#1937558 - 05/05/08 06:00 PM
Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
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miroslav
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So I’ve been experimenting with different speaker combinations…mainly I was trying to find the best fit for my Dr. Z Route 66.
I recently picked up a Dr. Z 112 cabinet to match the 66 head. It came loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30 (English made). I was surprised at how much better the English made V30 sounds than the China made. I always found the V30 to be a bit harsh in the upper mids…but the English made V30 was quite smooth.
I’ve also tried the Celestion G12H30 (Chinese) and a Celestion Greenback (both English and Chinese made). I have to say that with the Greenback…the Chinese made sounded quite good and there was a very subtle difference between them…almost insignificant.
The Greenback was an interesting combination for the 66…though not as good as the English made V30.
AFA the G12H30…I really like it’s well balanced tone, and it sounds perfect in my Avatar 112 and with the THD Flexi head….but of all the speakers, it was the worst fit for the Route 66 head/cab. The 66 has a very bold, full tone…and with that speaker it sounds rather boomy.
But then this weekend I got a Celestion Gold…and I have to say it was the clear winner for the 66 head/cab!
It tamed the low end of the 66 and provided a much smoother upper mid tone than the Greenback or the V30. But it didn’t sound quite as good in the Avatar 112…which is a bigger Bluesbreaker-style cab…while the Z cab is a 19x19 cab and it’s about ¾” deeper than the Avatar.
In the Avatar…the low end was a bit lighter sounding. It was still very sweet…but I just liked the Gold in the Z cab the most.
Anyway…I’m still considering trying out some other speakers in my other cabs…but I was wondering which non-Celestion choices are liked the most by people?
Yeah…I know any speaker will sound a bit differently from cab to cab…so you kinda’ have to do what I was already doing, and just get a bunch of speakers and experiment…but I’m sure there are some speakers that tend to always get high marks with most people and with most cabinet combinations.
Anyone have recommendations in case I get another mild GAS attack? 
I hear some of the Weber speakers are quite good…the Blue Dog line…
Eminence has some nice looking speakers…but MAN!...they have SO MANY to pick from….I find it hard to believe there can be that much noticeable differences between that many guitar speakers from one manufacturer…???
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miroslav - miroslavmusic.com"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
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#1937563 - 05/05/08 06:13 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: miroslav]
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Bluesape
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Any experience with Fane? I think they came with Hiwatts.
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#1937568 - 05/05/08 06:23 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: Bluesape]
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Zephyr
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I say look everywhere:
Weber, JBL, Jensen, Tone Tubby, etc.
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#1937590 - 05/05/08 07:11 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: Zephyr]
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Bill@Welcome Home Studios
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My favories were the Gauss 10 inch, but the PA version, not the guitar version. The PA verion was killer. Probably hard to find though.
Bill
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#1937591 - 05/05/08 07:14 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: Bill@Welcome Home Studios]
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Bill@Welcome Home Studios
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Oh, I should add that they were praticularl;y killer in the Gauss-designed 2x10 cabinet, which was about twice as deep as a traditional guitar cabinet; and in the SVT 8x10 bass amp cab (but it made that box heavier than imaginable...)
Bill
Edited by Bill@Welcome Home Studios (05/05/08 07:14 PM)
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#1938189 - 05/06/08 05:07 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: Bill@Welcome Home Studios]
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Caevan O'Shite
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I'm kinda leaning towards some Celestion G12H30s for pretty much the same reasons that you aren't; I could use a little more bold, full balance with my Lucky 7... it's a very bright, present amp, not tinny or shrill, but a little more oomph in the lows and low-mids might not hurt any...
Good to see that we think alike, on the character and merits of those speakers.
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#1938291 - 05/06/08 08:17 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: miroslav]
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MILLO
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wow.... lots of time and money invested in that experimentation... very interesting! So, like the Celestion Gold/ the Z 112? Have you tried it w/ the Flexi? Would the Flexi sound too bright w/ the Gold, you think?
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#1938305 - 05/06/08 08:37 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: MILLO]
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miroslav
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The Flexi can be made to sound pretty much any way you like...it's very flexible.
I think the Gold sounds good with most any amp...it has a bit of the Greenback "quack"...strong midrange like V30 (but not harsh)...and nice smooth bottom.
Actually...it's very smooth across the whole range, but with a signature sound.
The G12H30 is a more neutral sounding speaker...but very well balanced and no spikes in the upper-mids.
And I’m actually using most of the speakers…I didn’t end up with a stack of unused ones, as I have a few cabs. Right now I have one extra G12H30 and one Vintage 30. I will save them for something down the road…
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miroslav - miroslavmusic.com"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
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#1938309 - 05/06/08 08:46 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: miroslav]
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MILLO
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Cool...
I've had people recommend the Eminence Wizard. Never had one.
I have Eminece Swamp Thnags but these are not speakers you'd want as they have a handling of 150 watts each, and also sound dark according to some people, in comparison to more V30's etc. I don't know how trustworthy soundfiles on the net are, but you might want to go to the Eminence website and compare amongst speakers.
Have you ever tried a Marshall Vintage Modern? They're powered by KT-66's as well. Just curious.
Edited by MILLO (05/06/08 08:53 PM)
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#1938470 - 05/07/08 07:22 AM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: MILLO]
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Caevan O'Shite
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Hmmmnn...
Is the Celestion Alnico Gold sonically similar to the Blue, just with a higher power handling?
I'm wondering about the tonal and responsive differences between the G12H30, Greenback, and Blue, particularly if driven by a cranked Lucky 7. (I really don't think I need bother with the Gold's higher handling capacity with this amp!)
I'm also wondering about mixing pairs; say, a G12H30 and a Greenback, or a G12H30 and an Alnico Blue...
I want overdrive and break-up, too, but at the top of my headroom, being able to ease into it with the guitar's volume-knob and my "touch"...
I tellya, it's not easy to try various speakers with given amps, other than buying a bunch- mucho deniro!- and conducting an exhaustive, and exhausting, experiment project!!   
Myles had this to say (in reply to tube choices for the Fuchs Lucky 7):
"The Fuchs Lucky Seven is one of the coolest amps on the planet. I'd experiment around in the front end and just keep a good EL34 in the output stage. Play with V1 and the phase inverter V2. For a very cool tonal thing try a 6V6 with a 5751 in V1 .... classic blues tones or when cranked some rock tones that through a Vox blue in an open back 1x12 cab will record larger than a wall of Marshall Majors."
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#1938481 - 05/07/08 07:35 AM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: Caevan O'Shite]
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miroslav
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Hmmmnn...
Is the Celestion Alnico Gold sonically similar to the Blue, just with a higher power handling?
I'm wondering about the tonal and responsive differences between the G12H30, Greenback, and Blue, particularly if driven by a cranked Lucky 7.
Yes...the Gold is like the Blue, but it handles 60W instead of just 15W...
The G12H30 and Greenback are a sweet combination! 
That's what I now have in my 212 Avatar cab. It originally came with a pair of G12H30 speskers...but with that big cab and those speakers...too much low end fulness.
Now it sounds real nice! 
It wasn't too expensive...all I ended up buying in addition to my existing speakers were another Greenback and the Gold....though the Gold is a bit pricey....
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miroslav - miroslavmusic.com"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
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#1938835 - 05/07/08 06:05 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: Caevan O'Shite]
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miroslav
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So, miro'...
How would you compare the differences of the Blue/Gold alnicos, the G12H30, and the Greenbacks?
This is not absolute...just what I found.
G12H30 - smooth and well balanced, rather neutral, though you have to watch the cab, as I find it can become a bit boomy, especially two of them in a cab that has a lot of low end resonance, as this speaker has no spike in the high-end
Greenback - nice mid-lows...and that signature "quack". I love this speaker, but only when I use a fatter tone (which I normally do). With a real bright tone the "quack" can be more of a stab when you hit the high strings.
Gold - Nice low end, not too big...smooth mids...and some of the Greenback "quack", but this one doesn't ever stab when going on the bright side.
What would you expect from combining an alnico Blue and a G12H30 in a 2x12?
I think it's a nice combination...just watch your wattage, as the Blue is only 15W.
How about an alnico Blue and a Greenback?
Mmmm...might be a bit too chimey...?
If I get motivated to yank the Gold out of my Z cab again one day, I'll try it with a Greenback in a 212...but I would do a Greenback and a G12H30...that's what I now have in my Avatar Vintage 212...and it's real nice.
But this is all relative, as you already know the cab is equally important for the final tone...so you may hear things a bit differently in your rig.
What kind of 212 is it?
See...the Avatar Vintage is a real big cab...so I'm not sure how the Greenback and G12H30 would be in a small one.
Also...four of my cabs are open-back...the two Avatar cabs, the Z cab and my Top Hat combo.
Then there's the proximity to the back wall and all that, when dealing with open-back cabs.
I keep two of my open back cabs in front of two large bass reflex cabs that have 15’s in them.
I place the open-back cabs right up against them…and I am sure the 15’s are acting as passive low-end radiators.
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miroslav - miroslavmusic.com"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
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#1938978 - 05/07/08 11:47 PM
Re: Looking for some speaker ideas/comments....
[Re: Caevan O'Shite]
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Part-timer
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An lookd over speaker is the Altec lansing 416 15". You can find them used in the $100 range but they sing.
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