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Topic: Fun with Speakers (more JBL/Fender content) |
Chris DeBarge
From:
Boston, Mass
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Posted 24 Mar 2001 8:47 am |
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File this under Fender Amp/Speaker combination shootout:
I've always liked the sound of amps with the 15" JBL D130, both for steel and guitar. Loud and clear, but with a lot of push on the bottom too. To wit: Standel, Showman, etc. In most cases, when I steel I use my Twin reverb, and I love the warm sound, but sometimes your mind starts telling you "if only..."
So I got to thinking about throwing a D130 into my '66 Twin Reverb, which currently has the original Jensen C12's. Luckily I also have a '60 Vibrasonic with said JBL, and I simply hooked it up to the twin. (good thing I thought of that, on a bad day I may have cut a new baffle and everything before realizing I could test drive it beforehand!) Anyways, here are my impressions:
Once I rigged up the speaker cable from the twin to the JBL, I began playing my Sho-Bud through it. Sounded pretty good, but I wasn't blown over. I had to notch back the treble quite a bit, which is understandable. Next I plugged the Twin's Jensens back in. I was very surprised, to me it sounded much better, and LOUDER as well(?!!). Just a nicer, rounder tone. And the bottom end, while not as forceful as the JBL, was pretty darn good with not as much break-up as you might expect. I suppose this should not be surprising either, 'cuz even a blackface Twin is capable of moving a lot of air!
So I proceded to plug in the Vibrasonic, which had been sitting lonely and unplugged now for a little while. That #@$%% JBL near to took my head off. It's probably the different voicing of the amp, but you best watch the treble control when you turn that thing up (if you don't want the neighborhood dogs voicing their opinion). Overall it just has a honky scream and is probably not ideal for pedal steel, though it has been great for non-pedal.
The whole thing goes to show why I have never parted with the Twin, despite the fact that I rarely bring it out of the house. NOTHING I have ever owned comes close to its warm tone, it's always just right for me. Next step: trying the Weber speaker (I have one in my Deluxe reverb and love it). TBC...
Maybe I can blame this whole thing on a late-night half-drunk listening to Charlie Pride at Panther Hall. How does Lloyd get that sound? Damn!
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Dave Van Allen
From:
Souderton, PA , US , Earth
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 24 Mar 2001 9:15 pm
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| Chris-Right! I also feel that the best tone was on my Fender Twin with 2 12" JBL's and my Fender Dual Showman with 15" JBL's. But HEAVY..........al |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 24 Mar 2001 10:00 pm
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Here's something I learned from my friend Andy Marshall, the founder of THD Electronics. Andy built the very first 'retro' amp, a version of the 59 Bassman, back in the 80s. He gathered a collection of dozens of Bassmans. Low and behold, the 'fattest' Bassman had 4 different 10" speakers. I can't remember the specific combination, but it had a JBL d-110 and a few kinds of Jensens, I know. If you plugged any of the bassmans into this combo, you got this great 'fat', 'dimensional' sound.
So what Andy discovered is that a combination of different speakers (sizes, brands) can tend to give a sound that is multi-dimensional, 'fat', whereas speakers of the same type give a sound that is more focused, but is less complex.
I have a cab with 2X10" Celestions and a 12" JBL, and it is fatter than any pair of JBL 15" speakers. One thing to try with your twin would be to use a JBL type speaker (the Weber is cool) and a more 'low fi' speaker like you already have in there. You might prefer it!
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www.tyacktunes.com |
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