Maverick speaker suggestions

[deny]

First off, I've been reading this board for a few weeks since getting my Mesa Maverick (the amp I've been wanting for years) and FINALLY decided to register. So, hello to everyone.

On to the situation. I really like the Maverick, obviously, but a serious weak point seems to be the Vintage 30s that came in it. In a 4x12 closed back cab, they're great. In this 2x12 open back configuration, they have way too much mid-range honk for my tastes. I can't even dial the honk out. I do realize that the V30 has some good characteristics, so I'm looking into replacing one of the speakers to balance things out and really help this amp reach its potential (if it's possible to do by only switching one speaker). I've recently re-tubed it with tubes specifically suggested by Doug at www.dougstubes.com, and that definitely helped. But I've got to do something about these speakers.

Any suggestions?

 

[Murphy Slaw]

Man, I don't own a Maverick, but love the V30 I dropped in my Blue Angel, but it's a 1;12.

I'm using a 91 Tele, single coils, and a tube screamer.

Are you using humbuckers?

I don't really have any suggestions, but someone will I'm sure.

Best to ya.

 

[deny]

Yeah, I'm using humbuckers...a PRS Custom 22. But like most PRSs, it's coil tapped, and that usually produces the best sounds. The honk is still overbearing though....to my ears anyways. I know the V30 has good qualities, which is why I'm looking more into switching one of them to balance things out rather than ditch them all together.

 

[deny]

Well, thought I'd bump this one last time to see if anyone had any suggestions. I'm currently looking the hardest at an Eminence Swamp Thang. I even e-mailed Eminence and that was the one they suggested. I've since jammed out with a friend and his 1x12 Crate had TONS more bass than my Maverick. I'm not looking for a massive amount of bass, but I definitely need more. And I need to tone down the shrillness of the V30. The lead channel also becomes, as I've heard described best on here, a little buzzy and fizzy. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SixVeeSix]

First of all, this is just my opinion so everyone remain calm. Having fatigued far too many cheap crappy Celestions in my days, I don't like them. The time period between the nasty pre-break in tone and the feeble flubber-wubber of a speaker that has taken it on the jaw one too many times is too short. I don't really play all that loud either.

So, I have a Maverick 1-12 and the best speaker that I have tried in it so far is either a Peavey Black Widow - the one with the paper dust cap, or a Peavey Scorpion Plus. Most of you have only heard these speakers in solid state Peavey guitar amps and so the tendency is to under-rate or ignore them.

Either of those speakers will give you huge bass, your 35 watt amp will NEVER impinge on their dignity and you will learn about muscles in your back that you did not know were there. That is why I chose the little 1-12, most of the time it is plenty and if I need more I can bring a tuned cabinet to get the huge sound.

I have not tried any of the new Eminence speakers but I don't see how they could be made any crappier than a Celestion. I do like some of the Weber and Kendricks stuff and good luck finding one - a JBL G125. I had one of those in a Caliber .22 and it sounded awesome.

You may also find that you get better tone with different preamp tubes. V1 is first in line for the clean channel and V2 is first for the distortion channel. Try a 5751 or a 12at7 in either position and see if that helps. I also run a 5v4 instead of a 5ar4 because the amp runs cooler and sounds about the same. Have fun, LOVE the Maverick. Keep it, even if you want something else. There are tones there that no other Boogie can touch.

 

[jesserides2005]

I don't know if this helps, but here's my .02 worth:

Before I switched to a triaxis rack rig, I used to use a maverick head with a 1x12 open back and a 1x12 Thiele both loaded with the stock boogie 90 watt Celestions. Interestingly enough, neither one of the cabs sounded that great by themselves with the head, however together they were perfect!

 

[lyman]

First off, I've been reading this board for a few weeks since getting my Mesa Maverick (the amp I've been wanting for years) and FINALLY decided to register. So, hello to everyone.

On to the situation. I really like the Maverick, obviously, but a serious weak point seems to be the Vintage 30s that came in it. In a 4x12 closed back cab, they're great. In this 2x12 open back configuration, they have way too much mid-range honk for my tastes. I can't even dial the honk out. I do realize that the V30 has some good characteristics, so I'm looking into replacing one of the speakers to balance things out and really help this amp reach its potential (if it's possible to do by only switching one speaker). I've recently re-tubed it with tubes specifically suggested by Doug at www.dougstubes.com, and that definitely helped. But I've got to do something about these speakers.

Any suggestions?

well, i went through a similar thing recently. the maverick does have a midrange tone to it, not so much of a fender shimmer so i agree that V30's might be too much for the upper mids.

i have a maverick head (the short version). originally i bought a marshall 2x12 cabinet, closed back with mid 80's g12t-75 speakers. I wasn't too crazy about this configuration, the 75's had a harshness to them but they DID sound better than the newer ones since maybe the aging helped mellow them out.

I sold the marshall cab and bought a 1x12 cab and threw in an Eminence Tonker. That's a speaker really only suited for loud clean tones, the distortion was not very well matched. It didn't last long.

Then i bought an Eminence Private Jack, their version of a greenback but higher wattage and less flubby in the bottom end. It's got more top end and less mids than a v30, though you could say the same for a g12h as well.

I would go to tedweber.com and check out their selection as weber makes some good stuff, and last time i went to eminence.com there were tone samples. The Cannabis Rex might be what you're after. also, i would look at the freq. response curve for a v30 and compare other speakers against that, if they have the same upper mid bump you might want to stay away since you know you don't want that.

Good luck!

 

[deny]

Thanks for the help everyone. I've rushed into too many gear purchases and ended up with not getting what I was looking for...so I'm taking my time with this one. I'll probably replace one speaker and then a few months down the road replace the other (two at a time is pushing it with the wife right now since she let me get the Maverick and my PRS recently lol). I definitely don't like the V30s at all and would like both of them to go. Honestly, I haven't heard a Celestion I like, but then again...haven't heard many different Celestions. I've listened to all the sound clips at Eminence and the Swamp Thang comes the closest to what I'm looking for, but I really like some of the Webers better. I may check into a Michigan 12 since it's supposedly like the EV-12L and I've seen such rave reviews of that speaker on here.

 

[SixVeeSix]

I may check into a Michigan 12 since it's supposedly like the EV-12L and I've seen such rave reviews of that speaker on here.

Which is why I recommended the Black Widow. Peavey hired the engineer that designed the EVM-12L to design speakers for them. I have had the EV speakers and they are heavy but sound great. They have become collectable/pricey and the overlooked alternative also offers the advantage that you can re-cone it yourself in a few minutes. I just sold an extra one on ebay with the aluminum dust cover - too brittle sounding for me. I didn't get over $40 for it (wah) but I didn't pay much for it either. Sometimes you can find one of the older Peavey amps in a pawn shop that has a pair in it for way cheap. Swap your speakers, sell the amp on Craigslist to get your money back out and on to the next.

 

[lyman]

i'm curious, you said Doug at dougstubes.com made some tube recommendations for the maverick. what did he suggest?

i have JJ el84 tubes in the power section, and NOS gen elec 12ax7 in the slots for the clean channel, and a JJ for the phase inverter. I'd like to try a lower gain tube for the reverb, now i have a 12ax7 in that spot. Putting the GE tubes in really helped the sound. But i'm always looking for more tubes! thanks.

 

[SixVeeSix]

i'm curious, you said Doug at dougstubes.com made some tube recommendations for the maverick. what did he suggest?

i have JJ el84 tubes in the power section, and NOS gen elec 12ax7 in the slots for the clean channel, and a JJ for the phase inverter. I'd like to try a lower gain tube for the reverb, now i have a 12ax7 in that spot. Putting the GE tubes in really helped the sound. But i'm always looking for more tubes! thanks.

Thought I would jump in, have no experience with Doug's tubes but do have a considerable stash of vintage American and European tubes. Try a 12at7 for the reverb, also try one in V1 (clean channel) and V2 (distortion channel). Might let you work the output section a bit more, turn up the single master volume to make up for lost gain. Also try a 5v4 in the rectifier if your Maverick runs blazing hot like mine does. This will run the output tubes a bit cooler. I also like a 5751 in the V1. The GE tubes are excellent and still affordable, grab some while you can.

 

[lyman]

i'm curious, you said Doug at dougstubes.com made some tube recommendations for the maverick. what did he suggest?

i have JJ el84 tubes in the power section, and NOS gen elec 12ax7 in the slots for the clean channel, and a JJ for the phase inverter. I'd like to try a lower gain tube for the reverb, now i have a 12ax7 in that spot. Putting the GE tubes in really helped the sound. But i'm always looking for more tubes! thanks.

Thought I would jump in, have no experience with Doug's tubes but do have a considerable stash of vintage American and European tubes. Try a 12at7 for the reverb, also try one in V1 (clean channel) and V2 (distortion channel). Might let you work the output section a bit more, turn up the single master volume to make up for lost gain. Also try a 5v4 in the rectifier if your Maverick runs blazing hot like mine does. This will run the output tubes a bit cooler. I also like a 5751 in the V1. The GE tubes are excellent and still affordable, grab some while you can.

interesting, thanks for weighing in. how much of a change in gain do you notice with a 12at7 in V1? i like to run the amp just on the edge of breaking up, with an overdrive pedal for more crunch when needed. i really only use the clean channel - i've actually got a 7025 in V1. GE's are indeed good and not hyped in price (yet).

also, will running a lower power rectifier tube affect the headroom? i've got the standard rec tube (gz34 or whatever) and don't want too too much compression/sag.

seems like an amp that could do fine with lower gain tubes across the board...

 

[deny]

I may check into a Michigan 12 since it's supposedly like the EV-12L and I've seen such rave reviews of that speaker on here.

Which is why I recommended the Black Widow. Peavey hired the engineer that designed the EVM-12L to design speakers for them. I have had the EV speakers and they are heavy but sound great. They have become collectable/pricey and the overlooked alternative also offers the advantage that you can re-cone it yourself in a few minutes. I just sold an extra one on ebay with the aluminum dust cover - too brittle sounding for me. I didn't get over $40 for it (wah) but I didn't pay much for it either. Sometimes you can find one of the older Peavey amps in a pawn shop that has a pair in it for way cheap. Swap your speakers, sell the amp on Craigslist to get your money back out and on to the next.

Both of my V30s are 16 ohm and the only Black Shadows I've seen are 8 ohm. I'm just looking to change one out for now, so that wouldn't work too well for me. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[deny]

i'm curious, you said Doug at dougstubes.com made some tube recommendations for the maverick. what did he suggest?

i have JJ el84 tubes in the power section, and NOS gen elec 12ax7 in the slots for the clean channel, and a JJ for the phase inverter. I'd like to try a lower gain tube for the reverb, now i have a 12ax7 in that spot. Putting the GE tubes in really helped the sound. But i'm always looking for more tubes! thanks.

I got what he suggested, which was Ei El84s for the power amp and in V1 a Tung-Sol reissue, V2 a high gain JJ, V3 and V4 a Penta Labs, V5 a Shuguang, and a Sovtek 12AX7LPS in V6. My overdrive has been sounding a little fizzy and buzzy, so I'm probably going to swap the high gain JJ with one of the Penta Labs to lower the gain a bit. I've been wanting to try a 5751 in either V1 or V2 for a while and might do it just to calm things down a bit.

 

[SixVeeSix]

i'm curious, you said Doug at dougstubes.com made some tube recommendations for the maverick. what did he suggest?

i have JJ el84 tubes in the power section, and NOS gen elec 12ax7 in the slots for the clean channel, and a JJ for the phase inverter. I'd like to try a lower gain tube for the reverb, now i have a 12ax7 in that spot. Putting the GE tubes in really helped the sound. But i'm always looking for more tubes! thanks.

Thought I would jump in, have no experience with Doug's tubes but do have a considerable stash of vintage American and European tubes. Try a 12at7 for the reverb, also try one in V1 (clean channel) and V2 (distortion channel). Might let you work the output section a bit more, turn up the single master volume to make up for lost gain. Also try a 5v4 in the rectifier if your Maverick runs blazing hot like mine does. This will run the output tubes a bit cooler. I also like a 5751 in the V1. The GE tubes are excellent and still affordable, grab some while you can.

interesting, thanks for weighing in. how much of a change in gain do you notice with a 12at7 in V1? i like to run the amp just on the edge of breaking up, with an overdrive pedal for more crunch when needed. i really only use the clean channel - i've actually got a 7025 in V1. GE's are indeed good and not hyped in price (yet).

also, will running a lower power rectifier tube affect the headroom? i've got the standard rec tube (gz34 or whatever) and don't want too too much compression/sag.

seems like an amp that could do fine with lower gain tubes across the board...

7025 is a higher gain tube than 12ax7, but not by much unless it is one of those yellow print Sylvania tubes that says 7025/12ax7/ECC83 on it. Those pups are SMOKIN' HOT! There is a considerable drop in gain with the 12at7, it lets you turn the amp up a bit and get more output tube tone working for you. I also like to lower my pickups down from the strings a bit for the same reason. I really have not noticed any significant difference in tone with the 5V4 rectifier, just that the tubes did not glow quite so near meltdown which makes me happy.

 

[SixVeeSix]

I may check into a Michigan 12 since it's supposedly like the EV-12L and I've seen such rave reviews of that speaker on here.

Which is why I recommended the Black Widow. Peavey hired the engineer that designed the EVM-12L to design speakers for them. I have had the EV speakers and they are heavy but sound great. They have become collectable/pricey and the overlooked alternative also offers the advantage that you can re-cone it yourself in a few minutes. I just sold an extra one on ebay with the aluminum dust cover - too brittle sounding for me. I didn't get over $40 for it (wah) but I didn't pay much for it either. Sometimes you can find one of the older Peavey amps in a pawn shop that has a pair in it for way cheap. Swap your speakers, sell the amp on Craigslist to get your money back out and on to the next.

Both of my V30s are 16 ohm and the only Black Shadows I've seen are 8 ohm. I'm just looking to change one out for now, so that wouldn't work too well for me. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Not Black Shadow (Mesa relabled, usually Eminence or Celestion), Black Widow (made in USA by Peavey). Huge difference, the Black Widow is a cast frame heavy duty loudspeaker. They are available in 4, 8, and 16 ohms. It should not matter too much, you have one 8 and two 4 ohm jacks on the back of your Maverick to choose from so you can use whatever you want. The amount of bottom end you would get from a pair of Black Widows would shock you, you could play bass with it easily. The good part about that is the more you can turn the bass knob down on your amp and still get your tone, the more defined and clear your tone becomes.

 

[deny]

Sorry, I meant to say Black Widow. Slip of the tongue. I looked on both Ebay and on Peavey's site and I didn't see anything about a 16 ohm, just 8 ohm. Anyways, thanks again for the suggestion.