SWR Workingman's 12 112 Combo

Mine was made in the 90s, before Fender bought SWR. It's a 100W combo. I think the 120W combos you see out there are from after the Fender buy-out, and are generally not as good, in my opinion.

The features:
100W amp
A single 12" Celestion, ported in the back
A Le-Son TLX-1 Piezo tweeter horn, which you can switch off
Active & Passive inputs
Effects Loop
Headphone Output
Tuner Output
XLR Direct Line Output
Peak Limiter (can be turned off)

Knobs:
Gain (with red LED to let you know when you're clipping)
Aural Enhancer
Bass
Mid
Treble
Effects Mix (Pulling this knob out turns the peak limiter off)
Master Volume (with green LED to let you know when the limiter is kicking in)

I've used this amp in many, many settings and it has never let me down. It's plenty loud enough for rehearsals and small-scale performances. I need to crank it to about 7 when playing in a band with a drummer, but it comes through like a champ when I do.

Plugging in an 8 ohm extension cab and turning the limiter off will get you a little extra headroom, but I usually find it simpler just to go through the PA when I want more power. Roadies love me, because I don't make them lug around a big 8x10 tower for my rig.

I've used this with both passive and active pick-up 4 and 5-string bass guitars, as well as acoustic basses, and even the occasional stratocaster, telecaster, les paul, or hollow-body electric guitars. It takes everything I give it and sounds beautiful doing so.

The precision on this thing makes it perfect for Jazz, but it's a great little rock amp, too.

Some may disagree, but I like the sound of this amp better than most 2x10 or 4x10 cabs. The 12" speaker moves plenty of air, and the horn brightens it up without ever sounding harsh.

As others have pointed out, no noise at all. Turn down your guitar knobs, and you won't even know that it's on.

If you want a little subtle distortion at high volumes, you turn the peak limiter off. Otherwise it's immaculately clean at all times.

If you had enough of them, you could build a castle out of them. Rock solid. The steel grill on the front is very comforting to have.

I can, and have, gigged without a back-up with this thing. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it, and I suspect it will still work fine long after I'm dead.

The company is gone, but who cares? All pre-Fender SWR gear is out of warranty by now anyway. Customer Support doesn't matter because you'll never need it.

I've been playing for about 20 years, and have never owned a better bass amp.

If it were stolen or lost, I'd try to find another just like it, but I'm not sure if I could. They are getting rare because those who own them know better than to sell them.

I've lined it up against recent combos and stacks from GK, Behringer, Ampeg, Fender, etc. They all have come up short in comparison, when you consider all the features (especially if you consider ease-of-transport to be a feature that matters!)

I used to wish it had a non-balanced D.I. output (for situations when I don't have an XLR cable handy), but then I discovered that the "tuner" output is exactly that, and have been happy ever since.

Just the basics. Three tone knobs, an "aural enhancer", preamp gain & master volume. "Active" and "Passive/Active" inputs.

It has an output jack specifically for your tuner on the front, which is nice. It also has an output jack on the back that you can use to drive a second cabinet, though I found that doing so doesn't offer much more beef.

The switchable tweeter is nice, for reasons I'll get into in the Sound Quality section.

This amp is nearly perfectly transparent. Meaning a professional-quality bass with sound outstanding through it, but a crummy bass will still sound crummy. It does NOTHING to mask flaws if you plug cheap gear into it.

I'm not crazy about sound of the "aural enhancer" feature. It tends to make my bass sound a bit too trombone-ish. If you like a nasal punch to your sound, go with it. I tend to dial it down, and would be perfectly happy if it wasn't there.

The switchable tweeter is nice. I leave it on full-time, but if you are using a noisy vintage axe for a specific sound, it's nice to be able to kill any hiss or high buzzing by switching the tweeter off.

You will never get the big boom of a big Ampeg tower, nor will you get tube distortion out of it (or any distortion, for that matter, the limiter cuts it down before you get to a level where the waves start squaring off). To use it in a rock stage show, you will absolutely need to either mic it or run the output to the board. Even in gigs where the drums are not amplified, you will frequently need more power to keep up with the band. A guitarist on a Marshall half-stack will utterly swallow you up if this little amp is all you're running.

However, for studio use it's like having a magic box which does nothing more than deliver the "true" sound of your bass with absolute precision. It's also a nice rehearsal amp which you can lug around with one hand and fit in the trunk (or passenger seat) of even the smallest cars.

It's also great for church gigs or any other settings where a lot of room echo draws attention to noisy amps, because it's nearly dead-silent when you're not playing.

I've never experimented with the effects loop. I tend to play with a clean sound when I'm playing bass.

It's a rugged solid-state amp. Heavy wood cabinet, metal front grill protecting the speaker, and all the electronic components sealed up nicely. I've used it with no back-up on many occasions and have never feared for it.

It is my understanding that SWR was bought out by Fender, so I suspect support is similar to anything else under their umbrella. I wouldn't know because I've never had a problem with it.

I needed a solid, dependable, transparent studio amp that was also somewhat road-worthy, and walked into the music store POSITIVE that I would buy a GK. For more $100 less than the 80-Watt GK I intended to buy, this little miracle worker was slightly more powerful, cleaner-sounding, and actually looked slightly more rugged.

You won't find a better small combo in the 80-120 Watt range for the money. For both sound quality and ruggedness it beats the pants off many amps which cost more.

If I lost it, I would probably get another one. For what it is, I actually prefer it over the more-popular "Workingman's 15". Even if I were to buy a big-cab system for gigs, I would still want to keep this puppy around the studio.

Bought 2007, no idea when it was made.
I play Jazz, Classic Rock mostly, using double bass and electric bass, handles anything I can throw at it.
It has one channel with 3-band active EQ, aural enhancer, a limiter and has an effect loop, tweeter, DI out.
I don't really want for anything else, the name says it all, it's an amp for going out and gigging with.
I have it in my bedroom but it seems much more solid and reliable than my previous gigging amp (Ashdown Electric Blue)
It's only 100 watts but i'm sure if I had a larger gig I'd DI out it to the PA, like I did with my old amp.

I use a cheap but well made Peavey bass, a Squier fretless Jazz Bass and a plywood double bass with this amp, it has a transparent sound that just suits me for jazz. With the aural enchancer I can add a bit of raunch that suits rock and just the electric bass a bit more power. With my double bass I have to cut a lot of mid but I'd blame the pickup more than the amp, I'm thinking of getting a preamp. With electric it sounds just like it would through the mixing desk and that's what I want, I don't want a coloured tone that covers up a poor sounding bass.

This amp, as far as I can tell, looks rock solid and there's a chunky feeling about it (especially the metal grille and reassuring weight) that just screams quality. I have no doubts about taking out on gigs, even though it hasn't been out on one yet, I'm sure it'll be up to the task.

No experience with SWR.

I've been playing for five years, I use the same bass that I started with, plus my fretless and my double bass, but I find that it offers me a perfect transparent sound that suits my jazz inclinations and perfectly fits into rock as well. I also have a fender champion guitar amp and musicman sub1 guitar for playing guitar.
I love the fact that it accurately reproduces the sound of my bass and just reflects my technique, which ultimately defines my sound. There's nothing I hate about it, apart from the fact it's really quite heavy, much heavier than some considerably bigger amps I've used, but that's reassuring, it means it should be indestructible.
I also have an Ashdown Electric Blue 15 and this amp walks over it. I don't have to adjust the EQ when playing electric bass, it just reproduces the sound I want.
I didn't really compare it to other amps, I bought it based on recomendations by other players and wasn't disappointed.

A compressor would be nice, but I run a digitech bass squeeze dual band compressor in the loop, and it works nice

I use a washburn 5 string, peavey fretless, spector import 4 string, and an old fender musicmaster with the swr. the 5 string needs an additional cab, I use a peavey 15 inch cab to get the extra lows. I am a jack of all trades and master of none player, so this amp works well in all styles. A tube preamp or dedicated bass distortion might improve dirty bass tones, but I use a line 6 xtlive with the bass upgrade package for those kinds of tones. The main reason I submitted this review was to point out the non-bass uses for this amp. It makes an excellent acoustic guitar amp, especially with an art tube preamp. I have also used it in orchestra pit gigs with an xtlive for electric guitar. the amp can be tweaked fairly flat to clearly reproduce the xtlive's sounds. It is full sounding at low volumes, and in that setting, it is only a monitor, with another feed from the xtlive going to the pa. In short, I get a lot of use from this amp!

No problems, just don't forget the detachable power cord!

a 1993 model..still have it..
quite bright sounding to the extent of being to clean somehow
i had to warm it up with a sansamp bddi
i lent it to a guitar player who said it sounded thin
wouldnt have another or the 15"
i only play small venues so power was ok..but my P sounded muddy
now i use a stingray 5 which is tighter anyway and more focussed
strong cabinet and robust speaker served me well
wish it would blow up though so i could get an ashdown

P bass mainly and sounded muddy and unfocussed..changed so many pups till i got another bass

reliable and strongly built
never let me down

no repairs done...

been playing around 16 years..this is my third combo
started with a peavey monster 15" 60W which did the business
then a little 12" ohm bottom of the pile combo
thought at the price the swr would be rolls royce...but its way overpriced and i lost out

I WILL RATE THIS AS A PRACTICE AMP OR IF IT USED WITH A MIKE INTO A SOUND SYSTEM IF GIGGED, NOT AS A STAND ALONE GIGGING AMP AS I DON'T THINK IT IS CUT OUT FOR THAT.

You can see the features off of other reviews so I won???t bore you with that. For a small combo it is not too bad with the features it has. I like the ability to put headphones on, turn the tweeter off (see below under quality) and lastly the ability to have a dry/wet mix to my stomp boxes. I'm not going to rate this compared to an amp/cabinet as that wouldn't be fair. This is a great practice amp and maybe more (see overall rating).

I have an Ibanez SR800 with P/J type of pickup. I use a number of stomp boxes, and jamman looping through it. At levels up to about 60-70% it sounds pretty good, but beyond that it gets real muddy. Some styles may be different but I play mostly rock and blues so I need a deep sound and very clear depending on the song. Of course if you can ???mike??? this into a sound system or PA it would be fine. However, you loose some control for sound level, but that???s what the sound engineer is for anyhow. Just talk to them about when you need to have more presents in the room.

If you are gigging and have no ability to mike the amp, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU. That said, it is still great for garage or basement practice, unless you have band mates that don???t know how to practice at lower levels. Save your ears and turn it down for general practice. For dress rehearsal prior to your real gig, get out your bigger amp. I use an Ampeg SVT 410-HLF cabinet with a SVT-4 PRO head with no problems at any gig for my go to gear.

The combo is not as tight as I would like unless I turn the bass way down, but it gets muddy with the bass cranked up and the gain up.

The frequency range doesn't lend well for a drop D or lower note. It plays it but it is very hollow sounding so don't get this expecting your 5 string or drop D will sound nice. I blew the tweater at some point when I was trying to keep up with a rather loud practice session. I started to hear a buzz and realized it was the tweater. Glad it has a switch on the back to turn it off.

Practice amp at low levels = 8 rating
Giging amp miked = 7 rating
Giging amp with out mike = 2 rating. (It just doesn't have it)

Well, as stated above, the tweater blew so...
I have not had any other problems with this combo for the last 7 years so I guess I can't complain. I just pushed it too far.

I've been playing for about 8 years (this time round). I don't think I would replace this amp because I think there are several better combos out there now that weren???t available when I got this one. I can???t say I love or hate anything about this combo, it???s just ok to me. Originally I got this combo because it wasn???t very expensive and I was just getting back into playing bass and I needed to buy everything again. That and I only wanted something I could practice with or jam to music on my computer.

This is one of the 2nd generation models with the red and white screenprinting on the front panel. Like other SWR amps it accentuates the highs, which makes it good for quiet playing or jazz. If you play louder, you better be REALLY good, because everyone will hear your mistakes. I would not suggest this for your average rock bassist.

This amp is mainly used in my practice room along with a 15" cabinet so I get the full 120 watts (amp is only 100 watts to the internal speaker).

I use this mainly with my Fender P-Bass Deluxe (P-J pickup configuration), and occasionally with a 1972 Precision. My musical style has changed back to rock since I bought it, so I'm not sure it fits anymore (I recently picked up a SansAmp Bass Driver DI pedal, which I feel improves the sound considerably). There's really not much variety in the sounds I can get out of it. For the jazz style I originally purchased it for, it sounds great. Very transparent.

I'm not sure I can say much about the reliability. When it was only a year old it stopped working entirely, but it got fixed fairly quickly under warranty (loose wire to the input jack). Then last year the speaker blew out, but that is probably because I accidentally turned off the limiter and drove it too hard. I've replaced the original speaker with an Eminence Delta 12, which has improved the sound considerably.

I have used it for low volume "coffee shop" gigs, and it is fine for that. I would think twice about taking it to a rock gig, though. When I use it for practice the red limiter light basically stays on the entire time I'm playing, and the heat sink on the back gets really, really hot. Barely keeps up with a drummer.

As mentioned above I did get it repaired under warranty once. It was done quickly and well, but I was initially concerned because my local SWR repair shop was in the basement of some guy's house! Considering the size of the city I live in, I found this odd.

Nonetheless, SWR (when they were pre-Fender, anyway) was very helpful in the matter.

I have been playing for around 18 years now. Other bass equipment I own includes an Ampeg B2R Head, a custom 15" cabinet, and an Avatar 2x10 cabinet.

If it were stolen I think I would look at buying something else. The new WorkingPro combos that SWR puts out now just don't do it for me anymore. I like having a combo amp handy, so I think I would look at Ampeg instead.

I chose it because Bass Player magazine rated it highly for sound and portability. They said it fit nicely in the trunk of a Honda Civic, which I happened to have at the time, so I bought it. The only other competition it had at the time, in my mind, was the Workingman's 15. But, I decided I wanted something smaller.

I've had this amp for about 4 year and have gigged and practiced with jazz combos and at home. It's a pretty no-nonsense amp but has everything you need - not much EQ flexibility but I see that as an asset. It's just enough power to keep up with a medium-loud drummer, with extension speaker you may be able to do better. It has a built-in limiter to keep you from clipping and blowing the speaker or output section, which is defeatable. I wouldn't recommend this, though ;). Also, it has a very good sounding balanced DI for running to a PA or recording. Nice touch.

Amazingly, this amp sounds GREAT! Every bass I've played through it, whether P or J, fretted or fretless, or acoustic bass guitar, it sounds great. It may be a bit peaky in the lower midrange for you upright players, but for other basses - it's pretty surprising. I compared this to several other combos when I bought it, and it came down to this or an Ampeg 15. The SWR edged out. It surprised the salesman, too, guess he expected people to go with the defacto bass amp.

I've not had any problems at ALL with this amp. I trust it completely, and believe me, I've pushed it to its limit more than a few times.

Never dealt with SWR. Never had to, see above.

I have a Euphonics Audio big-ass combo (iAmp-800c) for the heavier rock gigging. The SWR won't cut it in those instances, but hey, it's only 100W (120 w/extension). I prefer the sound of the SWR, I have to say. If it were stolen, I'd just not replace it because I have the EA, but I'd miss the tone. Plus, I don't think they're in production.

Had this amp since 1995. Its got if you need more features then you have the wrong concept of a BASS tone. If anything the amp could do without the AURAL ENHANCER feature. 100watts solid state is fine power for small rock gigs. Ive been playing Jazz on upright Bass with this thing and its been with me for over 10 years.

On Upright Bass come off the mid range a bit and put everything else at 12oclock and use a david gauge pickup. On electric get a "real" P Bass and play with everything at 12oclock. If you cant get a good sound on an amp with all the eq set at 0 then DONT BUY THAT AMP.

Over 10 years and no problems

Never talked with them.

I would recomend this amp as a cheap option insted of an acoustic image or GK small combo. For upright sound you get what you need and its not too heavy. Jazz guys gig a couple nights a week instead of a couple nights a month like most rock gigs so for long term realiablity and sound check this amp out.

This is a feature laden amp for its size. Decent DI out, ample power for my needs. Sounds great with electric and upright. Headphone out, extension speaker out (8 ohm), switchable horn.

Very clear nice sounding amp for its size. This amp will reproduce the sound of your bass. Not much coloration, although tone shaping controls work well.

Amp been totaly faithful

Great amp. In my opinion, this is the best small amp for the money on the used amp market. You can get these things for $250 in good shape. I had an SWR LA12, which I thought was completely un-useable outside of house.

I has all the feature I need. there's a switch in the back for the tweeter, and headphone only. for the price I paid, it's a total bargain. (I got it used)

great sounds, except it isn't the best combo for the low B if you're playing 5 or 6 string bass. the low B does not sound too clear as far as tone definition, it's a bit mumbly. May be the speaker wasn't designed for that frequency response.

no complains, very reliable and just perfect for a smaller room gig.

never need to call them.

again, my only complain is it doesn't sound too nice for the frq lower than the E string. so I try not to use this when playing with extended range bass. but for 4 string and for the price, no complains!

Many features...see other posted reviews.

I play a Washburn XB-920 Bass with Bartolini Pickups. I use this amp only at Church for Worship 2 or 3 times a week. Not noisy at all. It is the best Bass Amp I've found. I've tried Peavey TNT115 and Fender Bassman Heads, but this puppy is a tremendous blessing. You can get what ever sound you want out of it. The Church seats 200 and is plenty loud even on the faster songs with drums a wailing. I get good feedback from the church members, they say it sounds awesome. I tell them to give God the Glory, then give SWR the glory.

So far so good.

No need as of yet.....

Outstanding.....the Workingman's 12 is the perfect size for my needs. 100 Watts is plenty. If needed I can always add an extention cab for an additional 20 Watts output, or got right into the sound board. If you're doubting my review, grab YOUR bass and head down to Guitar Center and plug in, it'll make a beleiver out of you. Plenty of punch for the buck. Money well spent. I been playing since the Beatles landed in America. Their has never been or will ever be a another band quite like the Beatles.

Discussed in other reveiws. Simple but effective tone controls...Light weight, well constructed, qood quality plywood, and small,.. fits in my nissan sedan's trunk with my bass and accessories.

I use a four string MIM fretless bass and play with a big band. The tone is always great and the amp is truly plug and play. The sounds that comes out of this small box are amazing, deep and rich and with great mids and highs. Has plenty of power for the big band setting and this is the older 100 watt model. (We play some pretty big rooms and get pretty loud.) I figure that I've only use about 2/3 of its power and then I start drowning out the brass saxes and piano. I don't think that it would be enough to keep up with a heavy handed drummer in a rock setting, but for what I do it is perfect.

Have only owned it for a few weeks so far. Use it about twice a week.

N/A

Been playing for 25-30 years and consider myself a guitarist but I enjoy playing bass especially in Jazz and Big band styles. I think this is a great value and would buy another. I would like to try the new model that has 120/160 for comparison but I think this is the perfect amp to fit my needs. I would like to try a 2-10" extension cab but it does the job the way it is.

The features on this amp are great. I can get any sound I want out of it; rock, raggae, jazz and its great for slap. I use this amp for practicing by myself and with the band and its still plenty loud outdoors.

The amp is great for every kind of music. The clean tone is great too. The only way you can get this amp to get distorted is to crank up the volume and the gain over 3/4 of max. The solution is just don't turn them both up all the way.

This thing is built like a freakin' tank. I have one of the older versions that has a sort of ridge in the front that makes it resemble a washing machine, so I call it my "B.P.W." which stands for Bullet Proof Washing machine. This thing is practically indestructable.

I haven't had a problem with this amp yet so i couldn't tell ya.

I've been playing for about 3 years and I've had two other amps and neither of them were anything compared to this amp. I'm currently playing a Dean Edge-One bass that Is also great. I love everything about this amp. Great amp overall.

I bought mine used back in 97. It's 100W, it will do 60 X 2 if you have an extension cabinet plugged into it. 12" speaker & horn. It has all kinds of useful features, and no useless ones. It has an effects loop, XLR out, optional speaker out, limiter, aural enhancer, a 3 band EQ, and a tuner out. Sometimes I wish it had compression, but using a pedal through the fx loop sounds real sweet. But the best part is that it is light. It's something like 32 pounds. It's not big, definitely easy to carry with one hand if you're not Schwarzeneger. I use it for practice and gigs from small to outdoor. I wish it were a little louder and had more bottom end, but for it's size, it's amazing. It's been my main amp for over 5 years. It rules.

I have used this guitar with various basses (fretless, 4 string, 5 string), with various electronics and outboard gear. It works well with all of them. I mean, every bass I have played through it sounds good. It also sounds pretty decent for keyboards or acoustic guitar. I have heard uprights played through these, and they sounded real tight. The tweeter horn makes all the difference. The speaker has a pretty flat response, so it won't color your adjustments to the preamp or effects. You can really tweak your sound and get whatever you need. It also is a very clean sounding amp. I can play almost maxed on gain and master and it still produces no distortion. Way cool! I've played through amps with more wattage, but really sound crappy when you crank the volume past 5. This amp really has 100 usable watts. I agree with some of the other reviewers when they say they wish it were louder. But, the auxiliary speaker jack allows the amp to push out a total of 120 watts. I've played mine with a 15" extension cabinet and it is considerable louder and has all kinds of bottom end. The sound is very clean, and bright. The sound is awesome and versatile. You can use it for almost all styles of music.

I have gigged with it for over 5 years. It's solid. I had a small issue with a wire for the power supply during practice, but a little bit of duct tape fixed the situation. The thing has survived multiple gigs, practices, recordings and stupid people. It is still my main amp for all situations.

Never had to deal with em

I've been playing for over 14 years, and it's the best amp I ever owned. I also own a Trace Elliot 2x10 combo, with a 15" extension cab. I rarely take it to gigs because it is so damn heavy. I have owned a couple of big peaveys and an acoustic. If you gig regularly and you have back problems like me, this is the amp to get. It is loud enough to be used as a main amp for practice and small gigs. If you use an extension cab, you can proably use it in a bigger venue. It's definitely loud enough to use as a monitor if you use the XLR out to run it through a PA (which I usually always do). I love the fact that the amp has all the features I need, and it is easy to carry. I laugh at the other band members every night at load out when I carry all my gear in one trip. I sacrifice some volume for the portability, but I run it through the PA when I need to. The band can still hear me in the monitors, and the crowd hears me through the mains, and I hear myself through my beloved SWR. I have used it at small, medium, and outdoor venues without a hitch. I would probably use it at a stadium gig if they'd let me. The sound is great, and I can tweak it easy to my liking or situation. All the high to midrange frequencies and timbres really come out through the combination of the 12" speaker and tweeter. It has really good bass response. It doesn't have the ultra low thump for stuff like house music, but the low end is clear. All in all, the thing rules. I love it. If it were lost or stolen, I would get another one without hesitation.

This is one of the first WM's 12s ever made. I think I bought it in 1995. Very versitile with just the right # of controls (as few as posible). Many features including external speaker out, tuner out, effects loop, tweeter on/off toggle, etc. Sweet stuff!

I use a Warrior Studio fretless 6 string and it sounds sweet through the 12. This bass is a real challenge for most amps (way too much tone). Most amps don't get all of the nuances of this bass, but the 12 is smooth and growly all the way across the spectrum. I play mostly be bop jazz and blues, so I need a very uncolored, woody sound and fits the bill each time. This is the best sounding amp in this price range ($500-600). The tone is punchy, smooth, Hi-Fi and overall very pleasing. At 100 watts it doesn't have the output of some other amps, but I find that most other amps have such a distaseful sound at their highest volumes it doesn't matter. This thing can be pegged to the limit and will sound as sweet and distortion free as it does at more moderate settings. In a nutshell, It's fantastic sounding little amp.

This thing has been run at 75% or higher total volume for the entire 7 years I have owned it. Never once have had to do anything with it! Flawless.

The amp that money can buy in this price range. Hartke, Trace, Peavy, Fender, etc., etc. take the back seat of a very streached limmo compaired to the WM's 12. Granted at 100 watts you (and I) may need more power for some things, but for small gigs and practice, this is it. Plus, the loud gigs are what my SM-500 and Henry The 8x8 are for. SWR FOREVER!!!

Brand new in Eugene's Guitars in March, 2002. Dark to bright, thesonic versatility seems excellent. This its first month with me. Playing in a roots rock trio.

But we must be realistic: the power is only 100 watts. That means it's good for light duty. Both my guitarist and drummer are not terribly loud, so I'm OK.

Convenient output array, most importantly the one leading to the house PA. When the house PA is a good one I feel fine.

A bit of noise accompanies my Deluxe P-Bass Special when the jazz pickup is cranked. But there's no noise with the P. My P-Special is a celestial item: it can sound like either a J or P or somewhere magically between the two.

My salesman, a journeyman bassist, claimed that I could crank this amp to the max and it would stay clear and rock. I have found that is very nearly true.

Sorry: it does Not have the fat bottom audiences generally need for rump shaking. This one's best for rehearsals - if expensive for that express purpose - or use in a combo where wide-track low end is not mandatory.

Feels really solid from handle to switches. Have only played it for a month.

NA

Been playing rock guitar some 30 years and bass on and off for maybe half the time. I've seen my share of Peavey amps as well as Trace and Fender. And have gotten to the point when I am Not going to schlepp a heavy amp. So Hats Off to SWR for this compact package.

There's a lot of usable mid-range bass sound in this diminutive box. It fits my Accord trunk easily and with the circular port in the back it's easy to heft and carry. Also, the control panel is nicely tilted and easy to navigate.

But I'm worried about the future and the need for more hefty bottom. Despite its coolness I think I'm going to trade it for a Nemesis 210, which claims 225 watts.

The truth is that a bassist needs all the wattage he or she can carry.

This amp made my P-bass copy which sounded like crap before come to LIFE!!! It has all the basic stuff, see website. I do wish that the D.I. could be post-e.q. instead of just pre-eq

I used it with a P-Bass copy, and it sounded great. Just got a new Warwick with J style pickups. Still need to play with the E.Q. some to get the sound I want. May not be possible through the 12". It sounds great though. I generally don't use the tweeter, the 12 provides plenty of clarity for my purposes.

No problems here yet.

Never talked w/ SWR

I love this amp. Test it out first though. I like the 12 a lot, but I may need a 15 to get the depth I want, but I don't like the upper range on 15's. The highs sound good. If you are playing with a loud drummer and a half-stack, you WILL need to add an extension speaker, and you will be running near max volume to be heard. In that case I reccommend more wattage.

Almost new SWR Workingman's 12 bought on eBay. Built like a tank. Self-explanatory controls. Good amount of power for a 1x12 unit.

Play basic rock and blues with a MIJ Squier Bullet Bass (don't laugh, it has the BEST on it of any bass I've played) and a 1962 Danelecto Short Horn (short-scale). Both are "one-sound" single pickup basses so I needed a bass that had a really good tonal range and, especially with the Danelectro, good punch to make up for the muddy short-scale E string. This amp definitely has the tonal range. I also play an old Gibson ES-125 through it on some coffee-house jazz gigs, and it's a great jazzer.

I can't imagine this thing breaking, a I said it's bult like a tank and SWR has a formible reputation for reliability.

Been playing guitar and bass for 20+ years, this is definitely a good, solid bass amp. I used to have a Hartke Kickback 1200 which was a good amp but lacked headroom and didn't feel as solid as this little brute. Shopped Fender and Peavey models but the 100W models from these companies just didn't seem as solid as the SWR.

This is a 98 amp and is VERY versatile. I play Jazz, R&B and blues and have used this amp with my 4,5 and 6 string basses and Upright and have gotten great tones. The effects loop works great as well as the D.I. The one feature that would be nice is a mute switch for the inputs. Otherwise it's great!

I use this amp with both active and passive basses (Modulus 4 string, Yamaha 5 string, Tobias 6 string and Fender Fretless).It works well in lower volume situations. In higher volume situations it is underpowered. However, it still sounds great. With the aural enhancer the bass can get "too sweet". However, you can achieve a wide variety of sounds from the classic James Jamerson type bass to the high sound of a Marcus Miller.

Because of the size this amp may stay in the car for days at a time. I had a problem once when I overheated the amp. However, I never had to take it to the shop and it still is very dependable. the amp dropped once and now and then I hear a click when I turn it off.

SWR is a great company. I have called them for things and have gotten the answer very quickly and easily

I've been playing for many years and have used other small amps, but this combination of price and performance is awesome. My other preamp/amp combination is a demeter preamp with a Mackie power amp and the sound is different but I still use the SWR quite I bit. I sold my GK micro combo (which I REALLY liked!), and use this in its place and find it to be more versatile and better, especially when you consider the price. I would highly recommend this amp for small to medium size gigs. This amp is also great as a primary for louder siutations if you are going thru a P.A. etc.

This WM's 12 was manufactured in 1997. As noted in other reviews and SWR's webpage, the WM's 12 has nearly every accessory feature outside of onboard effects. The Limiter and Aural Enhancer do a nice job of enhancing sound, but I was particularly pleased with the DI, headphone jack, extention speaker jack, and effects loop (this is one of the few combos that has all four of these accessories). These four items allow you to use the amp in a myriad of settings (from bedroom practice, to large hall shows when DI-ing to a PA). Like many bass players, I'm not very interested in effects. As such I can use the effects loop "out" as a second direct line, and the effects loop "in" can be used as an input for other mediums (such as a cd player for "between set" music or jam along practice sessions). VERY versitile amp!

Once tuned to your particular needs, this amp has a great sound with nearly any bass or style of music. My current collection includes an American Standard Jazz, a Japanese Fretless Jazz, Warwick Standard Streamer, an ancient cheapo P-Bass knock-off, and an acoustic/electric. Each of these sounds exactly like they are supposed to as the amp does not tend to "color" the sound. This, in particular, makes the SWR's a good value to many bass players. Those who use a variety of basses generally want specific sounds from each of those instruments. Amps that color instrument tones do not always let the nuances shine through. I have mounted an ATR Levelar tube compressor on this amp (the onboard limiter is only a limiter and has no compression) and I'm getting a wonderful pro tone from the rig. I'm also finding that the top end is so clear and pronounced (a good thing for most) that even light fret buzz can often be a problem. I've been playing with the horn off for a few weeks, and I'm very pleased with the results. Like Bass Player Magazine says, this has pro tone from the get-go. It's only weakness is overall volume. However, in it's defense, it IS a 100 watt amp (not some 600 watt monster), and I have been spoiled by the outstanding volume-to-watt performance of my Peavey equipment. No doubt-- this thing is Da Bomb for tone!!

I purchased the unit used from a kid who seems to have abused it a bit and not maintained it very well. When it arrived, the screws that hold th amp chassis to the box had been loosened to allow the amp chassis to move around quite a bit. After tightening the screws I noticed a horrible rattle when playing an "A" note at any octave. After several attempts to find the rattle, I finally found an obscure screw near the back of the amp chassis (internal) that was loose. A quick tightening fixed the problem. The internal electronics are nicely mounted to a couple of computer boards. The glue holding down wires and components was sloppily applied, but otherwise workmanship was first rate. Otherwise, the unit seems to have taken abuse rather well over the last three years. I would take no issue with using this amp without a backup on gigs (however, I ALWAYS carry an extra DI in my gig bag so that I can patch directly into the house board if I ever have a problem)

I've never dealt with SWR directly. However, I was rather impressed by their printed catalog, and very impressed with their website. I was able to get an owner's manual, tech info, and a preffered settings chart without any hassle (and for free).

SWR's NEVER go on sale at the local music dealers. These are great amps at retail cost, but you just about have to pick one up used to get any kind of deal. Although it's not as loud as the WM's 15 (it's big brother) it is CONSIDERABLY easier to move around. The unit has a great performance-to-mobility ratio. After playing many of it's counterparts (Ampeg, Fender, Peavey, Nemesis, Crate, Eden) at the music stores, I chose the WM's 12 based on the fact that it gave me EVERYTING I was looking for (wattage, features-- lots of features, and sound quality) at a very good price on the used market. After playing on this amp, I tend to agree with Bass Player's comments and ratings in their Combo Shootout.

This amp is a 97/98? This has a gain, which seems to be just another volume knob. Carperted closed back for added balls. 100w 12 inch woofer with a horn. It has a limiter and a "aural enhancer." Switch in back for either both woofer and horn or just woofer. Active or passive inputs. This has everything i need. I wish it was tube though, and that that gain didn't just make it louder

With my bass both woofer olny and woofer/horn mode sound great. But i use my guitar mainly through it. With full range on its the heaviest sound ever when mids are cut. I have a digitech RP-12 that i use for bad ass pitch shiting and chorus/flange/phaser/synth. For wah i have a Dunlop Q wah. THis has the best range and sound of any wah ive played. For distortion i use Boss MT-2 metal zone. THis setup can get total clean sound or huge, crushing, no mid distortion like pantera or metallica. The EQ range on this amp is my favorite part. When the bass is boosted to +4, mid cut to -12, and high boosted to +3 with death metal set up simialrly, the tone is heavy ass lead. WIth full range on, artificial harmonics scream through the horn with a peircing tone. WOW!

This thing is solid. Beefy metal grill, carpeted outside and heavy as hell. It weighs as much as my friends marshall DSL combo, but it like half the size.

I havent dealt with SWR, i hope i wont need to

WIth its closed bacm and horn with woofer, heavy guitar just explodes off of it. Also can be cranked all the way up and sounds perfect. GREAT AMP FOR GUITAR OR BASS!

This combo was made in 1999. It has a good number of features like preamp clip indicator, SWR's "Aural Enhancer," defeatable limiter, XLR output, headphone jack, effects loop with a cool effects "blend" control, tuner send and even a speaker defeat and/or piezo tweeter defeat (letting you use just the 12" inch driver.)

This amp has great sound. I used this amp with my Peavey T40 bass (yes they are still out there and in use!) in a 6 piece Motown, funk, disco, dance-type band. I also played in the store with a Fender Jazz bass where it sounded even better (not surprising!) The tweeter adds a lot. It has a very punchy sound for a 12" driver and can get decent bass extention with some tweaking but physics simply must take over at some point -- with only 100 watts and a single 12" driver this amp simply was not loud enough for my situation. And admittedly, I was naive to think it would be. Also, for the style my band plays I'd probably be better off with an Ampeg or Fender amp.

I only owned the amp for a few weeks before returning it. (Guitar Center has a great 30 day money back policy!) So I never got a good feeling for its reliability. It seemed very solid and all switchgear seemed first-rate, however. (Very cool "blue" LED power indicator, too.)

I think it had a one year warranty though I could be wrong. Again, since I only owned the amp a few weeks I didn't deal with SWR at all.

As I said above, this amp has great sound but was just underpowered for my situation. Might be better suited to a jazz combo or a situation with no drummer, etc... I will definetly consider another SWR product. I've heard the Workingman's 15 now has 160 watts (200 with an extention cab) so I may check it, or a Workingman's 2004 out.