SWR California Blonde

This is a pre-Fender(Mexico) California Blonde, so it was made in USA - I understand these US-made units are generally of better tonal and build quality. Having (briefly) owned some of Fender's Pro Tube amps, which apparently are also made in Mexico, and having been shocked at some of the corners that have been cut, this is something I can well believe. This Cali was in my local music store for a number of years and never sold and when it wasn't used as a demo amp (so at best, light use) was set in the stock room, gathering dust.

Features are the same as others from this era, so won't repeat whats already been detailed elsewhere. But I would say that there are no features I wish this had - its all there and well-laid out, too.

Sound quality is excellent, no other word for it. I use a Martin 00028, with a Fishman Acoustic Martix II and it works particularly well. What you get is exactly what Martin intended you to hear - lovely, well-balanced, juicy, bell-like tone, percussive and sweet, just the type of sound that stops people in thier tracks. If clean is not your thing, you can, on the other hand, dial in nice mildly-overdriven jazz tones. Versatility to me is important, as I play jazz, but also finger style, which needs a completely different sound palette. All are easily available from this amp. Also very touch sensitive and does make you think about your technique - all good stuff.

Early days for me, but so far so good. Have no reason to think it will act up - its obviously had a lot of thought put into its design and build, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

This is what lets SWR down - A few emails on various matters, but to date, not even the courtesy of a reply - I can only assume this indicates lack of interest as they can't all have gone astray. But then, the penny dropped - they're now part of Fender, whose standards of support (with a few exceptions) have been poor. I wonder if anyone from the company reads this? This is not good for business, chaps.

Lets just say, I have a fifteen year old Mesa Boogie Mark 3 and whenever I contact them, have rarely had to wait longer than an hour for a reply and helpful and caring they are too. Thier attitude seems to be, "yes, it may no longer be a new product, but it still has our name on it, so we care." Others would do well to follow this lead. Hopefully, Randall S will do an acoustic amp before long......

Playin seriously for 30 odd years, have Boogies, vintage Fenders and Gibson LP, PRS Custom Artist, Strat, etc, etc, o anyone can see I take my music seriously.

I am very pleased with my Cali - the only amp that seriously comes close is the AER...and for me, it was close. Forget Acoutasonics, Ashdowns, Marshalls, Peaveys and so on, the Cali and the AER are in a class apart. In the end, Cali's are fairly rare in the UK and liking the idea of having something different from the rest of the herd, I went for this. No, it may not be as easily portable as the AERs, but thats no big deal - its no Mk 3 Boogie and it isn't too difficult to get around and has more than enough compensations in the form of professional quality tone.

I didn't buy the amp for it's features,but for it's exceptional sound quality, volume and ease of use. The features are more than adequate. Wasn't interested in effects, but ACCURATE sound reprodution.Great as a monitor for a bigger gig or a PA for a small one.

I'm a finger picker primarily. The amps tranparency showcases finesse, but I can hold my own in a band at higher volume.Very clean.

I bought new about 5 years ago for $699. I've never had a problem with it. We actually used as a PA at a gig, with an extension speaker, when our fender PA broke down.Surprisingly good sound for it's power. There is a pretty load pop when youfirst turn it on . If you turn everything down before hand, it's not so bad.

Playing 30 years.I have truly exceptional acoustics that are wonderful through this amp. Martins, Breedlove, Yairi, Rainsong, Morris etc are awsome through this amp, For very venues , I still use a parker fly deluxw or a Godin so feedback is no issue.

This model was made in 1998 and was refurbished when I bought it seven years later. As a pre-Fender version of the California Blonde, the amp has a switch rather than an attenuator dial on the back panel, something I prefer over the newer models. The amp's two channels accommodates an instrument on one and an XLR mic or instrument on the other, but I use it primarily to plug in two acoustic guitars, one in the second channel's auxiliary input and the other in the first channel's main instrument. Two instruments sound great on this, but other instruments such as violin, cello, etc. also sound wonderful.

My main instruments of choice that I use on the Blond are classical guitar and cello, and neither have pick-ups. I really prefer using mics for these instruments, but I suppose a Dean Markley on the guitar will work fine if you can get one that's working properly. I even used it on my non-electric cello and it sounded great before the pick-up started creating distortion problems, so I returned the pick-up with the intentions of perhaps replacing it. For my needs, a transducer such as the DM is preferable for these instruments, but I find a microphone, such as a Shure-58, is the best alternative, especially for classical guitar.

The sound on this amp is incredible and renders the music emanating from any acoustic instrument perfectly. You really can't go wrong with this beast. Moreover, the pop-out stand on the amp's bottom allows you to tilt the amp up slightly, thereby contributing to the amp's ease of use and overall sound.

Other features that I like that seem to be missing in other acoustic amps include a headphone jack that receives a 1/4" pin, the XLR balanced out jack, a reverb F/S, and effects loop. Moreover, thought it lacks the RCA jacks for a CD player, you can certainly use an adapter and add yet another capability to this amp for those requiring the ability to play along with pre-recorded music.

Basically, this amp is perfect for a medium-size venue and for the guitarist/vocalist, but its versatility allows much more. If you want the DSP effects that other amps now have, just plug in an effects pedal, but then that sort of defeats the purpose of having an acoustic amp, right? I've also heard that this amp can even accommodate a bass guitar, but I haven't tried that and probably never will. Given its solid build quality from SRW, however, I wouldn't be surprised that it could be used this way.

Eventually, I intend to use a boom mic and stand that will hold an Electrovoice 635A in the middle of my family's string quartet, an out-of-production dynamic omnidirectional microphone that I'm hoping will enable the Cali to amplify my cello, my wife's viola, and my son's and daughter's violins without feedback, cutting through much of the cacophony characterizing the venues in which we occasionally play.

Finally, the amp is built to last; the metal protective grill is indicative of this, so you don't have to worry about speaker cones getting damaged. As a solid state, you also don't have to concern yourself with replacing tubes. In short, this amp is heads and shoulders above all of the Fender Acoustasonics and Marshall's series of acoustic amps. I only wish I could afford the Blonde-on-Blonde that matches this amp, but the rear panel does allow you to plug in to another speaker, not to mention a PA system. DSP aside, this amp has it all, yet does not overwhelm the user with unnecessary features.

Awesome sound! See the above comments for details.

Built to last, period. I have no qualms whatsoever in dragging this to whatever venue in which I'm performing. The Cali's appearance exudes drability with its metal grill and all.

I called Fender, which now owns SWR, and a rep for SWR helped me decide on this amp over their line of Acoustasonics, especially given the $500 I paid.

I've been playing over thirty-five years and searched long and hard before settling on the California Blonde and after trying various Acoustasonics, Marshalls, and Rolands. Though it lacks DSP settings for thos who must have them, it easily makes up for this lack with pure sound quality and ease of use. There's just no comparison of the California Blonde to other amps. I really have no knowledge of Mexican-made vs. USA-made models, but know that mine, which has a relatively low serial number (somewhere between 1000 and 2000) is the best amp I've ever owned. It's also the first acoustic amp I've even owned but will probably be the last. I suspect I will eventually get the Blonde-on-Blonde to complement this beautiful piece of equipment.

A great set of features for the versatile musician. Between my two bands I use it for bass guitar, acoustic guitar, fender rhodes piano, Wurlitzer 200A Piano, violin and Bajo Sexto. I use it for gigging and rehearsal. I don't think I'd ever record anything but electric bass out of it but certain does the trick on the stage. My favorite feature is that it is light weight for what it is.

sounds like a PA. it reproduces sound very clearly and honestly. I think the reverb is a little hollow.

So far so good. I little worried as this puppy snaps loud when ever the power switch is clicked.

no problems.

This amp is perfect for me. One of my friends gave me all kinds of guff 'cause it doesn't have any tubes but whatever. This little amp is practical, looks cool and sound natural.

2003 SWR Cal Blonde. Rich, clear sound & tone produces a perfect acoustic amplified simulation - like putting on headphones and listening to an acoustic guitar on CD with the volume up. stereo/mono channel input/output and a mic/aux input with separate controls. a db limit/boost located on the back comes in handy. More than enough power. I played a gig with it in a bar/restaurant and had the master at 4 and the gain at 5.

I play a Martin acoustic w/ gold plus active pickup. Morley footpedal for volume control. All the crap I read about feedbak is just that - crap. If you're getting feedback through this beast then your not set up properly:
1. Make sure the volume and EQ knobs are ALL THE WAY DOWN on the moc/aux input if not in use.
2. The power this amp has is tremendous - don't sit 5 feet away and face the amp - it has to be to your back if you want to play with substantial volume.
3. If using the mic input, drop the db down a notch or two with the knob in back - decrease the output, compressing the signal and it will keep the feedback down to a minimum.
4. don't play through a lot of effects pedals - and the AMERICAN made amps have great reverb - a second effects pedal is certainly not necessary.

This thing is like a black box - it might survive a plane crash. The metal protective grill for the speakers is a nice feature - though some think its an eyesore. It's heavy as hell but the insides are well encased and protected.
***WARNING: DO NOT GET A MEXICAN MADE MODEL! I saw some reviews that said they were made in Mexico - BIG difference...I saw a few with the silver stickers on the back which indicate a mexican amp. The LED lights pop out with a push of the thumbtip and the control knobs face plate is a thin strip of metal with no support, so the control knobs loosen very easily. ALSO, I played through two Mexican made SWR's and I did notice a slight buzz when the volume was pushed - might be a reason for some of the feedback problems reported. I actually brough a Mexican made one home (accidentally) and exchanged it immediately for a Sun Valley model. The difference was night and day.

haven't needed it so far - I have a Sam Ash service contract anyway.

Playing serious acoustice for only 5 years but have played bass/electric and various other instruments since grade school - almost 30 years. Great sound, intense power, playable in any venue and an accurate simulation/amplification of acoustic guitars without compromising tonality and quality.

Simple features/knobs. It's nice to have the FX loop in
the back and some other doo-dads as well.

Amplifing acoustics is a bitch, period. I've read some really bad reviews on this amp, but I don't agree with them. It's a solid amp, good sound.
<BR>
<BR>
I mainly use this amp for nylon string classical stuff, and I can achieve a nice balanced sound. I use a reverb pedal in the FX loop to achieve nice reverb because the reverb on the amp is pretty poor. I think that may be one of the reasons why some of the bad reviews are written about this amp. But, with the reverb pedal, the California Blonde sounds beautiful.
<BR>
<BR>
I've tried Fender, Roland, Crate, and even AER amps. I do like the AER, especially because of its size, but as far as my sound and playing style go, I actually prefer the sound I'm getting with the SWR ala reverb pedal.
<BR>
<BR>
As far as the feedback people talk of in regards to this amp...
The Amp has nothing to do with the feedback. It's the guitar, the way the amp is set up in regards to the position of the guitar, and if an internal mic is being used... it's just tough to get rid of feedback. Feedback is really a whole other issue non amp related.

Have had the amp for a year, and so far no probs.

haven't dealt with them yet

Overall, really nice and true sounding amp. I am open to better things coming along, but for now I am happy with my current setup.

Based on reviews here and elsewhere, I've wanted this amp for a year or more. Based on my experience with it, I was relieved that Guitar Center gives buyers 30 days to try purchases out.

When I tried it out the first thing I noticed was it didn't have many features.

The amp comes with a phase reversal switch to quell feedback, three levels of eg, spring reverb, two separate channels, an aural enhancement pot, separate gains for each channel, and xlr and quarter inch in for channel two, and a tuner out. There are no digital effects. There is no notch filter to fight feedback.

And this amp is incredibly easy to get howling feedback out of.

Made - not in the USA, but in Mexico - the amp is solidly built, and the workmanship looks good.

Almost any other acoustic amp has many more features than this amp. It might have been state of the art 10 years ago. Now it is badly obsolete.

I played several guitars through the amp - privately and during performances - a Martin D 12 28 with a Fishman matrix piezo pickup, a Gibson J-45 with the factory piezo pickup, and a Takamine with advanced electronics.

There were no settings I could find on the amp that would evoke anything but a thin, quacky piezo sound from the first two guitars. With patience, I was able to get the Takamine sounding good at low to moderate volume. When I turned up - regardless of the guitar - the sound quality suffered and feedback was a constant problem. Hitting the phase reversal switches didn't help. Amp placement didn't seem to help. Any time the volume had to be cranked, the feedback was present.

The instructions say that fiddle players usually turn off the tweeter and guitarists leave it on. When I left it on, the already thin quacky sound got worse - regardless of where I set the eq. The only way I was able to get an ok sound out of the piezo equipped guitars was to run the amp with a LR Baggs Paracoustic DI - and the feedback problem got worse.

At medium to low volume the amp sounds ok, turn it up and it sounds blatty.

Reading through the other reviews I wonder if I got a bad amp - other people aren't reporting the problems I've had.

I've been playing a number of years, I have a lot of gear, and gig every week - solo and with a band. I took the amp back to Guitar Center after a few weeks. I wasn't able to find the combination to produce a decent sound, or stop the feedback.

I was really disappointed with this amp - especially in light of the gushing reviews it's gotten here. Like I said, maybe I had a lemon.

I bought this amp new in 2000. Actually, I traded a Laney acoustic amp & a Gibson Explorer for it...probably the best deal I've ever made! I use this amp 99% of the time with my fiddle, which is a nice old instrument with a Fishman pickup on it. I've also been using it lately with my acoustic guitar, a Martin D-35 with a Thinline pickup. I've used this California Blonde for some extremely heavy gigging over the past 3 years. For a year and a half, I was gigging with it 4 & 5 nights a week.

I find this amp extremely versatile with its 2 channels and mic input. The 2 effects loops (1 for each channel) is very nice, but I don't really use them; I just plug the violin straight into the main channel. The headphone jack is really cool. I've used it a lot when playing my electric bass at 2:00 in the morning! I also love the XLR line out on the back. That's very handy when plugging into sound systems. The dial on the back which controls the tweeter level is a really nice feature, also. I'm 100% satisfied with the features this amp has; I can't think of anything else that I could use that's not on this Blonde.

I've used this amp for tiny 3-piece, almost-acoustic gigs, and I've used it on huge stages at big outdoor festivals. The 100 watts of power is plenty enough for most of my gigs, but I do find that it distorts just a bit at extremely high settings at the really big gigs. But keep in mind that I'm playing a fiddle with a very hot pickup on it. I haven't used my acoustic guitar with this amp at very high volumes, so I can't comment on that. Overall, I can't complain about the features this baby has!

As I said, I use this amp primarily with my fiddle, equipped with a Fishman pickup. But I do use it from time to time with my D-35 and its Martin Thinline pickup. The style of music I play is Cajun, but that doesn't matter...this is the best sounding amp I've ever used for violin, and I've used many different amps over the last 18 years! I find that this SWR really reproduces the acoustic tone of my fiddle really well. I know that the Fishman pickup I use probably isn't the best choice for violin, but it's served me well. I'm extremely anxious to get an L.R. Baggs pickup on my instrument to see how it sounds through the Blonde. This amp has a wide range of tones that will allow me to find the right sound for my violin in different environments. The high frequencies are sparkling and brilliant, and the lows are rich and full. The mids are great; a little tweaking & I can get a perfect tonal balance.

I only have 2 complaints. My tone doesn't seem to be as consistent as it should in different surroundings. However, I'd probably blame that more on my pickup than on the amp. But even though my tone varies, it remains consistent in the same venue week after week. My other complaint is what I mentioned earlier...that the sound distorts just a bit at extremely high volumes. I know I can probably eliminate that problem by getting the SWR extension cabinet. Besides, the gigs where this has occurred are very few & far between. I can deifinitely live with this little problem. All in all, like I said, this is the best sounding amp for fiddle that I've ever used. I doubt I'll ever be able to find a better one.

The California Blonde is very dependable. In the 3 years that I've had it, it has been to the shop twice. But again, I've done some heavy, heavy gigging with this thing. For a long time, it lived in the back of my truck, bouncing around with every bump in the road. (Yes, I have a lockable cover on the bed of my truck!) I think that for all the abuse it's been through, it's held up really well.

The first time it needed service, there was some kind of weird clicking sound that came through the speaker. I only noticed it between songs when everything was fairly quiet. The Blonde was still under warranty at that time, so I brought it to an authorized repair shop and the tech fixed it up with no problem or cost. I haven't had that problem since. The second time the amp went in was just recently. In fact, it's still in the shop as I write this. I brought it in because the reverb died several months ago. I don't use the reverb with my violin, but I want to have it in case I need it. Also, the XLR input kicked the bucket not too long ago. Finally, a little wire became disconnected from the fuse inside the chassis; I had to use electrical tape to keep it connected. All of this happened, no doubt, to the years of constant travel and use that I put the amp through. I'm confident that when I get the Blonde back, it'll continue to give me excellent service for many more years.

I've never had to deal with SWR, so I can't comment.

I've been playing the violin for 18 years. I've used a little Crate guitar amp, a Fender BXR-100 bass amp, a Fender BXR-200 bass amp, and a Laney acoustic amp (I don't remember the model, but it was a stereo chorus amp). The SWR California Blonde beats them all, no questions asked. This amp is truly a professinal amp for the professional musician. If somebody robbed me of this amp, there's no way I'd consider getting anything else than another California Blonde. I'm definitely open to trying other amps, and I'm curious to see if there's one that will suit my needs better than this one. But honestly, it'll have to be a whopper of an amp to surpass this one! I would recommend this amp for acoustic instrument players without hesitation. SWR really made a gem with this one.

The new California Blondes are slightly different than the old ones.
The new CB has a tilt stand, level control in the back, and it has the FX loops
and other doo-dads laid out differently in the back.

Overall, it has the necessary stuff and it is easy to use.

I was going nuts for a while trying to find an electric acoustic amplifier that met my needs. I wanted one that both nylon and steel strings could sound good through.

A lot of the amps I tried (Fender, UltraSound, Roland, Marshall, Trace Elliot, Crate) either sounded dead, not enough volume, too much hum, or they had feedback problems. I even toyed with the idea of buying a PA instead using an amp. But, finally, I came across the CB.

The CB had a rich sound, it had enough power to give me some volume, it was quiet, and it didn't feedback as soon as the other amps.

The thing that almost made me not buy the amp is that the reverb in it blows!
But, I plugged in my trusty reverb pedal in the FX loop, and the problem was solved. Now it sounds pretty amazing. I feel as though I have found the best
option to amplifying my acoustic.

I have to leave room for something better, but I'm happy with this one.
It amazes me that even after 60 years that amp companies have been around, there is still room for improvement on many levels... have it be electric or acoustic guitar amps. Hopefully before I die I'll find the ultimate way of amping a classical guitar, but this one is pleasing me at the moment.

Y2002. Hard to beat for acoustic guitars. Balls enough for electric and bass guitars, too. Have yet to use the MIC channel on stage--it sounds OK in practice. FX loops are good and handy to have as I will explain later. Soon I will utilize the tuner output. I would use the headphone jack if the neighbors were aurally-sensitive. The 12" woofer has way more bottom end than most guitarists would need--but this heavy little combo can do so much more than just that. The mid/high horn is strong and nicely crossed over like a good PA cabinet with its pad attenuator to get the right prescence blend for various instruments. Guitar channel tone controls are OK for acoustics. MIC channel tone controls span wider bands for general purpose applications. 100 solid state watts goes a long way with the built-in speaker, so I have not needed the matching ext cab. The tilt stand is a must for close range listening and carpeted floors.

I originally bought it just for an Ovation 1861 Balladeer. The Crates and Traces I tested sounded like Japanese transistor radios in comparison. Fender Acoustisonic had more tonal range and fancy FX but was hard to find a pure or sweet tone. The SWR Strawberry Blonde was my 2nd favorite at 2/3 the price. I was not sold on the California until the dealer said "it doesn't sound bad as an electric guitar amp". . .
a challenge to my sensibilities . . . until jamming a Les Paul (w/ and w/o a TS-9) through the bunch really set the CB apart! I realized a quick sale of that JCM900 combo (I never liked much, anyway) and a good stomp box would only set me back $400 net.
So now I'm home and noodling on the Ovation at six foot practice range--aurally enhancing, reverbing, toning, horn padding and all the tweaking one gleafully tries with a new toy to get the sound just "right". Hey! It didn't FEEDBACK like this in the store! Sure I could back off to ten feet--but I'm an engineer who does not like to be told where to stand. Why did I sell those DOD-210 analog processors from my PA system to that other dealer? Well, he only charged me $20 more to buy one back. Two notch filters, compression/limiting and 9-band EQ in the FX loop took care of the feedback and allows me to dial in the "right" sound for my other The Paul guitar with hotter AGI pickups.
Hmmmmm . . . what about bass? After all, that 12" driver looks like it could handle it? OK, the CB will never cut through the "mix" against my former band's obnoxiously present Mesa Boogie MkIII player like an ART NightBass preamp biamped through twin 15-band EQs to 250W QSC amps and Gauss/Celestion drivers. But I am not playing in that band any more and tried it anyway. The CB is "not bad" for bass. Sold that rig and now have $700 cash in hand and much more closet space to please the wife.

It is now my only amp--it must work. No major problemas so far. Just tightened two of the grill cover screws that worked loose after a year of use. Will try installing hard rubber tubing between the grill and baffle board to cure that minor design flaw permanently. Otherwise, it is built like a tank.

N/A.
I am sure Sylvan Music in Santa Cruz will stand behind it for service.

Fantastic acoustic tone and projection. None better for solo MIC/guitar gigs. Will replace many electric guitar amps of non-vintage tone when given your favorite FX chain. Makes a decent bass amp for practice and small gigs.
I will just have to get used to the color scheme. I live in California--it should have been a Woodie case for the surfer look. That knocks it down a notch for this rating category.