I chose a Stewart amp for my rack system on the basis of a review from Bass Player Magazine of this amp's bigger brother the World 2.1. Bass Player gave the 2.1 its awards for "Top Tone" and "Most Innovative. "The world 1.2 seemed to be a good choice for my rig because of its high power output and portability.

Well, I've had this amp for a couple of weeks now--it was previously owned by Fiona Apple's bass player--and I think it is amazing. It's small in size but it sounds great. The sound is very even, balanced, and accurate. There is no limiter circuit so it sounds very open and natural.

In terms of tone and portability, the Stewart is an excellent choice. It is a little bit pricey, but not unreasonable, and the tone is worth the small extra investment.

This amp does not have a cooling fan--the user manual says that it doesn't need a fan because it runs cool, but you might be careful of pushing it hard for long periods of time. Or leave an open space above it in your rack.

One thing I should mention is that I've recently heard rumours about some changes in the Stewart company. Apparently, Stewart Electronics was bought out by another company and reportedly the "new" Stewart is not honouring warranties on the "old" Stewart products. I can't say for sure if this is true, but you might want to get in contact with whoever owns the company now to make sure that your warranty will be honoured. I don't think my amp will need service though--it seems pretty sturdy and reliable.

In short, the Stewart power amp is pretty awesome. You should definitely consider it if you're looking for an amp that is lightweight, powerful, and has tons of great tone.

Construction	90%
Clarity	100%
Tone	100%
Size/Bulkiness	100%
Value	95%
Overall	95%