Calling all speaker connoisseurs!!

[Happyorange27]

Yeah i should just get the Canis Major you recommended a while back.  I want smoky hemp and some alnico sizzle.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Hey I love my CR but I have some cash to blow and I'm thinking of trying out a Vintage 30.

It seems Trey dug the C Blue in with his Deluxe, but the V30 with his Mesa. Either way, they have that upper midrange (presence) punch, the V30 being more aggressive I guess and both having a tighter bottom compared to a lot of American speakers I have tried.

Anyway, funny timing because one of the bands I have been playing with is posing a challenge for my Mesa's "Class A" setting - I had to crank the MV to 6 or 7, so still a bit on tap, but we are inviting a few other musicians to play along with us. I was thinking about switching to Simul-Class, but I would have to get a 100w speaker, so I was looking at:

Weber Alnico Blue Dog 100w
Weber 12V Alnico (Alnico V30 copy!) if they can do 100w
WGS Blackhawk HP (more like an EV SRO, probably not enough presence, but the regular Blackhawk or Black and Blue might be up your alley).
Jensen Blackbird (didn't match my needs IIRC)
Fane AXA12 (or copies, but also might not have the chime).
ASW Elegante (expensive, can't remember what else I didn't like about it)
...

Anyway, I love Alnico and if you wanted to get closer to Trey's tone, I think the upper midrange of British (something like the above) will help, though I love your tone as it is. Also, the Blue Junior IIRC benefited from a bit more low-end (I had a Swamp Thang in mine, similar to a CR) when I had it (made it sound like a physically larger amp), but I wasn't where I am now tonally and with my rig. Just stream of consciousness considerations . I was about to make a similar post though.

I can't remember if you can fit Alnico in the Blues Junior? If your not sure, I would ask Weber if they know - you might if you take the cap off the magnet. If so, consider:
Red Fang - love mine, more handling than you need, feel free to try mine if your around, I might sell it if I get a new speaker
Celestion Blue - I think you can get one for $250 or so shipped via Avatar Speakers
And lower power handling ones I mentioned above (ie Weber, WGS, etc.).

If you can't fit Alnico, the Weber Grey Wolf looked interesting and they make all the other speakers I mentioned in Ceramic as well.

[Poster]

dude really^ your not going to get closer to treys tone by using that speaker.

anyway,

   http://www.usspeaker.com/beyma%20liberty-1.htm

^ these people make great shit. How about an old EV 12 L with a hemp cone, or just about anything else with some head room.

[Heady Jam Fan]

I've tried a few few and they did better by far than the EVM12L, which kinda feels bland and smokey to me in comparison

[Poster]

you have used a 300 watt ev and felt it was smokey? they are widely touted as the cleanest speaker made.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Not smokey as in distorted. I have an EVM12L sitting right next to me, not being used. One of the old ones with the heavy duty frame, recently reconed with an EV cone. Oh yea, they are 200w though.

[Poster]

yup 200w. but yeah with that much headroom, distortion would need to come from somewhere else man

[Heady Jam Fan]

i wasnt talking about distortion...

[Happyorange27]

Heady thanks for you excessive response (as usual).  I haven't tried alnico ever so I want to at least do that.  I think Lemon has a C12N in his BJ and it actually sounds really good, but I know that's too bright for me.  Yeah I'll see what's up but the BJ can handle a bunch of speakers except for the Blue Dog (too long).  That's what she said.

http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=295

[Heady Jam Fan]

Too much? No point in not going full retard

Yea, I remember reading that BillM thing - sometimes it hits the chassis, sometimes fits, so I guess it depends where the screws are on the baffle of your particular Blues Junior.?. Not worth risking buying one though I suppose.

I wonder if a Celestion Blue would fit in there (only $30 more than the Blue Dog)... When I had Blues Juniors, I was afraid it wouldn't fit (that's what she said / reminds me of my first time)

If it is actually the length, you can take the cap off the magnet. If I were you, I would probably drop a thread on TGP to see what Alnico mag speakers fit in the Blues Junior.

PS - at risk of making another excessive post :

As I further considered switching from Class A to Simul-Class and getting a new speaker with great power handling, I realized...
15w Class A (maybe 25-35w according to Mesa) to 75w Simul-Class might only be a 30% increase in amplitude (10x more wattage = 2x amplitude, in my understanding).
The Red Fang is rated 103db sensitivity, while the high powered speakers are mostly around 99-100db, which sounds half as loud.
Thus switching to higher wattage and a less efficient speaker, I could actually decrease my ultimate amplitude!!

Anyway, I thought that was interesting, not sure if those numbers are accurate, but my EVM12L at 100db sensitivity is very noticeably quieter than my Red Fang (which is said to be rated slightly more efficient than it really is), and switching between Class-A and Simul-Class makes a smaller difference in volume. Also, I like the Simul-Class setting - it still has the midrange and compression of EL34's running as Triodes, but also has the articulation of the 6L6's.

[Happyorange27]

I meant thorough not excessive; I like your long posts. I just purchased a standby switch and in octal conversion kit so that I can finally get onto some bigger output tubes. I will be able to install 6V6 JJ tubes and that sounds like it's going to be pretty cool. I have to pack up the PCB board and drill some precise holes so I have to get out my surgical mask.

[Heady Jam Fan]

I meant thorough not excessive; I like your long posts. I just purchased a standby switch and in octal conversion kit so that I can finally get onto some bigger output tubes. I will be able to install 6V6 JJ tubes and that sounds like it's going to be pretty cool. I have to pack up the PCB board and drill some precise holes so I have to get out my surgical mask.

Thats awesome.

My first thought was how different will it be from a Deluxe... while most Fenders have a lot in common with each other, I suspect it will still have a lot unique in comparison.

[Happyorange27]

Yeah I bet it will have a lot in common with a deluxe. That is the goal. I've heard nothing but good things about this conversion and all of the other mods that Billm presents. my quest never ends with modifying this blues Junior. always a rewarding journey.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Anyone more sane than us would suggest you ought to buy a deluxe, but we both know that would just ruin (in my head that was pronounced like Stewie from Family Guy) the fun. I wish I was as good with a soldering iron - I just tried to swap some Lollar Imperials into my guitar (as well as putting in a new tone and volume pot with slightly different wiring) and then took it directly to my amp tech to have him fix it... it was a bit more complex than my ability, plus I find I am better at starting from scratch than working  on something someone else already started.

On the note of speakers, the production manager from WGS just contacted me and offered to build a custom speaker (I guess he me asking about his speakers on TGP). The Blackhawk HP has a lower resonance cone that gives it a voice more like an EV SRO rather than a Celestion Blue / Gold, so he offered to build me a hybrid between the normal Blackhawk and the HP (high power) version, basically a 100w Celestion Gold.

[Happyorange27]

That sounds bad ass about the speak. The Blackhawks I heard was real dark sounding so a hybrid would be a good idea.
Yeah I love tweaking my amp and at some point I will have invested more than a Deluxe would cost. But you can't put a price on experience, knowledge and understanding of what every element truly does in the amp. I like the Stewie reference.