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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the SWR Black Beauty Bass Combo Amplifier! You now own the
heaviest-duty, biggest-sounding combo amp in SWR's world-renowned Professional Line of products for
bassists.
A little history: The SWR Black Beauty is the successor to the Basic Black, a combo we offered throughout
most of the 1990s as the most affordable solution for bassists who wanted the “SWR Sound“ in the simplest
all-in-one package possible. Our top-selling product for several years running, the Basic Black featured a tube
preamp (using a specially-selected 12AX7A vacuum tube), SWR’s patented “Aural Enhancer,” an easy-to-use
3-band EQ section, a custom-specified 250-watt 15" driver, and a high-quality, discrete solid-state 160-watt
power amp. After shipping thousands of units, we finally finished its run in 1999 for the purposes of a serious
upgrade.
Ironically, the same year that the Basic Black went into retirement, we released a new series of 15" drivers:
the Bertha series. Featuring a new custom-designed 15" speaker with a solid 350 watts of power handling—
and, of course, superior tone—the Big Bertha 2x15" and the Son Of Bertha 1x15" were released in 1999 to
rave reviews, and we continue to ship both models today. After seeing a sustained positive reaction to the
Bertha 15" drivers from a highly satisfied group of customers, we knew we had the foundation for a new 15"
combo.
The new Black Beauty takes that foundation and builds a powerhouse, feature-packed combo upon it. The
electronics section contains all of the popular tone circuitry from the Basic Black, but adds a variable
midrange control, a new XLR (Balanced) output circuit with greater flexibility in level and signal routing, a
selectable horn tweeter, Speakon and 1/4" extension speaker output jacks, and a rock-solid cabinet design
that completely isolates the electronics from the speaker complement. We’ve integrated a new feature: our
SubWave™ circuit, which produces a tone an octave below the original signal and tracks as well or better than
anything else on the market today. (The effect is foot-switchable, and we’ve provided a footswitch for your
convenience.) And, most importantly, it’s now more than double the power of the original Basic Black: the
upgraded power amplifier delivers 350 watts into its own speaker system, and more with an extension cabinet
connected. Add in the sleek new cosmetics on the chassis, and the chrome grill and logo, and you’ve got
what we call the Black Beauty. And, of course, each Black Beauty is assembled by hand and individually
sound-tested in the U.S.A. at our factory in Southern California.
It’s all part of SWR’s commitment to continued improvement and refinement of even our most popular
models, so that we can continue to assist today’s bassist in the pursuit of the ultimate goal: finding
equipment that not only does the job, but actually enhances the overall musical experience and contributes to
the creative process. Everyone here at SWR sincerely hopes that the purchase of your Black Beauty helps you
get there from here…and beyond.
Please take the time to read your User Guide thoroughly and completely, so that you can realize the full
potential of your new Black Beauty Bass Combo Amplifier. Once again, thanks for your purchase, and for
letting SWR help Amplify Your Future™.
Sincerely,
SWR
BLACK BEAUTY OWNER’S MANUAL • 1