volume, than the Workingmans 10.
 
#10
My working mans 10 is a fantastic amp for electric bass.
Especially if you a different preamp and bypass the one in
the combo. For upright bass, I don't have one friend who's
been able to get a worthwhile sound out of it. I think its
the speaker, tweeter, crossover combination. SWR used
different 10's with different boxes for tuning and tone
purposses.
 
#12
karl I may be the dumbest person on this forum but to me it was worth a little extra weight to get the SWR workingman's 12. I have one of the old ones before they changed something [i don't know what], circa 1992 or so?? As many here have said, there's a little magic in the WM's 12 that is not found in the 10 or the 15 [the latter I find near-useless.... to my surprise].

this is the honest truth, I had a huge-power Eden WT signature series head that i used with several cabs, but I kept going back to my beatup SWR el cheapo WM's 12. I DO play to try a different speaker in it soon, just for grins.

if anyone reading this knows why the old ones sound better, please speak up as I love to learn the technicals
zapp
 
#14
I've used both Eden 210 and SWR Workingmans 12 in the past. To my ears the SWR stuff has never impressed me very much. It's a definte sound they go for but one I don't like at all with upright. Very midrangy-not very natural. The Eden also was very colored in the midrange and I didn't like it for upright either.

I'd go for EA whizzy combo to get good natural sound out of both instruments. The Whizzy is a little more old school so it's a little warmer than the Cxl EA cabs. Don't know how much you're looking to spend but if you're going to get something for both axes, you should try to get the best you can afford.
 
#15
One of the things that used to annoy me about the workingman's ten was the little rubber plugs for the jacks in the back. If the plugs weren't in, I'd get this whistling noise at high volume, as air rushed out of the sealed cab through the jacks. A little thing, but I was alwasys looking out for the little plugs, which tended to fall out during load in/out
 
#16
I use an SWR workingman's 10 for my upright (chezch with a realist and old-school fishman). It's a good amp that serves me well but I can't use it in a room any bigger than a small bar.

I've had to use a pre-amp (also fishman, the bass one) for both the realist and fishman pick-ups to get a real sound.

I dunno how it would work with you're basses, but if you've got a sam ash, guitar center, etc, near you, bring your basses and try one out.

Hope this helps.
 
#17
PB+J said:
One of the things that used to annoy me about the workingman's ten was the little rubber plugs for the jacks in the back. If the plugs weren't in, I'd get this whistling noise at high volume, as air rushed out of the sealed cab through the jacks. A little thing, but I was alwasys looking out for the little plugs, which tended to fall out during load in/out
Click to expand...

An easy solution...get some of those foam earplugs, roll one up, put it in the unused jack, let it expand, and the problem is solved. Plus, some of them come in day-glo colors, so its easy to spot one that's fallen out.

But yes, without all the plugs, the cab gets quite noisy. I tried one that was missing most of them and it was frustrating.

BTW, I use the foam earplugs on my other cabs with an open jack, too.
 
#18
I know that people use the Working Man's 10 and 12 combos for jazz, but has anyone really put a Baby Baby Blue 10 through the paces? I see some review on the EBG side, but nothing from doublebasses. It seems like something that this community would have at least dabbled in.

I'd love to know.

Troy
 
#19
I had a eden cx110 cab.
worked okay as an extension cab.
But did not work out as a stand alone.
I used it with a seperate eden 330t head.
It seemed not to be able to take low notes very well.
This was with 4 string electric and upright
I had this equipment about 2 years ago.
good luck
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back