I have a 2x12 closed back cab that I built myself (Novice builder, thought I'd try it but I'm no expert at cab design). I used pine plywood and it's 28x21x14.
I installed the ET-65/Vet 30 combo based on lots of great reviews, suggestions, etc. When I try it with my amp it's sounds very harsh when used with distortion. Either clean with pedals or using the amp's gain channel. I also tried it with a different amp with similar results.
Do you think my amateur cab building is the culprit or are these speakers inherently bright? Perhaps I should covert the cab to an open back?
Any advice is greatly appreciated :)
Nobody can really comment on your cab without seeing it but I doubt pine ply anything is going to create brightness.
On a more practical note. I would suggest you go in and unhook the vet30. That ET65 is definitely not a bright speaker so, if playing through JUST the ET, it still sounds too bright for you, then it would have to be the cab. If the sound is more inline with your tastes, then you should probably swap out that vet for another ET.
I think the ET65 is at least as bright as the Vet 30. Also, unhooking one speaker in a closed cab will cause unpredictable cancellations as the passive speaker reacts to the pressure of the active speaker. It's not a good way to test individual speaker sound. Placing a pillow in front of either one might be the best bet. Are you sure the speaker polarity is the same for both? It is possible that the pine ply is resonating sharply depending on a few things, or that the cab dimensions are somehow not flattering. Converting to ~1/3 open-back may solve it.
Yes, definitely check for phase/polarity problems ... and I LOVE the 1/3-open idea ... but ... as for
"I think the ET65 is at least as bright as the Vet 30." ...
Say what???
In hundreds of head to head tests I've NEVER found that to be true. The Vet 30 has the very distinct 2k-ish upper mid bite of a Vintage 30 ... but the ET65 has none of that ... it's very warm, organic, and balanced.
Oh yes Vaughn, but I think of brightness as more in the ~4kHz range close to the "bell tone". My SPL's of clips from each speaker show the ET65 has a peak at 3.4kHz as strong as the 3.2kHz Vet 30 peak with 2dB more 4kHz. The Vet 30 2.4kHz peak is sharper and a good 3dB stronger than the ET65's more rounded peak in the same range. The stronger 2.4kHz does stick out in a mix nicely without sounding harsh.