SWR Basic Black

Basic 3 band EQ, aural enhancer (for more harmonics), EFX loop with mix control, gain and volume. 120 wats or 160 with extension cabinet.
15" driver + piezo tweeter (switchable). DI, extension cabinet, tunner and phone outputs in the rear.

The basic EQ and the aural enhancer are perfect for a plug and play operation. You won't need more controls.

This amp sounds really good. It's very simple. Meat with potatoes. Plug and play. The sound is very transparent and respects the original tone of your bass.

It's perfect for small clubs. If I need more power I use the DI output to the PA and monitor system.

I have been recording with this amp miked and sounds with lots of clarity.

I've been playing it 10 years. I've been problems with the imput jacks only. I replaced it with neutrik jaks. The rest of parts are solid and reliable.

Not needed. I like the information about discontinued products like this that you can get in the SWR web (www.swrsound.com).

Very good amp. I've been playing it during 10 eyars with very good results.

I only play play jazz rock (fingers and slap), so I don't know about versatility. But I guess its power is too small if you wanna play in a a rock/metal band. I use this amp with a second SWR cabinet, which raise the power to 160W. It's much more comfortable, but still not enough for Korn-like playing.

I play on a 6 string Noguera Expression bass (from a french manufacturer, about 2500$) which doesn't sound perfectly, but the amp helps a lot to have a correct sound. In my opinion, there's no enough gain, so the ghost notes are not very present (but it might come from my bass, or from the lack of power)

I bought it 10 years ago. Now most of the jacks are broken (plastic screws are fucked up). Also, the speaker starts to be unstuck.
The electronic bloc is ok.

You don't have that in France ;-)

What I like: it's a compact amp which is well adapted to jazzrock/funk style. But it is not much powerfull, I recommand to use an extra speaker to switch in 160W mode...

there is a good reason why they call it "basic Black". it has the most basic equalizer and yet you can get any freakin sound you want without dealing with 20 knobs. i play all styles cause im a recording rental bassist , anything from jazz to rock and pop. this amp can give me any soung i want.

amazing sound in each and every style , even with the shittiest bass you'll find.

this bass is like a tank. you can throw it from the 4th floor and the sidewalk will brake. never ever had any problems... i trust it with my eyes closed.

who needs it with this amp?!

i play bass for almost 30 years and i had about 25 different kins of amps. this one is absolutely the best i played.

Probably made in 1994 or so since I bought it at Guitar Center in 95. I sold an Acoustic Amp to get this Amp based on a Bass Player Shootout. I was playing in a "shoe gazer" rock band at the time. I thought the amp's sound was really good, but it wasn't a good replacement for the void that the Acoustic left. The Acoustic had a much more "rock/punk" friendly sound, I had to modify my playing to fit the bill, which was a good thing because I got to learn more about different tones and what works where, as opposed to having a "midrangy sound that cuts through", to use the parlance of our times. THe features are well covered, needless to say I did't list them but I find them very useful, especially the Aural enhancer, the speaker out, and the effects loop which I use to plug a CD player into to jam along with.

I use two basses with it, the first one is a 1984 G&L L2000 that has been pretty well used and abused somewhat more than normal. The other is a Factory 2nd Epiphone Jack Casady sig. bass. IT sounds very good with both basses. It is as versatile as the G&L in that it can be modified to cover all the sounds that that bass can cover, i.e. slap, J sound, P sound, and it's own flavors. I don't really care for the tweeter. I have blown it up twice! the second time I just left it for dead. The only thing that it can't do is sound gritty, it sounds very full and is probably the perfect amp for groove oriented music i.e fingerstyle funk, blues,fingerstyle rock, but it doesn't excell at rock with a pick so you might want to look at another amp if that is what you play. When I played in a band I did find myself asking for more volume when the two guitars were blaring a la My Bloody Valentine. But I got a 2 10 cab by SWR pro series and it really rounded out the sound.

Reliability.......if used properly very reliable amp. It has been to the shop twice for the same problems. I took it to a gig and the band that played after us is a punk band and I let their bass player use it, BIG mistake, he pushed the gain all the way along with the volume and after a while out flew the speaker fuse and the amp shutdown! 90.00 to fix it, I had to have the speaker reconed and some other techy shit I can't remember. Recently I lent it to my nephew he plays in a punk band aswell SLIMFAST, and he did the same nubmer on it and it reacted the same way so, WARNING THIS AMP DOESN'T DO PUNK!!!!!!! it's still in the shop, I imagine it will run me about 150.00 now that the cost of living has gone up some since it last went to the shop. SO the amp was misused but other than that it is rock solid. I am going to give it a solid 8 because 10 being perfection, perfect it is not.

THe company is very helpful I called to order some fuse caps and to inquire about better speakers for the amp and general questins and I always get a human after the initial routing maze. They are very helpful, who knows how they will be now that Fender owns them. SWR gets a 9, because to get a 10 they would have to give stuff away when you called. I never sent in the warranty, anyway I had it for about 4 years before tragedy struck the first time.

I have been playing for a while now about 11 years, in terms of chops I am somewhere between Stu Ham and Sid Vicious;). As far as bass gear I have 2 basses (G&L L2000 and an Epi Jack Casady Model;my favorite! both fretted) I have a Bassman 25 which I am using right now with the Goliath Jr. cab, while this one is in the shop. I also have a Bassdriver sansamp, EBS Octabass, If it were lost or stolen I wouldn't get another one because they don't make them anymore and I have never seen one on Ebay (which is where I would get my new amp)I really like the sound but I would want to experiment with other Amps, this one has served me well. and I have grown to love the "earthy" tones from it, I will eventually get an EBS Multidrive to overdrive the input channel a little to get SVT grind which this amp can not achieve by itself. My only complaint about this amp!

Hi, I have "taken" from HC reveiws long enough,, I would like to start "giving back". This is a great forum, so here is my take on the Basic Black. This is my 2nd one, my first was a Bassic Black (note the 2 "s" in Bassic) but SWR had to change the name due to a tradmark to just Basic Black. With the new name came a few more little features, but nothing big. I also owned both kinds of Silverado (4X8, and 2X12 Special), and I owned a Workingman's 15, and I must say I feel SWR does combos quite well. I play only electric bass, but all styles. The amp has the 12AX7 tube preamp with enhanser (with XLR out...nice), and a basic power amp of 120 watts. To me, it sounds like more power becasue the limiter is very well done, and keeps it from getting muddy. This is now discontinued, and the closest in the line nowdays is the Workingman 15...also nice, but no tube pre. overall, for a little combo, it's LOADED...headphone out, tuner out, tweeter on/off, FX loop, sweep mids...XLR out...they really have left no stone unturned. It lacks nothing as far as the bells and whistles. The tone is very nice....

I have alot of basses, not all of which I keep. Warwick, Lakland, Roscoe, and old Fenders are some of my "staples". I think I know good tone when I hear it...I also have a SVT classic, Eden 410XLT, Alembic F-1X pre...some decent things. I love the sound of the Basic Black. The trick is to understand it is a 50 pound little box, great for small gigs and rehersals. If you have a moderate drummer, you can use this amp. IF you guys are firing up Marshalls, and cracking sticks on the snares, forget it now. However, used for what it is, I love the amp. I used to keep some Ampeg B-15 fliptops for recording...nice classic tone, sure, but I sold them as the Basic Black sounded so much nicer. LOVES a P bass!

This is where I differ from some of the guys here. I think the amp is very solid. In fact, I had been trapped in a multi car accident on the freeway one, and I rolled a van. The amp went thru the glass and rolled into the freeway. After picking all the glass out of the rear port...worked great. I think THAT is reliable!

I think SWR has decent customer support. They answer the phones, and you can still download a manual on this for free, even though discontinued. I'd say they are keeping their end of the bargan!

Overall, you get what you pay for...and this isn't THAT much money. But buck for buck, pound per pound, I think it's a winner! I like the other SWR combo's too, so it's not just this amp, but if you are keeping a few amps about, it is nice to have you spare or practice amp with a 15" to have a little variety!

Got the amp in late '96 (early '97?). I'm a straightahead player... the only effect I use is occasional compression... so not many comments on effects/features. Used in medium sized (200 - 400 people) auditoriums... kicked hard in the smaller, still handled things fine in the larger. (Funk/Gospel/Ballad setting, driving but not hotwired.) For what I need (note the NAME of the amp... BASIC...) it has everything. Really like the physical design... simple and straightforward, perhaps even elegant.

I've used it with a very old (apparently aged wood stock) Ibanez Roadstar 4 string (a surprisingly good-sounding accident?) with Tomastic strings, and an F Bass 5 string (maple neck and fingerboard) with Elixirs (a surprisingly good-sounding accidental combination). With both basses, this amp is beautiful. Good overtones, full and vocal depth, excellent translation of percussive finger-style as well as high 'fleshy' expressive playing. Does OK with slap, but I'd want to add a 10 inch cab... or just go to a Super Redhead to get really serious. Handles fast and low playing well, good seperation, sounds wonderful at low volumes. For my purposes and at its price it's pretty much ideal.

Never had problems, but I've been very kind to it. APPEARS to be tank-like.

Never had to bother.

I'd trade it in a heartbeat for the Redhead or maybe the Blue (hahahahahaha), but I'd cry a little in the corner anyway. I'd get another, all things being equal. The size and shape are great for the sound and purpose... I like to sit right on top of it to play when possible. Something about the layout just loves me... I have NEVER ONCE regretted taking this thing home.

Bought this amp around 1994-95 (don't remember).
I'd give this amp a 10, if the mid-eq were sweepable. Despite that, this 1-channel amp rocked then, and it rocks now (2002). As a side note, I had to stop playing music for five years, during which time this amp lived in my front hall closet. What is it with this amp and cats, anyway? Mine used it as a scratching post too. Anyway, after five years, I turned it on, and it sounded like I'd never put it down.

I've used this amp for electric bass, acoustic bass, and Chapman Stick. With the exception of the acoustic bass, I've been thrilled with the sound quality of this amp. As far as the acoustic bass goes, any amp with a tweeter will give you too much high end. Couple that with a Fishman transducer on the bass, and you're asking for trouble.
Despite that, there was plenty of bottom end, and as long as I switched the tweeter to cut, and rolled back the treble, the sound was still pretty darn good. Not great, but when you're playing at around 100db, you find that finesse kinda goes out the door with Grandma.

Never, ever, ever, had a problem, anywhere, anytime, anyway.
'Nuff said.

Never had to call Customer Service.
Never had to take it in for repairs.
No experience with Customer Support.

Actually, I'd give this amp a 9.5, even after more than 6 years of use and storage. I've played bass for 25 years, and owned a zillion amps. The only other amp that I have is a Roland Bass Cube from the early eighties, but that wouldn't hold up in a club.
This amp has held its own, and still will hold its own, anywhere I'd take it.

I think that this amp was produced in the Chinese year of The RAT. What a versatile piece of equipment. It fell apart in so many versatile ways. Why, whenever I was performing, the only consistency this amp excelled in was dying on stage. My cat likes though. She loves to sharpen her nails on it. This is the most expesive scratching post I ever invested in! YEEEEEEEEEEEESH!

At first, the amp was pretty versatile. I was able to get a good low end, and a great funk snap. It was pretty clean when the volume was cranked. Boy, that was ONE good gig! After that, the Rip Off Gremlin started to rear it's head.
As far as sound goes, the only sound I heard was the Rip Off Gremlin laughing at me...

The Basic Black is the most unreliable and without a doubt one of the greatest rip off scams since "The Sting". Redford and Newman would be proud of this one. Unless you have the word "Schmuck" tattooed on your forehead, steer clear from this Rice Krispie special. It snapped, crackled, popped, and then fizzled out. I wish the double goose egg was offered in the ratings category for this sorry excuse for an amp.

The tech support at SWR was very lame and wasn't very concerned wih my problem. Why should they be? They got my money. Another sucker taken, and their paychecks still keep rolling in. Doesn't SWR stand for "Swindle Without Remorse"?
I've had to take this amp in to get it repaired so many times that the repairmen knew me by my first name. They would beam when they would see me walking through their doors.

I've been playing out for 21 years. I've used many amps. If this amp was stolen, I would track it down for the sole purpose of consoling the thief for wasting their time and risking possible incarceration for stealing this worthless piece of crap.

The amp is 120 watts, but by attaching an outside speaker, 160 watts is possible. This amp was bought new in 1993, I bought it from the fellow who had it brand new. Even though it is about 8 years old by now, this thing really moves air- i blew off a magazine that was sitting on top of the effects loop input/output. This amp has basic treble/mid/bass EQ, an effects blend control, tube preamp ans solid state power amp. I still haven't figured out how to use the "Aural Enhancer" knob, it doesn't seem yo do much that I c.ouldn't accomplish without the EQ. there isn't anything special about the features, but the tube preamp is a nice addition.

I've played an Ibanez of unknown model through this thing, and it sounds like a monster. The Bassic Black habdles both active and passive instruments really well; my main instrument is a Peavy Foundation and I get awesome sound from this baby. One word of caution: don't play in the basement or any other small enclosed space, the vibes will make your head practically explode

Despite 8 years of wear and tear, and the short time it's previous owner's cat used it as a scratching post, the Bassic Black is the most durable amp combo Iv'e played on. makes a very comfy seat if your legs get tired during rehearsal, and then you can just let the vibrations go to your head.
Also, instead of the usual one handle on top, the bassic black has two side handles, very convinient for a 50 lb box.

I haven't had any reason to call SWR for help yet, but I understand that they will replace parts for discontinued models like the bassic black (was discontinued in 1999)

I was surprised at what I got for $375, and because this model isn't available in stores anymore (discontinued in '99), I plan to get insurance for this baby as soon as possible. I'm very protective of my amplifier, the only thing I dislike is that it can be cumbersome to move down stairs or through narrow doorways. This makes a perfect bass amp for playing clubs if you have a friend along to help carry the thing.

Built in 1996, The Basic Black with it's 12AX7A tube preamp completely out classes the SWR's Workingman Combos. The Tube Preamp can be overdriven to produce a very sweet sounding overdrive with you dig in. The tuner out jack can also be used as a hot line out to another amp. Great sounding headphone outs.
Puts out 120 watts by itself and 160 with an extension speaker.
I have paired it with it's exact perfect match: a Basic 2-Way extension cabinet. That's 2 15's and 2 le son piezo's at 160 watts.
both are lightweight and very portable.
Active tube direct XLR out allows to amp to project it's sweet tone to a mixing board, tape, or PA.
Capable of powering 2 8 ohm extension cabinets!

SWR and Warwick's seem to be a match made in heaven. The combination of the Basic Black and Basic 2-Way creates enough power to really move some air. The low B string speakes with authority. A wide range of deep rich SWR professional tone; from deep down to crisp highs.
I would highly recommend getting a Basic Black over a Workingman Series. The BB & B 2-Way are comparable to Super Redheads and Silverado's insofar as tone quality.
You've got to get one while the getting is still good because SWR discontinued both the Basic Black and it's companion the Basic 2-Way in January 1999. This is SWR Engineering equipment. Not SWR Sound.

These puppies are built like a tank. You can depend on it. 3/4 inch Douglas Fir and 7 ply birch cabinet. This is Professional gear.
It has never even once come close to breaking down or letting me down.It's a rare thing to have this much pride in a classic piece of first rate audio equipment. Now that it's discontinued, it's bound to be a vintage classic.

The Basic Basic is so elegantly simple and yet so effective, there's really not much that can go wrong. I did however get crazy with some over-the-top feedback and blew a tweeter. One call to SWR and in 3 days the part arrived. The tweeter cost less then $20 shipped. Can't conplain about that. SWR was very prompt and helpful.

It it were stolen or lost I'd going bananas. This rig is in perfect shape and is actually irreplaceable. There's no comparsion to any other combo package available for portability, light weight, volume to watt ratio, or tone quality. My insurance policy had to have a "vintage" rider because it's not made anymore and will most likily go up in value over time.