Who misses SWR?

[mark roberts]

I've got two GoLight 1x12 cabs that keep me interested in SWR. Just looking for a super clean Bass 350 redface or SM-400s to go with them now.

I might be able to help with that Red Bass 350...drop me a PM.

 

[moogieotter]

I have an extra SM-500 which is fan cooled. Played 3 hour show in 85 degrees no probs.

 

[pappabass]

View attachment 2893206 I still have a first edition PB-200 and Monitor-12 that I use regularly. Couldn’t afford them when they came out, bought them in the early 90s. The head still sounds great, with warmth from the tube and present high end. But these days, I dial down the highs and lows and take out most of the exciter (as per some recommendations by TBers in old threads)—clean without the 80s scoop. And, yeah, that amp runs super hot, so I put a fan in it late 90s. Helps a lot with that.

I use the monitor regularly with my other amp alone and in combination with other speakers when the wedge shape helps (often put it behind the drummer). Cool bit: the monitor is one of the ones that came stock with a Bag End driver! So, nice deal there.

I have one of those 12 monitors also, don't see many around

 

[Bassist30]

SWR I do miss. I never really thought their light weights had enough time to compete with what's out today. At a rehearsal place, I played an older 410 small with the port in the back. That thing was really sounding nice. They also had one of their 900's and I liked it. Some techs complaint bout them but I thought they sounded nice. They were standard with a lot of Gospel Bands back then and did a great job. I was not clear why they folded, but they were a good company and I thought the price was reasonable.

 

[chris_b]

Well? I for one, miss SWR and the presence they made on stage

SWR certainly was a "game changer". . . and then the world of bass amplification took the concept to new levels. The Model T did the same thing but I'd rather be driving my Volvo.

 

[mark roberts]

I'd like to find a four ohm cab like one of the following:
Henry 8x8 (Celestion model)
Big Bertha
Goliath Senior

 

[instrumentlevel]

a fan in the single rack space (with a baffle in the back) pushes cool air through the head for the 2-ohm load. View attachment 3087367 View attachment 3087368

Nicely done. I wanted to add a fan to mr PB-200, but didn’t know about rack fans, so I mounted two fans to the back of the amp. Had to move the footswitch jack. Used a 3 position switch for off/1 fan/2 fans, and set up so that the fans exhaust, pulling air through the existing vents rather than blowing directly on the tube.

I know, I know — I probably ruined the resale value with my mods!

 

[basscapes]

My circa '92 ST-800 Power Amp is JUST NOW, after all these years of gigging (bought it in '98), starting to show signs of power supply hum and some signal caps getting leaky (a little bit of line hum as well as noise in the signal when turning up or down the volume pots).

Had to replace the heat sink temperature sensor (fan on/off) twice over that time (I bought a bunch of them from Digi-Key. IIRC, they were at "end of life" a few years ago).

I didn't even notice that the sensor had failed! I had the thing was running almost at full volume for a number of bigger outdoor summer gigs before I actually burned my hand on one of the handles during a load-out one night! It survived.

Other than those things (it WILL be getting a refresh/refurb as soon as my Quilter Bass Block 800 shows up from Musician's Friend this week!), it has been a rock solid performer!

 

[toprekoms]

I miss SRV.

 

[Bass RN]

I still use all my SWR gear since I got it in the late 90's. It has been bullet proof. The SM 900 and 6x10 is a monster.

 

[mastodon88]

i played SWR for 15 years, loved it. Now I'm fully converted to Fender all-tubes.

 

[DirkP]

I really liked the company and remember during the early times of the internet in the 90s that Steve Rabe was really a nice guy, answering questions on the largest bass newsgroup. But I have to admit that I didn't like the amps and speakers at all. They had this scooped hifi-sound I really disliked. I had to use one of their amps at a gig and it was horror for me. Like its output had nothing to do with what I played. But for those who like(d) this sound, they were the holy grail. It is not fair to compare their high quality stuff with the later budget stuff. The Redhead looked very cool and was an exception long before class-d heads. Remember the guy from Portishead using one on stage.

 

[Kirk Bryant]

I used a Sm500?? or something for seven or eight years. I was playing a ton then and was consistently averaging over 300 gigs a year. I pounded that amp and it was in the shop about once a year on average. When I bought a Glockenklang in 96’, I forgot all about SWR. They were more or less state of the art then but I have no desire to go back to those amps. I still use a Redhead at a rehearsal space and it still sounds fine. I used Genz Benz for about 10 yrs and now a MM1000.

 

[10cc]

 

[10cc]

Sounds great!