Hi there!
I know there are some posts on speakers for Fender Twin Reverbs on this board already, but I don't really feel that my question has been answered, so please forgive me if I bug you with questions, that might have been handled before!
I recently purchased a 1970 Silverface Fender Twin Reverb in excellent condition (according to the local amp guru) but I am not really happy with the speakers. They are Fender stock speakers labeled 12T6-10 and I am afraid, those are the infamous and highly ineffective "Ox-Farts" as some people call them. In fact the amp sounds nice at low volumes and played clean as long as there are no distinct transients in my playing which make it just "fart" with an unpleasant, fuzzy distortion. Using any kind of overdrive or distortion pedal just reveals this effect even more.
What I am actually looking for is on one hand a true american Fender clean sound (which in my opinion means a rich sound with warm round bass, tamed midrange and sparkling yet never shrill or biting highs). On the other hand the speakers should be able to handle quite some overdrive or distortion and still sound warm and thick. I mostly play Tele-style guitars (mainly a G&L ASAT Special which I totally adore) and use a lot of stomp boxes (e.g. T-Rex Moller / Mudhoney, Diamond J-Drive etc.).
WGS speakers were suggested to my by the fenderguru-website and my first idea was to opt for either a pair of G12C or maybe even G12C/S speakers, which may sound a tiny bit less sparkly but handle distortion in a way that sounds a bit more creamy and warm (just an assumption). However after reading several posts on this board, I am totally unsure, what the best option in my case would be.
I hope, you can help me out! Thank you very much in advance!
All the best,
Matt
"rich sound with warm round bass, tamed midrange and sparkling yet never shrill or biting highs"
That IS (!) a pair of ET65's. Go for it & don't second guess yourself ... you'll be VERY happy!
Second choice would be the VERY warm G12C/S ... but don't go G12 ... they'll be too harsh in the silverface twin!
Vaughn,
thank you for your quick reply and your advice! So far I didn't consider the ET65's cause since I totally love the typical American Fender clean sound, I was rather looking at the American Vintage section. My amp is a 1970 model, not one of the late 70s ultralinear 135w amps, and even with the stock Oxfords it surely has plenty of heights but isn't sounding harsh or icepicky to me. That's why I originally opted for the G12C or G12C/S. However your advice made me think and now I'm even more indecisive.
Although I guess, that the ET65's may sound nicer with distortion or overdrive, I am somewhat afraid, that the choice of Celestion-inspired speakers could rob me of that typical Fender clean sound (which is why I got a Twin Reverb in the first place).
What do you think?
Thanks again!
Matt
"Go for it & don't second guess yourself ... you'll be VERY happy!"
:-)
Vaughn,
i have a 77 (non UL) TR and I have a spare g12c/s sitting around that I love the sound of. I play mostly bigband jazz/swing with the amp thru a Gretsch country club with dynasonics 80% of time and 50s r&r the other 20%. No pedals, ever. Would I be better off doubling up the c/s or poping in an et-65 with the c/s ?
Depends ... if you find the tone to be needing some serious taming of ice-pick top end, then stick with a pair of smooth-cones ... otherwise, the ET-65 will still be warm ... but will allow a fair amount of Fender spank & sparkle to still be present.
Follow up regarding a twin and the c/s.
What would be the noticeable diff between the et-65 and the g12c when paired with another speaker? Would the 12c give more high end than the et-65?
Thsnks!
See:
https://wgs4.com/difference-between-et65-g12-smooth-cone