how drastic of a change does a speaker make?

very drastic. i was very surprised when I learned that for myself. that said you can also chase your tail in circles with all the options out there.

as to the tone tubby, the new stuff is not dark. only the early runs were dark (or ones special ordered to be that way). IMO they work very will with Fender amps.

 

Yeah, probably the most drastic change you can make to an amp, more than tubes for sure IME. I think an extension cab with a Princeton would be a great way to make it 'bigger' or a more pleasing drive tone. Maybe Blues or G12H30's?

 

made a HUGE difference when i upgraded the stock speaker in my TM60 to a wizard, it made the 2nd channel(dirt) come alive in a big way...

 

Speakers can make a big difference, but there's no speaker that will make a Fender sound like a Marshall.

 

xntrick speaks the truth!
I upgraded my Trademark 60 with a Wizard also and the difference was amazing, it made a good amp into a great amp! Speakers really do make a significant difference.

 

I wouldn't use the word drastic but there's a noticeable difference for sure. More than tubes, about as noticeable as a pickup swap.....all things being equal. Cabs make a big difference too.

 

Definitely drastic. Just check out the YouTube video posted above. I've owned just about every 12" guitar speaker ever made at one point or another, trust me, HUGE differences.

The V30 is actually a really good choice for a BF Fender IMO. Your cleans won't be as chimey, but OD will sound so much better. It's a compromise. The V30 records amazingly well too, which is what I really like about it.

 

Changing the speaker will make a big difference. You mentioned Ryan Adams, his princeton has hemp speakers in it. I recently put a Cannabis Rex in my Ampeg J20 and it made a world of difference. It was MUCH louder and the distortion was so so much better.
Also, if you're tryin to play that princeton with a band you should run it through another [bigger] cab so you're pushing more air.

Sometimes I wonder how Ryan Adams can get such a kick ass tone out of those princetons. In the studio it's just the Princeton but live he uses multiple Princetons and multiple vibroking cabs all with the hemp speakers.
Ryan's sound is a result of his old humbuckers in his Gibson (low output PAFs), a boost and a drive and then the amp(s). Right now he's using Telenordia pedals but he's used fulltone fat boost, OCD and Blues Drivers before. He also uses a lot of reverb and delay occasionally. With humbuckers and pedals the stock speaker in a PRRI will just get farty and it just can't handle that input very well. I would put a speaker in there that's rated for higher wattage or get a separate cab. If you go Alnico get one with a pretty high wattage rating because those can get fizzy when you push them too hard. A V30 is an OK option and worth a shot for sure. Plug that princeton into another cab and it'll be like night and day.

 

About as much difference as a good bowel movement in the morning.

 

The Weber Speaker I put in my DRRI was like NIGHT AND DAY!
I thought Weber was just another speaker like the hundreds I have went thru in the past, with very small diffrences in tone.

But... This Weber 8 ohm 25 watt F150 with "B" style cone and light dope is the most incredibly well rounded speaker I have ever heard.
Super cleans and wicked overdriven sounds. The speaker sounds like its been broken in for hundreds of hours BRAND NEW.

Worth the hundred dollars i paid for it BIG TIME!

 

EXACTLY what I would have said.......

imo, Fender (the real ones, expecially the BF amps) and Tone Tubby are perfectly mated for each other. I'd be careful with the alnico stuff though, I think it's harder to dial in than the ceramics. The Tone Tubby Superboy (10 or 15) is a real sleeper, absolutely gorgeous sound......Weber Texas is another great one for that sound. But I haven't found anything that sounds better with real Fenders than TT's......OD is harder to get just right with alnico, and keep in mind the Tubby's will need a LOT more breakin than any other speaker.

 

To me the biggest change in tone will come from a speaker change. Some will say the OT makes the biggest change but like I said "to me" the speaker makes the biggest difference.

 

Huge difference (like pickup swaps in a guitar). A good speaker can make a crappy amp sound great, and a bad speaker can make a great amp sound crappy.

 

Mostly true. But when I put a Celestion Blue in my 5E3, it does make it sound a bit Marshally when overdriven.

 

There was a list posted on a thread at TGP awhile back listing, in order, the items that singularly have biggest impact on tone. IIRC, speaker was at the top. Cabinet and OT were certainly up there. Tubes, of course, but not as much as people think relative to other items.

 

Hi there:

Speakers can make a huge difference. But sounds like maybe you should be trying out some tweeds or equivalent. Have you tried the lo-power tweed twin? That might be just the ticket.
MD