Picked up a great Mesa Studio 22plus/what speaker?

[revgsmall]

I found this great little gem in a hard wood cabinet and GEQ. It has the stock 50 watt speaker and it is likely my least fave speaker. I have two EV's and recently a WGS ET-90 that I mix with the EV cab when I'm using my Mark II or III. I bought this amp as a practice/club amp (albeit it has a great low end for such a little amp).

I don't want to stick some big arsed heavy speaker in it as it defeats the purpose of having a quick grab and go amp.

I thought about the neodymium speakers and of course opinion is spread widely. I like more of the "american speaker" sound than gritty celestion Vintage 30 sounding speakers.

I am looking at the Jensen Tornado, or go more conventional with a WGS ET-65. I was interested in the Emi Lil' Texas but from reviews it tends to be loud and on the bright end of the spectrum.

Have I missed something?: I want to get more of a Fender/Mesa Mark series vibe out of the amp without adding more weight for grab and go flexibility.

Thanks in advance

 

[Don]

I put an Eminence Private Jack in mine and it transformed the amp! The mids are way less honky and the amp can get crunchy.

It's not very "American" sounding, though!

 

[jeff242]

I put a Celestion A-type which is their relatively new American voices speaker in mine and really like what it did to the amp. It took away the slight fizziness I was experiencing, and suddenly the bright cap on the volume control actually made sense. I had mine on a small switch to defeat it.

Hope this helps,

Jeff

 

[revgsmall]

Well here is an update, I ran the 22 Caliber Plus through my collection of speakers: EVM, WGS ET-90 a Eminence Canibus Rex and Eminence Maverick.

The Maverick sounded outstanding, and with the built in attenuation built right into the magnet I can get the master on the 22 caliber up to 3-4 without killing small animals with volume. However they have a British version of the speaker called the Reignmaker. I finally found a good a/b comparison of the two speakers on Palmer Speaker Cab's website. The Reignmaker has a very smooth top end compared to the Maverick. I ended up cutting out some treble on the Mesa's 5 band GEQ to tame it. Hopefully the Reignmaker will sound in the ball park to a Celestion g12-65 is my hope.

Even if it doesn't I can return it and get another Maverick. I'll post again when I get the Reignmaker in the amp.

 

[mkVplayer]

Well here is an update, I ran the 22 Caliber Plus through my collection of speakers: EVM, WGS ET-90 a Eminence Canibus Rex and Eminence Maverick.

The Maverick sounded outstanding, and with the built in attenuation built right into the magnet I can get the master on the 22 caliber up to 3-4 without killing small animals with volume. However they have a British version of the speaker called the Reignmaker. I finally found a good a/b comparison of the two speakers on Palmer Speaker Cab's website. The Reignmaker has a very smooth top end compared to the Maverick. I ended up cutting out some treble on the Mesa's 5 band GEQ to tame it. Hopefully the Reignmaker will sound in the ball park to a Celestion g12-65 is my hope.

Even if it doesn't I can return it and get another Maverick. I'll post again when I get the Reignmaker in the amp.

I'll be interested to hear what you think about that Reignmaker! I like the idea of the adjustable volume/tone control built in.

Weight wise it seems like you could just go for a Heritage G12-65 if that's the sound you want since they are just a few ounces different. And according to the Celestion spec's the G1265 is only 97db sensitivity too which is interesting.

I'm in a similar boat as far as looking for a great replacement speaker. I really like G12-65s though I've never used them in a 1x12 but if there was a neo that sounded similar I'd be happy to drop 3-4 lbs. The Jensen Tornado neo sounds interesting on paper because it's also not a particularly sensitive speaker. Never heard one though.

In another thread somebody extols the virtues of a G12-30 for the .22, but he only plays it at home (with one power tube pulled) and I'm a little leery of a 30 watt speaker with this amp. Might be fine though.

 

[revgsmall]

One thing I can attest to is that the FDM attenuator on the Maverick is incredible. You don't feel any difference in the reaction between amp and speaker like you do with the other attenuators I've tried.

I gig on a frequent basis, one gig is in a bar with premium priced hotel rooms right above it. I set it about half way and I feel like the Fender Deluxe amp is on 4 or 5 yet its at the volume of around 2. I am amazed more guitar nerds haven't flocked to one of these speakers.

I've never used a celestion g12-65 by itself for very long either. If the Reignmaker is not enough poop for a gig I have another Boogie cab with a WGS ET-90 to add to the turmoil. However it's rated at 70 watts and should be more than enough. The Maverick has no problem with no attenuation at handling the 22 Caliber therefore I shall have no problem in getting into sonic trouble with said bar managers if I am not careful. :lol:

 

[revgsmall]

I went with the Reignmaker. It really works great with the Studio Caliber, it leans a bit more on the Marshall/Celestion vibe but I also have my Fender Deluxe RI with the Maverick if I want the American vibe. I dang near ran both of them at the same time but the on/off switch on the Mesa broke so I couldn't. It's all repaired so I will try running both amps simultaneously in the near future.