Hi there,
I'm new, but let me say that I did read the pinned post and I did a search on the matter, but I noticed that the results really weren't for me- I got an AC30CC2X on trade. It's a pre-MDF box, and it's the one that came with the coveted Alnico Blues, but I'm really trying to take the chime out of everything. I know, I know, blasphemy- but my motivation for picking up this amp and doing the deal is that I need van space for all of the dumb theatrical gear my dumb band carries around to all of these dumb venues, and prior to all of this I was running a Fender Prosonic in Class A mode with a Genz-Benz G-Flex 4x12 loaded with V30's. I play aggressive and fast "hardcore" or "punk" whatever you want to call it, that has a lot of start/stop things going on, and there needs to be a certain chunkiness to what the guitar is doing, so these Alnico Blues aren't cutting it. The Fender/Genz combo works great for this, but it's a burden to move.
Really, I was just looking for some feedback on what drivers might help accomplish the sound that I'm looking for. I've gone to other forums and the response is "different amp" which is about as helpful as smashing my own head into the wall. I'm at work right now and I'm just thinking about it because we did a gig last night and everything was fizzy. When I dialed the treble back it lost attack kind of suddenly. I wasn't pushing the amp to the extreme either, I let the PA do it's job.
From what I can gather the Reaper sounds like a good bet, as does the hm75. I'm looking to kill the shrill highs, smooth out the high mids, and get a good focused bass response without losing too much volume. I'll be doing a tube change in the future, but I wanted to get the speakers out of the way because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, the alnico blues aren't for this project. I'll be keeping them around though, because when I want that chime sound, they're great!
Are there any other speaker suggestions for what I'm trying to do here? I might even build a different rear panel to convert this to a closed back. Tubes are in the front, so heat shouldn't be an issue. Would a pair of the Veteran 30's be better in that context?
Either way, I'm here because I've heard nothing but great things about WGS product and staff, and I figure this time around, why not give it a go? I'm just not too sure what would be the best way to go. Sorry for being so wordy, but "typing about tone" kind of sucks.
Thanks!
Well, I'll go ahead and do a little blaspheming myself and say that I just plain don't care for AC30's or AC15's ... for the very reasons you detailed. The key is:
"I'm looking to kill the shrill highs, smooth out the high mids, and get a good focused bass response without losing too much volume."
Given all that, I'd look at:
A pair of ET65's ... NEVER the wrong choice for achieving your stated goals!
A Pair of ET-90s ... same as above, but with a tad more volume and top & bottom end.
A Pair of Reapers ... I'd suggest HPs both for the added ruggedness, and because they are a touch warmer than the 30-watt version.
Any of these will get ya headed in the right direction.