After communicating with Dean at WGS, I decided to put a Reaper HP and an Invader in my 2x12 open-back Mesa/Boogie cab. Dean was gracious enough to throw in some speaker disconnect clips so I wouldn't have to solder them in, and they arrived within a day of ordering!! After playing a few days and tweaking the amp a bit, I can say that these are definitely warmer and fuller-sounding than the Vintage 30s I replaced. I don't know that they're necessarily "better" speakers as I think that the quality is on par so it becomes a matter of preference rather than objective qualification, but they don't have the harsh upper midrange that the V30s have, and they do sound better with my amp for the type of music I play and the type of cab I have. I think the V30s would be much better in a closed-back cab than in this open-backed cab, and probably better for heavier, gainier-type music than I play. I have to think that as the WGS speakers break in, they'll just get smoother and fatter-sounding. The Reaper is a 50w-rated version of WGS' take on a Celestion G12H30, and is a very nice all-around speaker. The Invader is essentially a 50w greenback, and is much better suited to the rock/blues thing than the V30s were. I'm very pleased with them, and I think I have 2 keepers! The last thing I'll say about these is that the customer service was excellent, Dean answered all of my questions and recommended a good combination of speakers based on what I said I liked (do listen to the clips on their website; for as much info as clips can give you, they do at least help you differentiate between the different models WGS offers), and they shipped fast! Here's the visual evidence: Replaced these: With these: Resulting in this:
Warehouse speakers have been good since day one. When he started he was selling them on eBay at super cheap prices. I bought a V30 and CL80 for about $45 for both.
I'm liking the ElectraDyne cab quite a bit now that I've got it off the floor and I have some warmer speakers in it. It sounds full, not too harsh and not too bassy. With the V30s it seemed a bit imbalanced to my ears. It's not too terribly heavy, either, but it's very well-constructed. I wanted a partially open back, so this is pretty much the choice with the Mesa cabs. I like the looks of it, though, too -- sort of in-between 'vintagey' and 'modern.' I bought it used for $400 from GC's in-store online catalog, and it was shipped halfway across the country for only $20. It's practically new, there's not a scratch on it, and it wasn't even dusty when it arrived. I was looking at some other cabs too; Avatar & Forte most prominently. If I had the budget, I would have gone with a KW cab simply on the looks alone, but it was just a tad above what I could spend. Ultimately the Mesa made sense, and it also fits well with the amp. For the price, I don't think you can beat it.
I use a Reaper and Retro 30 in one of the cabs in the studio. It can do almost anything you want. WGS are great speakers.
Yeah, whatever anyone thinks about Mesa (I'm an enthusiast), one thing they do very well is design and build speaker cabs. I'm curious because I really, really love their 3/4-back 1x12 -- just freaking huge sound -- but I don't love the looks. That ED cab looks very slick though, and shares a lot of the functional attributes. FWIW, I have a Lonestar 27" 1x12, a Freda 1x12S and a Forte 3D112. They all have their strengths, it's hard to choose a favorite... and yet I find myself also wanting a wider, more closed-back cab like yours (at least martially because I want to put a Marshall on top of it). Also I have 3 WGS speakers, a Reaper HP, a Blackhawk HP and an ET65. I really like all of them, and I want to pair my Reaper with a Celestion Gold in a nice 2x12 like yours I think...
I have a Reaper in a SFDR, that was in there when I bought it (Thanks Jason!). The thing is just awesome. I had always heard of WGS but would have never thought of putting one in a SF. I highly recomend it.
