Warwick Sweet 25.1 Review

[Mike Bear]

Hey folks... it's been a long time since I've started my own thread.  I've been a bit quiet but I've been fairly busy.  My metal band, Artisan finally has a full line up once again and we have some shows coming up.  In addition, I've been doing a Pretenders tribute band called Pretentious.  That gig has been really fun in the sense that I get to play all these styles from song to song.  I've been working on 3 other projects and a cool recording project with a few cool names.  More on that some other day.

 

OK so regarding the Pretender's tribute.  I had a gig last night.  Prior to the gig, we went to the club and they had a house bass amp.  It was a Warwick Sweet 25.1.  I've been very interested in Warwick amps as I've never had the chance to plug one it.  This amp is a combo that has a 1X15, 1X8, and a horn.  Yes the combo of speakers is a bit weird to think about.  No it didn't bother me when I plugged it in.  

 

I was very excited to try the amp out because I am looking for a smaller rig that doesn't include my Boogie 8 space shock mount rack, and my Eden 4X10XLT.  My other choice is an old Peavey Combo 300.  Which I call "the hernia machine".  

 

The amp retails at a very reasonable price for the wattage and size.  The only odd thing that really got me as far as a new model amp is that it was that classic rectangular shape.  Like a large Peavey amp and such. Maybe a bit smaller though.  I have seen so many amps that are shaped for leaning back, being more compact and such over the past years.  I did have to carry it from one side of the stage to another and wasn't bothered too much.  Nothing is as bad as the "hernia machine".  I do have to mention, it did have a kick stand on the back.  It was attached on which looked kinda tacky.  These days, I'd expect something either not so cumbersome looking or hopefully something recessed into the cab so it doesn't have a risk of breaking off when I slide it into the back of vehicles.  I was happy to see the kickstand though as a option.

 

MY GEAR:  Allow me to first disclose, I was using my Geddy Lee Fender Signature aka the original Ben Loy model.  I had nice fresh grindy Rotosound strings which I put on all my 4 strings but never my 6-strings.  I ran the bass into a SansAmp BDDI to get a bit of dirt.  It then went into an Aphex Punch Factory for a small touch of compression, no more than 2db reduction.   Speaking of compression, the Warwick amp does have a compressor on it, I didn't feel inclined to try it out as I had mine, and didn't want to screw around too much to find my tone for the evening.  I also turned off the contour button and knob all the way down.  It's just another tone stage to me and I feel I can get that with other knobs available.  Just like how many of you dislike Aural Exciters.  Given more time, I would like to see how the compression sounded.  The room was deep and wide with tall ceilings.  Not exactly what you'd call the "tone zone".

 

THE SOUND:  I actually really did like the tone of the amp.  I started everything flat and I really didn't even wanna move anything.  I started turning some knobs just to turn them while we were setting up, see how they reacted.  The lows are very tight and to my taste at least.  The highs were very crisp but not snappy and went with the tonal theme of the night. We didn't just play the rocken or punk Pretenders tunes. So I did get to try some different styles and play into the amp with different strenghts.  I was liking the way I sounded on stage.  After a few songs, the sound guy gave all of us a few suggestions.  Because it was a house amp and I'm sure he knew it better than me, I told him I'll do whatever he suggests.  He encouraged me to turn up the low end a bit.  Still sounded nice and tight.

 

THE SHOCKER:  I didn't require too much stage volume but I did have what I needed to hear by choice.  There were plenty of monitors, and the PA speakers were surrounding me.  The guitarists both used Fender combos.  I would say I had more than reasonable stage volume.  At the end of the night, I examined the amp to see what I'd done to the knobs over the course of the gig.  The shocker was that the master volume was at 75%.  I was really disappointed.  Yes, before the gig I did check the gain stages between my SansAmp, my Punch Factory, and the head.  I overloaded the pre on the head, backed off some  until I wasn't overloading. and there I was.  I think for Warwick's largest combo, they could afford to supply a bit more juice.  Even adding another $150 to the price ticket for more juice would make the amp even more worth it

 

OVERALL THOUGHTS: I have to say the best thing about the amp is the tone and the weight for it's size.  I did get off on playing the thing and I didn't have any volume issues while playing, I can just foresee it.  I have a feeling the compressor would have been pretty cool had I used it.  I'm positive if I tried it with a less rocking band, I would have no issues.  I hope to try it with a 6-string, and something with active pick-up's.  I'd like to see how "sweet" I can get the tone for something a bit more mellow.  I do hope to have another shot at using it and make sure I wasn't being stupid or anything with the volume issue.  Again, for such an amp the price is very right.  I can see it easily taking over large Fender, and Peavey Combos.  I am still really interested to try their heads.  Now if it were only easier to find Warwick amps.  

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Mike

[alexclaber]

Nice review!

 

15" woofer plus 8" midrange plus tweeter is a nominally excellent combination of drivers. More manufacturers should try this, it makes a lot more sense than most cab designs.

 

Alex

[Mike Bear]

Yes.. it seemed odd, but I wasn't affraid, just very interested to see how it sounded.

[Tom Capasso]

Thanks for the review, Mike! We don't see too many Warwicks on this side of the country either. The only amp I tried was OK, but seemed a bit pricy. That may be as much an exchange rate issue as anything else (Alex - it was about 4 years ago).

 

...We didn't just play the rocken or punk Pretenders tunes....

 

Seems wrong to be in a Pretenders tribute band and NOT play Mystery Achievement. My band does Middle Of The Road and it's a lot of fun - even though I'm singing those "oh ohhh ohhh oh"s (in bad falsetto).

 

Tom

[picker]

How high was the preamp volume set? Sometimes soundmen set that pretty high and run the preamp low to minimize distortion. It can cut the output a lot.

[Mike Bear]

Tom, I can't believe I'm in Los Angeles and can't find many Warwick amps. The $899 Fortress basses are in mass here though. I'm sure The Amp Shop (L.A. Bass Exchange) has a piece or two. I did download the price list of Warwick products a while back and recall the retail on the amp being $899 or $799 for the US, not bad. I was expecting more just like you because of the importing factor. I feel the price is very good, that's why I think they should add some extra cash to the price tag and beef up the power.

 

That's great you play those tunes in your band. We have opened with Mystery Achevement the last two shows. Middle Of The Road is a closer and our "Chrissie" cranks out the harmonica solo quite well.

 

In the band, we all sing. There's a lot of akward backing vocals like the falsetto in Brass In Pocket. The ohhh's in Middle Of The Road like you mentioned. The drummer made the point that the backing vocals are only convincing when they are executed with shameless cheezieness. It's true too. If you watch the old live videos the other guys in the band have a very overconfident disposition while doing the back-up's.

 

PICKER!!!! I believe I maxed out the pre on purpose and then backed off until it wasn't clipping before I went for the master. Anything is possible though. Who knows what the soundman did while hooking up the DI. This is exactly the reason, I'd like another shot at this amp and some more time beyond your basic set up and play. Again, I thought the sound was great. Thanks for your thoughts guys!

 

I know for sure, whatever I get as far as a new combo, I will be adding an Avatar 2X10 or 1X12 because I feel like I'd rather cover more area than crank volume.

[edpal]

I own this amp...slightly reluctantly since I couldn't bear the cost of return restock fee. I agree with Mike Bear that it is a decent weight and size, the kickstand could have been recessed. Huge side handles make carrying easy.

Tone and volume are the biggest downfalls for me: I play a five stringer primarily(rock/punk, but I also play my Guild B4 with an acoustic combo)and at anything over 50% volume this amp starts breaking up below low E...low B sounds like someone breaking wind in a cave! The rated wattage must be on some kind of European scale - my 15+ yr.old Peavy combo(keyboard) amp, with only 90 watts, seems to pump more power out. The crossover for the 8" is kind of funny too - if you have the EQ set fairly bright, at the 5th fret on the A string it is sounding crisp, drop down a fret and(I'm guessing) the 8" cuts out and leaves you with the muddiness of the 15". I've shut off the horn to see if it was the horn cutting out - nah, its the 8". The EQ section seems to be pulled of a guitar amp, since you hear little to no change from the top two EQ knobs(even in the nosebleed section of the fretboard), but the changes are very evident if you plug in a regular guitar and get part way up the scale. Contour seems uselss/unresponsive, the compressor has a fiarly mild "compressive" effect,IMO. It's not a total p.o.s., but it just doesn't feel like 250 watts and at $719 plus shipping I don't feel like I can recommend this to anyone except maybe a strictly acoustical player who sticks to 4 strings and never tunes down.

[Mike Bear]

Aww bummer, edpal, I was very hopeful for this amp. The same club I got to try the Sweet 25.1 at, I had returned to twice since. I actually really enjoy the club overall and it's vibe. Since, they have stocked the stage with a Warwick Xtreme 10.1 and a 6X10. Sounds is decent, I thought the low end was a bit artificial if that makes any sense. Again, my stage volume was close to maxed out, which was fine for this band, but this is their flagship head and I was expecting behemoth muscle. If I were to use it in a heavy rock or metal band, it wouldn't have cut it, I was shocked. I myself, don't actually require much stage volume, but this stage was a bit wide.

 

I do think it's cool that I'm seeing Warwick amps in more touring bands. Looks like they are giving it a big push.

 

I'm of course interested to hear the Jonas Hellborg signature products as I'm a complete fanboy of his. So maybe there's still hope for Warwick amps... but boutique brands aside, I don't think they stand up to the major 4 or 5 brands in the same general price range.

[Luke73]

If you're after a Warwick combo, check out the "Pro Series" Neo combos.

 

They're much better than the "Semi Pro" Sweet 25, 15 and take 12's.

 

Maybe you'd like the CCL ND 4, or CCL ND 8? They're in a different league to the Sweet series.

 

I like their Blue Cabs as a practice amp - and very much enjoy my Blue Cab 20 and Blue Cab 15, but in my opinion the Sweet 15's and Take 12 combos leave something to be desired having owned them both (albeit briefly). I haven't owned a Sweet 25, but have played one and was similarly unimpressed.

 

[rumpelstiltskin.]

i don't have a lot of experience with warwick cabs, but i'm known to be a lover and promoter of their amplification. or maybe it's just their quad series that i love. it's hard to say.

 

edpal -- where are you in michigan? i live in the metro area, but i get around the state. what shop was trying to charge you a restock?

 

robb.