WHY AMPEG OR SWR

You can "kinda" make an SWR Sound like an Ampeg, but you can never get an Ampeg to sound like an SWR.

 

To me, that's a good thing.

I started playing Ampegs cause I like the way they sounded with minimal effort. I found, IME, I have to mess with any SWR I've tried alot to get a sound I liked.

 

IMHO you can always add "warmth" or even mud but you cant remove it if it is inheritant(god i suck at spelling) to the amp.i went from ampeg to swr because i couldnt get the fedelity i needed from the ampeg but i could get the warmth from the SWR. YMMV. also give aguilar a try for a sorta in between.

 

If you prefer a warm-to-grindy, classic (or heavy) rock sound, go with Ampeg. If you want a clean, pure sound that will work with any style music - and almost definitely if you play any slap - go with the SWR.

I love my SWR and am using it in a band that has 'Ampeg' written all over it. I would like to get a little more of that Ampeg warmth and grind in my sound, for this band and the occasional pickup blues gigs I play, anyway - but I'd never become a fulltime Ampeg guy.

That, of course, is just a matter of taste. If I had to guess based on your username alone, I'd say you would prefer an Ampeg

 

I thought both sounded pretty good. I have used an SWR Bass 350 through an Eminence loaded 210, and a Carvin 210 / 18. The sound was really cool. Kind of spacy. But after a while, I felt like there was a bit of a hole in the sound... it kind of wasn't all there. It reminded me to some degree of my old GK RCB200.

Ampeg RocketBass B100-R, sounds great. A very full sound. Clear highs, but deep lows, and great growl. That is the 115 combo.

Ampeg SVT400T with B25 (215) cabinet. Great big tone. Huge lows. Sounds great, but lacking in the highs department. Great thump.

Ampeg SVT400T with Ampeg 410HLF cab. This sounds awesome! Great booming lows, clear highs, great growl and tons of volume.

 

If it's a toss up between the two... then it's purely a matter of the sound you want... prices are pretty comparable.

You want it warm, dirty, or warm and dirty... Ampeg
You want transparent, clear, fresh 'n clean... SWR

Personally, Ampeg rocks my socks off. That's why I buy it.

 

EBS FAFNER=clean and dirty,the best of both worlds.

 

I've owned both, and I think there's something that lots of players overlook...depends on your bass. I've had some basses that sound better with the Ampeg, some with the SWR. Play both with your main instruments...then decide. There's no "blanket answer".

Something else to consider is your power needs. Ampeg is seriously over-rating their power output these days, IMO. A 450 watt SVT III Pro will not match the volume that a similarly-rated SWR SM-400S or SM-500 will produce.