Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

B

bara686

New member
Hey guys,

So after racking your brains with pickup questions -- I am on to speaker questions!

I own a Blackstar HT-5 and am really digging the tones I get. I purchased the half stack with 2 1x10s but am now thinking about purchasing an Avatar 2x12. I am really not too keen on speakers and need some assistance.

If I could sum up the 3 tones I really want and currently get (for the most part) off of bands, they are Van Halen, Weezer, and Dire Straits.

With my new pups and the amp, its lacking a bit in the bass department. I realize a 12" will help a lot but I understand picking a speaker is important. I have looked at the G12H30, Greenbacks, and v30s (as well as some clones of these speakers) not too updated on Eminence.

Could I get some feedback? Right now I am set 2 G12H30s but I have no true basis for that. I am obviously interested in the Greenbacks because of VH using them and thats my main tone chase, but I think because i have the 5w they may break up too soon (which is great for VH but not for some other stuff).

Please help, much obliged!

Matt
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

Speakers have a pretty big influence on sound but they still won't radically alter the inherent tone & feel of an amp. Having said that a larger cabinet will generally have more "size" in the low end then a smaller cabinet, all things being equal.

The G12H30's have more low-end then either V30s or Greenbacks and are a great all-round choice. Greenbacks have a 'forward' midrange and are smooth on top and not very extended on bottom, not much "thump" there. The V30s have more top & bottom then GB's... more "scooped" but not as scooped as a 75 watt celestion.

With a 5 watt amp the Greenbacks won't break up at all...
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

The power stage will likely break up, that may be an issue.

What speakers you want probably depends on what other amps you'll use it with.

I'm not familiar enough with Weezer to comment on their gear. Giving an era of Van Halen & Dire Straits would help nail things down. Mark Knopfler used a variety of speakers in different eras and on different recordings, but mainly EVM12L speakers later on.

Mixing a G12M25, Blue Dog or Silver Bell & G12H30 (or G12H30-55) is one popular approach. Mixing Fender & Marshall-style speakers generally fails due to more efficiency & frequency focus from the brits drowning the other out.

For Dire Straits, you probably want something a bit less bright/upper-mid focused than a G12M25. A G12H30 should beef up the low power amp nicely.

Mixing a Celestion (or clone) with an EVM12L is pretty popular as well. Gives the tightness of the 12L with the character of the lower power speaker.
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

The Avatar Vintage 2x12 cab (closed back) with 2 G12H30s should sound awesome with your current amp as well as with many other amps.
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

The Vintage 2x12 closed back was EXACTLY what I was going for! You are fueling my GAS for the 2x12 with 2 G12H30s.

Despair, thanks for the read, it was extremely informative. Bear in mind I can always swap out the speakers once I get some different amp heads. For now, the HT-5 is all I have got/need/want.

The EVM12L is what exactly, haven't really run across anything on it? And because I am very new to this I will ask the obvious, "the Greenback/G12h30 mix IS a good package?"

Thanks!
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

It's a 300W 12" speaker voiced for Lead guitar, manufactured by ElectroVoice.

It's got a mid peak similar to a Celestion, but it's a bit smoother & woodier, less rasp. It can get a bit harsh with the wrong amp, but so can the wrong Celestion. It can also push WAY more bass than similarly voiced Celestions, and it doesn't break up.

I have one in a Mesa/Boogie thiele-ported cab, and in that configuration it's very well balanced.

It's loved by shredders because it's punchy and doesn't break up. Jake E Lee used them heavily, too. And then Knopfler...

The nice thing about speaker combos is you get a sound like an even bigger cabinet that way, when you pick a combo that complement each other well. One fills in the bass, the other gets the upper mids or presence that the first is slightly weaker in... It's extremely popular with 2x12 amps going back 15+ years. Matchless DC30 & Chieftain in particular.

You could also mix the G12H30-55 & G12H30-75 (75 is often omitted, that's the standard guitar cone). Hendrix is claimed to have used the G12H30-55 with a bassman or jtm45 head for cleans.
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

J Moose said:
Speakers have a pretty big influence on sound but they still won't radically alter the inherent tone & feel of an amp. Having said that a larger cabinet will generally have more "size" in the low end then a smaller cabinet, all things being equal.

The G12H30's have more low-end then either V30s or Greenbacks and are a great all-round choice. Greenbacks have a 'forward' midrange and are smooth on top and not very extended on bottom, not much "thump" there. The V30s have more top & bottom then GB's... more "scooped" but not as scooped as a 75 watt celestion.

With a 5 watt amp the Greenbacks won't break up at all...
Click to expand...

Vintage 30's are known for screaming mids, kind of like the speaker equivalent of the JB. They sound great with band as the mids cut through but practicing by yourself at any any kind of higher volume will get painful. This is all my personal experience, YMMV.
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

J Moose said:
Speakers have a pretty big influence on sound but they still won't radically alter the inherent tone & feel of an amp. Having said that a larger cabinet will generally have more "size" in the low end then a smaller cabinet, all things being equal.

The G12H30's have more low-end then either V30s or Greenbacks and are a great all-round choice. Greenbacks have a 'forward' midrange and are smooth on top and not very extended on bottom, not much "thump" there. The V30s have more top & bottom then GB's... more "scooped" but not as scooped as a 75 watt celestion.

With a 5watt amp the Greenbacks won't break up at all...
Click to expand...



. . . Moose said it all.

Also, an EL84 (think the OP's 5wttar runs on the lil bottles) amp is not known for their low end.

So, if low end is what the OP wants/needs, i would get some drivers well known for it's low end, and a *cab to enhance the low end.


* http://www.portcityamps.com/212.html - 2X12 Over Size w a port for extra oomph ~ $550.00

Imho, money well worth the asking price.



Speakers :

http://www.jensentone.com/mod12-35.php - fs : 73.5Hz
"Straightforward tone with low end focus. When presented with overdrive distortion, it has a straightforward fuzz voice."
At 35Watts, you might get close to some sort of speaker brek up - i think :scratchch



Then there is also the Swamp Thangs

http://www.eminence.com/guitar_speaker_detail.asp?model=SWAMPTHANG&speaker_size=12&SUB_CAT_ID=4 - fs : 97Hz
"Very powerful, thick and chunky tone. Very touch-sensitive with good sustain. Awesome bottom end."
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

Avatar doesn't carry eminence anymore, and cost-wise from them it almost makes more sense just to get one with celestions and sell one or two of them if you don't like them--you'll have more than enough $$ from selling them to get emi's, that is, if you don't like them

Anyways, I'd go with 2 g12h30's, after that if you feel you could use some more warmth/bottom, pull one out and put in an eminence swamp thang, but I think you should be fine with just the g12h30's
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

You say that you want a little increased bass response, so make sure you go with a good closed back cab. I have an open back combo amp with a v30 and a closed back cab with a v30. Playing through only the closed cab drastically increases the bass response of the amp (and seems to make the speaker sound better).

As far as speakers go, I think *slightly* scooped might be a good description for the V30s. You can get decent mids with them by playing around with your guitar/amp controls however. There's also a pronounced high mid sound to them.
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

GuitarStv said:
You say that you want a little increased bass response, so make sure you go with a good closed back cab. I have an open back combo amp with a v30 and a closed back cab with a v30. Playing through only the closed cab drastically increases the bass response of the amp (and seems to make the speaker sound better).

As far as speakers go, I think *slightly* scooped might be a good description for the V30s. You can get decent mids with them by playing around with your guitar/amp controls however. There's also a pronounced high mid sound to them.
Click to expand...

A closed back cab has a dampening/tightening effect on the speakers and this affects what you hear also.
 
Re: Speaker questions! Help is appreciated

Really awesome information here guys. I think I am getting more and more set on the closed back vintage 2x12 Avatar with G12H30s. Again, I need a little more bass, but do not want to overpower the other frequencies that I am already happy with, you know? I will definitely be looking into some more Eminence products if I can.
 
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