SWR LA-8 Combo

A beautiful little bass amp!

Dead simple controls: Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble. The tuner out can alos be used as a line-out.

It has a nice, fat presence - big and round - that blends beautifully with acoustic instruments.

I do mostly theater gigs and casuals. I once played a 3000 seat hall, accompanying a large choir with a 10-piece string section and a grand piano. I stuck the LA8 under the piano when the sound man wasn't looking, so the bottom piano mic was picking it up. It sounded fabulous! Very natural, and the blend with the piano was flawless because we were sharing a mic.

This is also the ultimate coffehouse amp. 20 pounds! You can take it on the bus, or carry it ten blocks if you need to.

It will hold its own with a quiet drummer, but a single 8" speaker is simply incapable of moving enough air to keep up with loud drums. Take a bigger amp if it's a loud gig!

70% of the time, I'll play a Hofner with Rotosound Funk Master strings.

20% of the time, it's a Hofner with Rotosound Nylon Tapewound strings.

10% of the time, it's a maple-neck fretless Precision with Rotosound Funk Masters on it.

I take this amp on gigs where my fellow musicians are playing acoustically. I use it basically to give my electric bass the volume and presence of an acoustic bass. For that, it's simply the best and most portable amp I've ever used.

Never had a problem!

Never needed Customer Support.

I've been playing since 1967.

For theater gigs with louder drum parts, or lower volume dance gigs (weddings, etc.), I use a Hartke Kickback 12.

For rock, country, or blues gigs in big clubs or outdoors, I use an SWR Bassic running an SWR Workingman 1 X 15 extension cabinet.

If I lost it I would DEFINITELY look for another one.

I love the way the sound blends with acoustic instruments. I love the light weight. I looked at an LA10 at the same time, but I liked the sound (and portability) of the LA8 more.

I predict this little amp will get more and more popular over time. Just about everyone who's borrowed or used mine has tried to buy it from me. SWR doesn't make them any more, and they didn't market them well when they did make them. For the niche this amp fills, there's nothing else like it.

I bought this because I wanted something small and light for playing jazz (acoustic upright) in small venues. Don't know what year this amp was made, but it is discontinued. SWR has re-designed the LA series and they no longer make an 8. I bought the last one on closeout from Sam Ash. Didn't come with any instructions, but its design is very simple; 1 input. volume knob. bass mid and treble eq knobs with a "click" in the center position. a tuner output which apparently repeats the input signal (can be used as an effect send, or to feed a larger amp with the LA8 as a monitor). a headphones output that automatically defeats the speaker when you plug in. a "mix in" which can be your effects return or monitor signal from a mixer. Controls are in a recessed cavity on the top, which protects the knobs from getting banged around (I once had a knob get snapped off of an Ibanez practice amp) It weighs maybe 20 lbs - if that much - and has a recessed handle on the side. Power cord is detachable, and with the cord off, this amp is a smooth rectangular box with no projections sticking out, slightly larger than a case of beer. It's covered with black felt and has plastic corner-shields. I wish the corners were metal, and sorta wish it had little feet so whatever's on the floor wouldn't soak into the felt on the bottom. Oh well. This little box is super-heavy-duty in construction. You can drop it. You can kick it. You can bang it against things. It'll be fine.

The sound depends greatly on how & where you are using it, and what your expectations are. Other reviewers have said this amp farts on the low strings when you turn it up past 75%. I believe it, though I have not actually made mine fart yet. It does make a disturbing "CHIRP" noise when you turn it on. But really, think about why you would buy a tiny amp and you'll realize the paradox of trying to make it loud. Any amp will fart if you push it too hard. What did you expect? It's 30 watts with an 8" speaker!! The cone itself seems very inefficient. I could not locate a bass hole on this cabinet (the hole that allows the backside speaker vibrations in cabinet to escape, like the sound-hole on an acoustic guitar.) Most amps have one, but this SWR apparently does not, which goes a long way to explain why it sounds much smaller than similar-sized amps from other manufacturers. It seems this is a trait of the LA series, because I tried a 10 in the store and it had the same problem. Although the sound was crisp & clean and every nuance was reproduced with absolute clarity, the volume was low and weak. Keep in mind I was using a passive electric bass. I took a gamble on the smaller amp (knowing I could return it if it didn't work out) since that's what I wanted for my specific playing situation, and took it home. That's when I got a pleasant surprise.
My upright is a half-size Czech student-grade bass with one of those pickups that is a foil postage-stamp sized square that sits under the bass foot of the bridge (I have no idea what brand - it is unmarked and was on the bass when I bought it.) The output from that pickup is generally very weak. For recording purposes I usually have to boost its channel way up, and with the Peavey KB/A 30 keyboard/multipurpose amp I had been using before I bought my SWR, I have to turn it up louder for the upright than I would for my fretless electric. After the electric bass in the store and my own electric at home sounded so weak and thin, I expected small things for my upright. But when I plugged it in HOLY CRAP, the room was filled with thick, chunky, booming bass. I had to turn it DOWN! It actually makes my upright sound "more real" if that makes any sense. It almost brought tears to my eyes, the way I could hear everything; the plunk and the rumble of my big wood bass, about 2 or 3 times as loud, crystal-clear and totally clean ... the instrument seemed to become more responsive with the amp acting as a natural extension of it. It was absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure what's happening that would make electric basses sound puny and my upright sound huge, but I think the SWR8's design is somehow causing acoustic feedback to work in an advantageous way. If that's what they meant to do, hats off to them. If not, then somebody needs to take a look at this phenomenon and design an amp that does the same thing, but on purpose. You'll make millions!

I haven't owned it long enough to be able to tell you, but SWR has a good reputation, and this item seems to be built solid enough to withstand a nuclear attack.

Haven't had any dealings with customer supprt, but again, SWR has a good reputation.

If this amp were stolen or lost, I would try to replace it, but since they no longer make it, I might have to get the LA10 instead. But after playing my upright through it, I do not want to be without one. I love its simplicity, its compact size, its light weight, and the way it cooperates with my upright bass. I don't like how weak it is with my electric bass. I compared it to the next larger SWR amp, and the Fender and Ibanez smallest bass amps. I chose this one because of its size & weight, its rugged and well-thought-out design, the low closeout price, and the good reputation of the SWR name.
Electric players are going to be disappointed if they expect this to be more than a wimpy practice amp. Upright and acoustic players should try to get ahold of one, because it's truly astounding. I don't know if my situation is a one-of-a-kind fluke ... I'd like to hear if anyone else got such amazing results playing an acoustic bass through this amp.

Cube shaped. Top mount controls. Single input. Single volume. 3 band EQ. 8" speaker. Very light weight (less than 25#). Very basic and easy to use. Easy on the back and takes up little space. Also, this model has been discontinued so you'll have to find a used one.

I use this in churches in duo and trio formats (no drums). Has plenty of power and flexibility in small to medium churches. I was suprised by the volume and richness of the tone for such a small amp. I was so impressed that I bought a 2nd for a back up! I don't want to be without this amp!

Seems to be ruggedly built but I haven't had them long enough to know how they will hold up. I give them loving care and church gigs aren't the most demanding.

Haven't needed to contact the company for anything.

For an acoustic act or an ensemble without a drummer this amp works great! Perhaps in a small jazz or country band with a quiet drummer or a drummer that uses brushes this amp might work as well. Playing in piano / guitar duets / trios this amp can't be beat. It's compact size is a huge asset!!! Buy these amps before they get harder to find!

Mine was made in 2002. I play acoustic folk, blues, roots-rock, country, rockabilly, jazz standards, and theater gigs.

The features I that guided my decision were SOUND and WEIGHT. I wanted a lightweight amp that sounded good. If possible, I wanted to be able to do certain types of low-volume gigs (like coffehouses, bookstores, or small clubs) with it as well. I looked at a lot of amps, and there is nothing out there that sounds this good and is this light. It only weighs TWENTY POUNDS - about as much as a P-bass in a hard case! The sound it puts out is phenomenal - as much presence and almost as much volume (see below) as the larger practice amps with 10" speakers, but at half the weight.

I use a '75 Fender Telecaster bass, a maple-neck fretless Precision, and a Hofner, depending on what the gig requires.

The tone controls are cut-and-boost, with center detentes, which is a very thoughtful and musically useful way to do it. I can get to any of the sounds I use for my different basses within a quarter turn, of either the bass or the midrange control.

It easily handles coffehouse or bookstore folk gigs without my having to mic it. And though I haven't tried it yet, I'm confident it could handle an acoustic jazz duo or trio - as long as the drums don't get too loud.

A caveat - when I used it at a rehearsal for a theater gig, with a drummer and 3 percussionists, I could tell I was pushing it beyond what it was designed to do. It held its own and got me through the practice, but an 8" speaker can only move so much air. If you regularly practice with loud drums, you should look at the bigger amps with 10" speakers, like the Fender Frontman 25 (32 lbs.) or the Crate BFX-25 (43 lbs.), which are in this same price range. Since weight was a factor for me, and I seldom practice with loud drums, the 20-lb. LA 8 was an easy choice.

I've never had a problem, and haven't heard of any - either on review sites like this one, or among my friends who play SWR amps.

No experience here, either. Though I will say that if customer support includes all the intelligent design that went into this amp, they did a STELLAR job. No frills, but nothing you need has been left off.

I've been playing 35 years - professionally when the pay was good, semi-professionally (supported by teaching, music store jobs, etc.) when the pay was not so good.

My main gigging amp is the incredible Roland DB-500. I love it, but at 55 pounds it's just a little heavy to grab when you're heading over to a friend's house for a casual jam or dropping by the bookstore to sit in with friends.

I looked at the Ibanez SW-20, the Crate MXB-15, and the Vox T-15 first. These were all amps with 8" speakers, that sounded great for practice, but really didn't have the volume or presence for gigging.

The next step up was all the 10" models I mentioned above. GREAT-sounding amps, every one, but heavy enough that there wasn't much of an advantage for me. (The Crate, for instance, only weighed 12 pounds less than my Roland DB-500.)

That's why the LA 8 stood out so much. It had the light weight of the dinky practice amps, but the power and presence of the big ones!

This Amp is an arm chair practice amp. It's also fine for playing with acoustic guitars and voice. It's best with 4-strings as the low B can lead to farting. Be tasteful and it works wonders.

Sound great just watch you attack, it's a 30 watt practice amp not a BootsymeetsFlea concert bassmomma.

Very solid. I had Tuki make me a cover.

Didn't need for this amp but they are very helpful!

Yes I'd buy another. With you bass in a gig bag it's truly a one trip gig.
Ok, I cheated. Though all my ratings are accurate later I modified my LA-8. After an exuberant evening playing a Guild Ashbory (massive fundamental) at high volume through my Baby Blue I blew the 8"s replaced them and then found that one was ok. So I put that Celestion in my LA-8 and wow you can turn it all the way up. still will fart with a Roscoe 5 if you crank the the bass. I Love it more!

It's a nice amp for practice, front porch get togethers, or living room environments for playing along with other low volume instruments. One thing I never expected (guys) is that the first two women who saw it said, "oh, that's such a cute little amp." Let me tell you, it's like having a puppy, it attracts attention...oh yes, this is an amp review isn't it <grin>??

Unfortunately, I was a bit let down by this amp (a tad). I was looking for something I could use for front porch jams or living room get togethers. I agree with the other submissions that it can't be turned up past about 3/4 or it distorts. If the speaker could handle the 30-watts I would have no complaint with it. Rating this one point I give it a 4; although, it's a nice sounding amp if you don't push it over the edge.

It's been very dependable so far. I think there's a fuse inside the amp somewhere. Why couldn't SWR have put a circuit breaker or external fuse like everyone else????

I've had some dealings with them and I've been pretty happy with their responsiveness. Not this product, but another SWR product I own.

I've been playing for 35 plus years. Lots of styles and lots of equipment. Comparing this to my little Fender Frontman (15-watts), it doesn't stand up, but we're not comparing oranges and oranges. I haven't tried the Fender 15-watt bass amp to see how it compares. I got a good price on it when Mars Music went out of business. $159!!!

I already posted below

I had to pull my ass out of my head on this one and come clean. After hours of scrutiny I have come to this conclusion:

I a/b it with the Minx again. The Minx is WAY more loud, but I like the SWR tone better. I like the coloration.

(TAKE-BACKS)

You CAN get a better amp in this range. The speaker IS inefficient. Lower notes with active pickups DISTORT.

Sorry. I have failed some here. They are cheaper now, but worth $100 in my book. It just breaks up too easily.

If you LIKE distortion. THIS IS FOR YOU!

I STILL love the way it colors my Bantam. Sounds killer with a fretless.

I stand behind previous statements.

I stand behind previous statements.

I take back my comments. A good amp. Will almost definatly last longer than its counterparts in the same price category, but sound isn't as good.

It would almost be a better deal to replace 1 good sounding, poor quality in workmanship amp with another than to buy 1 excellent workmanship, but bad sound quality (after volume set on 5 or so) amp like this one.

This is a niche piece of equipment with which SWR has hit a home run. I am dissapointed and annoyed at the unrealistic expectations from some of the reviewers below. This is not a piece of equipment meant for high volume performance. What it is designed to do, it does better than anything the competition has out there even close to this price. Please also note that the LA series is their semi-pro series, not their top of the line.
-One input jack
-It has an insert and headphone output which double as an effects loop.
-The 3 band eq is very well balanced
-It's the size of a breadbox (that is a major feature)
-It's built like a tank
I bought a floor model built in 2001 (I think) from Guitar Center for about $180.

I've been playing through a Music Man Stingray and a Dano DC bass. For both this sounds great! I play roots rock, blues, some jazz and alternative adult rock. For these, it gets a really nice basic sound. It's very quiet! Sometimes I don't even know its on unless I'm playing. I primarily use it for practicing and recording. It is a great tool to get a goof-proof cabinet sound recording in the control room. The range of sounds is limited due to it's size and configuration, but if you want a very controled, clean no-nonsense bass sound, this delivers that very nicely. Depending on the bass, at about 60-80% volume the cone starts to distort. I expected this given the impressive bottom this little 8" speaker delivers.

It hasn't gone sour on me yet, but I haven't kicked it around that much. The fit and feel of the amp lead me to beleive it could take a serious beating though.

Haven't needed them. I doubt I will.

I love this amp. It's great for small acoustic - coffeehouse type gigs, practicing and recording. If you're looking for volume, this is not the amp for you. If you're looking for an small practice amp or something super portable. This is it.

Basic 4 knobs (vol, bass, mid, treble), 1/4 input, 1/4 tuner out, 1/4 out. It is a bottom of the line amp I wouldn't expect more. 8in speaker sound good for mids highs and (if you don't push it too hard) lows.

For an amp this size, I wouldn't want more features to clutter up the controls.
I can't wait to mic this with a condenser.

It would be useful for practicing, jamming with an acoustic or electric in an intimate setting.

Prior reviewers are setting their expectations too high. An amp is an amp and you are paying for the nice transformer that costs the same whether it is in a 300w amp or a 30w amp. Transformers are expensive. That is a fact. It is like how Levis are nearly the same price for kids sizes as compared to adult sizes. It isn't how much fabric you get. You are paying for the copper rivets and stitching which cost the same no matter size.

Amp is boomy for its size and no noticable humming with a P bass with single coil pickups.

Looks rock solid. It is about the size of 2 lunchboxes. You could kick this thing and beat the hell out of it. It would still work better than a Timex. Been beating it a few months. So far so good.

Never had to deal with SWR.

Let me read a few reviews here and nit pick:

"It had a hard time keeping up with my 25 watt stereo set at about 1/4 volume."
....Maybe you have a Bose system or something. I feel this is exaggerated. It isn't going to thunder through your Metallica or anything, but it was never meant to.

"Passive baases are a must to get any kind of "O.K. sound". Forget 5 or 6 strings. I realize we are talking 30 watts and an 8" speaker but at $219.00 come on!"
.....I hate to be sarcastic so I will just ponder why this amp will only sound good if your bass has 4 strings. Perhaps the mass of added wood conducts the magnetic field to the tin foil in your brain. I preferred the active sound over the passive sound, but you could (or should I say had to) crank it up quite a bit more for passive pickups.


" The LA-8 is a bit overpriced
at $200, but it aint trash. I'm giving it a 6 overall becuase of
that and the ineffienct speaker."
.... I agree with this to a point. It sounded better than my 30w 10in speaker Peavey Minx. I plan to trade across and get another SWR, but this time maybey a LA 12 or 15. The speaker gets driven to max quickly and this amp is a bit more than other base-end bass amps. The difference is that you will be using this little turd in 20 years whereas you will have blown that other POS up.

The little speaker is limiting, but the quality of it is far superior to same level bass amps.

I HAD to buy one of these to tote along to places where I want to play bass. I wish they made little bass amps like the Mini Twin by Fender, but unlike those toys this one could actually be used in a church or acoustic setting.

This Amp is perfect for Dorms, apartments, houses where parents are uptight. Headphones jack will eliminate conflict with quiet lovers.

I realize this amp is not "all that and a bag of chips" however I am pleased with it. If you can afford the $50, upgrade to the LA 12. Or consider the LA 15 (I imagine would be great for medium gigs).

Who cares how many years I've been playing or how much gear I have.

Trust your ears and use your brain.

Good feature set for a little 30w 8". 1 input, tuner, CD;
typical tone controls. Built like a tank. The LA-8 may just
have the most inefficient 8" speaker known to man, because
it aint as loud as you might want 30 watts to be. Still, it's
just a practice amp, and it wont fart-out on an passive bass'
open E- even cranked up.

It's quiet- probably a quality that is easy to overlook in a
combo.

Probably gonna last a lifetime. We'll see.

No contact.

This is on a par with Peaveys smallest bass combo- but with a
much sturdier looking cab and more features. I'd venture it aint
as loud as a 30 watt Peavey, but if you're really looking for
small and loud in a bass rig (and money was no object) I'd steer
you to Acoustic Image Contra's anyway. The LA-8 is a bit overpriced
at $200, but it aint trash. I'm giving it a 6 overall becuase of
that and the ineffienct speaker.