SWR Workingman's 10

Amp is over a year old. Volume, aural enhancer, bass, mid, treble, effects blend on top and headphones jack, external speaker jack, effects send, effects receive, tuner output jack, XLR balanced output jack, and 3-way switch for full-range, horn off, and headphones only. 80 watts with custom SWR 10-inch driver and Le-Son TLX-1 Piezo tweeter. Amp weighs only 32 lbs. Amp is great for low-volume practices or intimate gigs. I'm giving this a 10 because I don't need the built-in chorus that other reviewers wished were there.

I play a Zon Sonus 4 (with Bartolini single-coil pickups) through this amp when I'm playing with my jazz band, and it sounds great. I don't even need to use it at full volume. It has a fair amount of hiss that doesn't completely go away when you shut the horn off, but it's not an issue when you're playing.

I just bought this used, and the previous owner never had a problem with it, and neither have I so far. I'm confident that I can use this amp without a backup.

Having read mixed reviews about their customer support, I decided to put it to a little test. This amp is supposed to come with rubber plugs to plug unused jacks on the back of the amp and prevent the jacks from chirping (large amount of air being moved in a small cavity makes the jacks whistle otherwise). The previous owner lost the rubber plugs, so I called and e-mailed SWR support to test their response. They responded to both almost immediately and send me the plugs free of charge. Kudos!

I have been playing bass for over 4 years (and drums for over 23 years). I also have an SWR SM-400 and an SWR Goliath II 4x10 that I use in my rock gigs, but the setup is too big, bulky, and heavy for my new jazz gig, so this light and compact Workingman's 10 is perfect. I also have a Crate G80XL 80-watt guitar amp that I was using for the jazz rehearsals, and the Workingman's 10 (at the same wattage) is even smaller and light than the Crate for the same 80 watts, and it's meant for the bass. If this amp were stolen, I'd track down the thief and hang him. I would definitely get another one.

I have had the amp for about 2 years and this is the second time I have had it in the shop. I play in small band and seldom if ever turn the volume above 5.

One year warranty and of course the amp did not go out until the second year.

When the amp worked it was a very good amp. However, the problem is when it does not work at all or else the speaker begin to rattle on certain notes. Again I seldom if ever play with the volume above 5.

2000,one 10 inch speaker with tweeter,one input ,volume,treble,bass controls,aural enhancer,and effects blend knob.Jacks for headphones,XLR input,effects send and return ,and tuner output(on bach of amp).80 watts just the combo alone or 100 with an extra speaker.

I use two bass guitars with it: A Fender Active Jazz Bass(Mexican made),and a Samick Artist Series five string bass.I mostly play jazz and blues,but I can get a great rock sound out of it,or a good slap sound.Whatever I need sound wise,I can get from this amp.For 80 watts,this amp is very powerful!!One warning:for most situations(i.e.low to medium volume music)80 watts should be enough.However if this amp is push way too hard it will begin to distort.If it does back down on the volume or get the optional 10 cab to get more power.But I must add that(for rock) the distortion you can get from this amp is cool!!(I know that sounds weird for a bassist to say that,but compared to a bass overdrive pedal I beard the amp's overdrive sounds much cooler.)But most of the time,that is not the sound you want,so volume wise this amp does reach a limit.Other than that it rocks.

I have did gigs with this amp without a backup.I've had it for a year and a half,and I haven't had no problems with it at all.This amp is made to last.

N/A

I've been playing for 12 years.I have played through other bass amps like Ampegs,Trace Ellots,Harke.Most small bass amps I've used just don't work in band practice/performance situations.But this amp does.At 31 pounds,it's pretty light.It sounds much bigger than what it looks like.I hightly recommend this amp.If it was stolen,I would get another right away.I love this powerful 80 watt cube of pure bass power!!

This is an 80W single channel, solid state bass combo, with effects loop, headphone jack, extension cabinet jack - powers another 8ohm cabinet at 100W. Great for practice/recording/live. Bare bones as far as tone controls are concerned, but not really a limitation with this little box. Loud and proud sound.

This amp is great with various electric basses, many models and makers. Styles ranging from country, thrash, jazz, ambient, anything really. In general the model is quiet, some tweeter hiss at times. I've often found active pickups having this problem more than passive ones. I've used this amp with a tube preamp and can get some really great tone. No real effects other than the aural enhancer knob which is like a transparency effect.

Very dependable, but it is sort of small, so I recommend an extension cabinet for bigger clubs. I transport mine quite a bit and have never had a problem with it

Have no idea, as I haven't needed any.

From gig to practice to anywhere, I've always liked this little amp. I bought it as a practice amp, but liked it better than my old one so now it's my mainstay. I use an external effect unit since this box has one channel only, but even on its own the cube sounds sweet. Add an extension cabinet and this is the perfect 'workingman's' rig.

First of all, I'm a jazz guitarist who has been playing for 38 years. I've gone through at least 15 amps over the years and have been looking for a small, light(er) weight amp that have a good clean sound with some "oumph" for 6 months. I use this amp in my studio and on gigs (jazz guitar duo, guitar & bass duo and guitar, bass & drums trio). It has one channel and only "vanilla" controls. I really wish it had a gain control and reverb (I use a Roland SE50 fx box thru the fx loop). I really like the the fx blend and aural enhancer controls (I have a California Blonde and love it on that amp as well). The speaker/horn/headphone switch is also very useful, as is the XLR output and extention speaker output.

I play a 1980 Ibanez Joe Pass with one humbucker and a 1958 Guild CE100DE with two single coils thru this black box. It is C-L-E-A-N and really pushes air when I've got it turned up to 3 o'clock and am jamming in the lower range of my instruments. There is, as others have noted, a hiss when the horn is on . . . very noticable when you're not playing. The tonal palette is quite limited, even with the variety you can get with the aural enhancer, which is why I use the SE50. Not noisy at all.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a "Blonde" (4 years) and have been so satisfied with it that I feel very confident with the WM10. I love the size, the durability, and the two handles to lug it around. I hope all readers realize I'm very selective in all the equipment I use and am meticulously critical.

I've had great customer service with my Blonde (I received extra screws for the speaker screen on that box) but when I emailed SWR for advice on their products in my current search for the "perfect" amp they never replied. Mesa Boogie was even worse (with the numerous phone calls and unanswered messages to that pricey company).

I really wish there was a tube amp in this price range and size that did the same as the WM10. The Mesa Boogie Rocket 44 and Nomad 45 were the closest in what I wanted but I refuse to pay over $1000 (even if it is Canadian dollars) for an amp. And many (about a dozen) of the Mesa Boogie amps I tried out were defective in that they had alot of strange buzzes emanating from loose reverb tanks, etc. I'd rather spend the money on another guitar (or accessories) . . . at least fine guitars appreciate in value. I do not understand why some "bright" manufacturer hasn't realized that there are alot of older guys playing gigs who don't want to lug around big ass 75 pound plus amps anymore. I feel a bit odd playing thru a bass amp, but if it works, use it :-) One of my first guitar teachers, Howard Herbert (owned a music store in Philly in the 60's and 70s) used to say "I'd use my nose to play a chord voicing if I had to . . ." Well, I'll use a bass amp to get the sound I want:-) I recently read that Kevin Eubanks (one of my fellow Philadelphian "brothers"; I now live in Vancouver BC) plays a WM10 as well (on the Tonight Show or at home?). Now you can add anotehr Philly expatriot to the list :-)

I won't go into the features as you can read all about what dials it has below. It is simply a small cube(borg-like) bass combo that I would have never ever thought I would have bought until I saw it and played it.

I do wish it had a tube pre-amp, but other than that, this amp is stacked with features both dial wise and input/outputwise on the back.

For practice sessions and small cofeehouse gigs, it works very well. 80 watts is not a lot for bass but these are 80 watts clean where the amp can actually handle the output, not 80 watss where the amp is ready to blow-up.

I have to give it a ten, because it has all these features and more.

Very clean and modern bass sound. Not quite as fat as I would like but still very good. The back metal panel does vibrate at higher volumes but I got that fixed under warrantee. SWR approved it.

It's not as fat as my Interstellar Overdrive effects unit, but then again nothing is.

Totally reliable. That small 10" speaker can handle 4 string bass. I am not sure about 5 string bass though.

No problem with getting the screws tightened on the back so stop the rattling and it was covered under warrantee. Yes, I'm picky when it comes to my gear.

This is the part that is excellent. When I bought my Interstellar Overdrive, I was very happy with it, so I sent SWR a short letter telling them how happy I was with Stella. They mailed me a reply letter with a free SWR T-shirt which was incredibly nice of them to do.

With this WM10, they sent me a free Instruction Manual as the store I bought mine at could not find it. Really nice of SWR!

I sent them my CD with my single "Interstellar Overdrive." dedicated to this pre-amp/effects unit. Electronica yes, but a good song all the same. If you want to hear it, go to:

http://www.mp3.com/newdeltacity

Honestly, I never planned to buy a bass combo, becuase any combo I played through was either portable but not loud enough, loud but very heavy and bulky, or just shitty. This combo chnaged my mind and it wasn't a fortune either. I love its cube shape and how portable it is.

If you want to hear my more rock oriented songs done with my gear, go to:

http://www.mp3.com/victoryplanet

I just got a 2000/2001 amp from guitar center, so this might be a bit soon to write a review, but I'll write if anything comes up that's noteworthy to prospective buyers. Anyway, it's an 80W bass amp with volume, effects blend, 'aural enhancer,' low, mid, high. The eq works great, there's nothing wrong with it at all. On some amps I feel like the highs don't get high enough so everything sounds muddy, but these have great respons. Aural enhancer's cool too, as far as i can tell it just brings up some of the low end that's too low for the eq. I play mostly ska/punk, with a bit of metal, a bit of reggae, hip-hop, etc., and it suits me fine. As far as wattage goes, it's more than enough for me (I play by myself mostly, sometimes with my guitar playing friends, sometimes with a drummer), but as far as speaker size goes, it really isn't. If you turn the volume all the way up there's a bit of speaker distortion, but it doesn't seem damaging. The only feature i wish it had would be a gain AND a volume so I can manipulate the sounds a little bit more, but i wouldn't expect one on a 10".

I use it with a squier p-special, and i love it. It's great at making the differences between the jazz and precision pickup noticeable. The fender bassman 25 didn't really do that. As far as sounds go, it can get a really smooth low sound, the kind that you can't hear the string being plucked, just a deep sound, which i like for some ska. But you can also get a real punchy sound with your fingers and a strong pop if you're using a pick.

It looks like it would never break, but that's nothing to go on. So don't ask me. I wouldn't gig with it without a backup because I don't gig. I'm a college boy. But it wouldn't be loud enough without an extension cab anyway because of the 10" speaker problem, it has trouble holding its own over fairly soft drums as it is.

Never dealt with them, but they gave me a 1 year warranty and have a swell website. Guitar center sells swr stuff, and they're EVERYWHERE.

I've been playing bass for a year or two, off an on, and I got this amp for 3 reasons: size, wattage, and tone. It's a 30 lb. 16" cube, so it fits in my dorm room, it's 80 bloody watts, which is a helluvalot more than the bassman 25 that's the same size or the bassman 60 for that matter, which is as big as a mature yak. It's got tone that's as nice as the 50 watt ampegs i tried (which are bigger and heavier), though it sounds very un-vintage (very hi-fi and clear compared to them). And, since I have to carry it everywhere, it's 30 lbs., doesn't take up much space on public transportation, and has a metal grille. If it were stolen or lost i wouldn't buy another one because it's $400 friggin dollars and i'm in college, folks. But if money was not an issue, heck yes i'd buy another. I would also buy a car and some food.

This amp can handle lows mids and highs very well. Comes with effect loop(very rarily seen on bass heads an channel switching. You can also plug it through other speakers witch is one of the best features.
I use this amp against a drumset an Marshall Halfstack and it can handle it.

It suits my music and never clashes. When I turn it up all the way though it sometimes hits the metal. Keep your pugs on the back unless your using them! Good variety of sounds. Clean channel never distorted. can take any effect well. Speakers reliable.

I can always epend on this thing. I could use it without backup. Never broken down.

Yeah guitar center deals this amp an they were incredibly helpful an werent afraid to tell the truth. They support the product well and the book they gave me was also very helpful. the warranty is one month.

I've been playing for three years. best brand I've had yet. I own a combo 12 and an Ibanez T-40 5-string an a Galveston acoustic bass. I'd probably buy something else but it would definatly be a SWR. Best Speakers out there. I compared it to Crate, Hartke, and Gorilla and Its the best. Very portable and dependable, you can always add to the sound.

New 1999 model. Bass, Mid, Treble, FX Blend, and famous Aural Enhancer. Line Out, Effects S/R, etc. Small little cube 80watts in to 8ohm, about 31 lbs. Nicely constructed, looks very solid. I wish it had a gain AND master volume. It can sometimes be a little sensitive when you are using alot of tone controls and trying to play at softer volumes.

I'm a beginner bass player, but this is my fourth amp. I have had a Fender 60 (bulky, boxy sound), Then Ampeg B50R (nice sound for 1x12, not loud enough for drums), Then Ampeg B328 (nice sound and loud enough, but 57Lbs) I like the Workingman's 10 because its small, light and powerful. If you like it loud, like with drums, get the extention cabinet or some other 8ohm extra speaker cabinet. As soon as you hook up an external speaker the volume potential jumps from like 100db (usable loudnes) to over 110db!!! With just the 1x10 extension cabinet from SWR. I hit a few notes around 118db! (c-weighted, slow, on db meter) I bought the two pieces for flexibility. If I'm playing with just softer guitars in a small place I can just bring the combo and crank up the bass tone control to get a heavy sound. If I need more volume to play a larger room or with drums I will just hook up the extention speaker The combo weighs 31Lbs and the extension speaker weighs 26Lbs. They stack up and have locking corners too! Practicing by myself the hissing sometimes bothers me, but while you actually playing its not bad at all. You can switch off tweeters in the combo and the extension cabinet to cut down a little on the hissing. Hissing is heavy on headphones though, set a 12 o'clock its not too bad. Sounds fuller than my ampeg B328

Its built tough. Black carpet exterior, plastic locking corners and stong handle. I have a vibration in the back panel, but just a twist of the screwdriver took care of that. Because of the high internal pressures, SWR provides rubber plugs to put in the holes of the jacks which are not in use on the back of the amp. If they fall out or you don't put them in the air will "chirp" while passing out the holes. Knobs are recessed to minimize damage during transport.

I emailed them twice, never heard from them. Find a dealer who will take care of you IF there are any problems. I don't expect any though...

I've been playing since May of 1999. Yes, I think I would buy it again, especially for the small size and BIG SOUND (with the extension cabinet). Again this is my fourth amp I bought it for portability (I'm a wimp!) Its the loudest and nicest sounding amp that I have owned (see above list of amps) I wish it had gain AND master volume. I wish it was a little quieter on the preamp stage. Don't fully judge its potential without hooking up an extension speaker!!!!

The Workingman's 10 is a 10" speaker with a foster horn in a black, carpeted cube. It weighs about 40lbs and has a solid, top-mounted carrying handle as well as a thick wire handle/kickback stand that's spring-loaded on the bottom. The amplifier is rated at 80Watts (100Watts with Extension Speaker) and is mounted flush with the rear of the cabinet. The Workingman's 10 is small but not tiny. Pictures make it look tiny but you need to see one in person to get a good impression of it.

I use the Workingman's 10 as a practice amp so that I can get a rich, clean sound out of my practice amp and so that I don't have to give myself a hernia carting a cabinet around every time I want to go jam with some buddies. The sound is crisp and clear. The 10" speaker does a terrific job of carrying the highs while the cabinet construction really reinforces the thunder in the lows. I wasn't prepared for this amp to sound as good as it did and it pretty much converted me to SWR equipment.

The thing is a little black pillbox. It feels like it could stop a .22 rifle bullet with the carpet. The construction is phenomenal (an SWR signature trait) and the solid-state electronics feel like they'll keep going no matter what you give 'em. I'm not worried about this ever breaking down on me.

SWR is helpful and very friendly. They still remember when they were building amps inside their garage and value every single customer they have. Check out the website.

The Workingman's 10 is no stage amp and it's barely even a coffee-house cranker but if you're practicing with this at home and you sound like crap, the problem is you, not the amp :). It is a very expensive practice amplifier and shouldn't be expected to cut it at gigs. It *should* be expected to sound fantastic in the privacy of your own home and it accomplishes that with flying colors.