New Amplifier Cabinet Day: The Sound of Rock N'Roll

Yes, it's true.  I've acquired more musical equipment.  I also have to say my title is a bit misleading.  It's not really been a new cabinet day since this acquisition took place over a few months.  But let me start at the beginning.

I was watching a YouTube video that was reviewing the best 2X12 cabinet on the market (for the money.)  It was a Harley Benton G212 Vintage cabinet that came stock with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.  It's sold through Thomann Music for $205 plus shipping of $33 from Germany.  Here's the link:

https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_g212_vintage.htm

For any of my music gearheads, you know you can't even buy the Celestion speakers for that price, much less an equipped cabinet with speakers.  I had been wanting a 2X12 cabinet to pair with my Genz Benz El Diablo 100 amplifier.  This was the perfect cabinet so I ordered it.  It was on backorder so I had to wait a month to receive it.

Looks great, right?  However, there is something I forgot to mention.  I personally hate Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.  They sound unfocused, and have a weird high-mid spike.  I just can not for the life of me EQ an amp properly with them.  But I had a plan.

I took them out, and put up an ad on Craigslist.  I said I was aiming to trade the speakers more than I was to sell.  To be honest, musical instruments aren't selling on Craigslist right now so I didn't really have to worry about that.

However, there was one thing I ran into that I hadn't run into before.  Usually when I would receive trade offers they would be pretty fair.  This time around I was offered a whole lot of crap.  I mean, it was stuff that wasn't even close to being worth my time.  I won't go into details as it's pretty depressing, but I finally got the offer I had been looking for.

A musician up the road had what I really wanted.  A pair of Celestion G12T-75 speakers.  He agreed to come on over, and I tested out all the speakers.  We were both happy, so the trade worked out for everyone.

So I installed the G12T-75 speakers, and I have to say it sounds awesome.  To me the Celestion 75's are the sound of rock n' roll.  I recently purchased my first seven string guitar.  I have to say that the Genz Benz El Diablo 100 and the Celestion 75's are perfect for it.  Not to mention that it's a great set-up for all my guitars.

So I am really excited for this purchase.  Remember, I bought this new for $238 (U.S. dollars.)  To buy the equivalent of this set-up I would have to purchase a Marshall 1936 cabinet which is now $799 new from Sweetwater.  Here's the link:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1936--marshall-1936-150-watt-2x12-inch-extension-cabinet

So yeah, this is by far a much better deal.  I haven't had a chance to turn her up really loud yet, but one of these days I may drag my set-up outside to see just what she can do at full blast.  If I turned the volume all the way up inside the house I'd probably kill the fish.  And I really don't want to do that.

Chasing Sound

Like a lot of musicians, I chase sound.  I am always looking for the opportunity to get that perfect tone.  So eventually this search ends up the same way.... with a lot of money being spent.  Lately, I've noticed a lot of instruments being put up for sale on Craigslist, but the truth is not many are being sold.  They are being traded.

Take for instance my WGS Veteran 30 speakers.  I had two of them.  I traded one for a different WGS speaker to use in my Epiphone Valve Jr. custom made combo amp.  So I put the other one up for sale, and got nothing. 

Not one person wanted to buy it.  I had one guy who lived 100 miles away try to trade for it, but nothing came of that.  I had another guy who was sketchy as hell.  Then, he wanted me to drive over to his place.  I said, that was not going to happen.  Then, I never heard from him again.

I mean, does no one want a perfectly good speaker?

So, as I was browsing Craigslist, I noticed a seller trying to sell a WGS British Lead speaker.  I thought about it.  My Sunn Alpha 212R amp has played well with the Celestion 75 speakers I have it in.  However, both are bass heavy, and I thought it might do well with a single speaker change.  That way, I can keep one Celestion speaker in it, and add a different speaker to balance it out.

First up, here is the Sunn amp.

I took out the Celestion speaker.

And added the WGS British Lead.

And here's the amp with the new speaker.

You can see the new speaker on the left.  Once I started testing it, I could hear that the guy I traded with was telling the truth.  He said it only had two hours of playing time on it.  After testing it out, I could hear that it was still pretty stiff.  Most speakers need at least 20 hours of playing time on them to start sounding like they should.

I have to say, it didn't sound that different from the Celestion 75.  At the moment, I can hear that it is not as bass heavy, but it is still a bright, British sounding speaker.  But after some playing time the sound will open up, and I can tell if I want to keep it, or trade it back out for the Celestion it replaced. 

Not Another Project! Combo Amp Time!

Not another project!  It's time I finished my other projects before I start another one right?  Well, this has a good purpose.  Since I am playing small venues I really need a small amp.  I've been carrying around an 80 pound SUNN amp from the 70's.  It sounds so awesome, but I just can't carry that thing around anymore.

So I decided to perform a bit of building, modding, and customizing.  Let me start at the beginning.  For my birthday I received an Epiphone Valve Junior amp head.

These are some of the most customizable amps on the market.  I plan on buying a Bitmo kit that will add sound options for this head.  Next I will build a combo amp cabinet out of some of the nice wood I have lying around. 

I am still deciding on what speaker I will be using, but that is still a ways off.  I would like to use a alnico speaker, but those are so expensive.  And even though alnico speakers have a certain bluesy sound that can't be beat, there are some ceramic speakers that overdrive faster that I am seriously considering.  Either way, I plan on using a 10 inch speaker for a tighter sound. 

So I plan on updating my blog with new pictures once I get some work accomplished.  I have a good feeling that this project will come out pretty nice.

The Wheels On The Cab Go Round And Round

I have to admit, I am getting older.  I just can't lift my musical instrument cabinets like I used to.  So that meant it was time to put some wheels (casters) on them.

First up, is a Laney cabinet I bought a few years back.  I hated the speakers that were in it, so I sold them, and bought Carvin Vintage Series speakers to replace them in the cab.  They are American sounding speakers so I pair them with my Crate Blue Voodoo amp.  It has the American sounding 6L6 tubes in it.

So it was time to put wheels on it.

Since I was using bolts and not screws I had to put the casters closer inside than I would have liked.  I needed to have room around the bolts to put lock washers and nuts. 

Luckily, I was able to get the casters put in appropriate places.  The cabinet is standing upright just fine with the Crate head on it. 

The cabinet is a bit beat up, but it is still very strong.  I also happen to like the handles on it as well.  The project wasn't so hard as it was time consuming.  I had to make sure everything was in the right place.  But at least I can move the cabinet around now much easier.  Really, I should have done this a long time ago. 

Soaking Up The SUNN

A few years ago I was lucky enough to find an old SUNN amp in a pawn shop.  When I first heard it I didn't exactly like it.  But luckily, having a decent ear I could tell that the speakers weren't great and that they were probably wore out.  I liked that the controls (EQ, Drive) were very wide, thereby allowing a wide range of sounds.

For those unfamilar with SUNN amps, here's a great website:

http://www.richbriere.com/The_Sunn_Shack.htm

The back story is really cool.  A true part of rock n' roll history.

So, when I got the amp I decided to replace the speakers.  Long story short, I changed them out with Warehouse Guitar Speakers Veteran 30's.  This was when WGS were relativity new.  Here's their website:

http://www.wgs4.com/

And here's the link to the Veteran 30 speakers:  http://www.wgs4.com/content/vet30

They were great speakers, and the price was right, but they weren't my sound.  They had a bit too much of a mid scoop for me.  And even though I like a lot of treble, with this amp the top end sounded off.  I want to be clear, in that, this was with this amp specifically.  I have WGS V30's in a 2 X 12 cabinet, and they work great with other amps.

I managed to find a guy on Craigslist who wanted to trade a pair of Celestion 75's, for a pair of V30's.  Long story short, we made the trade.  As soon as I put the speakers in my SUNN amp, the sound was "right."  I've always loved the sound of the Celestion 75's, in that, they are the sound of rock n' roll.

They are also great for this particular amp.  The bass is right in-between the point of being full and tight.  It's just perfect.  The mids are also fuller, but that's to be expected with these speakers.  The highs are softer, more relaxed, and don't sound like a mosquito trying to bite me.

Overall, I think it was a great trade for both of us.  Lately I have had some good luck on Craigslist with trading musical instrument parts.  You just have to keep an eye out, and hope you run into someone that's pretty cool to deal with.