Either of you guys tried one of these? Looking to load a 212 cab with something that would give it what it deserves. Its basically a hopped up 20W Plexi. The cab is an old Tube Works vertical 212...open back for the top speaker, but bottom speaker is enclosed.
Thanks!
Don
Awesome amp choice. AFAIK, the amp section is voiced like a late 60's Plexi = deep and smooth. Something to consider is that the bass response from the closed-cab will be deeper, but less pronounced than the open-cab. That might make speaker matching more difficult. Off hand, I'd say try a Green Beret with a Reaper 30. If the GB is OK in an open-back, its mid-bass may dominate, but the tight thump of the Reaper will probably be felt and heard. The Invader 50 and Reaper HP are tighter/smoother versions of each. One of either or both together might be better in some ways. Slightly less-coloured/more-versitile. You won't get any cone breakup anyway with 20watss, so the higher power rating wont matter much. You might prefer the deeper thump and more scooped sound of an HM75 in the closed-cab. That might sound less congested with the more woolly speaker in the open-cab, but I doubt either Reaper would be at all muddy, especially in the closed cab, and it is more classic Plexi than an HM75. It might actually be better with the GB or Invader in the closed-cab if you like the high end of Reaper.
You may also consider which power tubes you want if you will be driving them hard enough to make a difference. FI, ANOS Tung Sol or TAD 6V6GT-STR are warm and EL34-like, while the JJ 6V6S are more 6L6 glassy sheen and less mid push for a JTM45-like sound. Preamp tube staging will also have some effect. I'd at least consider a "long plate" JJ ECC803S in the PI position for clearer highs and a deeper thump than short plates, and less mushy than the Sovtek 12AX7-LPS. The other preamp tubes might be just fine as is, but you might just try a smooth & balanced ECC83MG in V1 or V2 to see if you like it. Those are some cheap and very well-received options worth trying.
..not to be too too OCD about it, but you might try a Reaper 55Hz for the closed-cab. Musician’s Friend still sells them. The Invader 50, Veteran 30 or the more velvety ET65 should all work very well with it, but none of those have quite the bell-like high end or deep bass of the 55Hz. The 55Hz cone does sound scooped by itself, but is great combined with something to fill in the mids...and the grit and deep punchy bass is legendary. Also great for drop-tunings. Hendrix, Page and countless other greats made good use of the G12H-55. You could even get a decent Jazz sound with an ET65. You might think about blocking the open-cab by ~⅔ if you can manage it. Experiment with a few boards to see what you like. Two ⅓ widths should be good. Place one or both together in the center for a more open sound or at the outer edges for more early reflection coloring. You need to listen to either speaker from less than 20% off-axis to hear the 4kHz+ bell-like presence, but that’s generally true of any 12” guitar speaker.