SWR Henry the 8X8

2007 - eight eight inch custom SWR speakers - tweeter - and three round ports - chrome grill and wheels -

This cabinet with my SWR SM-500 head - rocks the fkin house thats it!

brand new - don't know yet

don't know yet

OK - SWR is owned by Fender - but as of this date, Fender followed Steve W. Rabe's instructions carefully - they totally got it!!! Not sure of the future of the breed - but right now - this is IT!!! I owned early SWR gear in the nineties and this nails it - totally high end quality and sound!!!

If Ampeg is a big ol Caddy, SWR is a brand new Corvette!!!

I bought mine off Ebay used. I think its a mid-ninties version. It is pre-Fender. Its got the 8x8's and it was a little beat up but still worked perfectly. Handles 480 watts at 4ohms, and weighs a hefty 100 pounds but has wheels.

It sounds incredible. Punch like nothing else. I use a Mesa/Boogie M-Pulse 600 and a custom Warmoth Jazz Bass with avtive EMG-J pickups. The Henry is the one. To me 10's always sound thin, even when you have a fifteen with them. The 8's have the punch AND the bass. Plus this cab has an adjustable tweeter which really brings out the highs.
You can get sounds from Primus to Zepplin to Sabbath to Chili Peppers to Rush to all kinds of jazzy tones as well. This thing is as versitile as it gets.

Mine is older so the speaker connections are old. Once on my way to a gig I had to stop suddenly in traffic and the cab slid forward in the bed of my truck. When I got to the gig one of the speakers had appearently come unhooked and that screwed up the ohmage. Luckily I didn't have to tear into the cab to fix it, I just borrowed one from another band. This is a result of a ten year old cab, other than this, I've never had a problem, the thing is built like a tank.

SWR can be hard to get a hold of sometimes but they seem pretty helpful. I don't think they are great but not terrible either. When I ordered new speakers for my Henry they were helpful and the speakers were only like $30 a piece!

I've been playing about 2 years and I used to play through a GK 4x10 which really didn't do it for me. I've tried ampeg 4x10's and 8x10's, SWR 4x10's and other stuff too and nothing did it the way the Henry did. I'd definatly buy another if it was stolen. I might look into an Ashdown 4x8 cab with a 1x15 under it. I tried this combination at a store and loved it. But the Ashdown stuff is to much money. The 4x8 alone was $650 new. You can find a used Henry for between $400-$600 and they sound better than anything else on the market. 8's are not known well but people should check them out, they're awesome!

I bought a Henry the 8x8 back in January of 2004 and have been gigging it weekly ever since. Naturally, it is loaded with the eight 8's that sound fanstastic. Power handling is 450 Watts RMS. Power gets in via speakons or 1/4" jacks. Detented HF attenuator located on back panel.

I am playing a Lakland 55-02 through an Eden Navigator powered by a Mackie M800. Little high end hiss at startup which is in-audible when playing. Nice bright round sound that is not too edgy, but can be if you want. I play in a pop/rock cover band to crowds from 400-700 typically (up to 1000) and find that this cabinet typically has enough juice to cover the stage, HOWEVER... I have bottomed out the speakers with the E & B strings at moderate levels (gain & master at 12:00). Never had this problem with a 4x10, which is the ONLY problem that I have with this speaker configuration. Otherwise, the bottom is very deep and complete with highs that seem to make the notes jump off the fretboard in the upper register.

Have played it hard every weekend for a year and a half with no backup and no hint of trouble.

Have not dealt with the new Fender/SWR customer support. No opinion.

Apart for the occasional speaker "bark" when dipping into low B territory, this cab is a fantastic sounding and surprisingly deep and rich cabinet. I am considering adding a Big Bertha cab underneath to increase the overall power handling and to take some stress off of the Henry, but the overall sound is great. Sounds like a hi-fi ampeg 8x10 speaker cab that went on a diet.

This cab was made in 2001. Sweet chrome grill and a wall of 8 inch drivers give this cab an appealing look that always commands the attention of every bass player I run into. I use this for mostly outdoor stuff because it is so loud. Even at low volumes it still has an apparent high volume because of using so many speakers. The nice thing is that you can actually hear yourself on stage. This thing will project for a mile! This model also has the Neutrik Speakon connection as doe my SM-500 which gives you a better connection than 1/4 jacks. Overall pretty simple to use, the only moving parts are the speakers (which have so much travel it seem as though they are going to fly right off of the voice coils) and the tweeter attenuator for cutting and boosting how much sizzle you want.

I'm using a Warrior Studio 6-string Fretless bass made out of mohogany, purpleheart, maple and sycamore. I'm running a Basslines 9Volt preamp with a 3-band EQ and two Bassline soapbar pickups. Overall, I get a very growly, woody tone out of the cab. It is really true to what your bass sounds like acoustically. One thing you notice first is how loud the 8x8 is. You really need to be careful because you find that the sound travels very far and can overpower a Marshall guitar stack without even blinking. The next thing you will notice is that no matter how loud you are playing, it never distorts or farts out. It always has more to give especially in the low end. I thought that I would need an 18 to go along with this cab, but I found that I can as much depth as I need out of the 8x8 alone. I was really impressed when I played my low A (hipshot extender on the B string) and everybody in my blues band jerked thier heads toward the cab in disbelief. No distortion at all, unless you hook up an effect of some sort. Totally silent operation; I always have to check to make sure that my speaker defeat switch is off because I can't ever tell. In all, you can get any sound you want with this cab; it brings the best out in every bass I've tried.

Don't know. I've only had it one week, but considering that it's built like a tank I'll give it a 10.

No help from these guys, but I'll forgive them because of their great gear.

Overall, this is the best sounding cab I've ever played, even better than SWR's other great cabs. My theory is that the smaller the speaker the better the sound and SWR has found a way to make that smaller speaker dig deep into the bass spectrum. In a class by itself!

I got this use used very cheap because two of the speakers were blown.
This a the SWR Engineering Cabinet from the early 90's with banana jacks and 1/4" inputs. It also does not have the fuse tweeter protection feature found in later models. I bought it used and the previous owner had installed two rubber cabinet feet under the grill between the ports to reinforce the diamond grill (which was a common practice).

The cabinet came stock with 8" Celestions. However, two of the speakers were blown and exhibited voice coil rub.

In order to have all the speakers matched, I order eight new speakers from SWR. Celestions have been replaced by 8" Custom SWR drivers
made by Foster (same company that makes SWR Foster Horns).

Let me tell you, I find that the Custom SWR drivers are as good, if not better then the old Celestions.

With solid baffles for every pair of speakes and three ports, it's a very unique design whose engineering really pays off.

I use the Henry 8x8 with a 1997 SWR SM 400-S.

This cabinet in LOUD and PUNCHY. Great lower mid-range voice that is capable of going DEEP.

I can actually hear myself on stage! Eight's allows the bass to develop up close, rather then 20 feet away.


The cabinet really cuts through like nothing else, all the way to the back of a crowded venue.

Great projection.
Earthquake lows.
Sweet, rounded "Hi-Fi" top thats not brittle or shrill.

My favorite cabinet of all time.

With baffles acting as cross bracing all the way down this cabinet is built like a brick house.

SWR was very helpful with I ordered new speakers, new corner protector, and answered all my questions regarding spec comparsions between the new SWR Custom Drivers and the old Celestions.

I won't rating anything until I owned it for a long time and really put it through it's paces. I also dislike giving out "10's" but when it's deserved that's what I give it.

The 8x8 is a great deal. New or used.

I've had the Henry for 3 years now and I'm stuck with it.

After a 23 year non-stop search my "Holy Grail" of tone that has a personality that is both distinctive and classic, the trail ends here.

A/B-ing comparsions with many other cabinets continue to snuff out any G.A.S. I might have for anything else.

Sweet Satisfaction.

2000-2001 model. Bought in February, 2001. PUNCHY-PUNCHY-PUNCHY!!. Plent o'low despite the using 8" speakers. Best cabinet made!!!

Using fretless bass, SWR BASS 350 head, and various pedals. I like aggressive or dark mooded music. I also like articulate sound. This suits me perfect. It's heavy, but it is worth it. Fits in the back seat of my Saturn 4-door. It's tricky but it can get in there.

No problems yet. I also take care of my equipment and know enough about electronics and how they apply to amplified audio that I can avoid failure due to my actions.

No reason to call.

Good luck to the guy trying to steal this. It is heavy and cumbersome.

1/4" and bananna plugs, great amp for anything from fast punk to smoother ska. Very punchy, yet able to boom the deep notes. Detuning is no problem, never gets muddy.

I'm using a stingray type bass through a BBE preamp and a 500 watt Yamaha power amp, not quite enough power for the cabinet, but good enough to keep clipping from being too excessive.

It served my uncle, who I bought it from, for years and it has been great for the 6 months or so that I have owned it.

Called SWR regarding a fuse for my Goliath 4-10 and they were very courteous and knowledgeable over the phone

I've been playing for 9 years with other SWR, Eden, Fender, and Carvin cabinets and nothing compares to this. I would definately buy another one if it was stolen or lost. I love the tone, but I hate the weight when I'm by myself. It's not too bad when I have a friend. I compared it to 8-10 cabs, and as far as sound versus size goes, nothing comes close.

Not sure what year it is, but it has the 1/4" and bananna plugs, so a few years old at least. The same set up as the other posts here, 8 8: Celestian speakers and a Le Son tweeter in a ported enclosure.

I'm using a variety of basses with this cab. I'm running an Ampeg SVP-II tube pre-amp into a Carvin DCM1000 amp. The cab is rated at 450 watts. In bridge mode the amp puts out 1000 watts and the cab has no problem keeping up. I'm using a Warwick FNA5, Rickenbacker 4003, Carvin 4 and 5 string and a Fender and the cab sounds good with all of them. I play a variety of music from funk to metal to blues. Very tight and punchy with a LOT of bottom end. Handles the B string with out bottoming out.

As I said, I run about 1000 Watts to this cab all the time and I've had no problem. My friend who owned it before me did the same also, and he played 5 to 6 nights a week, 7 hours a night. I'll give it a 10 here. This cab should not even be alive anymore and it still sounds just as good as a new Henry. (Actually, better)

Never had to deal with them. I have talked to them at the NAMM show before and they were great.

I've been playing for about 12 years and this is probably the best sounding cab that I have bought. I've played Hartke, Trace, and Sun and this cab tops them all. I also have an SWR Golliath II and it sounds great, but doesnt have quite the low end of the 8X8. If it was stollen, I would get another. It's not that hard to move around because of the casters, and two people can easily get it up on stage. Something I did with mine was to put two metal rails on the back going from top to bottom on both sides. It makes it easier to put it in the truck or get it on stage if its just me. It also keeps the carpet from getting destroyed. I highly recommend doing this. I also took the grill off and put two rubber cabinet feet under the grill between the ports. This keeps the grill from being pushed in and keeps it away from the speakers.

A seriously loud enclosure. Mega-punch.
The only bass cabinet of its kind.
Solid bottom end and gentler on the "hi-fi" highs that produces a tone reminiscent of a classic Ampeg 8x10, but with way more punch.
I personally rate this cabinet a 10. But, at 100 pounds, even with the tilt back wheels it's hefty.

SWR's Henry the 8x8 is designed like no other professional bass cabinet.
It's 8 32 ohm Celestion drivers pump deep floor shaking bass through 3 tuned front ports. It's unique internal baffle arrangement semi-isolates the speakers into pairs which couples the resonant characteristic of the speaker with the cabinet itself. Extensive research and development must have been applied to this design.

Capable of reproduction of a wider frequency range than any other single cabinet available and provides it with serious punch. Pairing the Henry with a SWR SM-500 or SM-400-S makes an unbeatable combination suited to a variety of playing styles and delivering it with authority.

The cabinet is super solid with extensive internal baffles that reinforce the structure and tranfers resonance throughout the cabinet.
Built to last.

2 year warranty.

It's part of my tone.
Always have plenty of volume.
Really doesn't compare to any other bass cabinet.

Bought new on Memorial Day weekend on sale.

8 - Custom 8" Celestion Woofers with a Le Son TLX-1 Piezo Tweeter. You can adjust the level of the Tweeter!

Tilt it back onto its rollers for easy transport and spring-loaded handles on both sides. It's very easy to move around, and if you're faced with stairs, it's easily managed with two people!

Accepts both banana and 1/4" plugs. 1/4" in and out jacks built-in!

Handles 450 Watts - 4 Ohms -6db @ 35hz-18khz

This speaker has a wonderful sound! Excellent clarity and a LOT of bass! Could use a second speaker . . . a 15" cabinet would supplement nicely to give it that extra bottom-end punch.

I plug my Peavey Mark IV head into it. 210 Watts at 4 ohms moves this speaker NICELY! I never have to turn the pre & post gains to more than 5. It is better to drive it with a comparable amp.

I've owned this speaker for more than a year and haven't had a problem with it!

Haven't dealt with customer support.

Playing a '75 Gibson EB0, a '97 Fender Amer. STD 5-String Jazz and an old Ibanez P&J Fretless Fender copy. This speaker sounds wonderful with all of them!

I'd buy this speaker again! At the time of purchase, it was either the Henry the 8X8 or an Eden 2X10 for $50 less. I think I made a wise choice with this one.

Competing with two guitar players, the combination of the peavey head and this speaker is plenty to keep up and then some! The only thing I wish I had was a more powerful amp so that I run less of a risk of damaging the speaker. I'm familiar with the risk of underpowering a speaker. I've had no problems thus far . . .

This speaker ROCKS!