SWR 750x Head

Made in 2002.
More versatile than the previous 750 model due to the new effects.
one channel preamp and one channel power amp.
I wish this thing had a way to access the power amp alone as a slave amp, which would make biamping a lot easier. Also, a volume pad (-10-15db) would be nice since it's a fine line between barely audible to disturbing the peace volume levels. I probably will use everything this amp offers, except not all at once. I will use this amp live, in rehersals, and in recording. It definitely has enough power.

I think the main point of this amp is its simplicity. It is meant to be straightforward and in your face with volume, tone, and styling. If you are expecting a swiss army knife/jack of all trades type of bass amp, this is not for you. I'd look into an sm900 or building your own rack, which i've done, and believe me, it is expensive, time consuming, and worst of all, heavy. I think the main advantage of this newer version of the 750 is the ability to get a gritty bass tone using the overdrive effect. I can get just enough drive to give the bass a more grindier tube tone and feel. This truly makes it a more versatile amp, and I think it adds another dimension to what was previously a 'hi-fi' sounding amp. I play primarily rock and funk. For rock, I prefer a more grindier sound that cuts through with low mids between 200-300 Hz and another peak around 600 Hz. For funk, the cleaner the better. I like full low mids (around 100-200 Hz), and a scooped out 'bass' mid (around 600hz to 1khz), also razor sharp highs (7-15khz), and a subtle limiter is very important. I think the subwave (octave) effect is adequate, but not as great as the owner's manual makes it out to be. Actually, I can get a lot more low end, and cool tones out of a $60 boss oc-2 octaver. The same one used by Pino Palladino on Paul Young's CD's. I think the tracking is a minor issue. Overall sound however is first rate. There's still a typical 'swr' tone that is difficult to eq out, but it's a good sound, and so I don't actually try to eq it out. In order for me to get all of the tones I mentioned above I still need a good quality parametric equalizer. But, that's not surprising since I've used a parametric with every preamp i've owned (trace elliot, alembic, demeter).

Don't know since i've only had it for a week. The reviews and anecdotes are very encouraging. But, it is definitely going into a rack case.

Although I've never had any failure with previous swr amps, I call the company for questions regarding setups and upgrades. The guys are great. They are very helpful and make suggestions I've never thought of before talking to them. Not all of them are as knowledgable, so try to develop a relationship with someone you trust.

I've been a bassist for over 20yrs, and this is the first bass head I've owned since my old sunn back in the mid 80's. I've considered other heads like mesa boogie and trace elliot, but none of them were versatile enough. I feel this amp will handle about 85-90% of all playing situations I might encounter. I think the only situation this amp might not be used is certain recording sessions or if I'm ever in need of a jazz bass/fretless tone. There's nothing I hate about this amp, and there are a lot of things I love about it. Also, the cool factor is almost vain. I couldn't believe the thing came with a polishing rag for the chrome! If I lost this amp, I'd replace it in a heartbeat. I'll probably always use a parametric eq with this and any other amp, and I'll likely add a chorus and noise gate in the future, but then I'm getting away from the purpose of this amp, right? Simplicity.