The Gretsch Pages: Discussions: Other Amps: Swart Atomic Space Tone

Swart Atomic Space Tone

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- Rated: 42 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 4:08 a.m. seadevil:

I tried out the 5 watt and 20 watt versions of this amp yesterday and can't stop thinking about it. If it didn't have a parallel reverb circuit that causes the reverb to sound less intense at higher volumes (in the 20 watt version, anyway), I think I would have run home and grabbed my ES-175 and traded it in on the spot. It may be the best sounding amp I've ever heard. I'll be glad to go into greater detail but it's too late at night to do so now.

I know one GDP'er had one and didn't like it. I can't for the life of me understand why.
- Rated: 6 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 5:30 a.m. ruger9:

ALOT of people who play Swarts say that. I haven't played one yet (none around locally), but I've been drooling for one for over 2 years now. Just waiting for the bank account to get in "good shape", and I'm buying one site unplayed.

And I'm not a surfer, so I like the sound of the reverb circuit... never too washed out.
- Rated: 8 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 6:26 a.m. JW:

Mine gets more use as a "bedroom amp" than anything else. Very good tone a "2" and it just gets better on up.

Plenty of money!; Yes, but it's at least half your tone and in my opinion it works with all my guitars.

John

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- Rated: 7 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 11:19 a.m. googoobaby:

I love mine dearly. I've never sounded so good as when I use the AST. The only thing that doesn't work well through it is my electric 12 string.
- Rated: 42 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 12:05 p.m. seadevil:

I think I'm going to go back with a guitar I'm familiar with and put it through its paces again. More to come, I suppose.
- Rated: 74 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 12:40 p.m. bonedaddy:

seadevil, I have the Space Tone Reverb. It's a little 5 watt monster with reverb. The tone is incredible, and it's actually pretty loud for 5 watts. I was worried that I'd be buying a Champ clone, more or less, but it was so much more. I've yet to run across a bad tone out of that amp. And you can run an EL34, a 6L6, or a 6V6

So lot's of tonal varieties in that little bugger. I can only imaging the Atomic Space Tone being just bigger and badder...
- Rated: 7 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 1:37 p.m. googoobaby:

Plus the AST has the tremolo of the gods. It's so good at adding ambience...
- Rated: 42 ↑
Oct 8, 2008 3:07 a.m. seadevil:

I thought the Space Tone Reverb sounded better than the AST, actually, but it wasn't loud enough and needed more bass.

I don't like tremolo in the amp that much, since it's never exactly the right speed unless you make the drummer count off to it. I'd rather Bigsby it or use a volume pedal.
- Rated: 37 ↑
Oct 9, 2008 9:37 a.m. Nobody:

Since you mention it, just how much bass does one get out of this amp?

I'm glad to see the photo above because it provides some scale relative to the guitars.

I've always been intrigued by these, but haven't encountered one live yet.
- Rated: 7 ↑
Oct 9, 2008 12:48 p.m. googoobaby:

The AST isn't that bassy, at least compared with my Rivera.
- Rated: 74 ↑
Oct 9, 2008 1:11 p.m. bonedaddy:

My STR gets plenty of bass; it's got a 12" speaker. My champ with a 10" was hindered in the bass department.

Loud, yes, you'd have a problem keeping up with a band with the 5 watt/12" combo. I've yet to try it with an external cab though...
- Rated: 28 ↑
Oct 9, 2008 1:43 p.m. 57 Chet :

I heard fellow GDP'er Joao Erbetta play though an Atomic Space Tone last night. Exceptional tone and great effects! I was very impressed.

Joao's playing was exceptional, as well.
- Rated: 12 ↑
Oct 9, 2008 6:26 p.m. Chonny:

So do these little beauties sound full and rich or do they sound sort of weak. I mean Ive heard clips and youtube vids but its so hard to get a good representation even from those because of so much variation in guitars/hardware.

A 20 watt amp with a 12 inch speaker should be able to deliver a rich, full sound with plenty of bass so I'm guessing its ok in that area even though some clips make it sound sort of thin.

So whats the final verdict?
- Rated: 212 ↑
Oct 9, 2008 6:58 p.m. Proteus:

I believe everyone that they're wonderful.

I just have two incredibly superficial objections. I don't like the word "Swart" and I think the amps are physically ungainly.

I'm so shallow.
- Rated: 74 ↑
Oct 9, 2008 10:38 p.m. bonedaddy:

That's why I went for the Space Tone Reverb. Not a piece of tweed on it, and no funky speaker cutout either!

Can't do anything about the swart part though...
- Rated: 12 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 9:04 a.m. Chonny:

I finally found some good clips that gave a good representation of the fullness of the amp. No its not like a closed back 4x12 cab but its a huge sound out of such a little box.

Once my Soho arrives my apartment wont have very much unused space, I could clutter it but I like having things spread out and roomy, otherwise I get claustrophobic. A Swart is small enough to sit out in any room and then light enough for me to move it around at a moments notice.

I love the oddball looks of the ST and AST. I still think the STR looks very cool and has a top panel which is cool.

If you dont like the logo thats all the reason to get an AST because they just say Space Tone, and when you talk about it you don't have to say Swart you can just say Atomic Space Tone! I happen to not mind it because its just the mans name who designed the amp

Its really a win/win situation. I might just be one of the next GDP members with an AST.

I dont think they're all that expensive. I mean crappy stuff (mass produced, Chinese components, etc) is expensive now. I will gladly pay a little more for something well made.
- Rated: 13 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 9:34 a.m. Joao Erbetta:

Yeah, 57 Chet was there two days ago. I'm freaking happy with my sound using my Atomic Space Tone. The reverb is just right and the tremolo is the best to me (and I have a Brown Fender Deluxe which is awsome too) but that other night I kinda used it wrong with too much depth (but it was just one song). P90, Filtertrons, Tele, Strat... Everything sounds good with it.

I love the look (and the name, btw). Kinda looks like those old Flat-a-Tone. Cool stuff.
- Rated: 37 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 9:52 a.m. Nobody:

"What's that on your face"

"It'swart."

"Oh."

"Well what's that smell?"

I don't mind the looks.
- Rated: 42 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 1:44 p.m. seadevil:

I went back to the store (Ludlow Guitars in NYC, in case someone in the area wants to check these amazing amps out) and played the AST Pro, the regular AST, and the 5-watter extensively. I also compared the sound to a lovely Victoria Victorilux and a RI Deluxe Reverb. While I THOROUGHLY enjoyed everything that the Swart had to offer, I eventually decided that I prefer the sound of the DR to virtually every other amp in the universe. The additional bass that came pouring out of that amp, even a stock RI with a Jensen speaker, was the deciding factor. The reverb on the Fender seemed quite capable of keeping up with the Swart as well.

I'm not saying anything against the AST, though. I thought it had a wonderful touch-sensitivity and a truly transcendent high-end response that is very reminiscent of mid-powered tweed fenders. The sound is pretty much 60% blackface, 25% tweed, and 15% something else entirely. A magnificent amp, but the DR still has the keys to my heart. I still love the small footprint of the Swart, though.

I'm reasonably sure that a very careful biasing and the right tube selection in a DR could emulate/reproduce much of what makes the Swart sound so good while retaining the huge low end that I've grown so fond of. Whether the reverse is also true, I can't say. The massive transformer in the AST can handle pretty much any power tubes without rebiasing, and a speaker relacement could alter its tonal character somewhat, but why do that to an amp in that price range just to make it sound more like something else?

I'm making a big effort these days just to be content with what I have. I think I can make many more improvements to my sound by working on my hands and my brain than by throwing money at new equipment.

That said, if you don't happen to own a "holy grail"-ish amp of one sort or another already, the Swarts are very much worth looking at.
- Rated: 74 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 4:26 p.m. bonedaddy:

Yeah Seadevil, the whole quest for me was because my DRRI is just too damn loud to play at home, at a volume that gets great tone. So, I went the attenuator route. Something was still missing. So I decided on the small but big sounding amp, but it had to have reverb.

Enter the Swart STR. 5 watts and killer reverb. I can crank it half way or more and still not make anyone mad. Another plus is that I can run an EL34, a 6L6 or a 6V6 and no rebiasing. Truly plug and play.

If my SF Champ had reverb, I probably could have lived with it, but it's not nearly as full as the Swart. Matchless makes a little 5 watter too; but it's fully 1000 bucks more than the Swart, and again, NO reverb. No reverb is a deal breaker for me
- Rated: 8 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 6:23 p.m. JW:

Michael's last name is Swart.

Here is a link to his site.
- Rated: 66 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 6:42 p.m. Walter Broes:

Proteus said: I just have two incredibly superficial objections. I don't like the word "Swart" and I think the amps are physically ungainly.
I agree that "Swart" is a little too close to "Wart", but I like the way they look a lot. Just curious, what do you think is an example of a great looking amp?
- Rated: 212 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 7:22 p.m. Proteus:

I like some of the Swarts - it's the tall skinny one with the grillecloth area considerably smaller than the surrounding frame I don't care for. It's the proportions.

I don't find many amps really GREAT looking in an absolute sense. Most blackface Fenders just look utilitarian, form following function, and they're OK. I kinda like the Vox look, though it's unnecessarily baroque in trim.

It's like, if you vary from the most utilitarian possible form, and try to make some visual statement, then it better be aesthetically pleasing. (Which is, of course, quite subjective.)

I like the blond/wheat Bassman stack look alot, and generally do like the overall looks of tweed/oxblood or brown grillecloth.

I think the Peavey C-30 original version is quite handsome in size and shape. (Though I dislike the angular Peavey logo.)

I don't have to like an amp's looks to like the amp. I don't care much for the appearance of the Matchless Lightning Reverb...if the one Swart is too tall and skinny, the Lightning is too low and wide. And I don't like its skinny script font. But it's a great-sounding amp, and I'd have one right off.

For overdesigned amps, I kinda like the silly Peavey Wiggy (logo excepted). And there's not a one of these I don't swoon over (insofar as I'm a swooner, which isn't very): http://www.veroamps.com/

I like GuitarFarm's fine-cabinetry amps.

I don't like any amp where the LOGO EATS THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE AMP, because most of the logos are unattractive. Lots of boutique amps fail in that connecton. Marshall has a great logo, though, and really good looking amps. But I'm not much of a Marshall kinda guy.

Look, I said it was a superficial set of judgments, and meaningless.

I know it's the guy's name, and it means "dark-skinned, dusky," something like that, which meaning doesn't bother me. It's the sound of the word itself. I actually like his logoscript and the atomic dooflaw at the tail end of it. And "Atomic Space Tone" is a great name.

I like the Gretsch Exec and Variety, now that I know them. I liked their looks better than most boutiques right off the bat, but that wasn't enough to sell me.

Ignore me.
- Rated: 41 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 7:31 p.m. J(esse James)D:

IMO, the "best" looking Fenders are "blondes" and "tweeds".

Pure Class in looks and name: VOX........and then there's the sound

After that, it depends what "mood" I'm in.
- Rated: 115 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 8:30 p.m. wenzel:

Bonedaddy, how much was that 5 watt reverb?

I like the look and all of their 18-22 watt amp with tube tremelo!!! If I had a spare $2000 lying around I might get one... Maybe someday when I hit the lottery. Then I'll buy all of my friends one too!