I have been using the ET-65 off and on in my BDRI for about a year frequently swapping back to the stock speaker. I like what the ET-65 does to the drive channel but not so much for the clean channel, it's a little too warm.
I have tried a V30 in this amp and didn't care for that sound. I don't mind the stock speaker but it can get a little crispy and fatiguing after awhile. I watched your Hot Rod Deluxe speaker test (which was a great video btw!) and I was thinking of the G12C, Reaper HP or the Liberator. Which do you think would be a better fit than the ET-65? I was thinking if I like the stock speaker maybe the G12C would be a good fit because it is a little warmer than the stock.
I use mainly a Les Paul playing classic rock, 70s pop and country. I use pedals for dirt. Looking for a nice sparkling clean sound.
Yea ... the HRDX is really a BD with an added gain stage ... back in that blog I ended with:
"The Reaper HP was the winner. Several models were very nice in different ways, but the Reaper HP just plain excelled in bringing what the HRDX was missing while retaining what’s already great about the amp. So there, if ya wanta go the whole 9-yards, here is the video:" http://youtu.be/fvjkdK7KW6Q
So ... yea ... I guess I'd go with the Reaper HP :-)
Thanks for the response Vaughn! I will be checking out the Reaper HP!
Hey Philamag87,
Did you put the Reaper HP in your BDRI? If so, what do you think? I put one in mine a few weeks back. I guess the bottom line is that I'm still dialing in the tone. I really, really like what the Reaper HP did for my clean tone with both single coil and humbucker guitars but I'm not 100% happy with my overdrive tone. It certainly has it's good points but is now a little too dark for me. I'm not blaming the speaker, I think it was a good move. It just a matter of time to understand how to dial in the tone for different situations. Anyway, I would like to hear your thoughts.
Hank
In my last post I talked about not being completely happy with my overdrive sound after I put the Reaper HP in my BDRI. Here's an update. Some minor tweaks and I'm there. With the stock speaker, my nominal tone settings were everything flat, no presence or bright switch. From there, more often than not I would push the MIDS a little bit and roll off the BASS about the same. This left me too dark with the Reaper HP with little articulation or sparkle. All I did was bring the MIDS back to flat and pushed the TREBLE by about the same. BASS remains rolled back a hair. Next, I found that I didn't need as much gain either in the Fender's drive circuit or my BB Preamp. Finally, I have a 12AT7 in the V1 position. This is mostly because I have to run a amp at low volumes most of the time due to being miked and as we know, the volume control is uber sensitive but it has other benefits for me. The 12AT7 also rounds the tone a bit (hence the TREBLE push). I tried the 12AT7 in all 3 preamp positions but for me V1 works the best. You of course don't push the rest of the amp as hard but I rolled my overdrive gain back anyway so it is no problem for me. Yes, I have considered a speaker attenutor and still may get one but this setup is working for me for now.
In summary, this has been a great upgrade for me. Single coils and humbuckers sound great. I use a compressor set more as a clean boost to equalizer single vs. humbucker signal levels. I also use an RC Booster but that is used with any guitar to push the front of the amp with or without the internal overdrive. Used along with the guitar volume control, I have a nice range of overdrive without having to do a lot of tweaking from song to song.
That it. Thumbs UP for the Reaper HP in my BDRI. I hope this helps anyone agonizing over which speaker to choose. Vaughn's shootout helped me make the decision and from there it was just some time.
Hank
Thanks Hank for taking the time to post your results here ... so we can all learn from them!
Hank,
I just happen to be checking this forum and saw you had a question. I actually returned the Reaper HP because I felt it was still to dark. I went with the G12C instead. I'm actually liking it more and more! It still sounds just a tiny bit dark but it's manageable. I usually run the the bass at 3, treble any where from 6 to 9 and the mids to taste. I will tell you that the G12C turns the Gain channel into something pretty ballsy IMO. I think I've tried about 13 different speakers in this amp and think it will end with the G12C.
Philamag87,Obviously I don't check this very often either. thanks for your reply. I certainly understand what you're saying about the Reaper being too dark in the BD. Since my last post, I have added some presence and the bright switch. I think a lot of that is me getting comfortable with a brighter sound. Interesting that you went to the G12C. I put a G12CS in my silver face Deluxe and really like it. I did this before I put the Reaper in the Blues Deluxe. I have been wanting to swap them but just haven't done it yet (not like it's difficult, just lazy I guess). Anyway, I will have to give this a try. The Deluxe is brighter than the BD so this might yield a good result for me.Regards,Hank
I LOVE these posts with a long shelf-life :-)
One note: The G12C and G12C/S are actually about as different as two speakers can be ... even though the difference is only in the paper (cone) ... the thick, smooth cone sounds WAY darker/woodier/smokier than the ribbed version!