Speaker suggestions?

[KingBiscuit]

I have a Fender Pro Tube series Pro Reverb amp. After installing new tubes and setting the bias properly, it sounds pretty good.

It does, however, have that ice-pick-in-the-ear thing on the drive channel when cranked. I personally hate this, though I've observed some players dig it.

I often feel like I'm fighting this sort of thing with many speakers. For example, I have a couple of vintage Marshall heads and love the tone of the amps. I have an old Marshall cab with vintage greenbacks in it and I despise the sound of these speakers. I can't fathom why anyone likes them. Very harsh upper-mids. Gives me a headache. I never use this cab. Another cab, loaded with G12M-70's, sounds great with these same amps. I never feel like I am fighting the high end. (and most people hate the G12M-70's - go figure).

Anyway, back to the Pro Reverb. I tried an Eminence Legend I had laying around, but it made the problem worse. Plugged into the Marshall cab with the greenbacks is also unbearable. I haven't had the cab with the M-70's in the same place as the Fender to try it, but even if it tamed the fizzies, I suspect it would kill the tone on the clean channel.

I'd like to find something that works for a good Fender clean, but is "dark" enough not to get so bright on the drive channel.

I know I can mod the amp, too, but would rather not deal with the PCB. Besides, I already know I prefer darker speakers, and there's a ton of highs on both channels. I think the right speaker might shave off the offending fizz without turning either channel to mud.

So - any suggestions? (stock speaker is a 12" Jensen C12N, I think)

Thanks in advance...

-KB

[Rob Denton]

Try bringing your amp to your music store and ask if you can try out some closed back cabinets. Don't laugh, I recently bought a single 10" closed cab by Blackheart Engineering (a division of LOUD) the speaker inside is an Eminence as well. I really like it, but I'm peculiar in my taste. Try some cabs out and see what they do. I know it's hard to get a feel for what a cabinet can do in a music store, but you can get a feel for the differences.

Another thing I did recently on a little Vox 15watt amp was to close the back with a piece of plywood (or pine or cedar). Try this; it's the cheapest and lowest-tech experiment. If you don't want to put screws into the back of your amp ( I understand that you might not want to), just tape it on and see what it does. I find this warms up the low end and subdues the shrill highs a bit. NOTE: when you're gigging or recording you might want to be more discerning when you place the mic; sealing the back can make your sound more directional so you won't necessarily be hearing what the mic hears. Specifically, the mic, being right in front of the speaker, might pick up some of those shrill highs you don't like.

Good luck and let me know how it works out.

[Chuck H]

Another cab, loaded with G12M-70's, sounds great with these same amps. I never feel like I am fighting the high end. (and most people hate the G12M-70's - go figure).

I haven't had the cab with the M-70's in the same place as the Fender to try it, but even if it tamed the fizzies, I suspect it would kill the tone on the clean channel.

The g12m70 has a bit of a cult following. Some players do like them. I love mine. For heavy crunchy distortion they have no equal. But I know from experience that they can make the prettiest, chimey, bell like clean tone sound sterile and plain. I would love to have a speaker that did both. I did have a pair of V30s that did a good job. But the next pair I bought sounded much different. And the next one I bought suffered from cone cry. It's just a crap shoot with the V30. But when they're good, they're good. Thats probably why Celestion can keep selling them.

You might try the Emminence Cannabis Rex. Good balance with some top end and a sharp rolloff in the very high freqs. Mine sounded great clean but became too dark with overdrive. Sounds like what your after.

Chuck

[aireland]

Eminence has sound clips of all their guitar speakers up on their website. They do 3 clips, clean, dirty and heavy.