Tweet
I've been wondering about speaker replacements, specifically whether they really can improve a combo amp.
I bought a used Traynor YCV20WR 1x12 combo tube amp with the intention of modding it with a custom speaker. It came with a Celestion Greenback, and I really don't know if some of the faults of the amp are due to the speaker or some other aspect. Players say the Greenback is a good speaker.
I guess I should start out by saying the Traynor is really well made and better than most other amps its size I've had a chance to play and suits the single coils very well. I have a Strat with Rio Grande single coils, the Dual Compensated set of Tall Boy, Halfbreed, and Muy Grande. I play 11-46 strings normally, but sometimes 10's.
Its faults are that , when played clean, it picks up and resonates the undesirable high-pitched, wavering of the unwound strings. The sound I can most easily relate it to is an unplugged electric being played into a mic--thin strings being fingered without finesse. Those strings lack Authority, no matter how deftly they are played. The reverb is springy and tinny, like yelling into a coffee can, and it accentuates that bitter high end with the questionable intonation. The wound strings do a lot better, but they seem to lack the thunder and assertiveness I get with some other amps. I'm not playing the amp very loudly or pushing it very hard--just normal room temp. And I've put the EQ at Bass 2, Mid 6, Trebel 5--or thereabouts. Turning down the mid or treble just dulls things and doesn't address the problem.
I was looking at the Weber speakers, specifically the Silver Bell 30 watt and the Blue Dog 30 watt, both alnico. I think ceramic might just bring out more of that bitter high end.
I bought a used Traynor YCV20WR 1x12 combo tube amp with the intention of modding it with a custom speaker. It came with a Celestion Greenback, and I really don't know if some of the faults of the amp are due to the speaker or some other aspect. Players say the Greenback is a good speaker.
I guess I should start out by saying the Traynor is really well made and better than most other amps its size I've had a chance to play and suits the single coils very well. I have a Strat with Rio Grande single coils, the Dual Compensated set of Tall Boy, Halfbreed, and Muy Grande. I play 11-46 strings normally, but sometimes 10's.
Its faults are that , when played clean, it picks up and resonates the undesirable high-pitched, wavering of the unwound strings. The sound I can most easily relate it to is an unplugged electric being played into a mic--thin strings being fingered without finesse. Those strings lack Authority, no matter how deftly they are played. The reverb is springy and tinny, like yelling into a coffee can, and it accentuates that bitter high end with the questionable intonation. The wound strings do a lot better, but they seem to lack the thunder and assertiveness I get with some other amps. I'm not playing the amp very loudly or pushing it very hard--just normal room temp. And I've put the EQ at Bass 2, Mid 6, Trebel 5--or thereabouts. Turning down the mid or treble just dulls things and doesn't address the problem.
I was looking at the Weber speakers, specifically the Silver Bell 30 watt and the Blue Dog 30 watt, both alnico. I think ceramic might just bring out more of that bitter high end.
Comment