Ibanez SW65 Bass Amp User Reviews at zZounds

"Good Value" submitted January 8, 2005

By a customer from yahoo.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: hobbyist

Music Style: Christian rock, punk, and alternative

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SPOTLIGHT REVIEW

Sound: The sound on this little amp I would describe as clean when the EQ is neutral but it can be made to be somewhat warm. The EQ is effective it's a LOW/MID/HIGH w/ a presense feature(mids)that let you dial in some descent tone with it. It hardly hisses at all when the highs are turned up and the volume is up around 7 which is nice and somewhat unexpected in a cheaper amp like this. Alone this amp is quite nice and a real bargain for $224.00. It can be used in a low volume setting (coffee house,small church,etc) with pretty good results. Don't try to use it with multiple guitars, a loud drummer or outdoors it just can't hang in there. You will need to run it at full volume and the limiter will clip it so don't buy this amp for something like that. I used it as a practice amp everyday for a year, and also for a couple of rehearesals that really ran it to the limit. For the last month I have used it as a stage monitor/pre-amp at church running a 1/4" line out to the sound board and it has functioned well in that enviroment. It helps my passive Fender Jazz get better tone through the house system. I don't use it as an actual monitor because we use an in-ear system it just helps shape my tone. Without a Direct XLR out I wouldn't use it for recording. The 1/4" line out probably would be to noisy but for live situations it works fine. Feature: This amp is pretty basic but comes with an effects loop circuit, a limiter w/LED, a 1/4 in line out and basicly a 4 band EQ. This is pretty much all you need for practice or as a moniter. I would like to have a balanaced XLR line out and a ground lift switch but this amp only costs $224.00 so you can't complain. It's really a practice amp so you can't expect too much. The construction fit/finish are very good. Remember we are talking $224.00 here so it's no Eden or Ampeg but good workmanship for the money. My rating is based on value for the dollars you spend. Here is one big negative though. This thing is heavy. The Ibanez specs says it weighs 47lbs. I haven't verified that, but it feels more like 60lbs. This is a kick-back type of cabinet and it's rather large for something rated at 65 watts. It's deep from front to back and bulky & awkward to move around. This could be why it feels so heavy, so just beware if you plan on moving it around a lot. My 15 y/o daughter who is a bass player too can't move it around without a strugle. Quality: It's well made and reliable. No blems, nothing rattles, nothing has failed, and the knobs are all still attached in the year I have had it. I don't abuse my equipment but I honestly haven't been as nice to this amp as my other gear and it has been loaned out a few times and I have no idea how it was treated. This little amp has been used at least 6 days a week over the last year and has been pushed a few times beyond what it is really designed to do and it has never failed. I have seen the limiter light come on more than few times and it clipped, but I think thats why it never broke. Funny thig is it never really distorted much at max volume. Another suprise from an inexpensive amp. Value: This product is a good value and I recomend it if you are looking for an inexpensive practice/rehersal amp in the 65 watt range. Manufacturer Support: I have never delt with them on this amp but I did on one of my basses. They took care of it through the store I purchased it from. They made no contact with me but they delt with the store. It took a couple weeks to get it handled which I thought was a little long but they stood behind their product and made it right. I was happy with the outcome. The Wow Factor: This amp is nothing special to look at. It has no real "sex appeal". It looks clean and fuctional and I think the grill cloth looks nicer than a metal grill but of couse it's not as durable. There is no wonder technology in it nor is it anything special in the sound department. It's just a practical piece of equipment nothing more. Overall: I have been very satisfied with this Ibanez amp. It has delivered more than I expected it to and has been a reliable practice / rehearsal amp. It's worth the money.

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"Ibanez SW65. Good stuff is not expensive!" submitted February 9, 2007

By a customer from gmail.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Hobbyist++, played actively some years ago. Now I have kids :-)

Music Style: Blues, Rock, Fusion, Metal, Jazz and Latin

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Sound: I was very impressed by the sound of this Amp. At the first look you can believe that a tiny amp like this can sound that good. The piezo-tweeter increase the sound qualy by giving you more sharp sound, while you can controll it using the well constructed EQ (Lo-Mid-Hi/Presence). I own a Yamaha RBX170 and the flexibility of the sound that I can get is really wide. In fact when I found it after looking for some other amps, I just told to myself "I want this amp!" Feature: No doubt: The limiter. With it you can "tune" any pass, pasive, or active to the higest signal level without distortion. Just play and move the GAIN knob until the Limiter light turns on. After that, just move the GAIN knob just a little bit to your left and the you can play with all the volume and you will get a consistent strong sound. Another useful feature is the tilt-back. When practicing or playing/monitoring, is very nice to hear yourself more clearly :-). Ease of Use: Easy. Period. 1 input. Ok, some guys says that "it doesn't have a xlr input". So what! the purpose of the amplifier is clear: practice, home studio, bars, pubs, monitoring. So not a big super-doopler-PRO gear, it sound pays it self. You will not get the same features and quality in other bass box of it price. Not even the "big gorillas" (Fender, Marshall, Gallien Krueger, etc) hav this sound in their entry amps. Go get it. Quality: Solid construction. Is a bit overweight, but hey is Bass amplifier!! ok?!! Value: I'll give it the highest here since you will not found any other amplifier with this features and that price. Manufacturer Support: I havent used so I'm just voting for my expected level of satisfaction. The Wow Factor: It is nice looking gear! the tilt-back is fashion. :-) Overall: Of course if I want stage power I would prefer a head and cabinets! but for the home musician is more than enough.

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Ibanez SW65 Bass Amplifier (1x12, 65 watt)

User Ratings

"Good Value" submitted January 8, 2005

"Ibanez SW65. Good stuff is not expensive!" submitted February 9, 2007