Got this used Kustom 12 Gauge combo. Very high gain solid state. It had potential so I swpapped out the stock speaker from a Peavey VIP2. That is not a bad speaker and sure as you know what there was a huge bump in performance - not nearly as brittle as the stock speaker (light weight) POS.
Having good luck with a WGS Retro in another amp - I want a suggestion on a replacement for the 12 Gauge. The amp is very hgh gain, but I get a nice blues tone as well - so I assume it has strong mid range. So looking for something that will stand up to very high gain, and strong mid range, but would like a decent clean with good articulation. I don't need Fender sparkle, but some chime in the tone would be great.
On paper - kind of looking at the HM75. Thoughts?
- Woody
Reaper 30, for sure!
Hi again Vaughn. Hope all is well with you.
So I was kind of thinkng down the road (if/when the 12 Gauge dies) I might drop the WGS into a cab maybe later. I'll consider the Reaper - but I think I would like to go with something with a higher wattage capacity so I could swap in a head. I probably should have mentioned that right off the bat. For heads I have a Carvin 3VM (tube 50 w), and a SX 300 (100W SS) that I like.
So maybe go Reaper HP? Still take the Reaper over the HM75?
- w
It's tough to find a single speaker that can both 1) be lit-up by very small wattage, and 2) take very high-wattages!
The HM 75 dosn't do #1 at all! Of the entire WGS line ... probably the new ET-90 is the best at accomplishing BOTH ...
Oh, also ... see how you like the Ret30 with it ... not a bad choice, either!
Thanks Vaughn. I get your point. I will look at the ET90 and Reeper. The Retro 30 is indeed a wonderful speaker. But just for kicks I wanted to try someting different from the WGS line up.
I thought about it some more and decided to go with an ET65 - the high wattage piece was not a hard requirement. I'll let you know how it sounds once I install it.
- Woody
UPDATE
I got the ET65 last night, and today I had about 30 - 40 minutes to try it out. Short story, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it in the 12 Gauge. On the clean channel I would say I get very close to that Fender sparkle. Very clean articulate highs. On vintage hard rock gain it is less shrill - thick but with good definition. It will absolutely do metal. I don't play true metal - but this is someting I always test out - just tro see if an amp and a speaker can handle it. One thing that surprised me is how much louder it is w/ the ET65 - even more than the Retro 30. The Retro 30 is in a closed back cab, and the combo is open back - so this may be the difference.
Very very happy
I have ET 65 in an Ampeg VT60 1X12. The GT12-75 wasn't cutting it. Sounded dry and worn.
One word. Facemelt.
I never knew sounds could come from a speaker, as such.
I kind of hesitated about putting a speaker in that cost more than the amp. Ha! But after I got the ET65 installed I have no regretes. The 12 Gauge sounds like a million bucks. If times got hard and I had to sell most of my gear - I could keep this liittle SS 30 W combo and still have a lot of fun on the cheap. Both clean and very high gain are very impressive.