SWR WORKINGMAN'S 10, Owner'S Manual

pickups DO distort. Because of the hi-fi nature of all SWR products, even the smallest amount of

distortion originating at the source (instrument) may be heard. 

Active Input

The Active input jack should be used with instruments having a built-in (on-board) preamp that will pro-

duce signals over 1 volt RMS. Some really “hot” pickups installed in your instrument may find the Active

input more compatible. The best judge is your own ears.

NOTE:

Using the Active input with passive basses may result in a loss of high-end transients.

Players who roll off their high-end starting at around 2k to 3kHz may find this input more to their
liking.

If your hear some distortion from your active bass and are using the Active input jack, check your 
battery. Also, make sure the Preamp Clip LED is not lighting.

PREAMP CLIP LED

The Preamp Clip LED will light whenever the Preamp, Tone section or output buffer reach clipping (that

is, run out of headroom). In the event the Preamp Clip LED lights, turn down the Gain control. Since the

Preamp Clip also monitors the Tone section, boosting any one of the tone controls can cause the LED to
activate. Again, turn down the Gain control if this happens.

NOTE:

Constant clipping of the preamp will not harm the electronics in your Workingman’s 12.

However, damage can occur to speakers due to near-DC content present in a clipped waveform.

GAIN CONTROL

The Gain control adjusts the volume of the preamp section. After the Tone controls, Aural Enhancer and
any effects you may be using have been set to your liking, the Gain control should be set to where the

Preamp Clip LED barely flashes upon hitting your loudest note. After setting the Gain, use the Master

Volume to set the desired volume level. Using these controls in this manner assures the maximum sig-
nal-to-noise ratio with no distortion caused by the preamp circuits clipping. Since the Gain control is
similar to a “pad,” a small amount of signal will get through with the Gain control turned all the way

down. The Gain also adjusts the level sent to the Effects send jack. If your effect is being overdriven,

turn down the Gain control.

TONE CONTROL SECTION

The Workingman’s 12 Tone Control section is a three-band set of level controls centered around the fre-
quencies 80 Hz (Bass), 800 Hz (Mid Range) and 5kHz (Treble). Each control can cut or boost its band a
maximum of 15dB. Each control has a flat (center “click”) position that defeats its function. In this posi-
tion, the tone controls are inactive.
For each tone control, rotating the knob counter-clockwise from the center “click” position will cut (reduce)
its designated frequency. Rotating the knob clockwise will boost its designated band or frequency.

Using the Tone Controls

To get the most out of the Tone Controls of your Workingman’s 12, it would be best to first understand

how the Aural Enhancer works, and how it interacts with the Bass, Mid Range and Treble controls. Think
of it as a variable tone curve, changing with its position. As you raise the Aural Enhancer from “0,” or its

fully counterclockwise position, you are elevating the whole range of sound (lows, mids, and highs) at fre-
quency points different than those selected for the individual Tone Controls. This remains true up to about
the “2 o’clock” position, at which point the mids start to drop off. The curves involved here are gentle, as
opposed to the very extreme curves you can create with the Tone Controls.

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• WORKINGMAN’S COMBOS OWNER’S MANUAL