Royal Atlantic mods!...and creamback speakers!

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Cory

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Hey all - just wanted to share a few things. First off, I love my Royal Atlantic - I had a head/2x12 cab set up for a little while, but recently sold it for a combo (I don't play out and a combo is just easier to move around my house). The only thing that ever bothered me was the mid hump that I couldn't ever seem to dial out - even if I scooped the mids - I think it might have something to do with the fixed presence and/or the V30 speakers (in both the 2x12 cab and my new combo). I randomly stumbled on some reviews about the new Celestion G12H-75 Creambacks saying that they had more "presence" in the highs, more lows and less mids (compared to V30's). I found a few videos on youtube and they sounded great so I figured I'd give them a try - all I can say is WOW! Everything I read is true and some, these blow V30's out of the water! No more awkard mid-range hump, and it's almost like adding a presence control to balance out the highs. Now that I've tried these I can never go back to V30's - at least not for a mid-heavy amp like the Royal Atlantic. I really wish I would have done a side by side recording before pulling out the V30's and soldering in the Creambacks - you wouldn't believe the difference. I'd say if you got the extra coin (they are pricey at $170 a piece) then try them out...and thank me later 8)

Mesa%20RA%20back_zpslpa17kls.jpg


...and I also changed out the grille cloth on my combo - put in the standard black jute grill - never really liked the grey basket weave - very time consuming (mostly removing tons of staples), but worth it in the end! A little hint on changing grill cloth - pull it as tight as possible and keep it straight, then staple. Once it's stapled the whole way around, mist it with a water bottle (don't saturate it - just a light mist) then hit it with some high heat with a blow drier - this will slightly shrink the cloth, making it nice and tight - looks custom & straight out of the factory!

Mesa%20RA_zpsv4awbxe1.jpg
 
oh, and by the way...before you say I'm crazy for dropping $340 on speakers - I sold my V30's on fleabay for $100 each - so, I only really spent $140 out of pocket - not too bad! :wink:
 
Yes the Creambacks really do work with the RA. I've been using a 1x12 CM and a 2x12 with one CM and one V30 for well over a year. I've been completely happy with the whole time.

We spend so much money on good guitars and amps to get the tones we want, why wouldn't we put the same effort in for the speakers?
 
Cory,
I have a question, why not opt for 16 ohm speakers and run them in parallel for an 8 ohm load? (if you did, you could now drive another 8 ohm cabinet with the combo, actually not sure if the originals were 8 ohm or 16 ohm or if they were connected in parallel or series on the combo).

With the RA100, I do notice the difference between the 8 ohm vs 4 ohm taps on the OT (since I have two 412 cabs with the V30's, with only one cab there is more presence with an 8 ohm load compared to the 4 ohm load which does seem to be more focused in the mid frequencies and less on the upper end.)
 
Cory,
I really appreciate your thread. I am taking your advice and getting the G12H-75 for the combo I recently purchased. I was almost wondering if it was yours since it has the black grill cloth (bought it in Raleigh, NC at guitar center). Probably not yours but a clone with the V30's in it.
 
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