NAD - 2015 Swart AST

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marqueemoon
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NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by marqueemoon » Mon May 18, 2020 4:15 pm

I guess technically this is my third thread related to this. After much waffling I decided to let my 66 Bassman head and 79 Vibro Champ go. The Bassman was more amp than I'll probably ever need again, and after picking up a Swart STR Tremolo last year I fell in love with it and the Vibro Champ really didn't stack up.

While the STR Tremolo is usable for small shows it has bit of trouble keeping up in the 4 piece I play in, particularly if it's unmiced in a larger room. The Swart sound is just very flattering to the kind of guitars and sounds I go for (JM, Tele, Dano, minimal effects), so a bigger Swart was the obvious choice.

For portability and budget reasons I narrowed it down to an AST or AST Pro. The stock power tubes are dual 6V6, so it sits somewhere between a Princeton and a Deluxe volume-wise, but 6L6 can swapped in.

Before my amps sold this AST popped up on craigslist about an hour outside of town. It ticked all the boxes. Great condition, has a factory Pro Panel (speaker level in/out for connecting an external cab or load box - an upcharge on the regular AST and standard on the more expensive Pro) and came with a hard sided Under Cover slipcover. It was PERFECT. Only problem was I had no money (amps not sold yet). I e-mailed him anyway, and basically told him my situation. Surprisingly he called me and we had a good chat. I told him I'd be in touch as soon as I was in a position to buy.

A few weeks passed and I noticed it was no longer up on craigslist (right after my amps sold). Doh! I figured I'd e-mail the guy and see if it was still around. The craigslist e-mail still worked and he told me he sold it to a shop here in town (much closer). I went to their site and sure enough there it was, and priced not much higher than the craigslist guy was asking. Some minor haggling and a masked curbside pickup later and it's mine. :w00t:

Finally got to give it a play with my Dano today, and I'm really digging it. The tremolo has a slightly more harmonic trem quality vs. the STR Tremolo, and the verb is a little more usable at higher mix levels. It also has high/low input jack options, and both sound great.

The cover is really nice too. Probably all the protection I'd ever need schlepping it myself without adding much weight, and two pockets for cables or whatever.

My only complaint is there's a slight rattle at higher volumes. That's combos for ya. Hopefully just a matter of cinching a few screws down.

Oh yeah. Here are some pics. Since I am lazy I pulled them from the shop's web site. They took way better pictures than I can.

Image
Image
Image

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windmill
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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by windmill » Mon May 18, 2020 5:00 pm

Glad you like it.

:)

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by jthomas » Mon May 18, 2020 5:05 pm

Congrats. Rock on!

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by beauzooka » Mon May 18, 2020 5:06 pm

Hawt! I hope to see it in action live someday.

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marqueemoon
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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by marqueemoon » Mon May 18, 2020 7:05 pm

Thanks, everyone.
beauzooka wrote:
Mon May 18, 2020 5:06 pm
I hope to see it in action live someday.
Me too. It will probably be a while, but hopefully someday.

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by somanytoys » Tue May 19, 2020 4:10 am

Damn, that’s nice, and a cool acquisition story.

Interesting that the plugs, switches & controls are all in the back. Is that awkward at all?
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by terminalvertigo » Tue May 19, 2020 4:44 am

beauty dude.

My AST Master arrived and all was well, but the reverb didnt work. checkd the tube, swapped the rca jacks, nothing..

ended up pulling the tank, and noticed a ground had become unsoldered. fixed it, and we are rocking. ;D

the reverb and trem on these amps is lush and wonderful. enjoy it!
GoodDeals:Jaguar018-Skip-Scotty66-Noirengineer-Panoramic-Soundhack-Tribi9-Stereordinary-Dug-Ginnungagap-Loomer-Eupat-FenderBob-Franco-AWSchmit-PeterHerman-TweedleDee-Diceman-Prospect-Danocaster-Glimmertwin-Jetset-Staytuned-ukfuzz-Aen-Atomicmassunit-MT,etc

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by marqueemoon » Tue May 19, 2020 7:09 am

somanytoys wrote:
Tue May 19, 2020 4:10 am
Interesting that the plugs, switches & controls are all in the back. Is that awkward at all?
Time will tell on that I guess. With no master and a single tone control the controls are pretty simple. I tend to set and leave reverb and trem.

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by terminalvertigo » Tue May 19, 2020 9:05 am

marqueemoon wrote:
Tue May 19, 2020 7:09 am
somanytoys wrote:
Tue May 19, 2020 4:10 am
Interesting that the plugs, switches & controls are all in the back. Is that awkward at all?
Time will tell on that I guess. With no master and a single tone control the controls are pretty simple. I tend to set and leave reverb and trem.
When I owned that model i just faced the speaker away from me so i had better access to the controls ;)
GoodDeals:Jaguar018-Skip-Scotty66-Noirengineer-Panoramic-Soundhack-Tribi9-Stereordinary-Dug-Ginnungagap-Loomer-Eupat-FenderBob-Franco-AWSchmit-PeterHerman-TweedleDee-Diceman-Prospect-Danocaster-Glimmertwin-Jetset-Staytuned-ukfuzz-Aen-Atomicmassunit-MT,etc

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by Scout » Tue May 19, 2020 1:02 pm

Sounds like a great amp, I'm partial to 2- 6V6 and a tube rectifier myself. Enjoy it fully, you deserve it.

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by marqueemoon » Tue May 19, 2020 1:38 pm

Scout wrote:
Tue May 19, 2020 1:02 pm
Sounds like a great amp, I'm partial to 2- 6V6 and a tube rectifier myself. Enjoy it fully, you deserve it.
Thanks!

Yeah, two 6V6s is really a sweet spot. I've come to appreciate more amp sag in recent years and have embraced the blooze/classic rock tonez I used to avoid.

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by Scout » Tue May 19, 2020 4:41 pm

Say it isn't so( blooze/ classic rock) :o The funny thing is I never got souless blues or that era of rock even though it was contemporary to my teen years, before it was called classic. My favorite show in the 70's was Sun Ra at Grendel's Lair and I had to stand outside because I was underage. I play my 6V6 ( 5E3 clone) right at the edge before breakup , it's a special sound I've never heard replicated digitally, I'm sure you'll get some sweet tone!

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by Maggieo » Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:03 pm

Congrats! You'll love it!

Just be sure that it's off before you put the cover on...not that I'd know from personal experience... :fp:
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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Jun 01, 2020 6:25 pm

Maggieo wrote:
Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:03 pm
Congrats! You'll love it!

Just be sure that it's off before you put the cover on...not that I'd know from personal experience... :fp:
"What's that smell?" :unsure:

Oof. That is no good.

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Re: NAD - 2015 Swart AST

Post by Maggieo » Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:12 am

marqueemoon wrote:
Mon Jun 01, 2020 6:25 pm
Maggieo wrote:
Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:03 pm
Congrats! You'll love it!

Just be sure that it's off before you put the cover on...not that I'd know from personal experience... :fp:
"What's that smell?" :unsure:

Oof. That is no good.
I walked into my studio and thought, "Wow, that pine smell is really nice!" :fp:
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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