SWR Sound Sound Room Bass Player User Manual

I T’ S E AS Y T O FO R G E T NO W, WH AT W IT H

the re c e n t glut of high-tech bass amps and
cabinets, but when SWR released the origi­nal Redhead in 1988, it signaled a transition
between eras. In a sense, much of what char­acterizes contemporary high-end bass combo
designs—high fidelity preamps with pre c i s e
signal shaping, gig-worthy power, and multi-

driver cabinets—began with the Redhead. It
quickly became t he hip amp to have, and
while subsequent years found other man u­f a c t u r ers entering the increasingly compet­itive category and diminishing the Redhead’s
dom inance, the Redhea d is still one of a
handful of seminal amp designs.

To bring the Redhead in line with the

S W R • D A N E L E C T R O • D R S T R I N G S • T E C H 2 1 • F U T U R E S O N I C S

S O U N D R O O M

SOUNDROOM POLICY

We test pro d ucts i n real-world enviro n m e nt s , evalua t i ng them with re g a rd to price and the ma nu f a c t u rer’s de s i gn int e nt . Advertising does not influence our product

coverage. We invite manufacturers to fact-check product reviews prior to publication, and we print dissenting opinions when applicable. Street prices are approximate.

50

B A S S P L A Y E R | M A Y 2 0 0 8

SW R Redhea d

B Y J O N AT H A N H E R R E R A

SWR RE DHEAD

List $2,349

Street $1,650

Pros Punchy, loud, and articulate combo with

excellent connectivity and stage-to-studio

versatility

Cons A bit heavy by contemporary standards;

slick sound not for everyone

Bottom Line A classic gets refurbished, with

stellar results.

CO N T AC T

[phone]

www.swrsound.com

51

M A Y 2 0 0 8 | B A S S P L A Y E R

demands of today’s player, SWR embarked on
a complete overhaul, resulting in this latest
model. While the new Redhead looks superf i­cially similar to the old model (and its follow­up, the Super Redhead), it’s substantially
d i ff e ren t, with a redesigned, higher- o u t p u t
power amp, tube-driven DI, Eminence drivers,
built-i n comp re s s o r, tun ing mute, ste el­re i n f o rced cover (the old cover was just wood),
and small aesthetic updates, like the fro n t ­p a n e l ’s deeper red hue and new SWR “shield”
badge. As with the original, SWR intends the
Redhead to be an all-in-one solution for any
bassist seeking a versatile, high-powered combo.

For a few years we’ve seen a steady stream
of new lightweight amp techno logies, like
neodymium speak ers, Class D power amps,
and switching power supplies. It’s spoiled me,
as the Redhead felt heavier than my new wussy
tendencies were prepared for. What it loses in
the weight battle, it makes up for with a sense
of rugged solidness. The y" birch-ply cabinet,
which is glued, nailed, and dado-and-rabbet
joined, feels substantial, and the chro m e ­stamped grille is vibration free and ro b u s t l y
locked down. Overall, the Redhead’s constru c­tion and design is well thought-out, particu­larly the nicely placed handles and front panel,
which is angled up for better viewing and
recessed for protection. The included open
rackspace, perfect for a tuner or effects unit,

is another thoughtful feature. Unique among
similarly configured combo amps is the Red­h e a d ’s steel-re i n f o rced cover. When latched to
the amp, it provides thorough protection for
the speakers and front panel. Detached, it dou­bles as a nifty tilt-up amp stand with the cast­ers removed. The components feel tough
enough, with smooth-turning pots, good-qual­ity jacks, and no sense of chintziness anywhere .

RA RE H AI R

For the Redhead’s rehab, SWR didn’t mess with
the original’s preamp voicing, the core of which
dates back to SWR founder Steve Rabe’s orig­inal design. It’s a justly iconized circuit, famed
for its cleanliness, shimmering highs, slightly
scooped mids, and taut, controlled lows. The

A U R A L E N H A N C E R

is another classic SWR fea­t u r e; it’s a variable additive/subtractive EQ con­tour that shifts emphasis as you turn the knob.
Low positions give a bass- and mid-frequency
bump while higher settings get progressively
s c o o p i e r, yielding ever more hollow, tingly
tones. The EQ is well voiced and useful; push­pull pots on the

BASS

and

TREBLE

controls aug­ment the basic circuit, changing the shelving
filters’ knee frequencies when engaged. There ’s
a thorough array of mutes, including a speaker

ON/OFF

switch, a

TUNING

mute, and a mute for
the DI. The two inputs offer not only sensitiv­ity appropriate for active or passive basses, but

The Redhead’s cover offers protection beyond

any other similar combo, plus it doubles as a

stand that can angle the combo upward.

T E C H TA L K

B Y J O N AT H A N H E R R E R A

One of the key upgrades SWR touts in its revamped Redhead
combo (see page 50) is its tube DI. We ’ re more familiar with
tubes in an amp context, but tube DIs are relatively rare .

A DI is a device designed to interface a bass (we’ll stick
to bass applications here, although DIs are used all over the
band) with a mixer or mic preamp. It converts a bass’s high­impedance, instrumen t-level signal to a balanced (for noise
rejection), mic-level, low-impedance signal appropriate for a
m i x e r . A passive DI uses a transformer to achieve this con­version, but the transformer type results in the DI having a

low input impedance—making passive DIs less than ideal for
passive basse s, which like to “see” a high input impedance
for maximum fidelity. A powered or “active” component
(either a tube or tran sistor) buffers the DI’s input, raising its
impedanc e and consequentially improving a pass ive bass’s
tone. The active component can al so color the sound cons id­e r a b l y, particularly when it adds gain. A tube DI is sim ply a
DI circuit that uses a tube to buffer the input (and in some
cases, add gain) whil e also incorporating its plea sing audio
characteristics.

BP