Best Speakers For Stiletto Ace

[berumen77]

Okay, so I have a 1X12 combo and it has the stock Celestion Vintage 30(UK). This speaker has an emphasized upper mid peak that can get kinda spikey and ice pick like fatigue. Not a good choice for an amp that is on the brighter side and is basically a hot rodded JTM/JCM800 circuit. I wanted to ask those who have changed their speakers and are happy with the results, what speaker did you swap it out for.

I contacted Scumback and they recommended a J75-LD. I've seen other owners swap for a M75 or M75-LD. In the PeteThorn youtube comparion vid I though the regular J75 sounded awesome. It was clear, aggressive, full and had this cool 'Gulp' quality on the chugged palm muted lower notes. Great speakers for sure but the Scumbacks are a bit pricey to be experimenting with however.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3eEMWyk0TE
https://youtu.be/G3eEMWyk0TE

I also contacted Warehouse Guitar Speakers and they recommended a WGS ET65. Sounds great on the clips and is based off a G12-65 which should help to dial back some of the brightness and spike of the stock Vintage 30. Concerned that they may be too 'boxy' with the shaved off treble and bass in the combo. They also have a Veteran 30 that is basically like the Vintage 30 without the upper mid spike. There is a comparison vid on youtube of the two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMYnuC2kUjQ
https://www.youtu.be/TMYnuC2kUjQ

I'm not looking for a lot of added low end, I think the amp has plenty and it's not needed in a band setting but also don't want the lows farting out at gig volumes (about halfway on the master/outputs). I like the aggressive marshall quality of the tite gain and fluid gain modes but the stock speaker ruins the amp.

Liking tones like Alice In Chains (Facelift), Tool, Mastodon.

Any opinions and other options of speakers would be great.

Isaac Berumen
Berumen Guitars

 

[berumen77]

Here's another suggestion from Trevor at Warehouse Guitar Speakers that I received today.

"Our Veteran 30 is our take on the V30 design, made specifically to tame the upper mid spike and top end. It’s relatively the same in low end and low mid response, but smoother in the upper mids and highs. It should get along great with the Stiletto Ace.

If you want to diverge further from the V30 design, the ET90 is also an excellent choice. It has a bit of a scooped quality in the upper midrange, with big tight bottom end, and some sparkle up top. You can’t go wrong with either one, in my opinion."

 

[Mookakian]

If its a new V30 wait for it to break in, there is also the Mesa Black Shadow... The V-Type has some nice vintage grit to it with a little more bite, WGS is a great option with the stilleto as well, that one almost went in my 2x12 but i preferred the broken in V30's... the 1st 6 months was a bit painfill but now they are just perfect so if they are reasonably new i'd give the V30 a chance to settle, they really do transform with time

 

[berumen77]

Forgot to mention I've had the amp well over 6yrs and it has plenty of band rehearsals and has countless hours of gig volume on it, speaker is totally broken in. Looking to hear from those who have made a switch from the Vintage 30 to something else. What did they switch to and how do they still like it.

 

[domct203]

With my Deuce II I'm using a Recto 4X12 with Mesa V30's & Eminence Swamp Thangs in an X pattern.

Definitely tamed that hi-mid peak, but still retains that top end cut and sparkle, and glorious pick attack.

The V30's are 15 years old, so well broken in for sure. The Swamp Thangs have about 100 hours of band volume playing by now as well.

Dom

 

[berumen77]

Yeah, I heard a demo of a Swamp Thang compared to a Texas Heat and damn they sounded great on simple bar chorded rhythm the difference between the two was even more apparent with slide playing with the SW being the the one with a bit more clarity while remaining smooth and the Texas Heat had an almost Eric Johnson vibe to it. Great speakers.

Here's the demo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UutsVW23ksk
https://youtu.be/UutsVW23ksk

 

[Dreamtheaterrules]

I know you asked for opinions from guys who had one and had swapped the speaker. I don't, so I haven't. Just wanted to say, I think you were on the right path right off the bat. The first two speakers I'd look at would be the Scumback M or Scumback J LD. One of those will probably be the best speaker you'll find for the amp, given what you said.

The reason I answered is, I have always been interested in this amp, and always thought that given everything I've read about it, the first thing I'd do if I get one was get a Scumback M or J-LD. Everything I've read about the amp and the speakers makes me believe that depending on exactly what you want from the amp, one of those two is the best speaker for it. Honorable mention- Warehouse ET65 or 90

 

[berumen77]

I actually got in a Warehouse Guitar Speaker ET 65 yesterday morning and had it in within 10minutes.
I really think that this style speaker is made for this amp. This includes the G12-65 and M75-LD.
I find that I'm able to set the EQ controls at noon and get the amp sounding really great on the Tite Gain and Fluid settings.
Before with the V30 it was a trial and error to dial in and out the controls. I think the V30 fits the amp if you're going
for a cutting 80's tone something like Motley Crue, but if you're looking for thick grungy chords ala Cantrell the ET65 will help get you there.

The bass is tight, midrange is full and highs are sweeter without the upper midrange spike.
Great investment for the amp for sure.

For comparison I dusted off my Bogner XTC and compared the two. The XTC sounds great with V30s in the cab, the stiletto sounded spikey but after the speaker swap it thickened up nicely.

 

[Dreamtheaterrules]

Nice! Glad it's working out for you. I figured that was one of the ones that was in the running to be the one for you. It's nice when you get it on the first try. Enjoy!

 

[tbonesullivan]

I thought about starting a new thread, but since this one already has some good posts, I thought I would just add to it.

I have a Stiletto ACE 1x12 combo, and definitely like it, but I want to LOVE it. I have read and heard that the Stage II stilettos and Vintage 30s don't make the best playmates, and I've seen recommendations here and elsewhere for Creambacks or something similar, like an ET-65. I can hear some lovely grind in the sound, but the high mids just cover everything up. I tried putting the Stiletto through an open backed cabinet with Emi Texas Heats, as well as another with a Carvin G12, and both were definitely better, but not quite there. Definitely want something definitively BRITISH sounding.

I emailed Scumback speakers, to see what they recommended, and they came back with a J75-LD in 65 Watts. Unless I was going to be diming it all the time, in which case the 100 watt one might be better choice. I listened to the Pete THorn demo of the Scumback speakers, and the cleans on the J75-LD (also called the J75-LHDC) sounded great as well. I'm most likely going to order one in the near future, but I wanted to know if anyone had some other ideas.

 

[elvis]

I've been happy with the V30, but I think I have a creamback laying around I'll try out. My issue with creamback is they tend to get tubby and the extra harmonics they add require a bit of volume.

I also run the combo into a recto vertical 2x12 and the amp sounds completely different that way. Huge lows, less high bite.

 

[tbonesullivan]

It could also be the huge cabinet it is in, as the 1x12 combo is the same size as the 2x12 combo. Everything just gets covered by those high mids though. I really like the vintage 30s in my Tremoverb, but not in the Stiletto. The Scumback 65 Watt J75-LD should be here Wednesday, so then I can do some experimentation.

 

[elvis]

The recto is a totally different amp.

I found that with bass all the way up, treble at 10:00 and presence between 10:00 and 1:00 the Ace is not tto scream-y.

 

[tbonesullivan]

The recto is a totally different amp.

I found that with bass all the way up, treble at 10:00 and presence between 10:00 and 1:00 the Ace is not tto scream-y.

Yeah, I did find some sounds I liked that way, but I'd like to not have to dime the bass to get a good sound. I think having a different speaker will definitely help tame it more effectively. Someone on the facebook group put a 75W Creamback into his and was very happy with the change.

THe VIntage 30 is REALLY good with the rectifier, but the Stiletto, especially the Stage II, needs something more British.

 

[TStone2]

I like the way my Stiletto Trident sounds through G12H's. Got balls.

 

[rarebitusa]

I've been happy with the V30, but I think I have a creamback laying around I'll try out. My issue with creamback is they tend to get tubby and the extra harmonics they add require a bit of volume.

I also run the combo into a recto vertical 2x12 and the amp sounds completely different that way. Huge lows, less high bite.

Elvis... curious did you ever get around to trying alternative speakers with the Ace ie: creamback? or anything else? I'm in the market to try something else. TIA

 

[rarebitusa]

This thread was pretty informative, appreciate all who contributed. FWIW... had pretty much abandoned using the v30 in this combo in favor of a 2x12 v30 + MC-90 cab.

Then ran across a Scumback M75-65 locally here that I couldn't pass on and gave it a shot in the Ace combo. It's 16 ohm so a bit darker implementation. Got it into the cab but didn't put the back panel on at 1st, initial impression was positive but it sounded more mid-rangy, lacking a bit of high definition and sparkle on cleans. Tweaked with the EQ and an external GEQ in the loop (which gives on more to work with), it got better. Alright thinking this is good.

Then get the back panel on... wow that totally changed the voicing, it came alive. Lots of high end clarity and sparkle with the cleans. I was like how could that be? Usually my experience with closed backs are more bassy with punch but tend to mute the highs. Well not the with this speaker. Plus the hi-gain tone is just killer also. The general EQ response is what was welcomed most. The v30 had it's own thing in a big way however EQ tweaks just kinda pushed around it's core voicing. This setup is much more versatile and responsive, what a nice surprise. May be my favorite 1x12 cab now. +1 for the Scumback 8)