Tim Swartz Fender Head Mod

Here's how it works and what I started with.

I Bought one 1969 Fender Bassman Head
I did about Two Weeks Of Home Work...
I Found One Amazing Amp Tec...
and 4-6 weeks Later...

" The Most Versatile 50w Bassman I've Ever Heard was in my Possession. "

This Amp started with a great Circuit Design from LEO FENDER.

Channel 1: High and Low Input, Deep Switch, Bass, Treble, Volume...

Channel 2: High and Low Input, Bright Switch, Bass, Treble, Volume.

Then.. I contacted an Amp Tec...
One... By the name of... Tim Swartz.

I was looking for a Modification that would allow me to Play the Bassman At Home, and get Nice Tube Gain... Without Piercing my Eardrums, Disrupting the foundation of my House, the Neighbors, and the 7th Police District.

To say the Least.. Problem Solved! (Thanks Tim)

Now I have Both Options!.. and Then Some!

Tim Swartz... Created a new way to look at my Bassman amplifier.

The New Modification Yielded 1 Channel.
The Front Panel... From Left to Right:

2) 1/4" Inputs.. 1 High and 1 Low ,
1) Gain Switch.. Low & High
Volume / "Preamp Gain",
Bass,
Treble,
"Pre"- Master / "Post Preamp Gain",
1/4" input for Tone Stack Bypass ft. switch,
Tone Stack Bypass Switch... (EQ. In/Out),
Middle,
Presence,
and most importantly needed
"Master Volume"

There are 2 things That Can't Be Described.

"!" SOUND "!" & "!" ART "!"

You Can Only Compare It... to Something Seen or Heard.

With that in mind... I hope you enjoy my Review/Opinions based upon the 11 months I've put the Tim Swartz Modified Bassman through the ropes of Practice, Recording, and Live Stage Time.

1st... The Sound of this Modification is Second to None, for the Investment! If I can say anything about Tim's Bassman Mod.. it would Be, Well Thought, Thorough, Simple, & Well Executed. This amp Mod has a very Wide Palate of Sound... Pure Fender Tone, Sustain, and Added Flexibility. Trough Experimenting I Found that Speaker Cabinets and Speaker Choices will also Greatly change the sound of this amp and allow for even more versatility.

To give you an Idea of the Raw Gain Levels you can achieve from this amp Mod...
I'll compare it 2 ways...
1st By way of Artist and Song Title,
2nd By Comparing it to other Amp Types for Sound and Cost!

Below are a few Artists that I've been able to Replicate the sound of with the modified amp. If you Listen to the songs noted, Like The Artists Tone, and Guitar Sound, You can Dial uP them Up with Ease! Just put on the CD as a Reference and Tweak away!

Alex Lifeson from Rush:
Working Man, 2112, and What Your Doing.
With a little seasoning, you can get from the 1st Rush Album to Moving Pictures...
Without Breaking a Sweat!

Mark Ford from the Black Crowes:
Sting Me, Jealous Again, Thorn in my Pride etc. You can get any of the guitar tones off Amorica and the Southern Harmony CD, With very little Effort !

Tony Iommie from Black Sabbath:
War Pigs, Paranoid, Fairies where Boots etc.
a great match for this kind of crunch... very sweet with a little added Delay for leads.

Warren Haynes Government Mule, Alman Brothers, and The Greatfull Dead: Thorazine Shuffle, One Way Out.. and The List Go's On. This amps Great when it comes to slide! It's good with Single Coils, Mini Buckers, and Simply Amazing with Humbuckers. The right Tool for the Job. Whether if you like a Dark Muddy Blues Tone or a Bright Spankin' Tweed Sound.. This amp can achieve it.

The 2nd Comparison is to Other Amps:

1st.. I'd like to say, This amp is very Quiet! Compared to allot of Tube, Rack Mount, and Solid State Amps Rigs I've owned... I've been Subjected to Some of the Best and the Worst Guitar Sounds Conceivable.

The Search for "A Golden Tone" is a Costly Adventure... It can take Years to find, Thousands of Dollars to get it... and the Experience to Know when you've Found it, And to "Quit Looking!"... yeah.. O.K... As if That's an Option.

The Point!.. Save Your Money...
You work hard for it! and So does Tim .
"This man Can save You a'Bundle on Tone!"

Some of the Best Amp Heads I've Personally Played through.. that I'd Compare the Tim Swartz Mod to would Be:

Matchless, Highwatt, Soldano, Rivera, Bad Cat, Marshall, and Hughes and Kettner.

All Great amps! But Very Costly to set up! And Some... are just One Trick Ponies!
Which are great... If you can afford a different amp for each sound you want... and feel like hauling them all.

I Found that the Bassman Mod has given Me a Chance to Own a Little Taste of All of the above mentioned Amplifiers "Without the Top Dollar Price Tag."

Bassman Heads are still Cheap! Averaging about $300. "Because they Lack Flexibility."

The Swarty Mod came in at a Modest $375. + Shipping when all was said and done.

The Difference of Saving about $1,500.-$2,500. to achieve a very Comparable amp Tone... and Still have Room for a 2x12 Cab & Pedals! (if that's your thing) for less than 1/2 the amount of One of the above mentioned Heads.

These are the Amps I would "Not" Compare the Tim Swartz Modification to:

Dr. Z, Mesa, Crate, Line Six, Solid States, or any of the modern Tube amp Highbred's.

Some of the above Amps sound good...
I personally feel the Dr. Z's and Mesa's.. are Nice Amps.. But cut and Hit the Eardrum way to hard. This just becomes painful after 30-40 minuets. Mixing these amps into a Band can be a little Tricky as well.. Especially to achieve Proper Stage to Crowd Volume in smaller Venues... Which is where Most of us Play!

The Tim Swartz Bassman has a Very Natural Pleasing Organic' Sound that can be Listened to For Hours. Allowing for Plenty of Tone and Volume Adjustment compared to the original amp design.

Essentially the Amp Yields 4 Levels of Gain which allows you 4 Voicings to Sculpt with.

Some people have Stated in their reviews that You can't Get a good Clean sound from this Amp... Most said you can only get An Almost clean or Clean enough sound?...

Please allow me to disprove this theory, and ashore you that you can Definitely get a Very Nice.. Loud.. Clean.. Sound... if you wan't it.

You can achieve great Clean Sounds from all 4 Stages of this amp giving you plenty of head room for front loading.

There could be many different reasons why people aren't getting the clean sound they want... More than likely... One reason may be how they approach there Dial Setup!

Start with the Preamp Gain Cracked at 2... Turn the master up between 7-10. Now use your Preamp Gain as your main Volume.. Done Deal.. Now your clean sound is Back, Loud, and Better the the Original Bassman! It's very Tweed-Twinish.

For Recording and Live Use I've found that using a 20-20 Condenser microphone works best for me. I use a combination of 1) AKG C900 6" to 8" away from the speaker grill surface pointed at a 45% angle between the speakers dust cap and favored slightly towards the speakers surround... And 1) Shure SM-81... 8-12" away from the Speaker Grill surface Pointed Dead Center. I EQ these 2 uP Independently and then Blend them... The Results are Amazing! Sometimes I like to blend a sennhieser 609 with a condenser as well.

Anyone who has Played through My Rig has been Blown Away by the Tone! I have a Real Hard Time getting My guitar Back out of The hands of Those who have Played through my Rig! Especially my good Friend and Veteran Guitarist Dangerous Dave Doyle... Who picked uP Guitar when he was 6 years old and Has just turned 50!... To say the least.. He has the Ear.. for Fine Tone! He has Owned and Played though the Best of the Best. He is one of the most Critical People I know when it comes to Good Tone. When referencing for a Second Opinion He's always my First Call. To Quote him when I asked what He thought of the Sound of my Amp after paying it.. He Said:

" You Have Some of the Most Unique Amplifier Tone I've Ever Heard!"

Trust me when I say... That is Quite the Statement coming from Dave Doyle.

"I mite as well have asked "Eric Johnson".

This thing is a TANK!.. a common statement.

Please keep in Mind... Tanks Contain allot of Parts. If one of these Parts were to fail.. it would hinder your Assault. Playing and listening for Tone variances will keep you In Tune with your investment.

Bottom Line: All Parts are Bound to Fail.. It might take Months, Years, or Decades... But eventually It'll Need a Check up. In My case... It was 2-3 Months after the Mod before it caught a cold. The Problem was a Simple Fix... It turned out to be a Faulty Resistor in the 2nd Gain Stage... Not the amp Tec's fault.. Just a weak part.

All in All... It's as Reliable as a Fender.. It worked for 35 years... and I expect to get another 35 out of it. If you take care of it... It'll Take Care of You... And... Sound Dam Good Doing it!

Need a Backup ??? Hmmmmmmm...

Now that's really up to You... I don't make a habit of carrying two of every thing with me every where... Especially Amplifiers. I look at it this way.. I drive One Car to the Gig and I'll drive One Car Back. "If" I Need a Van.. Well.. I Take a Van... Not a Van and a Car.

They Just don't make'm like Tim.. any More. I'd Really Have to Say... As busy as he Is.. He Always somehow seems to Make the Time for His Clients... No Mater how Big or Small the Client, Question, or Problem. He's there for You.

When I had a Problem.. He Jumped right on it.. Helping me weed out my problem.. and Explained in Detail how to get to the route of it. When I couldn't Correct the Problem.. He had Me send the amp back to Him.. and Put Me to the Top of His Work List.

One word of advise.. You Don't Know what you have until It's Gone. The Day the amp Left My House.. I missed it... As I Plugged into my Kalamazoo Reverb 12 for Practice. Still I was Humble and Understanding. But when the Swarty came Back.. I just Don't know how I Lived Without It!... Tim's mods are No Joke!

Tim has spoke of His Creations as if they were his Children.. If one of them were to get sick.. He will be there to nurse them back to health... And Has! That makes me feel Real Good about my investment.

Despite the faulty resistor that even the Amazing Cresscan could not have Predicted. This Amp has it's Place on a Pedestal and is One of the finest Amplifier Heads I've Played Through... definitely rating high in my Top 10 List. And #1 Out of the 5 different Amp rigs I own. It Would Be the Last in Line to be Considered for Sale or Trade. I like to think of it more as a Collector piece.. like a Harry Joyce or a Mark Sampson amp... A custom Amp... Built by Hand... just for Me.... The average Guitarist... Not the Deep endless pocket Rock Star. There is no replacing this amp. It would Indeed be a Tragic Loss if something were to happen to it.

All Instruments and Amps alike are one of a kind, they each have their own finger print.

If it were.. Stolen? "God Forbid that were to happen"... I would have Tim attempt to make a Clone of it. But I feel somehow... It just wouldn't be the same... As the Child I Own.

P.S.

For those of you who are curious to what I'm feeding my Tim Swartz Bassman...

Here's the evolution:

PBC A200 / PRS Classic / Less Paul / or Telecaster, George L's Cable out to, Ernie Ball Volume Pedal, Tease Wah, Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere, Bad Cat X-treme Tone, Hughes & Kettner Replex to a Ferman pedal board, Then to the Tim Swartz Bassman connected to an old Mesa 2x12 Vertical Cab with 2) Bad Cat Modified Vintage 30 speakers installed.

All Tube!... All Tone

I have no idea what year the amp is. The amp is very versatile and with the use of a basic overdrive I can achieve any tone that I am looking for with a few knob twist. The amp has one channel with a gain switch for high and low gain and a tone stack switch that is footswitchable. The tone stack switch when on give way to a very boutique type sound with the high gain on it is kind of like an Engl or MESA nice grind but still very smooth, I normally keep the gain at about 5. I have plenty of power for the 4 x 12 marshall cab I have. I wish it had a slave out and/or an effects loop.

I have an Ibanez RG 550 mid eighties with the HSH setup and the amp sounds great with any pickup config I use. The high gain setting can be a little noisy if I have it cranked but it is a tube amp and comparatively it is not out of line at all. The amp can get tones from nice smooth fat clean sounds to twangy country clean and then the tones can go from the 50's r&r sounds with slight distortion to a very nice overdrive that can be driven over the top with a simple overdrive pedal I have used a Boss SD1 a vintage ProCo Ratt and a Danelectro overdrive the Ratt and the danelectro were very cool the SD1 was a bit to metal for me but it did sound good. The amp can easily be used with a guitar and a cable the amp is very responsive to the volume knob on the guitar.

I haven't had it long, it seems to work and sound great every time I turn it on.

Tim replied to my email within 24 hours, I bought the amp used from a store in Terre Haute IN and found Tim from searching for the name on the amp "Swarty". He answered all my questions very clearly and was very open when I asked about changes. Top Notch Customer Service

I have played for 25 years and I have had and/or used many tube amps from peaveys to mesas and a few marshalls this amp would have no problem standing it ground with any single channel 50 watt head I have come in contact with. I am very pleased with it and the more I use it the more I like it. All I can say is Thanks Tim for being such a tonal artist.

The amp is very versatile and with a simple overdrive pedal the tone goes way over the top there is no channel switch which would be a plus there is a switch to control the eq and tone stack I normally stay on the stack setting Very nice job on this mod of a fender bassman 50 tube head

I play a mid eighties ibanez in a mostly rock setting but I also like jazz and blues the amp gives me a wide spectrum of tone to choose from with the roll of the volume pot

I have only had it a few days

Tim is very helpful he answered my email quickly with very consice answers

I love it I have had many tube heads in the 25 years of playing and this one is very nice it has all the qualities of the amps with a name at a great price. I would suggest this amp modifier to any one that is interested in a great tube amp

My Swarty is a Bassman 50, year unknown (and unimportant to me). My music is from the period when rock, country and blues were within spitting distance of each other and this has the sound I've been looking for since my white bassman died and I got rid of it too cheaply about 15 years ago (serious mistake, don't let them get away).
After 40 years of playing my hearing is a little shot so this has plenty of power for me; I want to keep what I have left. I'm playing small bars- selling beer as James McMurtry says- as a solo w/elec drums/bass that I program and this is the perfect set-up. I also like the fact that it's considerably lighter than my 70's Twin Reverb. I'm getting too old to be hefting these big horses around. As an aside, I also use a JBL Eon 10 powered PA that's also nice and light.
My "10" has to be taken w/the caveat that my styles aren't terribly varied. I love it for what I do.

I'm using a stock Calif Tele and a '56 Gibson ES 225-T. The tele has the fender ersatz humbucker in the neck position and single coil at the bridge, 5 position switch. This, w/the Swarty, gives an amazing range of sounds, from classic Bakersfield country thru crunchy rockabilly to biting blues.
The 225 is a true hollow body w/2 original P90s. This set-up isn't quite as versatile, though it can do a great muddy blues or I can clean it up and do almost jazz stuff.
I run the Swarty thru an original Fender Tremolux, 60s I think, w/2x12s of whatever came with it. Nice and light w/enough power for me.
I don't tend to use that much distortion, just enough to get top volume-type w/o wrecking what's left of my hearing at lower volumes.
I haven't quite how to use the tone-stack-out option. I tend to leave it in and switch the gain in or out and play with the volumes to get the sound I want. I'll second a previous comment that it would be nice to foot-switch the gain. That's really my only complaint, and the reason for the "9".

I've played Fenders w/o a backup for 40 years and see no reason not to continue, they've never let me down. My experience w/these old tube monsters is that there's not that much that can fail and it's certainly not new technology, the bugs should be gone by now. Tim's work comes highly praised so I see no reason not to continue as I have.

Tim has been wonderful. I was a little hesitant sending off $650 1000 mi. away for something I had never heard but, after researching here and through Elderly Instruments decided to take the plunge. I couldn't be happier in my dealings w/Tim.

I made my first dollar playing folk music in 1963. I of course saved the folk $ to get an electric (new Fender Mustang and white Bandmaster) in 1964 so I could play R&R. I've been playing Dobro for a couple of years (a McKenna, another 1 man shop, check it out). The rest of the stable includes an original Music Man Stingray bass, a newer Martin D-41, a '53 Gibson J200 w/a peghead by Bigsby and an old Silverton twin lipstick, amp-in-case electric that I can't wait to try through the Swarty.
I would definitely buy another Swarty. I'm selling my Twin Reverb as I've never been able to get quite the sound I wanted w/o killing my ears. I would have loved to have him mod a tremolux head but I'm too impatient to try and find one that's not ridiculously expensive.
I love bringing in my rather ratty Bassman and equally ratty tremolux (it looks small!) and blowing people away with the sweet sound.

My Blackface Bassman was a well used '67. It was bouught needing some work but since I planned on having this mod done based on other reviews and web site perusing I'd done, the original amps need for a refresh of caps, etc. was not a problem. The key thing for my enjoyment of this amp was the Master volume addition since this amp was really very loud and much of my playing is at home and domestic considerations on volume are critical.
I play many different types of guitars- Strats, Les Pauls with both Humbuckers and P90's, a Gibson Firebird with 2 minibuckers, an older Gibson ES345 and a PRS Hollowbody II as well as a Tele, Prs Custom 22 and whatever else the cat drags in. For Classic Rock, Blues and clean tones its all there. See the other reviews for the description of the tone stack and 2 gain levels available on top of the usual Bassman sound. Aside from that, it has just the right features that really turned a "one demensional" amp into a very versatile tool.
I do wish it has a footswitchable option for the first gain stage option as well as the existing pedal controlled "tone stack remover" switch- I hope that's not too confusing. I also wish that it had an led for when the gain stage or the tone stack removal curcuit are engaged. I'm sure that this is due to the fact that Tim dosen't want to drill extra holes in the faceplate of the amp, but I'm going to look into rigging up little leds and using a screwhole from one of the switches. I also wish it had a faceplate overlay with the new knob controls on it. I keep a little piece of paper on the amp cause I have very few braincells left and I can't remember anything anymore.

As stated, I use this guy for anything. I also have several other amps and the closest to this one is my Marshall JTM45 reissue. Mine had a complete hand wired curcuit board replace the factory one and a transformer upgrade with KT66 tubes. The Bassman with its 6l6's has a little sweeter "shimmer" than the Marshall as one would expect but the overdrive available on the bassman just blows the poor Marshall out of the water. With both the Gain stage switch and the tone stack out of the curcuit, this thing comes close to mesa boogie territory with is remarkable since it only uses 2 ax127's in the preamp section vs. about 5 in a boogie. I would say that the "Classic Rock" sound is where I like to play mostly however and this is the perfect amp for that. Turn down the gain knob, cut off the extra gain switch and put the tone stack back in the curcuit and you get a great fendr clean sound to boot.

Tim has been very good at communicating whenever I had a question. I did have an old resistor blow after I got the amp back from him and he put me right at the top of his queue and fixed it right away for me. Aside from that, since he replaced all the caps and upgraded the power cord to 3 prong its been solid. I live very close to a radio tower and some tube amp curcuits- especially high gain- pick up the signal and are almost unplayable. This amp suffers no problems. Tha's a testament to the original Leo Fender unit and Tim's workmanship as well.

Tim is always a quick email away and I appreciate that. I'm sure he'll stand by this work for a ong time.

Since I started to get back into the guitar after putting it down right after college, I've been struming away for about 15 yrs. In addition to the gear I mentioned above, I have a Martin 00-18 from my college days in the early 70's and an EC model 0028 as well.
I have a champ clone I built myself along with my Bassman, Marshall JTM and I have the first version of the Line 6 axysys- I bought this to learn about the amps I'd always heard about. I've had a Carr Mercury (great amp), a Fargen Mini-Plexi (good as well) and I plan on building more of my own amps in the future.
The Fender Bassman is a prime platform for what Tim does here and I would not hesitate to buy another should this get gone. The late blackface bassmans are still reasonably priced as are the first silverface ones from the late 60's - get them while you can.

The "swarty" is a 70's fender bandmaster converted by tim swartz amp guru. The amp has a master volume feature that works great for all size rooms. I play rock, blues and country. I use this amp when I really want to rock though. Its a single channel amp with 2 boost options, which definitly work.

I use all different kinds of guitars, but the ones I really love with this amp are my humbuckered guitars, ie prs mccarty and definitly the les pauls. This amp just makes my les paul sing. I like the single coils through it also, but the break up and meat and potatos I get with the les paul is just right. I like to compare this amp to an old tweed style fender. I use a victoria 112, which is the fender deluxe clone, and this amp cranked reminds me of the "swarty". I typically use effects with my amps, but I find that I never need them with the "swarty", not even an overdrive. It has a great tone all on its own. I use the boost pedal option, which is switchable by hand on the amp also. I never wish I had my pedals in line when I use this amp. I have used this amp in the studio also for a great distorted tone. I am currently using the head through a dr. z 212 cab which screams. This is a great combination, the head also sounds great through my naylor 412. I get great variation in tone with the use of my volume pot on the guitar. Of all the amps that I have used and use(victoria, naylor, blackface fenders etc.) this one is great with just a guitar and cable, the clean to breakup factor with just the volume pot makes this a fun, fun amp to play, and if you want distortion this thing can deliver it.

Tim Swartz is a godsend, he is reliable and a great amp tech also. I have had him work on lots of amps over the years and they all turn out great. He makes all my amps sound better, therefore there is absolutely no concern with me for reliability. I have been using this "swarty" for about 2 years and it has been a rock.

Tim is a great guy. Very helpful over the phone in person etc, and knowledgable in tube amps, n.o.s tubes, effects, everything. He uses his ear and that is the best policy out there. Tim even hooked me up with a "swarty" plaque to mount on the amp, and it looks great!

I have been playing out for over 10 years and I have used all kinds of amps. My prefernce is blackface fenders especially supers which I use a lot when not using my "swarty". I love my "swarty", in fact I begged tim to loan me one for some gigs before mine was finished. If this amp were stolen I would definitly replace it, in fact I am looking for a silverface fender combo to have him convert to a "swarty" for ease of hauling. I love it, for the money nothing even closely compares!

My amp is a sfbm 50. Same features as listed in other reviews. I must say that I like a very basic amp. I dont like alot of bells & whistles. I'm just lookin for a tone machine.

I use a mij strat with a 1966 strat pup in the neck pos, a s/d in the mid, & a tapped s/d in the bridge. I also use a mia tele that I dont like through any amp but my bfvc. I play blues rock, classic rock, & harder rock but not metal. Like every tube amp this thing really shines when it's dimed. I can get a really nice fender tone out of this amp at any vol with any amount o/d I may need at the time. I can also get a nice rock sound but not really marshall like since I'm useing weber p12q's in a fender 212 cab. I would also like to say that these are not the speakers for this amp imho. I can hear things in the amp that I'm not really getting out of it with these speakers. Tim recommended v30's so I'm selling my p12q's & will pick up some v30's soon. I've found that I dont use my fd2 with this amp because I think that the amps o/d sounds better. I have many vintage fender amps and a jcm 800 & I think this amp sounds as good as any thing that I have[well maybe not the bfvc]but It will do more sounds than any of the other amps.

Tim has been great & emails me now & then to find out how things are going with the amp. Very easy to deal with.

I have had this amp for about a month now[I wont do a review until I've had an amp for a while]. I hate to rate this amp even now because I dont have the right speakers for it yet. I am very critical of most amps because I seldom hear a really great guitar sound. When I get the speakers for the amp I'll update the review.

Before Tim got hold of this amp, it was an early-70s Fender Bassman 50. Now, I guess I'll follow the lead of another reviewer and call it a Swarty... The Swarty has controls for Gain, Treble, Bass, Mid, Presence, and Master Volume. In addition, it has two switchable modes, one for low/high gain and one that switches the tone stack in and out of the circuit. The gain mode can be switched via a switch on the fron panel (which was formerly the Deep switch on the Bassman's channel one). The tone stack can be switched via a front-panel switch (formerly the Bright switch) or by plugging an on/off footswitch into input 2 of the bright channel.

This configuration yields four modes:

Low gain, tone stack in
Low gain, tone stack out
High gain, tone stack in
High gain, tone stack out

Removing the tone stack from the circuit increases the gain and adds an extra dimension to the bottom end. Switching between low gain and high gain does exactly what you think it does.

I tested this head through a mid-60's blonde Bassman 2x12 cabinet loaded with two 8-ohm Celestion Vintage 30s wired in parallel for a total load of four ohms. Guitars used were two Stratocasters ('57 and a '62 reissues), an American Standard Tele, a '73 Gibson SG, a Les Paul Studio, and a Les Paul Deluxe loaded with two Rio Grande P-90s. Various pedals were used, but no animals were harmed in the creation of this review.

I could have submitted a one-word review. That word would be "Wow!" I sent Tim a ratty old Bassman head that didn't work. I got back a tone-breathing monster. The Swarty gives my old Marshalls a run for their money, and kicks their butt when it comes to pumping out low end. I didn't know that Vintage 30s could put out that much bass - I easily overpowered the bass player in my band, and he uses a high-tech, high-powered rack-mount rig. To say that the Swarty is bodacious is an understatement.

This thing sounds like no Bassman I ever heard, and as previously mentioned it veers well into Marshall territory. It doesn't quite have that Marshall aggression we all know and love, but it comes close. What it has that none of my vintage Marshalls have is major flexibility. I was able to get that clean, Fendery, SRV sound using the low-gain setting, and then kick it up a notch by taking the tone stack out using the footswitch. What the high-gain sounds lack in aggression, they more than make up for with definition and complexity. Even when using distortion pedals with the high-gain setting, chords were full and you could hear the individual notes clearly. Imagine hitting a chord and hearing it both ring clearly and sustain forever, and that's the sound of the Swarty.

The Swarty did seem to prefer single coil guitars slightly. Probably because of the immense bottom end response, humbuckers could get muddy if you weren't careful. But as long as you roll back the gain on the amp and the volume on the guitar a touch, you can get some real nice punch using a humbucker-equipped axe.

I especially love the fact that an amp that looks like hell sounds like a million bucks. I loved the look on my bandmates' faces when I cranked that ugly old thing up!

I haven't had this amp for too long after getting it back from Tim. But he's been working on amps for a long time, and he knows what he's doing. So I fully expect this amp to rock faithfully for many years to come.

Tim is a great guy to deal with. No problems here...

It's going to be a tough call to decide what amp to take on a gig now. I love my old Marshalls, but the Swarty is a real contender... It easily sounds way better than the Boogie and Egnater heads I've owned, but cost me a whole lot less. The combination of the price, flexibility, and great sound make this a winner. I would highly recommend letting Tim Swartz mod your Fender head.

I can't really rate the "features" aspect of this amp fairly, as it was made before they invented "features," as it were. What I will tell you is that it's the BEST at doing what it does, better than anything else I've EVER heard that has tried to do the same thing. That "thing" is what myself and my best friend (who also has one) like to call "The Tothe." You see, when you're discussing this kind of sound, the word "tone" simply won't cut it. "The Tothe" is an expression he and I came up with to describe what we believe to be the ultimate definitive guitar sound. There's a lot of different tones available out there, but when you drop the features and the bells and whistles, and when you're done farting around with other amps whose manufacturers have devoted their entire professional careers to the reinvention of the wheel, you're ready for the Tothe. This is uncompromising, no bullshit SOUND. This is the sound that blossoms forth, sustains for eternity, and makes your knees buckle. I will elaborate more in the next section. Bottom line is that it is NOT a feature-laden amp, but it does do some neat things that it couldn't do before Tim Swartz/TubeTone Amplifiers did his thing. It has a switchable input gain mode, where the first position is balls-out, and the second position is a bit darker and less gainy. It also has a footswitchable tone stack, which is very nice indeed. Basically, the eq controls of the amp are passive, and act as little "dams" holding back all the voltage from getting into the tubes. If you set your controls just right, you can manipulate your tone from your guitar. Setting your volume knob on the guitar low will give you a "clean enough" sound, and then putting it to 10 will give you a fantastic old school overdriven crunch rhythm tone. The switchable tone stack comes in handy because when you disengage it, you basically turn off the amp's eq, and let all the voltage into the tubes--HOLY SHIT, it's like the gates of heaven have opened up to your ears. This is something that must be heard to be fully appreciated, let alone comprehended--and even then.... So you'll get a nice boost in your signal, perfect for guitar solos, etc. Basically, you can make this amp sound like it's cranked without having to actually do so. It's the "best sounding Marshall you've never heard." (Tim's own little slogan) My specific amp is a 1965 Fender Bassman, with Leo Fender's last pre-CBS Bassman circuit (AA165). It is 50 watts at 4 ohms, one channel, all tube (of course), and it is a beast. It would be perfect if it had a little more headroom (not totally satisfied with the clean, but I can live with it). I plan on getting another un-modded Blackface Bassman, and using that for my cleans with an A/B/Y box. Would be nice if it had reverb, but you'd have to take that up with Leo Fender, not Tim Swartz. ;-) Also, an FX loop would have made this thing perfect, but I don't know if that's a practical consideration for Tim's design, as I don't really know what it is. Again, these are all features that I can live without in favor of having this kind of tone--The Tothe!

If you are looking for chainsaws and shredding death machines, ala Dual Rectumfrier, this is not the amp for you. It's limited in its scope in that it's a souped-up vintage amp. It's like dropping a hemi into a '57 Chevy--while that would be awesome, it would still be a '57 Chevy. This is quintessential vintage tone. I'd say it can take you from blues through the zenith of classic rock. In other words, you can get sounds from 1955-1975. If that's your favorite type of stuff (like me), then you're set. If you're planning on auditioning for Limp Bizkit next week, I'd say move on. Soundwise, it can do Albert King through the Black Crowes with no problem. It sounds better than all the boutique amps that are TRYING to do the same thing, and at a fraction of price. Can be kinda noisy at higher gain settings, but that's not a problem when you're actually playing with other people. It's great with a strat, but I prefer it with my Les Paul Custom. In live applications, I'll leave my bridge pickup set low for rhythm, and I'll simply toggle up to the neck pickup full-on for my solos. LOOK OUT, it's a wall of sound from a relatively small amp. As I said, I wish it had a little more headroom, but that doesn't make me any less proud to play through one of Tim's beautiful creations. The distortion is very thick, very creamy, and very old and pissed off. You will NOT get modern gain out of this thing, but that is not what it was designed for...know what your expectations are ahead of time. If you want the ultimate in vintage blossoming tube tone, then this is it, I can guarantee you. The tone is very round and loose, not sharp and tight. Very old school, but full of piss and vinegar. I've looked, believe me, and this is as good as it gets (again, if this is the style of tone that you're looking for). Think Clapton, Hendrix, Beck, Page, old Rush, Angus Young, etc. You get the idea....

Held up to this point for 37 years, I am not worried. Yes, I've gigged without a back-up. I take very good care of my gear (somewhat obsessively). I have complete faith not only in Leo Fender's design genius, but also in the care and intellect that Tim has put into making it his own. And it really is his own, although the original "Fender" tones are still readily available for dial-in, should you need or want them.

Tim Swartz is a first-rate amp designer, a first-rate tone expert, and a first-rate human being. He is the kindest man I have ever met at a guitar show. He is a tone encyclopedia, but he is not a snob about it. He is down-to-earth, approachable, and above all honest. Buying one of his amps is like buying into a lifetime of software upgrades in computers. Once you're in, you're in. He welcomes questions/suggestions/concerns/queries. I just saw him last month, and I bought a set of new tubes for my amp. He opened it up, inspected it, discharged the filter caps, and re-biased it for me for free. As you know, that's normally a billable (and somewhat expensive) service from any amp tech. All I paid for was the tubes. He is a very kind, generous person.

I've been playing for over 14 years. I also use a Soldano Lucky 13 100 watt half stack. That's for my more versatile needs, especially when I want a tighter gain sound for more hard rock (I DID grow up in the '80s after all). Think Gary Moore. So between "The Swarty" as I like to call it, and the Soldano, I pretty much have the gamut covered in terms of the type of music I play. I use a Les Paul Custom, a souped-up Strat, and a couple of pedals. That's about it, I'm a pretty straight-through player. I will always have one of Tim's amps in my arsenal, no question. If it were ever stolen or broken, I'd just buy another one. I will NEVER be without a Swarty again, now that I've seen the top of the mountain...and it is good.... I encourage anyone reading this to e-mail me if you have any specific questions about his stuff, from a player's perspective. I'm happy to help spread the Tothe.... (Also, Tim can be reached at timtube@comcast.net) Cheers!!!

UPDATE TO THE REVIEW BELOW:

I subsequently tried the head out with a Marshall 4x10 cab (35w celestions) and it just sounds incredible!! Less volume than 2x12s but the lower power Celestions really bring out the dynamics in the head's tone. If you like a closed back cab, this head cooks!! I may use the 2x12 cab live for more volume but I LOVE the sound with the 4x10!

This is an early CBS era Fender Bandmaster Blackface head (ca. 1965), model 763. This is the model with two channels, one with tremolo, one without. These heads had the two black vertical slide switches for "deep" and "Bright" in place of the pre CBS heads which had a presence knob.

I purchased the head from Tim ($275) with the mod ($375). I used to own a very clean 1967 763 Bandmaster - it was a nice enough amp but had only one sound - typical Fender, clean, glassy and bright. This head is an entirely different animal though it does retain a totally stock look (no ugly stickers or surgical scars evident!)

The amp now has one channel - but that channel has four distinct personalities, thus making this a supremely versatile amp! The basic settings are:
1. straight Fender
2. with "Fat" switch (In place of the original deep)
3. with "tone stack" activated (in place of the bright)
4. with both Fat and Tone stack switches on simultaneously

Each setting has a great range due to the expanded EQ - instead of the relatively flat Volume, bass and treble knobs on the stock model, the head now has: Pre- and Master volumes, treble, bass, midrange and Presence. It retains the stock tremolo speed and intensity knobs. Tim is making me a custom footswitch for this head (also very reasonably priced!). This should make the amp even more flexible in a number of applications....

It retains the original tube compliment (amazing how Tim squeezes so many great tones , including great British sounds out of a pair of 6L6GCs!! No need to go to EL34s as I would have thought!), same on/off and standby switches on rear panel and a new three prong AC cord.

At 40 watts or so the bandmaster is a good volume for all but the loudest situations; no worries there as Tim can mod Showmans, Twins, Bassmans, Supers, etc and that's just the Fenders! So Your volume will depend on the platform used. I can also just mic this head thru a PA if needed.

About the only thing needed to make this 100% perfect would be an FX loop (Which I did not request), though this amp sounds good enough to cut it sans effects of any kind! Great clean and dirty sounds, I couldn't dial in any bad sounds!

I tried the head out with a single coil G&L Tele, and Les Pauls with PAF Humbuckers and P-90s. I play old school (not as insane as Slipknot, more gain than SRV) and prefer tube amps that have good rich harmonic breakup without a lot of harsh buzz. I used a Carvin 2x12 loaded with their BR (Celestionesque) speakers. This amp really delivers the goods!

The straight sound of the amp is much more woody and strong than I recall my old stock Bandmaster sounding - Tim informed me it was tweaked to sound more like an earlier tweed Fender - much more to my liking and probably anyone else's unless you like totally glassy tone. I was still able to get Fender twang just fine with this.
When cranked in this mode it gets a nice old school distortion, a la Stevie Ray.

With the "Fat" switch engaged, you get just that- more girth and breadth to the sound as well as gain. This yields beautiful tones with a fat sassy quality that really enhances the tele and sounds just plain funky with the Jr.

The "tone Stack" is where the real nastiness comes in - great with the Jr. and incredible with the PAFs - reminded me a bit of Billy Gibbon's sweet crunchy tone back when he was faithfully playing his Pearly Gates sunburst Les Paul through ZZ Top's custom Rio Grande amps. (Which Tim informed me are akin to Marshall's Super Bass - nice PHAT vibe with a LOT of sparkle on top!!) I LOVE It!

Notes sustain beautifully in all modes, this is the way bent notes are supposed to sound!!

With the Fat & tone Stack both engaged together, you get an even more complex and huge sound. Tim thought this might be a bit much with a high out put pickup, but with the PAFs it sounds amazing!! Much better than a Boogie or Soldano in My opinion.


One thing that really impressed me was that regardless of how high I pushed the gain, it never gets hissy or buzzy, even with the tele. Nice full throated feedback howls were easy to get but the amp's thunder is very easy to control.

Again, there are NO bad sounds here! The amp channels little bits and pieces of classic American (Fender, Ampeg) and British (Marshall) tones but manages to establish its own voice - a bit dark and extremely musical, with well defined notes.

Because this is a mod reliability is largely related to the platform's integrity. I have no worries with the Fender, and Tim does guarantee his own work for a fair amount of time. Also, though intangible, one does get a vibe when dealing with people - some techs don't seem to give a damn while others clearly take great pride in their work and show respect for their customers. Tim definitely belongs to the latter group - the amp arrived timely and well packed, and all my correspondence leads me to believe any problems would have been smoothly resolved. So far (a Bit over a month) the amp has been pushed hard and performed flawlessly.

I was referred to Tim several times by folks in the tube amp community, where he is clearly well liked and highly respected. After dealing with him myself , I learned why - not only does he possess a frighteningly encyclopedic command of tube amp technology and a musician's ear for great tones, he also has the rare but crucial ability to both interpret my incoherent ramblings and articulate his own thoughts in layman's language I can understand!

On top of that, he's a really nice guy, and highly ethical when discussing proposed mods, etc. A pleasure to deal with! Again, some techs are indifferent, some are downright jerks. And of course, a few are real professionals - Tim is one of the good ones!

I've been playing long enough to have owned the best gear and this amp is right there with some of the best amps I've played. It has a really nice personality of its own, not just a Fender with a "hotrod" chip thrown in! As I told Tim Its versatility will probably make it my main stage amp; for my next Swartz mod I may go for a louder platform just to have that option. (I am not waiting till this gets stolen - I want another one NOW, soon as I can get the $ up!!)I would recommend these amps to anyone interested in great tone at about 1/3 the price of snooty plexi clones and other boutique amps. Time can mod pretty much anything far as I can tell, so it's worth contacting him to get an idea how he can take a great amp and make it even better!!! ( Contact : timtube@comcast.net )

Original Blackface Bandmaster with tremolo. 40 watts. Tim worked his magic on this baby and it now has a footswitchable tone stack and the bright switch serves as a low gain/high gain selector. The amp now has 4 different settings. Very nice. Way more flexibility than the amp was designed with. Still has original tone too!!

This amp kicks my ass. The first time I heard one of Tim's amps at a guitar show- me and my best bud almost trampled people running across the room to discover the source of this tone.

The clean sound is what you'd expect from vintage Fender. Deep, rich, harmonically complex- in a word ALIVE. This mode is with the tone stack engaged. When you step on the switch and remove the tone stack- OH BOY LOOK OUT!!!!! The amp turns into an absolute ToneBeast. Instant 70's classic rock tone. I prefer to run my Les Paul with this amp. The sweet spot is the low midrange frequencies, so when you play those classic anthem riffs its all there. It's warm fuzzy overdrive sound. This is the sound that will blow you away.

It is sensitive to attack and guitar volume. For those who like a more subtle overdrive the guitar volume is very effective. Roll it back and it cleans up without a drastic volume reduction; bring it back up and you've got the sound of an angry bluesman. This is most useful in the clean mode (which also breaks up nicely when pushed).

I have gigged with this amp and I didn't bring a backup. It's worked for 40 years; I'm not worried about breakdowns. Besides I know Tim Schwartz gave it a good inspection before selling it. I have it for a year and it's been wonderful.

Tim Schwartz is a first class guy. He's been very patient with all the questions I've had for him over the past year. I always have a good time chatting with him at the guitar shows. He's not a snooty tone snob; he's very approachable and knowledgeable. TIM SCHWARTZ ROCKS!!!!

My philosophy is that tone comes from amps. Period. Put away all those all those boosters, overdrives, distortions, etc...
To those seeking blues and classic rock tones; look no further than Tim Schwartz. His Fender mods ARE that sound. I've heard 3 others besides mine and they consistently put out "the tone".

Mine is a silverface Super Reverb that was an abandoned chassis that I had Tim turn into what we call the "SuperSuper". It is modded in such a way that it has a tone stack bypass as well as a boost, each activated by a foot switch. Plus the stock trem and reverb. The preamp was gently revoiced to give it a bit more Marshall quality. I run it through an open back old Peavy 2-12 combo box--I dunno the model. Pretty hilarious, as it looked like the most hideous thrift shop reject, but sounded quite the opposite. Now the brain is in a Fender head box. Still 40 watts of Fender power. I am presently using 2 old Fanes; I might go to 4-10's or to Vintage 30s or Greenbacks. I have heard these heads with the aforementioned 12's and they are even better.

I play an SG, a Hawk (no, not a Nighthawk, but a very basic version that is a nice black slab of mahogany, 2 490Rs, wraparound bridge)a Stat, '63 Silvertone, etc.

My style is a mismash from Robert Johnson forward, stopping shy of the modern noisemakers like Van Halen. I may channel early Clapton, Harrison, Page, Don Rich, Hendrix, Garcia, Joe Walsh, Mick or Keith, etc. or any combination thereof on a good day, or Ace Freehly on a bad day. Hell, dated mediocrity is still better than the vast majority of what now has replaced Rock n' Roll.

The amp is just as quiet as an old stock Fender and just as reliable. Suffice to say that the amp lets me sound like the artists mentioned above--65% superb Fender and 35% '70's era Marshall. The first level is with tone stack, no boost--stock beautiful Fender. Add boost, and you get boosted Fender/Marshall (more the former). This is better than Music Man or boosted stock Fenders of the '70s. Drop the tone stack and turn off the boost and you have louder deeper, fuller Fender, with about 30% more gain if you want it. Add the boost, and you have the SuperSuper--warmth and controllability of a Super with the gain of a Marshall. I am not a Marshall expert, having owned just a few, most recently a JCM 50 combo. Much more gain than that, and with mostly Fender tone, mostly Marshall response, and Boogie-level gain. It can get damn crunchy, perhaps approaching the sacred duelling rectumfrier. Still same volume output as a very healthy stock Super, but he can work the same magic with your Twin, and that will be my next amp.
The tone stack bypass is interesting--you get a very full, rich Fender sound with more lower mids (but not too much bass or treble) with this. Most of my guitars sound better. I only use the tone stack if a particular guitar needs some special eq.

Are old Fenders reliable? Mine always have been. A fair amount of gain is running through my first preamp tube, so I have had to replace it. Other than that, it is mindlessly reliable and easy to use.

I've known this guy for years--a very standup dude, as we old Michigan rockers tend to be. I also had the amp in a leser modded form, and it was superb then (less gain, even more glisten) but I finally decided to let Amp Doctor put on his Stage II mods as described above. I buy stuff from him from time to time (most recently a Fuzz Face in which he put in the right transistors--sounds far superior to most). Reliable, honest, fair, reasonable.

I traded a Soldano 50 watt head for the amp and speakers. I am glad I did. This amp makes me sound better, and does the opposite of fighting me. Unlike the Soldano or Marshalls, this thing has a generic great sound and fantastic ease-of-use. You hear the guitar and the player, not the personality of the amp screaming out as you do with a Soldano, for example. Just plug in and you sound pro, and your playing will improve as you are not distracted by weird tone. Rather, it is the sound that is in your head if your head is anything like mine, processing guitar sound for over 30 years. But read carefully what I play--this is for people that love these tones, not for those who covet Crates or other such fizz boxes. I have not seriously thought of buying another amp for the past 3 years that I have had the SuperSuper. Find Tim at guitar shows around the midwest and try one of his modded Fenders--amazingly inexpensive, by the way--and you will want to take one home. If it were stolen, although pissed, I would figure there is a guitar playing bastard out there that now sounds better than he did before, and yes, I would buy a couple more.