NAD: Ace in the hole! Mesa Stiletto Ace 2x12

[Aceman]

The Koolkat KK SL2 fotoswitch is what I use.

Works perfectly. You want the foot switch.

[Aceman]

That's a hell of a deal on a really underrated amp. The cleans really surprised me when I tried one. I don't think they work all that well as a bedroom amp, and that's probably where the bad rep comes from - without getting the volume up they can sound a little thin.

Great score!

Yeah - it can play quiet, but it needs to run at a certain level to really shine. Not insane loud, mind you, but not chill Sunday night in an apartment level either.

[Fender_Punk]

Yeah - it can play quiet, but it needs to run at a certain level to really shine. Not insane loud, mind you, but not chill Sunday night in an apartment level either.

This is true, and thankfully, something I can manage! It honestly does sound glorious as is, and I'm not a big fan of V30s.

I bought two Celestion UK Neo Dogs before moving, and put one in the C30. Once my stuff arrives I might put both Neo Dogs in the Stiletto and try a V30 in the C30 (as it's much smaller and lighter to begin with). If I do I'll do a before/after as there's not a ton of content on these amps, especially regarding speaker swaps.

[Securb]

When I bought my Carvin, it looked a little beat up. I glued the loose vinyl down and then filled in the seams and cracks with an automotive vinyl repair kit. It looks perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81781-Ultra-Leather-Repair/dp/B0007TQWK6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=Y8E12Z9RJ81B&keywords=vinyl%2Brepair%2Bkit%2Bwith%2Biron&qid=1675050187&s=automotive&sprefix=vinyl%2Brepair%2Bkit%2Bwith%2Biron%2Cautomotive%2C109&sr=1-4&th=1

[Fender_Punk]

Makes me want to try a Swamp Thang/Wheelhouse combo.
That's definitely a sweet score. I think that I would only change one of the speakers. Vintage 30's pair well with a few other speakers. T-75's for sure.

V30 + G12t-75 is definitely a tried and true recipe for success.

IMO the Eminence Govenors would be a downgrade.

I'm genuinely curious, why do you take this position? UK vs USA made speakers.

[Ascension]

V30 + G12t-75 is definitely a tried and true recipe for success.



I'm genuinely curious, why do you take this position? UK vs USA made speakers.

I'm not a big fan of the Vin 30's in a open back cab but am a huge fan of them in the right closed back cab. The Celestion Vin 30's most use now are made in China not England. Few will run a real Britt Vin 30 outside of Mesa because of the cost. They are completely different sounding speakers to my ear and many of us wonder if Mesa actually specs them slightly differently. The real Vin 30's in a well designed closed back cab are really hard to beat in particular for a modern modded Marshall voiced amp.
I'm running a mix of speakers in my rigs . Have a mid 90's 75 in my open back Blackstar 1/12 at my Church( but may swap it for a WGS ET 65 at some point) , A 90 in my Boogie widebody 1/12, real Vin 30's in my PRS 2/12 deep closed back cab and WGS's in both my Zinky Blue Velvet ( Retro 30) and Mesa Subway Rocket ( ET 10) combos.
I would seriously consider leaving the stock Vin 30's in that Boogie because of what those are.

[devastone]

The Wizard and Governor are both great speakers and definitely not a downgrade, but not sure they would be that much change from the Mesa V30s currently in there. They are both variants on the V30 theme, the Wizard has a little more sizzle on top, but they are very similar. I've used the Man O' War too, another great speaker, more in the vein of the Celestion Classic Lead series IIRC.

[misterwhizzy]

The Wizard and Governor are both great speakers and definitely not a downgrade, but not sure they would be that much change from the Mesa V30s currently in there. They are both variants on the V30 theme.

I disagree, and I believe Eminence disagrees as well. From what I understand, the Wizard is their take on the G12H-30. For what it's worth, I think I like my Governor better than I like my V30s, but I like my Greenbacks better than any of them.

[Aceman]

Slightly off topic;

What would be a good Greenback 25 style replacement?

[jeremy]

why not a greenback? or do you want more power handling?

[GuitarStv]

The Eminence Private Jack was supposed to be a higher wattage greenback replacement.

[misterwhizzy]

why not a greenback? or do you want more power handling?

In that case, the answer is multiple 25-Watt Greenbacks.

[Demanic]

Am I the only one who finds that the Greenback gets ratty when fed heavy distortion? Sure, for ACDC or Van Halen it's fine. Not so much for Exodus or Overkill.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

[misterwhizzy]

Am I the only one who finds that the Greenback gets ratty when fed heavy distortion? Sure, for ACDC or Van Halen it's fine. Not so much for Exodus or Overkill.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

Just thick and crunchy to my ears.

[jeremy]

while i love greenbacks, i agree that there are better choices for heavy modern tones