Speaker Suggestions

[Ball&Chain]

I'm looking to upgrade the Celestion Rocket 50 in my newly aquired Blackstar HT-20.

As it is, the amp is fairly dark and lacking that mid range crunch Im after. I'm looking for a more classic 80's metal tone with the crunchy mids and tight lows.

Something like this which happens to be a WGS Retro 30 demo. I havent seen alot of youtube comparisons between WGS and Eminence speakers. I was really interested in seeing how the Retro 30 compares to The Governor. Price wise, while Eminence speakers are initially a bit more, once you add in shipping costs for the WGS that wouldnt be applied for the Eminence, the price is pretty much a wash.

 

[indie folk guy]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

I think the Eminence is a better speaker than the WGS personally but that's subjective and YMMV.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

I wish I could tell you about WGS, but I can't. I can tell you, though, that the Governor paired well with my HT-5. You may want to look into a Greenback type as well, since to really get the Governor to work, I had to add a Wizard to the cabinet. It's perfect now, but on its own, the Governor's low-end wasn't full enough for my tastes.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

I wish I could tell you about WGS, but I can't. I can tell you, though, that the Governor paired well with my HT-5. You may want to look into a Greenback type as well, since to really get the Governor to work, I had to add a Wizard to the cabinet. It's perfect now, but on its own, the Governor's low-end wasn't full enough for my tastes.

Did you get to try the wizard on its own?

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

Did you get to try the wizard on its own?

No, I haven't. I only have a 2x12, and I don't think I would get a proper impression of it in that enclosure. I've heard great things about the Wizard, though, and the combination does sound phenomenal.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

I have a pair of Retro 30's and when I owned a HT-5 I used them with that amp.
I think they will give you the sound you're after. Aggressive mid crunch, articulate highs and tight lows.
The HT-5 is long gone, but I use the Retro 30's with my Rectifier 50 and they give that amp more life and sparkle than the Vintage 30's or Veteran 30's do.
No experience with the Eminence version though.

 

[metalmachine]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

Its my understanding that the eminence has less lows but they are a bit looser. I have no life experience with either

 

[Juanhanglo]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

One thing most don't consider; speaker sensitivity.

Do you need your amp louder? Or would you like to be able to turn it up a bit more to get the tubes in their sweet spot?

Wgs speakers are usually 98 to 99 db, while most emis are 102ish.

Both companies put their own spin on celestions.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

I went ahead and ordered a WGS Retro 30. Those are rated at 100db I believe.

 

[guitarkid]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

Good choice!

 

[Ironbird666]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

I just put two retro 30's and two K-100's (I know you're only putting one retro 30 in there) in my Marshall cab, smoking good combo dude. I can't speaker for a lone retro 30 but based on the tone from the cab it's very similar to a Vintage 30, just maybe a little cleaner and tighter on the low end. I have a pair of V30's in another cab to base my opinion on. I think you'll get the sound you're looking for out of it, make sure to let us know what you think!

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: Speaker Suggestions

The retro 30s are currently backordered on the WGS website. I found a distributer about a 2.5 hr drive away. Tempting to go just pick it up, but that pretty much kills an entire day. So, wait for UPS it is.