Swart users... Swart AST MK II vs SST-30?

[Sammicus15]

Tell me, are there any significant advantages to one or the other? Is the Mk II loud enough to gig with unmic'd? The super space tone seems like it would be plenty loud, but I would love to have the lightweight MK 2... your thoughts/comments are appreciated.

 

[supersonic1414]

I had the MK II. It was plenty loud enough...It wasn't for me as I am not a tweed guy, but the guy who has it now Raves about it...

 

[mojocaster.com]

The Mk II should indeed be loud enough... both are great amps, though.

 

[MrMedley]

At band levels there is not much clean headroom past about 3 on the gain knob - I would try the SST 30 if thats important to you. I sold my MK II for this reason -

 

[fuzznutz]

I do love my SST-30. I first had an AST and that stayed clean-ish till 3 or 4, once you hit 5 you start to get a little bit of breakup if you dig in. These amps are very touch sensitive in the best way possible. I'll set the gain/volume knob to 7 or 8 (goes to 11) and get great cleans with a little grit, but the heavier I lay into it the more it grinds back.

I went with the SST-30 because of the master volume (mk II wasn't out at the time) and the extra gain boost. In my opinion the 30 does everything an AST can do from 0 to 11, but when you hit that "Hi" switch it opens a whole new level of chewy goodness. All the way up the amp screams but it doesn't get over the top. There is no bad setting on this amp and I love how you can get the Stones, Ventures, Neil Young, T-Rex, My Bloody Valentine, and Queens of the Stoneage tones all in one amp.

I don't think you can go wrong with either amp tone wise. I never played the AST in a band setting, but my SST-30 can keep up with a 50watt Orange, and a Fender Deville with no problems.

 

[goodandswarty]

i was going to get the SST 30 but went with the MkII instead. I like the lighter, more portable idea... plus, i like having a master bypass which the 30 doesn't have. if you need more headroom than the 6v6's, just pop in a pair of 6l6 or El34's.... this is an amp that you'll never want to get rid of. I love it so much i was actually going to buy the 30 just to have... ended up ordering a Tone King Metro just to diversify my tone.
Either choice is a great option.

 

[Darklight]

So can you get any distortion or overdrive sounds from any of these Swarts without a pedal at a volume that's not ear shattering? They certainly are aesthetically wonderful.

 

[sublimeaudio]

So can you get any distortion or overdrive sounds from any of these Swarts without a pedal at a volume that's not ear shattering? They certainly are aesthetically wonderful.

I have an AST MKII and you can get really good tones at low volumes with the master control. It can get pretty overdriven with the master low and the gain high.

 

[goodandswarty]

absolutely, they both have masters (the mkii is bypassable) so you can drive them to kingdom come at reasonable volume. if you're looking for drive tones, you might want to experiment with el34's in the swart. i'm way more interested in the swart's amazing, organic clean tones, so i typically run the 6v6's. i've currently got a set of 6l6's in it until my new 6v6's show up in the mail... to my ears, the 6l6's are still super clean but give you more headroom and low end. it's nice to have alternatives to play around with.

 

[porterburst]

Any other thoughts on how these two amps compare?

 

[brenkj]

I'm currently borrowing a friend's MK II. There's a lot I really love about the amp, but the 6V6's are just a bit too trebel-heavy for my taste. If I were to use EL34's in there, what are all the differences I can expect?

Thanks.

 

[hangten]

just buy a pair and pop em in!

hear the difference for yourself - better that way!

I dig EL34s in my MK II.

 

[porterburst]

Bump.

 

[sublimeaudio]

I've put EL34s in a MKII, and really liked the sound. I don't know if it will make it less trebly though. I thought they added upper mids and lessened the bass.