Good guitar amp speakers for modelers

[Metallicdream91]

I'm really not into FRFR's when it comes to my HD500, I think it just sounds too cold and too "amp-mic'ed-in-the-other-room-coming-through-monitors-in-this-room" sounding. I'm looking to do a set up of the POD into a tube power amp into a 212 guitar speaker cab with some traditional guitar speakers. I plan on using cab sims and just tweaking my studio sound to get a good sound through the amp, so I'm not too worried about speaker coloration.

What are some speakers that you guys are using with modelers that are giving you good results?

[MJ Slaughter]

I use EVM 12L in my cabinets and like the results. Since you want to use a tube power amp and a 2x12 guitar cabinet you might want to consider just using a tube combo or head/cab and run it all via 4CM. More versatility and I don't think it's any more gear to take to a gig than the 2x12 cabinet and a rack for your power amp. Tube power amps cost as much as many amps.

I run my GT-100 to a Mesa 4CM but since my GSP1101 is rack mount I have a rack power amp for it. Both rigs into guitar cabinets with the EV speakers. I've tried using the speaker sims but it sounds better to my ears to keep them off except the direct signal to the board from the GSP does use a speaker sim. You can still get a lot of different tones with all the preamps you can use into a guitar cabinet.

[Metallicdream91]

Originally Posted by MJ Slaughter

I use EVM 12L in my cabinets and like the results. Since you want to use a tube power amp and a 2x12 guitar cabinet you might want to consider just using a tube combo or head/cab and run it all via 4CM. More versatility and I don't think it's any more gear to take to a gig than the 2x12 cabinet and a rack for your power amp. Tube power amps cost as much as many amps.

I run my GT-100 to a Mesa 4CM but since my GSP1101 is rack mount I have a rack power amp for it. Both rigs into guitar cabinets with the EV speakers. I've tried using the speaker sims but it sounds better to my ears to keep them off except the direct signal to the board from the GSP does use a speaker sim. You can still get a lot of different tones with all the preamps you can use into a guitar cabinet.

I hear that the Eminence Delta Pro-12A is a less expensive clone/comparable speaker to the EVM 12L, is there any truth to that as far as you know? Also, is the EVM 12L a traditional guitar speaker with it's own characteristics, or is it like a neutral PA style speaker?

[MJ Slaughter]

I've never tried the Delta series before but here is a thread with samples of the Delta Pro, Deltalite and EVM that gingcong did that I found interesting. See post #19.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...=939049&page=2

The EVM 12L is fairly neutral and seems to have a wider frequency range than many other guitar speakers. There are others here much more knowledgeable than I on this topic.

[Metallicdream91]

Originally Posted by MJ Slaughter

I've never tried the Delta series before but here is a thread with samples of the Delta Pro, Deltalite and EVM that gingcong did that I found interesting. See post #19.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...=939049&page=2

The EVM 12L is fairly neutral and seems to have a wider frequency range than many other guitar speakers. There are others here much more knowledgeable than I on this topic.

Thanks!

[jb4674]

My PE-60 has a Celestion Seventy80 in it and it sounds good.

[hanales]

Out of curiosity why not use the DT50 with it's matched 2x12? I love mine with the 1x12

[qingcong]

Originally Posted by Metallicdream91

I hear that the Eminence Delta Pro-12A is a less expensive clone/comparable speaker to the EVM 12L, is there any truth to that as far as you know? Also, is the EVM 12L a traditional guitar speaker with it's own characteristics, or is it like a neutral PA style speaker?

After recording those clips I gave the DPro12A another shot in my 1x12, but hearing it in real life, I still felt it was too dark. Some people get good results using the Delta, that's fine. What is a fact and is indisputable, is that the Delta Pro & lite do have less high end response than a normal guitar speaker.

I think the EVM12L has its own unique tonal characteristic. People will say, "it sounds neutral" or "it allows your amp to shine" or whatever, but how exactly do these people know what their amp sounds like without a speaker? Every amp that I put through an EVM12L, it gives me a crisp, fast response. To me, that's the EVM12L's unique characteristic. If it was truly neutral, then it should sound the same as any other neutral type speaker, like the Delta Pro, but it does not.

[MKB]

I've been using a Peavey transtube Bandit with a Eminence Beta-12LTA, and it works very nicely with a HD-500 in full range mode. I like it far better than any FRFR I've used with the HD-500.

[randombastage]

Originally Posted by hanales

Out of curiosity why not use the DT50 with it's matched 2x12? I love mine with the 1x12

+1 here. If I had a Pod HD and wanted to go amp/guitar cab with it the DT amps would be top of the list considering the unique relationship designed for the two units to work together.

[Metallicdream91]

Originally Posted by hanales

Out of curiosity why not use the DT50 with it's matched 2x12? I love mine with the 1x12

I would love to do an HD500, DT50 set up, but if I'm not mistaken, the DT50 runs for well over a grand new (which I would prefer), and I've come up with several ways to do a power amp and a cab for well under a grand. If I could afford it, I'd be all over the DT50 like white on rice.

[Metallicdream91]

Originally Posted by qingcong

After recording those clips I gave the DPro12A another shot in my 1x12, but hearing it in real life, I still felt it was too dark. Some people get good results using the Delta, that's fine. What is a fact and is indisputable, is that the Delta Pro & lite do have less high end response than a normal guitar speaker.

I think the EVM12L has its own unique tonal characteristic. People will say, "it sounds neutral" or "it allows your amp to shine" or whatever, but how exactly do these people know what their amp sounds like without a speaker? Every amp that I put through an EVM12L, it gives me a crisp, fast response. To me, that's the EVM12L's unique characteristic. If it was truly neutral, then it should sound the same as any other neutral type speaker, like the Delta Pro, but it does not.

Awesome, thanks for the help! MJ Slaughter showed me the link to the clips you had posted and they really helped. You're right, the Delta does sound a lot dark, quieter, and as you said, there is the indisputable fact that EVM12L has a range roughly 2.5kHz higher than the Delta Pro 12A. That being said, it is a pretty pricey speaker, but I feel like I'm seriously going to get my moneys worth with it. Thanks again!

[Rock Johnson]

Lots of folks seem to like Classic Lead 80s. It's what I use.

[stratzrus]

Originally Posted by qingcong

After recording those clips I gave the DPro12A another shot in my 1x12, but hearing it in real life, I still felt it was too dark.

I think the EVM12L has its own unique tonal characteristic. People will say, "it sounds neutral" or "it allows your amp to shine" or whatever, but how exactly do these people know what their amp sounds like without a speaker? Every amp that I put through an EVM12L, it gives me a crisp, fast response. To me, that's the EVM12L's unique characteristic. If it was truly neutral, then it should sound the same as any other neutral type speaker, like the Delta Pro, but it does not.

I think by "neutral" most people mean that it provides minimal noticeable coloration of the tone, not that it has a flat response.

If you look at the frequency response of the EVM 12L there's a pretty sharp increase from about 1500 Hz to around 4500Hz followed by a steep decline down to 10 kHz. As a result, given the range of the guitar, there's no surprise that it sounds brighter than the Delta Pro and most other speakers.

I'm really enjoying mine but it definitely sounds best at rehearsal volumes or louder. It's not at it's best at bedroom volumes.

[qingcong]

Originally Posted by Metallicdream91

Awesome, thanks for the help! MJ Slaughter showed me the link to the clips you had posted and they really helped. You're right, the Delta does sound a lot dark, quieter, and as you said, there is the indisputable fact that EVM12L has a range roughly 2.5kHz higher than the Delta Pro 12A. That being said, it is a pretty pricey speaker, but I feel like I'm seriously going to get my moneys worth with it. Thanks again!

EV's 7kHz claim is a bit exaggerated. The EVM12L has a useable freq range roughly equivalent to any other guitar speaker, somewhere up to around 5.5kHz. Their datasheet states it that way here. The 7kHz rating is used for anything that is marketing while a more realistic ~5kHz is used on their engineering documents.

The Deltas are useful up to around 4kHz or so, and they have a strong midrange. Using the Deltas with my Axe-Fx, I kept having to scoop 1.5kHz and boost 4.5kHz to get it to sound right to my ears.

I've tried some used EVM12Ls from ebay, the ones that came before the reissue and Black Label, and they are a bit less "sterile" sounding than the new ones. I don't know if it's because they've been broken in, reconed, aged, or if the older design is slightly different. If price is a concern, you can go the used route. Just make sure there's nothing sketchy about it.