Preparing for a speaker shoot out ...

yek

yek

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Because my work now takes me overseas frequently, I quit my regular band.
Consequently, I have been trimming down my equipment.
I still fill in now and then, so I hang on to some smaller-scale gear, including my treasured Port City 1x12 OS Wave cab.
I'm currently preparing a shootout of the speakers I have here, to put in that cab.

  • Celestion G12H150 Redback (150W), a high-power G12H30 substitute
  • Austin Speaker Works KTS-70 (70W), a lovely boutique G12H30 substitute
  • off-the-shelf modern Celestion V30 (60W)
  • EVM 12L Classic (200W)

Plus the Eminence I took out my non longer functioning, first-gen Atomic CLR (non-Neo), which is a FRFR speaker. That's for experimenting only, because I prefer a guitar speaker on stage.

The amp will be a Matrix GT1000fx.

I'll report back, probably in a week or so.

speakers.jpg
 
Every time I see Port City mentioned, I think about what a fool I was to sell my Port City Pearl head. Incredible cleans.
 
Will be looking forward to hearing about your results! I might go for the Austin KTS or the EVM, you've got some great speakers to choose from!
 
Did it today.

The Eminence (FRFR, non-Neo), that was removed from its enclosure (CLR), didn't do well in the Port City cab. Off to a shelf.

The EV-12L, which I used so many times when performing, is also on its way to the exit. For "Fender" clean tones: wonderful. That's why you see it (IR) used by Jon Nathan Cordy for example. Also, heavy tones at high volume levels sound so powerful. But take the volume down to a reasonable level, and overdriven tones will get hifi-ish and anemic. So it's of no use to me anymore.

V30: the allrounder. Nice, but not enough. It just doesn't hold up to the ones below.

G12H150 Redback and KTS-70: narrow call... Besides the EV-12L, I've always been a fan of the G12H-type speaker. I acquired the KTS-70 (high power boutique version) way back. The Redback is much more efficient (louder), and does a great job. It's not as dark as I remembered it to be. And it's available as a DynaCab, albeit in a different cab (FriedMan 1x12 open back). But the KTS-70 has a sweeter midrange, which gives it the edge.

Finally, I also set up one of my (Neo) CLRs. The 1x12 Div13 Dynacab (G12M) + Ribbon combination brought me as close to the sound of my real cab as I could get. However, going back and forth between FRFR and guitar cab affirmed my personal preference for a guitar cab for backline purposes.
 
Interesting.
I'll have to look into the redback.

Thanks for sharing.

As a side note.
I bought a couple of Mesa Thiele 1x12 cabs with the classic EVM12L from a forum member.
It's a good sounding speaker.

However I found a couple of original OEM EVM12L for 120€ each.
I muuuuch prefer them to the Classic version.

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yek said:
Maybe that can be contributed to break-in? Because there isn't that much difference between old and new 12Ls, I think.
Click to expand...
Nothing like the sound of a well broken in speaker! I used to have some 14 year old V 30 speakers and they had a much smoother sound when compared to a newer one.
 
yek said:
Maybe that can be contributed to break-in? Because there isn't that much difference between old and new 12Ls, I think.
Click to expand...
Maybe.
I don't think the Classic were new at all.
But 100% they can't have the play time of the older ones.

They do sound much sweeter, rounder.
Like a proper broken in speaker would
 
I have had great experiences with both the EVM12 and the G12H(30). The EV is an EV12-S version, which came in my Pearce G1 amp back in the 80's. A very versatile speaker which, according to Dan Pearce, the "S" version was a little smoother than the "L" version. My first G12H(30) was a replacement in my Fender Princeton 2 (Rivera version), which vastly improved the character of that amp.

Although I can claim some Dutch heritage, my preferences are based solely on my ears.
 
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