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SWR MINI-MO’ PREAMP • INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the SWR Mini-Mo' Preamp! You now own one of the most unique
products in the history of musical instrument amplification.
Here at SWR we share your spirit of tonal exploration and willingness to experiment in pursuit of the
ultimate goal: finding equipment that not only does the job for you as a musician, but actually enhances
your overall musical experience and contributes to your creative process. The purpose of this Owner's
Manual is to help guide you through the process of becoming familiar with the many features and
functions of the Mini-Mo' Preamp. But before we get into turning knobs, we'd like you to know a little bit
about how the Mini-Mo' Preamp came into existence.
In 2000, after over a year of development, SWR released the Mo' Bass Amplifier, a groundbreaking
tube-preamp/solid-state power amp/multi-analog-effects integrated unit that stood the industry on its
collective ear. The concept was simple, yet complex: take the world famous tube preamp circuit of SWR
founder Steve W. Rabe, marry it with the studio-quality analog effects designed specifically for bass
guitar by Nashville engineering legend William "Mo" West III, add 900 watts of stereo/bridgeable
solid-state power, stand back and get out of the way. The design, tone and functionality were all
tweaked beyond measure by SWR's team of working professional bassists on staff.
The feedback was intense. It won the MIPA award (Musikmesse International Press Award) for "Best
Bass Amp" worldwide in 2002. Most Mo' Bass owners thought the unit walked on water, answered their
every tone prayer, was the bass amp to end all bass amps. Others sent in passionate suggestions for
what they'd like to see in a subsequent revision. Most importantly, we got the same question over and
over again: when would it be available as a preamp-only model?
SWR went back to work in early 2002 to produce such a model, but the idea wasn't just to take the Mo'
Bass and just throw the preamp section in a smaller box. We improved basic features, added new
features, listened to customer feedback, re-examined the entire unit. As a result:
•The headroom and the dynamic range of the preamp and equalizers have been significantly
increased
•The front end construction was completely reworked for no-nonsense all-metal fastening
•A Tuning Mute function was added––and patching/switching is accessible from both the
Mini-Mo’ Preamp and the Mo' Control 2 Master Footswitch
•An Overdrive Tone control was added for greater flexibility in dirty sounds
•A Bassynth Level control was added for greater flexibility in achieving unity gain and desired level
boosts when using the Bassynth module
•A Chorus Level control was added for greater flexibility in blending in the desired amount of
Chorus effect
•A Main Output Defeat switch was added for muting of the post-master audio outputs only
•The Mo' Control 2 Master Footswitch, formerly available only as an accessory, is now included
with the Mini-Mo’ Preamp, and has been upgraded to include: a Tuning Mute switch on the
front, and Tuner Out and Filter Sweep Out jacks on the rear for added convenience in patching
to pedalboards (shorter cable runs)
1 •MINI-MO’ OWNER’S MANUAL