NSD: Eminence Wizard!

[Diego]

Bought one of these bad boys to replace the Emi Legend 125 in my 1x12 cab.
Looking to make it fill the sonic spectrum a bit more, with a more modern sound.
Should be much better. It's open back but I'm working on a small plan to make it 'convertible' to closed back.

Will install it and break it in in a couple of hours, the way it's meant to be done. Loud!

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Hmm, I wouldn't call the Wizard a modern speaker. It has a LOT of mids. It's certainly very LOUD, that's for sure.

Anyway, congrats! Hope you like it!

 

[Diego]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

I did read it's got lots of upper mid crunch, which is what I want.

If I don't like it, I can change it for the following: Governor, Texas Heat, Red White & Blues, Screamin' Eagle, Legend GB128.

Installing it as we speak...

UPDATE: Only tried it at low volumes so far... it's different, but damn it's good!
I'm pretty crappy at describing what I wanted soundwise, but I can say this:

The Legend 125 had a few problems: The highs were very shrill and dominant, it lacked some upper mid cut for high gain sounds, and the bass lacked punch and got flabby quickly.
I liked it for some vintage stuff but nothing else. It's very in-your-face, in a bad way.

The Wizard has much tamer highs, the mids sit a bit wider but with some nice cut, and the bass is more much present and punchy.
It sounds much bigger than before, it's a big sound for a oversized 1x12 cab.
Eminence describe it as suitable for 60's and 70's Rock, and it is. But I think it can do much more than that.

It's WAY louder too. I wouldn't call it a 'modern' speaker, but then I was looking for something MORE modern. Not a fully modern heavy tone, just something more suitable and versatile.
So far, it's a winner.

 

[papersoul]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

I didn't like it as much as my Celestion V30s which to me had more depth and punch, better lows.

 

[Diego]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

And it just passed the silly loud test. Put the master somewhere between 7/8 and let some chords rip with my Ibanez...

I was slightly concerned that my Tweaker lacked some grind and cut with high gain sounds. It was the Legend 125 all along.

The Wizard when loud puts out some serious cut.
I had to roll back the highs quite a bit and the result is a inmensely strong and defined sound with very prominent mids, that doesn't flab the least, even when drenched in bass.
And it does give a lot of bass, even with an open back configuration.
Even with the mids on a almost scooped setting, the sound was very present and pushed forward. Fun for jamming, but I wouldn't set it like that with the band.

With the Legend it was always a struggle between tiny bass, or adding bass and my sound turning to mush. Not anymore!

I can't believe how good it sounds! I gave it a quick test through the Vox/Mesa and Marshall channels in the Tweaker, it sounds fantastic through all of them.

Can't wait to test this one with the band. And I imagine that it will sound a bit more mellow and warm with some extra hours in.
Wouldn't hurt.

It looks like my ultimate powerful-yet-portable rig is almost done... next step: Pedalboard.

 

[Dr.K]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Congrats!

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Yes, the Wizard really comes alive at about 90dB, when the tubes are cookin' and your hands are warmed up and your ears are ready to bleed a little!

If you ever get another 1x12 or go to a bigger cab, I cannot recommend the Swamp Thang enough to compliment the Wizard.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

I didn't like it as much as my Celestion V30s which to me had more depth and punch, better lows.

Horses for courses; I have a V30 loaded cab, as well as a Wizard/Swamp Thang loaded cab (and a few other cabs as well), and they both bring different things to the table. From my perspective, the V30 has a better "set it and forget it" tone; you need to dig a little deeper to get a workable tone from the Wizard. I also find that I need to do more work in the mixing stage on the V30 recorded tracks; the Wizard and Swamp Thang translate much better from "what you hear in the room" to "what I hear in the mix". IMO, of course ...

 

[Diego]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Twilight, some folks here swear by the Wizard/Governor combo too.
I think it would be hard to go wrong with a W/G or a W/ST combination.
The Wizard at least with my rig sounds terrific.

I didn't buy the Swamp Thang only because the local Eminence dealer doesn't bring it so there's none, even on the used market.
Can't say I feel bad about it at this moment!

I'd love to try this cab with my Cube 60 too, I think I'll be in for a surprise with the 5150/Recto modes!

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Twilight, some folks here swear by the Wizard/Governor combo too.
I think it would be hard to go wrong with a W/G or a W/ST combination.
The Wizard at least with my rig sounds terrific.

Glad you found something that suits your tastes. I'm in the Governor/Wizard camp. It really sounds great, and it's next to impossible to get it to mush out, in my experience.

That being said, I'd still love to try a Swamp Thang, but I haven't found a reason to buy one yet. The next cabinet I buy will most likely be a 2x12 loaded with Greenbacks or clones.

 

[Maynardo]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Good thing they dropped the prices on Wizards and Governors in this country, too bad they did it when I'm broke :banghead:

 

[kjrocks]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

After spending a few years trying out the Texas Heat, Governor, Man o War , Black Shadow and a V30 I ended up sticking with the Wizard too.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

I like having a variety of cabinet sizes, guitars, amps, AND speakers to choose from. I guess I will never be an "X for life" kind of player.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Thats cool you have done a speaker swap and you have noticed a big improvement. Speakers are so important, but often the last thing people look at. Enjoy!

 

[Diego]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Good thing they dropped the prices on Wizards and Governors in this country, too bad they did it when I'm broke :banghead:

Don't worry, the guys at Audiomusica told me they were still selling really slow.
Nobody cares about speakers this side of the world.

 

[Diego]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

I thought it was the Tweaker that turned itself to mud when dialing the bass in.
Thought it was the 6V6 tubes or the fact it's only 15 watts. I was thinking about a Blackstar.

Wrong, wrong and wrong. A new speaker and it's a new amp. Super defined across the whole frequencies. Just amazing.

Guys, mind your speakers. It's no joke how the wrong speaker can ruin your entire tonal equation.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Guys, mind your speakers. It's no joke how the wrong speaker can ruin your entire tonal equation.

so true.

 

[xntrick]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Twilight, some folks here swear by the Wizard/Governor combo too.

I had that pair in my 2x12 which sounded great but good god it is effin loud and volume is the last thing i need. Currently using 2 WGS ET65 and i am liking them very much.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

I thought it was the Tweaker that turned itself to mud when dialing the bass in.
Thought it was the 6V6 tubes or the fact it's only 15 watts. I was thinking about a Blackstar.

Wrong, wrong and wrong. A new speaker and it's a new amp. Super defined across the whole frequencies. Just amazing.

Guys, mind your speakers. It's no joke how the wrong speaker can ruin your entire tonal equation.

Just think. The speaker is the last thing in the tone chain and it the physical piece you hear. Speakers probably contribute to 70% or more of your tone. A few times I have had that "man, I thought this amp was supposed to be great" moment, but it turned out to be poor speakers, or I just didnt like the interaction of speaker/amp in a particular setup.

The Wizard is supposed to be Eminence version of the Celestion G12H-30. With most Eminence speakers, I find the high end to be smoother than it's Celestion counterpart. Either way, I really like those speakers. You can crank out vintage, modern or any tones in between. I used to use them with my old 5150 setup and it was awesome. They took that beast in stride.

 

[dystrust]

Re: NSD: Eminence Wizard!

Glad to hear that a Tweaker sounds good with an Emi Wizard. I currently run my 2555 through a Earcandy Buzzbomb loaded with Wizards and love it. I've been thinking of picking up a Tweaker, and this makes me want it that much more.