Low sensitivity, alnico speaker, for Blackstar HT-20?

[Erlend_G]

So, my paycheck comes tomorrow. I've started saving up money, for musical equipment that i need - eh... want. .

I realize that I will most likely NEVER need maximum volume from my Blackstar HT-20mkII. Rather, I see it being used at home for playing, rehearsing, recording-
-with an acoustic band, not very loud.

Must be honest and make it clear; I have absolutely no experience with speakers, speakers changes, and so. But I've spent many hours reading about the topic, and listening to sound clips/comparisons on YouTube.

From the information I've gathered, vintage style AlNiCo speakers; sound very sweet- and often have a lower sensitivity. So that I can bring up my master volume more, with less volume. The stock speaker has a huge magnet, it doesn't sound "bad" at all- but I'd love a more vintage, coloured tone.

I am considering , atleast ordering and trying out another speaker in my Blackstar- maybe a Weber . Though, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"...

So don't waste all your energy on this thread. Just seeing if anyone had some "cheap guidance and tips" to throw my direction \m/

Peace!

-Erl ♪

[Erlend_G]

(BTW; I asked earlier about if I could, in theory, wire a resistor in series with my gain control. To make it easier to adjust low gain tones, while "sacrificing" some of the useless range at the last 3/4. But I see that the pots are some nasty ones, soldered directly onto the PCB. So I can't do this at home... I will have to turn my guitar down instead). Thanks .

[devastone]

You can put a volume pot in the effects loop, better than putting a resistor on the gain control, which would also mess with your, well, gain.

Something like this - https://reverb.com/item/6241403-omni...oop-attenuator

Can't really comment on the alnico speaker, not really a connoisseur.

[misterwhizzy]

Speaker swapping is an incredibly useful, often overlooked, very expensive hobby. Welcome to the game. I don't play often, especially since I discovered my love for Greenbacks.

[jeremy]

weber makes great speakers. alnico does seem to have a certain something to it but i wouldnt think spending $100+ on an in-efficient alnico is really a good use of your money

[Animal]

I'd hate to be "that" guy, but you need to stop chasing all these mods to turn your amp into something that it isn't. I've been down that path before, thinking I had "one mod to rule them all" which never turned out to be. Would have been better off to get the amp I wanted from the start.

Blackstar amps are designed with "modded" sounds out of the box. Sure, a speaker swap can make a difference but it's still the same amp. An alnico speaker might sound cool with a HT-20 but is an expensive mismatch for it's intended use. It won't really get moving at low volume and may in fact be LOUDER than the stock speaker. You'll want something more hi-fi and modern to get the most out of a HT-20.

Whatever you do, remember this:

Every dollar you spend will take you further away from owning your actual dream amp, which I believe is a Fender Princeton. Man...you need to get your spending habits under control, I mean crikey, you have a thread in Off-Topic area talking about purchasing Burberry cologne!

[Erlend_G]

Last time I checked, a good smelling deodorant stick was 20USD.

...

I'm not trying to make the Blackstar into something it's not; I think it's a great amp. Though, it being the amp I'm going to use until it breaks (or I win the lottery), I'm often thinking about what relatively affordable mod can be done. Or what effects I want. My EHX Allied Overdrive is a great match in front of the amp, giving me a wide variety of equalization voicings, crunch, boost- money well spent.

devastone: I'm waiting for an older BOSS 10-band EQ to arrive, it will "live" in my FX loop. As far as tuning into low-gain settings on the OD channel, I guess I can live with turning down my guitars volume.

Thanks for your replies!

-E

[devastone]

devastone: I'm waiting for an older BOSS 10-band EQ to arrive, it will "live" in my FX loop. As far as tuning into low-gain settings on the OD channel, I guess I can live with turning down my guitars volume.

You can use the main level on the EQ as a "master" volume. Turning down the guitar volume is more of a tone/gain changer than a volume changer.

[Gtrjunior]

The volume box Devastone linked would work great. You can still use the eq in the loop along with the volume box.
Put the volume box last in the loop chain.
Those 2 pedals will get you what you want on the cheap.


Also, I can get a 4 pack of deodorant at the local box store for +\-$10(US).

[devastone]

$20 is some pricey deodorant, must be more over there. I'd probably ration it more if it cost that much here.

[AlexR]

If you had a vintage amp that relied on the master to get its iconic tone, then maybe making it slightly more friendly to turn up might be worthwhile.
But you don't.
You are also most likely trying to make it work for more bedroom volumes, so there is nothing in your intended application even close to the air displacement of cranked tone that you'll get even if you did have an old amp design.

You're now chasing your tail like we've all seen you do a dozen times already.
But like all these times before, you probably aren't going to listen to good advice because you've erroneously convinced yourself yet again that you're suddenly going to solve all your tonal issues with this swap.

But have you ever considered that the speaker you get (only based on its dB rating seemingly) might be infinitely worse for the amp you're about to put it in???
Not every amp sounds good with alnico speakers. Vintage amps (and designs) generally do due to the gain structure they have (ie all tube and low gain). But more modern ones are a crapshoot. I'd be paying careful attention to video shootouts where a test is done of the amp you own with various speakers, and look for a tonal improvement to your ear, dB be damned.

[Animal]

Last time I checked, a good smelling deodorant stick was 20USD.

I thought you were considering actual Burberry London cologne, but even $20 for designer deodorant is just plain stupid for someone in your situation. NO ONE will care if you smell fancy, and some may even think you're an idiot for trying to impress them. This reminds me of when I bought an expensive bottle of HUGO by Hugo Boss when I was 18 thinking it would help me pick up chicks, LOL! I barely even had a few hundred dollars to my name.

I'm not trying to make the Blackstar into something it's not; I think it's a great amp.

I'm not saying it's a bad amp at all but you're clearly looking for something more visceral. You must have started at least 10 threads asking about how to change the sound in some way or another. A HT-series amp is going to have an optimised fixed range of sounds no matter what you do to it. All the dials and switches are there on the amp. The designers did this so you don't have to screw around with it even more.

Though, it being the amp I'm going to use until it breaks (or I win the lottery), I'm often thinking about what relatively affordable mod can be done.

I went through exactly the same mindset when I was in 20s. You 100% have the power to defer gratification and take steps towards making conscientious purchases in the future.

The collective value of your amp + pedals with the addition of maybe 6-12 months of payment savings could help you obtain an actual Fender Princeton. $100 here and there may not seem like much at the time but ultimately chips away at something greater later on. Think about it, you're potentially half a year away from owning your dream amp but continue to chase the dragon with compulsive spending hoping to find that silver bullet.

I mean, come on.

[Erlend_G]

Thanks for the replies guys

I'm not going to argue in any way...

Just cool to hear your thoughts and ideas ; versus my ideas.

Rock on! \m/

-Erl ♪