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View Full Version : My New Swart Space Tone 6V6se



bigG
April 17th, 2009, 08:16 AM
Welp, my Swart ST-6V6se arrived yesterday! The following is an email I sent to Robert after receiving the amp, and he suggested posting it as a review:



I can hardly contain myself. My Swart arrived today abt 11:45 ET!! UPS treated her kindly - not a mark on the very well packaged box, much less any holes or rips. And a free $12 t-shirt Michael told me to be sure to mention in the note w my shipping address, etc...(if you remember, when I bought your DVDs, I have no credit cards by choice, and had to mail Michael a bank check). (Ed by bigG: Michael is Michael Swart. He still answers the phone at Swart Amps!)

I was worried abt where I was gonna set it up. I'm outta room here! But this little jewel is only a little over 13" square and abt 7" - 8" deep, so I set it on my coffee table, plugged it in, and I was ready to go! (I have room to set it in a corner when not in use, and enough closet space to keep the shipping carton in case I need to send it back for any reason.) I've only played it using my Peavey HP Special USA (w coil taps), so the following is re that guitar:

First impressions - is small and solid as a rock! The laquered light brown tweed finish is to die for, and the small speaker opening in the baffle is heavy dark brown grill cloth. Has a Space Tone plate mounted above the grill cloth, and 3 thin dark brown racing stripes running vertically, to the left of the grill cloth. It's truly a work of art and a thrill just to look at (front and back!). An instant classic! I've been over it w a fine-tooth comb and not a single flaw to be found, anywhere!

The sound - is like nothing I've heard before. For 5w, Class A Single-ended w 8" Weber Ceramic speaker it is plenty LOUD! I first let it cook for abt 5 minutes before plugging in, and when I did plug in, I started the learning curve.

It sounds very 3-dimensional - very open and transparent. Honest to God, I simply can't believe these beautifully enormous sounds are coming from such a little package! I fooled w the tone knob first at a clean volume and found a setting of 7 (from 0 - 11) to be ideal for the Peavey in all pick-up settings. Then I started w the amp's volume knob w both pups on in humbucker mode. From 0 to 11, straight up is 6, and around a 5 - 6 setting is where that beautiful, harmonic break-up kicks in. I also ran it abt 2/3 full on, and, in both cases, my guitars volume knob worked magic! With the guitar's vol knob on 7, there's a very sweet, not too loud (for my apt) tone. Then, just running the guitars vol knob up to 10 audibly shook various items in my apt!

This is an EXTREMELY sensitive amp. Light strumming and picking is beautiful, w just a touch of break-up. Strum or pick harder, really dig in on leads, and it screams a heavenly sound! Natural harmonics to die for, pinch harmonics are heavenly! The interplay between the amps volume and the guitars volume is just so perfect!

I next experimented w the mini-toggle that introduces 3dB of feedback/compression. This really noticeably warms up the sound, and adds some great "crunch", I guess is the best way to describe it. (From what Michael told me, it introduces a bit of negative feedback, like the tweeds of old.) It's really like having a 2 channel amp!

Obviously I tried various combinations w the 3dB switch on and off, as well as all p/u configurations, incl coil taps, and man, this little baby Swart can give you just abt ANY sound you could possibly want. The neck p/u is so smooth and creamy, just beautiful! The bridge p/u has a bright bite to it that just singes the tone! The 2 p/ups together drop the volume a bit and have a sweet, crispy-clean tone.

Well, obviously I'm very excited and have gone on more than I should, I guess, but I am simply blown away by what this amp can do! Truly the best sounding amp I have EVER heard, much less owned or played thru! And I'm a VERY critical person - in fact I was kind of expecting to have dropped $850 and be very disappointed when I finally heard the amp. So, I think you can rely on my take as very honest. If there was ANYTHING that disappointed me, I would say so.

That abt covers it for now. Oh, btw, w the bridge p/u tapped, that Keith Richards' Tele tone is right there! Now to try my Strat and Tele thru this little baby...that's next!

Keeping you apprised of the situation...

A VERY happy bigG!

(Ed by bigG: for all specs and soundclips on this amp and all other Swart amps, please go to - swartamps.com - Much better than my listing all that info here, I think. Thanks!)

tot_Ou_tard
April 17th, 2009, 10:49 AM
Great review G!

If it wasn't for my Gries 5, I'd still be drooling for a Swart 6V6SE.

Rocket
April 17th, 2009, 10:56 AM
What happened to the Fret.net motto: "This thread is worthless without pictures."

bigG
April 17th, 2009, 11:36 AM
What happened to the Fret.net motto: "This thread is worthless without pictures."

Hmmm, Rocket... believe it or not, there are still some of us out here who don't own digital cameras or video gear. And have no interest in owning either. I'm not a hi-tech kinda guy (just recently moved up to DSL from 56K dial-up *L*)
I'd much rather drop my money on new gear, or home audio/video stuff. I'm new on here, so I hope that's okay w you. I didn't know pics were a requirement ;-) Btw, your pic looks like Roy Orbison - very cool!

bigG
April 17th, 2009, 11:41 AM
Great review G!

If it wasn't for my Gries 5, I'd still be drooling for a Swart 6V6SE.

Thanks, tot! It is very close to the Holy Grail of amplified sound!

Rocket
April 17th, 2009, 12:05 PM
First: hey, I didn't come up with the, "This thread is worthless without pictures," thing... but I sure do see it a lot here on Fret.net.

Second: I think digital camera falls under your "home audio/video stuff" catagory... here's a basic digital camera for $6.08 shipped:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204823128&listingid=10805587&dcaid=18006

Third: unclench... I'm only kidding around.

aeolian
April 17th, 2009, 12:16 PM
Swart amps are absolutely worth drooling over. I should know since I have an AST.

bigG
April 17th, 2009, 12:37 PM
Swart amps are absolutely worth drooling over. I should know since I have an AST.

aeolian, an AST! Excellent! I would have bought one, but 20w is too loud for my apartment. I have a couple of 15w tube amps here that I can't make full use of cause I can't crank 'em, dang it! So, my decision was pretty simple. Although I would LOVE to have the Swart tube reverb and tremolo! I didn't have much of a choice.

aeolian
April 17th, 2009, 12:55 PM
I would have bought one, but 20w is too loud for my apartment. I have a couple of 15w tube amps here that I can't make full use of cause I can't crank 'em, dang it! So, my decision was pretty simple. Although I would LOVE to have the Swart tube reverb and tremolo! I didn't have much of a choice.

20w is too loud for just about any house! The AST, and likely your ST-6v6se, sounds really good even at volume of 2. I've played mine at my hobby band practice and it was only turned up to 4. Since it is way too loud in order to get natural distortion I have to use a pedal. If a pedal is in the chain, then it doesn't matter if it is played in an apartment or a house, you can get distortion at reasonable volume.

I thought it is really cool that every control goes up to 11; a Spinal Tap moment every time I look at mine.

oldguy
April 17th, 2009, 05:42 PM
Congrats on the Swart, sounds like a keeper.
Nice review, also.

FWIW, "this thread is useless without pics/clips" falls into the same category as "amphs", and other inside jokes we rib each other about. Do a little searching and you'll see plenty of both, in a friendly sort of vein.;)

bigG
April 18th, 2009, 09:14 AM
20w is too loud for just about any house! The AST, and likely your ST-6v6se, sounds really good even at volume of 2. I've played mine at my hobby band practice and it was only turned up to 4. Since it is way too loud in order to get natural distortion I have to use a pedal. If a pedal is in the chain, then it doesn't matter if it is played in an apartment or a house, you can get distortion at reasonable volume.

I thought it is really cool that every control goes up to 11; a Spinal Tap moment every time I look at mine.

aeolian, I hear ya, Swart bro! Anything up to about 4 on mine is pure, heavenly clean, and startin to get loud! I haven't put any pedals in front of it yet - almost seems heretical w a pure Class A tube amp! I'm still diggin the different volumes, tones I get w my various guitars strait into the amp. I'll probably do my Cry Baby wah and Bad Monkey OD once I'm over the initial thrill of the amp on it's own!

Thanks, bro!

bigG
April 18th, 2009, 09:31 AM
Congrats on the Swart, sounds like a keeper.
Nice review, also.

FWIW, "this thread is useless without pics/clips" falls into the same category as "amphs", and other inside jokes we rib each other about. Do a little searching and you'll see plenty of both, in a friendly sort of vein.;)

Thanks, oldguy! And point taken. I just thought that a strange reply to an amp review. Now I git it.

oldguy
April 18th, 2009, 09:46 AM
I just checked out the vids you linked to for the Swart in the other thread........if yours sounds like that, it's killer!

bigG
April 18th, 2009, 09:56 AM
I just checked out the vids you linked to for the Swart in the other thread........if yours sounds like that, it's killer!

Thanks, oldguy! Yep. It sounds pretty much like that, only better when you're in the same room w it! No youtube compression ;-)

bigG
April 18th, 2009, 10:25 AM
Added two more vids to the Swart Space Tone youtube clips, one especially for Robert - single-coil EBMM Albert Lee <<<<

tot_Ou_tard
April 18th, 2009, 12:32 PM
Hmmm, Rocket... believe it or not, there are still some of us out here who don't own digital cameras or video gear. And have no interest in owning either. I'm not a hi-tech kinda guy (just recently moved up to DSL from 56K dial-up *L*)
I'd much rather drop my money on new gear, or home audio/video stuff. I'm new on here, so I hope that's okay w you. I didn't know pics were a requirement ;-) Btw, your pic looks like Roy Orbison - very cool! I'm with you there G, I don't have a digital camera either.

However, seeing the price on the one that Rocket linked to, I just ordered that one.

I'll post some pics of my gear when I get it.

tot_Ou_tard
April 23rd, 2009, 03:31 PM
Second: I think digital camera falls under your "home audio/video stuff" catagory... here's a basic digital camera for $6.08 shipped:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204823128&listingid=10805587&dcaid=18006

Basic is Latin for Pile of...

I just received mine & it is junky & takes worthless blurry pictures. $6.51 to my door. I'd rather have 6 Jr Whoppers from the Burger King Dollar menu. ;)

bigG
April 23rd, 2009, 03:37 PM
Thanks, tot...good to know! Although I'm sorry you got taken.

Nice follow-up.:)

oldguy
April 23rd, 2009, 06:31 PM
Basic is Latin for Pile of...

I just received mine & it is junky & takes worthless blurry pictures. $6.51 to my door. I'd rather have 6 Jr Whoppers from the Burger King Dollar menu. ;)

Well, that just sucks!
But I guess "you get what you pay for" is a pretty much universal truth, with few exceptions in most cases..............

Rocket
April 23rd, 2009, 07:05 PM
I just received mine & it is junky & takes worthless blurry pictures. $6.51 to my door. I'd rather have 6 Jr Whoppers from the Burger King Dollar menu. ;)
Heh-heh... what'cha expect for $6.51 to the door, Nikon D3X?

tot_Ou_tard
April 23rd, 2009, 07:25 PM
Heh-heh... what'cha expect for $6.51 to the door, Nikon D3X?
:D

Anybody wanna trade my "Nikon D3X" for 6 Whopper Jrs?