SWR Goliath Jr III

[MatrixClaw]

Anyone ever tried one of these? I have owned several high end basses over the years but I've never actually owned an amp or cab, because I always had access to a friend's rig if I needed it. I've been thinking about joining a band again recently and, as much as I'd love to play guitar or drums, I don't have room for a full sized kit anymore and I just really don't want to play guitar with other people because I feel like I'll probably get stuck playing with a cover band and having to learn other people's songs and solos is not appealing to me on guitar

I'd like to pick up a smaller setup that I can easily transport and then just send to FoH if needed for more volume. I found one of these locally for an insane price and it looks like it'd fit perfectly where I'd need it to at home if I put it vertical. Anyone have experience with these cabs? I haven't grabbed an amp yet, but it looks like it can handle 350w, which should be plenty. I'm mostly playing modern metal and rock, though I'd want it to be fairly versatile in the case that I end up playing with more of a cover band.

Thoughts??

 

[SymphonicDischord]

I never played a Goliath but my brother has the Redhead as well as a Goliath 410 and Big Ben (115). I’ve also tried a few working man’s over the years. I always thought they were great amps and it’s too bad that Fender put them out to pasture after they bought them.

 

[Fishbulb]

They're more in the clean/hifi realm of bass gear from what I remember, which is not my favorite sound for rock or metal personally. Having said that I've certainly heard people play rock thru SWR and it was mostly very well-made gear. One more thing to consider is that there are lots of newer options in bass cabs that are a lot more lightweight and portable than the SWR stuff was. I'd say try it if you can and see if it fits the sound you're after.

 

[MatrixClaw]

They're more in the clean/hifi realm of bass gear from what I remember, which is not my favorite sound for rock or metal personally. Having said that I've certainly heard people play rock thru SWR and it was mostly very well-made gear. One more thing to consider is that there are lots of newer options in bass cabs that are a lot more lightweight and portable than the SWR stuff was. I'd say try it if you can and see if it fits the sound you're after.

I decided to pass because the lady selling it was impossibly difficult to deal with. I kept telling her times I was free and she'd give me 15 minutes notice and would only take cash, so I'd have to run to the bank somehow in between. Would've loved to pick it up but ultimately it wasn't worth the hassle, saw she sold it yesterday, oh well!

Curious if you have any suggestions for a smaller lightweight cab that can handle at least 300w? The size of this cab was perfect if I put it on its side. I've got like 19" of width I can work with at home to store it and it would've fit nicely. Most of the other options I've seen are single speaker cabs which don't seem that great for spreading sound.

 

[Fishbulb]

I had one of these for a while that I was gigging with, it was nice and portable, definitely more on the clean/flat side, sound-wise. You'll probably have to search for one used but they should be very affordable. I sold that after getting an Ampeg SVT212AV, which has been by far my favorite bass cabinet - I even like it better than the 8x10 and 6x10 Ampegs I used to use. It's a little bigger than what you're looking for but to me it sounds amazing and, for the size, is pretty easy to get around.

Ampeg has a line called Venture that I have not tried but would check out for this application (wouldn't recommend the SVT210AV, it gets lost playing at band volumes), I'd probably check out some similar stuff from Mesa and Aguilar too. I have a friend who tours with a bigger country artist, he was using a pair of the now-discontinued Ampeg PN210-HLFs and he loved that setup, one of those used would be worth looking at too. For lower budget the Fender Rumbles aren't bad. Darkglass is kind of the newer hot brand with modern rock and metal but I haven't had the chance to try their amps or cabinets yet so I can't comment on those.

This might be more expensive but a lot of bass players are going the route of having two 1x12s, and using one or both depending on the situation. I would like to grab a 1x12 eventually for session work, not sure I would gig with just one though. Honestly if you don't have a head already, some of the 2x10, 500-ish watt combos would be fine for a lot of live use, I've used the Ampeg RB210 and Fender Rumble 500 as backline (with a DI going to FOH) and those have worked just fine too.

 

[maguchi]

Oh yeah. I remember these. They were way cool. I never played through this specific cab. However I played through a SWR Redhead 2x10" bass combo amp and one called the SWR Baby Blue bass combo amp and those were great sounding bass amps.