Speakers for Electra Dyne?

[boanerges]

Hi, folks. I'm considering buying an Electra Dyne and have one at home for testing. I was looking to test a Boogie again, haven't really tested one since I owned a Mark 3 in the nineties, and some of the Youtube videos out there sold me on the Electra Dyne. I'm after a great sounding amp, preferably a combo, that leans more towards the British than the American for distorted tones, which the ED does. The fact that it has stellar cleans is a great bonus.

The one I'm testing is a 212 combo, and I really like the base tone of this amp. I tested it on a gig yesterday and it sits nicely in the mix, it takes pedals and it's overall a pleasing amp to play.

BUT: the 212 comes with v30s, and I suspect they are not the best match for this amp. To my ears, the V30s enhances some sort of boxiness in the sound, that I wish to get rid of.

So, my question for those that have tested the ED with other speakers, and perpahs tested different speakers: Can you suggest some speakers, perhaps suggesting what it is that you like/dislike with some speakers in combinaton with the ED?


All the best,
boanerges

 

[YellowJacket]

I like how the c90 pairs up with the Electra Dyne. It's smoother, meatier, and it gives the amp a really unique voice. 2 c90s or a v30 paired with a c90 is a good starting point.

 

[Birdy]

I like how the c90 pairs up with the Electra Dyne. It's smoother, meatier, and it gives the amp a really unique voice.

+1

 

[Hollis]

I like how the c90 pairs up with the Electra Dyne. It's smoother, meatier, and it gives the amp a really unique voice. 2 c90s or a v30 paired with a c90 is a good starting point.

+2

 

[boanerges]

Thanks, I might just try that. Are the c90s for sale just as speakers, without a cabinet?

 

[elvis]

I play mine through a 2x12 recto, but I agree that the C90 mates well with it, too.

I also have had great results with my 4x10. Definitely worth a try!

 

[YellowJacket]

Thanks, I might just try that. Are the c90s for sale just as speakers, without a cabinet?

You can order them from Mesa's website if you are in the US.
I suggest trying 1 c90 mixed with a v30 first, and if that doesn't work out and you prefer the c90, then try 2 of them.

 

[elvis]

Actually, that is a cool idea. Not too difficult to flip either of those if you decide to go all C90 or all V30.

 

[jnoel64]

I tried my Dyne with my RK1 cab and didn't like the combo of the V30 and C90. But, tone is subjective.

 

[elvis]

I'm curious. Did you try with each speaker individually? The RK cab seems like a perfect test fixture for choosing between the two speakers. Unless the cab itself is the problem.

 

[YellowJacket]

The RK 2 x 12 is an amazing sounding cab but it is entirely possible that someone would want a different tone from their rig.

 

[boanerges]

Ok, I just installed a pair of well broken in Scumbacks, an M75/H75 duo, which I find a great combination for Marshall type tones.

So far, I find these speakers a great deal more detailed than the V30s that came with the amp. The V30s sounded duller and harder whereas the Scumbacks seems to bring out the highs in a more detailed, sweeter way. Difficult to describe sounds in words, I know, and my metaphors probably won't make sense outside my own head, but I perceive the difference as warmer, more detailed, more chimey, and with a more pronounced and sweeter top end.

I'll test it in a loud context thru a PA on a gig tonight -- really excited to hear how this sounds through a PA.

A small bonus: the amp is a tad lighter with the Scumbacks. Not exactly a drawback.

 

[jnoel64]

I'm curious. Did you try with each speaker individually? The RK cab seems like a perfect test fixture for choosing between the two speakers. Unless the cab itself is the problem.

No, I used the combined speaker option. It's kind of odd. The RK clearly sounds best with its own cab. The cab I use for the Dyne has WGS British Lead speakers in it, and that's the sound I love the most. Smooth and creamy. The RK cab just didn't have what I was used to, or preferred. It's all subjective, I know. Since I purchased the Dyne only as a head, I feel pretty lucky to have found the sound I always wanted with the combination I came up with almost by accident.

 

[YellowJacket]

Is the WGS 'British Lead' similar to a Celestion CL80? I know WGS voices their speakers slightly different to what Celestion does, but I'm curious anyhow. I really like their Reaper HP!

I do like the RK 2 x 12 because of the balanced and tight tone, but the RA 27" 1 x 12 sounds like it was made for the 'Dyne'.

 

[jnoel64]

That's what WGS claims. I've never used the Celestion version, but I dearly LOVE the WGS speakers. They don't color the tone of the amp so much, so some would say they are a little "flat." But the creaminess I get out of my Dyne is the tone I have heard in my head for decades. I wouldn't trade it for much of anything else.

I just acquired a Granger V20 Nitro (http://grangeramp.com/v20.php). I ordered the head, but the combo comes with a standard WGS Reaper. So, I bought a Reaper HP for a 1x12 cab. I didn't much care for it with that head. I switched to an Eminence Texas Heat, didn't like that much, either. Went to the WGS British Lead, stayed there. Many players fail to remember that a lot of your tone comes from the speakers you choose. I'm just thrilled I found what works for me. It only took me 30 years, lol!

 

[lespauljoe1]

Ok, I just installed a pair of well broken in Scumbacks, an M75/H75 duo, which I find a great combination for Marshall type tones.

So far, I find these speakers a great deal more detailed than the V30s that came with the amp. The V30s sounded duller and harder whereas the Scumbacks seems to bring out the highs in a more detailed, sweeter way. Difficult to describe sounds in words, I know, and my metaphors probably won't make sense outside my own head, but I perceive the difference as warmer, more detailed, more chimey, and with a more pronounced and sweeter top end.

I'll test it in a loud context thru a PA on a gig tonight -- really excited to hear how this sounds through a PA.

A small bonus: the amp is a tad lighter with the Scumbacks. Not exactly a drawback.

I got to this party late, but you have installed the speakers I would have suggested. The last Electra Dyne I owned (1x12 combo), I ran a 100 watt H75 and I thought it was perfect. Very balanced and I liked the tight low end.

I actually have another ED on hold at the moment (another 1x12 combo) and I will pair the H75 with it again.

For what it's worth, I've owned both the 2x12 and 1x12 and I found I liked the 1x12 more because it sounds more open or less boxy.

 

[Analog Kid]

The trick that worked for me turned out to be the more unlikely choice.
I tend to collect speakers and tubes and stack them in a closet when I'm not rotating them in and out of cabs when I experiment. I favor picking up new kinds of Celestions to try out, but I keep other brands too. One Celestion I had acquired in the 90s, but never fully utilized was a 12" Sidewinder.
When I picked up my ED I bought it as a package with a 4/12 cab. The 4/12 I used with my Dual Rec Solo head was the much larger behemoth and the older I got the more I wished it to be the smaller, tighter size, so I was excited to enter a new round of matching cabs to heads.
Of course, from the start, I recognized the Electradyne was one monster amp, reminding me of how I thought a boutique Marshall clone should sound (forgive me if in fact the ED is nothing at all like that, I play boogies and can't even spell JCM) so the process was marred by endless jamming on the blue channel, and pretty much each iteration of cab speaker combo I tried out sounding amazing, so it was hard to proceed and be critical.
For instance, as staggering as the ED half stack truly is, I realized that I went down in size, the ED was starting to sound bigger...hmmnn.
After trying the Jensens in my 4/10 I swapped in Vintage 10's and it was getting pretty gnarly- then I went through combinations in a 2/12. EV's, The c90s and vintage 30s sounded good but not enough to settle and the Golds were really nice, but there was that last 12" I had sitting around that had gone unused for most of two decades.
I hadn't thought much of a single 12 cab because I knew the ED was a powerstation- but the Sidewinder was rated at 150 watts, so I loaded it into a 3/4 back and gave it a shot. Before I felt that the Sidewinder almost sounded like it was dampening my amps, it never sparkled or chimed, but now suddenly in this cab with this amp, it was just natural fit.
Interesting look with that big head on the widebody cab- both are the same exact length.
So, in the end, the last speaker I thought to try became that special ingredient for me.

 

[Hollis]

Analog Kid, you got some pics of your head/cab setup?

 

[Hollis]

I'm on a quest for a speaker for my 1x12 combo. I want a single 12" with a sweet top end that isn't harsh, soft mids, and really tight low end. Right now I have the stock Mesa C90. It's a great sounding speaker, but I'm wondering if I could take the low end a bit with another speaker. It sounds great with a bridge single coil or bridge+middle single coils. It's killer with a bridge humbucker too, but swap to a neck humbucker and the walls and foundation of the building begin to crumble and disintegrate from the huge low end. I had heard people sometimes bash the Electra Dyne's low end, and I never understood why.... until I got a guitar with 2 medium output humbuckers. My PRS Custom 22 sounds great I'm Deluxe Reverb Reissue, but it has way too much bass in the Electra Dyne. I may change to some low output pickups, but I was wondering if changing the speaker might remedy my "problem".

 

[YellowJacket]

I had this problem and I solved it with guitar pickups. My Les Paul was the culprit so I ended up swapping the neck pickup to a Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell to tighten up the bottom, then I put an Alnico Nailbomb in the bridge to phatten it up. Problem solved.