Can’t really stop screwing around with amps and stuff. You were warned.
Subject: Fender Deville 2×12 (Red October Version)
Amp seeking new speaker-must be hot.
Issue: Two killer Eminence Red Coat Wizards. Great bottom end and crunch, as one expects from ‘British’ style speakers. But not so much at the higher end. Sounds a bit too heavy metal for this bluesy/country/americana/punk guy. Need a little bit of icepick, and maybe some twang, in there, especially with the clean tones.
Solution: Swap one of those Red Coats out for something else.
But what? Something with more top end. Tight, and sparkly. (the language guitar geeks use to talk about amp sound can be like wine connoisseurs- ‘I want my amp smoky and hot with a hint of uptown neon’). Twang in the clean, spank in the breakup. The Wizard will have plenty of bottom, so something with more top end color.
I do like the Eminence line. They are as heavy duty as you can get (hold a 12″ Eminence in on hand and the original Fender speaker in the other- BIIIG difference), and the Red Coat/Patriot split provides some interesting variations in speaker sound. I have Rajun Cajuns in two smaller amps (here and in the post linked above). But that doesn’t come in a 12″ speaker.
Looked at the Patriot line. The Texas Heat looked like it would fit the bill. From the description it sounded like it would complement the Wizard just perfectly. So I ordered one up.
Time to operate!
There isn’t much room in a 2×12 as it turns out.
Deville 2×12 pre-swap. Kinda tight in there.
I had to take out more than I thought to get at the bottom speaker. I thought about putting the speaker in the top position, which is where I would prefer it, but then I’d have to pull the whole amp chassis. And I wasn’t that excited about doing so.
Wizard on left, Texas Heat on right.
With the Wizard removed you can really see the difference in how the cones are constructed. It will be interesting to see how the sound changes with the new speaker.
New speaker in place and the tubes back in. Time to button her up.
Post-op report: It will take time to break in that new speaker, but right out of the gate the combo sounds awesome. I should have done a pre-swap recording for comparison, sorry you can’t hear that, but take my word for it, this amp is now beyond awesome. I will put a few clips when I get a chance.
Have a safe and happy thanksgiving. I know I’m grateful for a lot this year.
The Stone Cup in Lyons on Dec. 7, 10am-12pm.
The Rock Inn in Estes Park on Jan. 3, 6-9pm.
Hope to see you out there.
Follow me wherever you are!
