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Speaker/Tube Recommendations?

MaxGoldenrodMaxGoldenrod Posts: 1,341
edited February 2011 in Musicians and Gearheads
Ok, so I bit the bullet and found a nice used HRD this week. Sounds pretty good considering that the speaker and tubes are stock.

First thing I want to do is replace the preamp tubes. I've got Sovteks in my Classic 50, they seem to be pretty good. From what I have seen on the internet, the Tung Sol, Electro-Harmonix, and Svetlana 12AX7s seem to get better reviews.

I am also looking to replace the stock 12" speaker. I've seen a bunch of folks on here recommending the Celestion Vintage 30 as a top notch replacement speaker, but whoa, $140-150 for a speaker may be a little much! Especially considering I was able to get the amp for around $399. Would spending that dough really bump the resale price up that much? While I really like the V30 sound, I don't necessarily like the price tag. Any recommendations on a speaker with the V30 quality/tone at a more reasonable price? I've never shopped for a replacement guitar speaker, in fact, I have only shopped for 1 bass speaker for my Trace Elliot combo, and that was 15 years ago!

Any input?

Thanks!
"Then the Spirit of God hovered over the water, and God said, Let there be music, and there was Pearl Jam."

Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
Post edited by Unknown User on

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    DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,413
    http://wgs4.com/

    I put a Green Beret and a Reaper 55Hz in my Marshall combo...They sound great for about half the price as their Celestion counterparts.

    Great to deal with too. I opted for fast shipping, but he informed me they would get to me in a day anyway.
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    mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    I presume it's got Fender-label Groove Tubes in it, if they're original. I'd personally use a set of Sovteks, but I'm kind of a Sovtek fan. Then again, they make tubes for Electro-Harmonix, so I usually cut out the middle-man (although I've used lots of EH tubes).

    It's definitely not a quiet amp. It's plenty loud to play with most bands, and if you add the extension speaker, it's a nice little mini-stack. The nice thing is, unless you decide to join a metal band, that amp should be big enough to keep up with any band you might join.

    As for the speaker, if you want the V30 sorta vibe without the price, I'd probably recommend the Eminence Governor. But they have a ton of speakers with different flavors, so if you feel like diving into some research: http://www.eminence.com The Patriot series emulates classic US-made speakers and vibes, and the Red Coat emulates British sounds. The Patriot Texas Heat is worth checking out, as is the Red Coat Private Jack.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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    If your heart is set on a vintage 30, then go to Avatar to purchase one.

    www.avatarspeakers.com

    They don't list the price for a V30. But they list the price for their Hellatone 60 which is a vintage 30 that they break in for you and that's only $99.

    Avatar is a good bunch of guys, easy to work with. Great stuff.

    There is always the Weber route. www.tedweber.com great quality. the descriptions have always been extremely close.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
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    Ok, so I bit the bullet and found a nice used HRD this week. Sounds pretty good considering that the speaker and tubes are stock.

    First thing I want to do is replace the preamp tubes. I've got Sovteks in my Classic 50, they seem to be pretty good. From what I have seen on the internet, the Tung Sol, Electro-Harmonix, and Svetlana 12AX7s seem to get better reviews.

    I am also looking to replace the stock 12" speaker. I've seen a bunch of folks on here recommending the Celestion Vintage 30 as a top notch replacement speaker, but whoa, $140-150 for a speaker may be a little much! Especially considering I was able to get the amp for around $399. Would spending that dough really bump the resale price up that much? While I really like the V30 sound, I don't necessarily like the price tag. Any recommendations on a speaker with the V30 quality/tone at a more reasonable price? I've never shopped for a replacement guitar speaker, in fact, I have only shopped for 1 bass speaker for my Trace Elliot combo, and that was 15 years ago!

    Any input?

    Thanks!

    Definitely go with the V30. You bought a $699 amp for $399 and if you upgrade it with a V30 and better tubes you just made the value go back up to the $699 value and maybe more. Obviously, I don't know your finances but you don't have to do it right away either. Put any extra cash you have in a jar with change and don't touch it. You'd be surprised how much spending money you save that way.
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    Here is what Avatar sent me as far as pricing on all the speakers that they have in stock.

    Celestion 12" Guitar Speakers
    Vintage 30 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    G12H30 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    Greenback - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    Classic Lead 80 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    T75 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    T100 - $69 each, $119 pair 8 or 16 ohm- 4 ohm special below
    K100 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    Hellatone 12" - Your favorite Celestion speakers, already broken in for you.
    Hellatone 30 - $99 each, $189 pair (G12H30) 8 or 16 ohm
    Hellatone 60 - $99 each, $189 pair (Vintage 30)8 or 16 ohm
     
    Heritage Speakers 12" - Made in England
    Heritage M - $145 each, $285 pair 8 ohm in stock
    Heritage H - $159 each, $300 pair 15 ohm in stock
    Heritage 1265 - $159 each, $300 pair 8 ohm, 15 ohm in stock
    Alnico Speakers 12"- Made in England
    Alnico Blue - $239 each, $475 pair 8 or 15 ohm
    Alnico Gold - $259 each, $495 pair 8 or 15 ohm
    Celestion 10" Guitar Speakers
    G10 Vintage - $69 each, $109 pair (16 ohm only)
    G10 Greenback - $95 each, $169 pair, Made in England 8 or 16 ohm
    G10 Alnico Gold - $177 each, $350 pair , Made in England 8 or 16 ohm
    Celestion Overstock Specials
    CELESTION 10 inch Bass Speaker TF 1020 - Heavy Duty drop in replacement for most bass cabs. Available in 8 and 16 ohm. 200 watts 2 inch high temp vented voice coil. big 42 oz magnet. Special purchase from Celestion Factory.
    Tons of PUNCH Only $19.99 each any quantity.
    Click here for specs. http://www.avatarspeakers.com/TF1020%20Specs.htm
    CELESTION G10C30 - Big Sound from these Celestion 10's. These Custom Celesitons were the stock 10's in a well know companies GH410 cab which sounded great and got great reviews online. Good GH410 guitar caninet to see. All are 16 ohm speakers. (16 ohm only)
    One $19 + $12 shipping Two $35 +$15 shipping..Four $59 +$19 shipping
     
    T100 - 12 inch guitar speaker. 100 watts. AKA 'Hot 100' Big clear tone with extra bass in the bottom end. Great for all kinds of styles of music especially hard rock and drop tune. (4 ohm only)
    One $59 + $15 shipping, Two $99+$25 shipping, Four $179 + $35 shipping..we do have 8 ohm and 16 ohm versions in stock ..add 10 dollars each for 8 or 16 ohm speakers...
    G12-P 80 aka 7080 - 12 inch guitar speaker. 80 watts. Fantastic high capacity speaker with smooth mids and highs.
    (8 ohm only)
    One $39 + $15 shipping, Two $69 +25 shipping, Four $129 +$35 shipping
     
    Shipping Prices
    (Unless otherwise stated)
    Single Speaker - $15
    Double Speaker - $25
    Four Pack - $35
     
    Regards,
    Dave
    AvatarSpeakers.com
    (208) 762-5251
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
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    Here is what Avatar sent me as far as pricing on all the speakers that they have in stock.

    Celestion 12" Guitar Speakers
    Vintage 30 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    G12H30 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    Greenback - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    Classic Lead 80 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    T75 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    T100 - $69 each, $119 pair 8 or 16 ohm- 4 ohm special below
    K100 - $99 each, $189 pair 8 or 16 ohm
    Hellatone 12" - Your favorite Celestion speakers, already broken in for you.
    Hellatone 30 - $99 each, $189 pair (G12H30) 8 or 16 ohm
    Hellatone 60 - $99 each, $189 pair (Vintage 30)8 or 16 ohm
     
    Heritage Speakers 12" - Made in England
    Heritage M - $145 each, $285 pair 8 ohm in stock
    Heritage H - $159 each, $300 pair 15 ohm in stock
    Heritage 1265 - $159 each, $300 pair 8 ohm, 15 ohm in stock
    Alnico Speakers 12"- Made in England
    Alnico Blue - $239 each, $475 pair 8 or 15 ohm
    Alnico Gold - $259 each, $495 pair 8 or 15 ohm
    Celestion 10" Guitar Speakers
    G10 Vintage - $69 each, $109 pair (16 ohm only)
    G10 Greenback - $95 each, $169 pair, Made in England 8 or 16 ohm
    G10 Alnico Gold - $177 each, $350 pair , Made in England 8 or 16 ohm
    Celestion Overstock Specials
    CELESTION 10 inch Bass Speaker TF 1020 - Heavy Duty drop in replacement for most bass cabs. Available in 8 and 16 ohm. 200 watts 2 inch high temp vented voice coil. big 42 oz magnet. Special purchase from Celestion Factory.
    Tons of PUNCH Only $19.99 each any quantity.
    Click here for specs. http://www.avatarspeakers.com/TF1020%20Specs.htm
    CELESTION G10C30 - Big Sound from these Celestion 10's. These Custom Celesitons were the stock 10's in a well know companies GH410 cab which sounded great and got great reviews online. Good GH410 guitar caninet to see. All are 16 ohm speakers. (16 ohm only)
    One $19 + $12 shipping Two $35 +$15 shipping..Four $59 +$19 shipping
     
    T100 - 12 inch guitar speaker. 100 watts. AKA 'Hot 100' Big clear tone with extra bass in the bottom end. Great for all kinds of styles of music especially hard rock and drop tune. (4 ohm only)
    One $59 + $15 shipping, Two $99+$25 shipping, Four $179 + $35 shipping..we do have 8 ohm and 16 ohm versions in stock ..add 10 dollars each for 8 or 16 ohm speakers...
    G12-P 80 aka 7080 - 12 inch guitar speaker. 80 watts. Fantastic high capacity speaker with smooth mids and highs.
    (8 ohm only)
    One $39 + $15 shipping, Two $69 +25 shipping, Four $129 +$35 shipping
     
    Shipping Prices
    (Unless otherwise stated)
    Single Speaker - $15
    Double Speaker - $25
    Four Pack - $35
     
    Regards,
    Dave
    AvatarSpeakers.com
    (208) 762-5251

    Yeah, this is in line with what he sent me earlier today. Although I didn't get the whole list, just the V30. He also mentioned that Celestion is raising their prices 7% pretty soon. I may get that V30 after all! 8-) But I must admit that the Private Jack doesn't sound too shabby either! Choices, choices...

    Thanks for the link!
    "Then the Spirit of God hovered over the water, and God said, Let there be music, and there was Pearl Jam."

    Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
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    I have a Avatar 2x12 cabinet with a G12H30 and a Vintage 30 in it. Good mix.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
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    How are the Webers?

    I kinda like the idea of keeping my $$ in the good ol US of A, an added plus is that the company is in Indiana (my home for my first 30 yrs!)
    If your heart is set on a vintage 30, then go to Avatar to purchase one.

    http://www.avatarspeakers.com

    They don't list the price for a V30. But they list the price for their Hellatone 60 which is a vintage 30 that they break in for you and that's only $99.

    Avatar is a good bunch of guys, easy to work with. Great stuff.

    There is always the Weber route. http://www.tedweber.com great quality. the descriptions have always been extremely close.
    "Then the Spirit of God hovered over the water, and God said, Let there be music, and there was Pearl Jam."

    Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
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    mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    How are the Webers?


    I can tell you that the Weber California (ceramic w/ paper dome) is probably my favorite speaker ever. It's sort of a JBL clone, great cleans but not quite as good with distortion. I like the overdrive character it has, but it's definitely not for everyone.

    Seriously, Weber makes good stuff. I'm a repeat customer.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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    Seriously, Weber makes good stuff. I'm a repeat customer.

    Repeat customers and word of mouth are the best advertising a company can have. Just when I thought I had decided on one of those V30's from Avatar, I had to go and check out Weber. Really liking the vibe from one of those 12F150's and they seem to be a popular replacement for the stock HRDlx speaker from what I have seen on the internet.

    Pre-amp tubes have already been replaced. Instead of running 3 12AX7 in the preamp section, I ended up putting in a matched Svetlana 12AX7 in V3, a Tung-Sol 12AX7 in V2, and a Sovtek 5751 in V1. So far, so good, I like the sound a little better. Probably didn't really change all that much, but dammit, to me it sounds better (even if it's only in my head!).

    I'm probably going to be going with JJs for the power tubes, but I'm gonna wait til I can take it to a tech to get it biased at the same time. I don't feel like getting the shit shocked out of me! :shock:
    "Then the Spirit of God hovered over the water, and God said, Let there be music, and there was Pearl Jam."

    Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
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    I've always been happy with Weber's offereings.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
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