Warwick LWA1000 initial thoughts.

[Nibody]

Had a mad fit and bought one from Thomann whilst Im waiting for an SVT 3 Pro Im hopefully buying to become available.

Initial thoughts:

Very clean sounding amp - even on a spector with the legendary TonePump it is virtually impossible to get any "grit" on the go, even with the input gain maxed out.

EQ is quite versatile with a good range - though as some commenters have said the "High Mid" is more like a treble.

Compressor is bizzare - almost actls like a volume boost (but I've never been big on compressors so...

Channel switch (inline) works fine, as does using two seperate inputs (without the channel switch) - I briefly tried my "Royal Blood" type setup with the fake guitar into the second channel and it was fine. Probably work well with a Rick.

There is a DISTINCT difference in voice between channel one and channel two - channel one seems "beefier" - more mids and bottom end - I dont know if that is intentional on Warwicks part.

The thing is FEATHER LIGHT. I thought Thomann had sent me an empty box when UPS delivered it. Lighter than my old PF-500 and the Orange Terror Bass I just sold.

It is rather loud, even pushing 500w at 8ohms through a 2x10  cab - yet to try both the 2x10 and 4x10 at 4 ohms and the full 1000w.

All in all for a reduced £275 from Thomann on first impressions a bargain. Pity they dont do the Bubinga side pannels any more though!

[HazBeen]

I bought one too, cheap as chips so worth the punt. Indeed very transparent which I like a lot. My channel A and B are identical i(to my ears), solid EQ points in my opinion. Also not unhappy with the compressor, very clean, if I happen to forget my Keeley it would do. 

[Nibody]

58 minutes ago, HazBeen said:

I bought one too, cheap as chips so worth the punt. Indeed very transparent which I like a lot. My channel A and B are identical i(to my ears), solid EQ points in my opinion. Also not unhappy with the compressor, very clean, if I happen to forget my Keeley it would do. 

Might just be me with the channel 1/2 difference. But it did seem quite marked to my ears with both all settings at 12 (not in a bad way, just "different") - heard others comment this too - prehaps that why Thomann are selling these off for a big discount if they are not consistent unit to unit?. And my sole experiences of using a compressor are the built in one on the Portaflex and a EHX stomp (Bass Preacher?). Ampeg was closer to the Warwick Compressor set-up (one rotary control and a switch)and it didnt add a volume boost at full compression from memory.

 

[stewblack]

Not helping my amp gas you lot.

[yorks5stringer]

1 hour ago, Nibody said:

Might just be me with the channel 1/2 difference. But it did seem quite marked to my ears with both all settings at 12 (not in a bad way, just "different") - heard others comment this too - prehaps that why Thomann are selling these off for a big discount if they are not consistent unit to unit?. And my sole experiences of using a compressor are the built in one on the Portaflex and a EHX stomp (Bass Preacher?). Ampeg was closer to the Warwick Compressor set-up (one rotary control and a switch)and it didnt add a volume boost at full compression from memory.

 

They're selling them off as they get great deals from Warwick on run-outs and the Gnome is on the way (although it sits in a different sector of the marketplace as a teeny weeny amp). I got a lovely Star Bass quite a few years ago from Thomann RRP £ 14000 for £740 as they were clearing the remaining Korean stock for a cheaper version MIC. I'd be getting a LWA1000 too if I could see any gigging opportunities in the near future, which I can't...! Incidentally I'd also be spending the extra £50 for the gig bag which they bundle at £321.

Edited August 17, 2020 by yorks5stringer

[ahpook]

I'm looking at the LWA500 with interest, but how was the fan noise on the LWA1000 ?

I gather it's temperature controlled, did it come on at all ?

[Nibody]

45 minutes ago, ahpook said:

I'm looking at the LWA500 with interest, but how was the fan noise on the LWA1000 ?

I gather it's temperature controlled, did it come on at all ?

Only had it pushing an 8 ohm 2x10 (it literally came out of the box this afternoon - plus as bloody irritating as my neighbour is Im not ready to blast her with a 1000w bass stack yet..) but running through both channels at the same time never noticed it kick in at all.. been sitting playing about with EQ for the last half an hour just using headphones , it only span up once when the head was powered on, not heard it since

 

[ahpook]

6 minutes ago, Nibody said:

Only had it pushing an 8 ohm 2x10 (it literally came out of the box this afternoon - plus as bloody irritating as my neighbour is Im not ready to blast her with a 1000w bass stack yet..) but running through both channels at the same time never noticed it kick in at all.. been sitting playing about with EQ for the last half an hour just using headphones , it only span up once when the head was powered on, not heard it since

 

Thanks, that's good to know, thanks for the info.

Much appreciated.

 

[Niknak]

Oh bugger going to have to get one now, was waiting for the gnome but now feel quite meh about them tbh watched more on the lwa and think its the better punt

[fleabag]

I bought that model a year or 2 ago, but the EQ didnt seem to work, so i sent it back.  They repaired it and sent it back. It was no different so demanded a refund

That was the only time i flirted with the LWA 1000.   I'd never buy another.  Once bitten etc etc

[Nibody]

21 minutes ago, fleabag said:

I bought that model a year or 2 ago, but the EQ didnt seem to work, so i sent it back.  They repaired it and sent it back. It was no different so demanded a refund

That was the only time i flirted with the LWA 1000.   I'd never buy another.  Once bitten etc etc

It might be like the Ampeg PF-500's - they were dropping dead left right and center but the one I had never had an issue - wonders of Chinese manufacturing sadly - even heard of someone ordering the celestion version of one of the lightweight Warwick cabs which had been fitted with fake celestions.

Big draw for me on this is the ability to use two channels at the same time with different EQ settings. MUCH prefer the EQ on this to my Orange Terror Bass - it could do one thing (ok it did it very well..IF you wanted a particular bass tone) but the EQ controls were pretty pointless and left little room for shaping and variation.

[fleabag]

Maybe i was just unlucky.  I even ordered the model with the funky wooden side cheeks.

Pah ..

[DiMarco]

I am not using mine at all. Can't get a good sound out of it. Boosting low also boosts lower mids so I needed my MXR 10band EQ for tone shaping. The compressor on it is so-so.  The LWA is absolutely not my piece of cake.

There is a good reason Thomann are dumping these at ridiculous prices. They are not very popular. 

But then I have to admit I am pretty much a valve amp snob and find most class D amps sound like toys.

 

 

[HazBeen]

19 minutes ago, DiMarco said:

There is a good reason Thomann are dumping these at ridiculous prices. They are not very popular. 

You think this or know this? 

[Nibody]

20 hours ago, DiMarco said:

I am not using mine at all. Can't get a good sound out of it. Boosting low also boosts lower mids so I needed my MXR 10band EQ for tone shaping. The compressor on it is so-so.  The LWA is absolutely not my piece of cake.

There is a good reason Thomann are dumping these at ridiculous prices. They are not very popular. 

But then I have to admit I am pretty much a valve amp snob and find most class D amps sound like toys.

 

 

I never reallly did popular. I bought a Terror Bass 500 because they were popular and everyone was raving about them. It was mediocre - the EQ section may as well have just consisted of a bass fader because it did little to nothing. It could do one particular sound really well - and that was it. Much as I'd love to have an SVT 8x10 stack, I dont have the 1.5k to buy one or the desire to lug one around. Or the maintenance hassles. I did the whole Portaflex thing with a PF-500 and matching 1x15 and 2x10 wanting to go lightweight but they are unpredictable and the matching cabinets not suitable for purpose (probably the worst cabs I have owned period) Horses for courses I suppose - I stick a Ampeg Analoge Preamp in front of the LWA and it does a reasonable impression of that middy ampeg thing (better than the Orange did).

 

And at the end of the day unless you are a seasoned Audio engineer most people cant tell what amp you are using - and what we consider a good bass tone works out to sound pretty pants when its dropped in a mix or live with a band.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Nibody

[Chopthebass]

The styling is weird. Looks like a shoe box covered in Fablon

[stewblack]

On 29/08/2020 at 17:12, DiMarco said:

most class D amps sound like toys

I often come across this sentiment. I have no reason to question anybody's judgement or taste or opinion - and I am definitely not doing so here.

I'm just interested to know how many of us could tell in a blind test what we were playing through? How much is a result of confirmation bias, or just an unavoidable mental connection between big heavy objects and big heavy sounds.

Effect pedals housed in plastic are sometimes described as having a less substantial sound than similar pedals in a metal case ( I've also read where these described as toys).

Not having a go at anyone especially not @DiMarco who accepts the role played by valve snobbery in his own thought process. We make similar judgements based on price (you get what you pay for - ever heard this before?). Today I was browsing cheap wireless bugs. I found the same unit for sale at £11 new and many price points up to £25. Following tise logic if I wanted better quality I should buy the more expensive one, right? If I do buy a £10 wireless I expect it to sound worse than my Line 6 right? How does this expectation alter my perception of the quality of the unit?

Anyway carry on, sorry for the diversion.

[peteb]

1 hour ago, stewblack said:

I often come across this sentiment. I have no reason to question anybody's judgement or taste or opinion - and I am definitely not doing so here.

I'm just interested to know how many of us could tell in a blind test what we were playing through? How much is a result of confirmation bias, or just an unavoidable mental connection between big heavy objects and big heavy sounds.

I am always a bit surprised when I hear people make statements like this. Can you really not tell the difference when you are stood in front of an all valve / hybrid / Class D amp?

I am not saying that there isn't some confirmation bias, especially for things like an effect pedal housed in a plastic casing rather than metal, but there is a basic difference in sound for amps with different types of power sections. You might not be bothered about that difference, or even prefer the Class D amp, but the difference is there. 

As far as wireless units go, you really do get what you pay for. Over the years I have bought and then sold a number of mid-price wireless units, all of which were poor. Eventually I splashed out a lot of dosh for a modern top quality wireless systems and the difference is night and day.

[Nibody]

1 hour ago, peteb said:

I am always a bit surprised when I hear people make statements like this. Can you really not tell the difference when you are stood in front of an all valve / hybrid / Class D amp?

I am not saying that there isn't some confirmation bias, especially for things like an effect pedal housed in a plastic casing rather than metal, but there is a basic difference in sound for amps with different types of power sections. You might not be bothered about that difference, or even prefer the Class D amp, but the difference is there. 

As far as wireless units go, you really do get what you pay for. Over the years I have bought and then sold a number of mid-price wireless units, all of which were poor. Eventually I splashed out a lot of dosh for a modern top quality wireless systems and the difference is night and day.

In a live situation where your amp was not visible nobody but you would know whether you were using a solid state amp, hybrid, tube, or plugging directly into the soundboard. In a studio the vast majority of recording engineeers DI the bass. They would also be able to notice (along with a good mastering engineer)the difference in sound between a solid state and a tube amp on bass - however that is because they are the highest form of audiophile and their ears are their living. There will of course be a difference in speaker response etc but to the untrained ear.. and in a mix (be that live or recorded)?

[peteb]

1 hour ago, Nibody said:

In a live situation where your amp was not visible nobody but you would know whether you were using a solid state amp, hybrid, tube, or plugging directly into the soundboard. In a studio the vast majority of recording engineeers DI the bass. They would also be able to notice (along with a good mastering engineer)the difference in sound between a solid state and a tube amp on bass - however that is because they are the highest form of audiophile and their ears are their living. There will of course be a difference in speaker response etc but to the untrained ear.. and in a mix (be that live or recorded)?

The point that I was making is that if you should know the difference if you are standing in front of the amp while playing through it. There's no reason why the audience should know or care, they're only interested in if the band as a whole sounds good or not. The bass is only a component of that overall sound, but you would hope that the bass player would be able to tell the difference...