DETHRONED: swapping out the king of all speakers

Sometimes, you stick with something for SEVERAL YEARS, and then you just decide to make a change. Just because. I’ve had the same speaker in my home recording cab for what, 9 years now? I think it has been even longer than that. Let’s swap it out. I have a new speaker (I actually found it in my garage) that I’d like to try. So, here we go! I’m going to leave it in there long enough to break in and let my ears settle in to it. Enjoy!

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Timestamps with A/B clips:
0:00 Welcome! Let’s swap out my favorite speaker. But first what does it sound like?
3:24 Deluxe reverb with OLD speaker
5:05 Lazy J 20 5E3 with OLD speaker
6:22 Let’s go swap the new speaker in…
14:13 Lazy J 20 5E3 with NEW speaker
15:38 Deluxe reverb with NEW speaker
16:46 Closing thoughts…will circle back in a couple weeks!
Please SUBSCRIBE, and thanks for hanging out!

[JustinOstrander]

Use the chapters to bounce back and forth between clips to A/B them. Which speaker do you prefer for each amp?

3:24 deluxe reverb OLD speaker
15:38 deluxe reverb NEW speaker
5:05 lazy j 5E3 OLD speaker
14:13 lazy j 5E3 NEW speaker

[JarickL]

I like the alnico with the lazy j as it’s a lot clearer, slightly prefer the ceramic with the deluxe as alnico was a touch harsh but a little EQ adjustment would be just fine!

[jamesburns]

Good times hanging out in Uncle Justin's frog (finished room over garage). I don't have the best set of monitors at my office but I could definitely hear more gritty chime with the alnico I think. The WGS sounded cleaner imho. They both sounded good but I can see where the WGS is a more all rounder and the alnico more a one or two trick pony. Thanks.

[philf]

The second speaker is a great improvement, it seems to have both clarity with lighter picking, and a little growl with some heavier picking. Good combination!

[joelstover]

For me the Deluxe with the ET 65 sounds perfect. Just the right amount of cleans but when pushed it adds the right amount of hair....if it ain't broke....but having other speakers in other cabs gives you more options.

[firebird]

both sound great, probably depends on the type of music how it sits in the mix.

[buzzfretwear]

Just doing a quick listen I think I might slightly prefer the immediacy of the ET65. But man, I love the *feel* of playing through an alnico in the right rig.

[largeeng]

I swapped the Jensen speaker in my 5e3 clone for a Celestion Alnico Blue recently. I had been struggling with a lack of volume alongside a heavy hitting drummer. Someone suggested the speaker change, and I was dubious it would make enough difference, especially as the Blue is not a cheap speaker!! I bit the bullet and made the swap and I was surprised at the difference, now I have plenty of volume and it has beefed up the tone. In fact I have some volume in reserve which has made the amp more flexible than it was previously. A worthwhile upgrade despite the cost!!

[scottschuster]

When I first built my #1 guitar, I put a TV Jones classic plus in the bridge, and I hated it. But there were these rare and brief moments where I could land a line or a lick just right, and it would sound cool. It took several months for me to hear and feel how to play to that sound, but now I have the problem of wanting a filtertron in the bridge of all my guitars. It has contributed to me investigating different finger picking styles and angles, and amnts of left hand pressure. Just truly something I esteem very highly now, -might even be a foundational part of how I play- that I needed to find my way to.

I don't think I've ever heard another player entertain doing this. Though you've described the phenomenon differently, and perhaps your description is more correct, I fully believe that where one can do this, that it can lead to good things.

[Taylor]

I love the tones and not sure how to describe other than clean and gritty. This tone reminds me of a favorite John Mellencamp album. Whenever We Wanted

[bubs]

I have an original 1265 and I love the ET65. I also have the ET90 and the Blackhawk HP which is the Alnico with the large dust cap. The ET90 and the HP are pretty close in tone, all of them are great.

[CHIG]

If you ever have a bright amp like Marshall Plexi, you can try a speaker like the Weber harmonica speaker. Which is just a larger dust cover so more material is in contact with the speaker paper and rolls off some highs. A 30’ guitar cable will adjust the capacitance and roll off some brittle highs also. ie the Hendrix curly cord fx.

[seantorres]

Hey Justin, all the info you share with us musicians is phenomenal. But really came here to say your playing is awesome! I love your use of dynamics and your time is unmovable. Thanks for the insights and the inspiration. Cheers man!

[TonyThomas]

You should get a solder sucker or some solder braid. That makes desoldering easier. (I worked for an electronics distributor in sales, CS, and tech support for 20 years.) You could always just leave the wire and a jack connected to each speaker. That would make it easier to change out speakers.

[dazetake]

I noticed a big volume boost when I changed out the speaker on my little vintage two knob supro, it already had an alnico 8" but I went with a Jensen instead, needs about 50hrs of breakin time for any new speaker, but I'm liking it already.

[bjorntannberg]

I love Alnicos. I have a Cream in my Deluxe Reverb and Alnico Gold in my Princetons.
The way I hear it the sound gets more focused through Alnico speakers.

[Tonetwisters]

My 76 year-old ear likes the DR and the Cream the bestus! My amp tech really likes the MojoTone Anthem ...

[extraplush]

If you were to stick with one, I’d do the alnico, but ultimately I heard the alnico lending some depth and brightness to the tweed, and while it sounded perfectly respectable in the deluxe reverb, the ceramic sounds better in that amp.😅

[onenotesolo]

Really useful video, thanks Justin. I’ve been down the speaker rabbit hole lately and settled on Alnico Creams more than anything else. In this video I thought it was very close - the ET65 may have edged it, but the Cream will be back in the game when it’s broken in, which the WGS obviously was. Makes a huge diff.
I also had the opportunity to A/B the same two speaker models (stock Two Rock and Alnico Cream) installed in two 1x12s versus in a single 2x12 cab, all wired up and played wet/dry and slow, so there was only a few seconds gap in switching cables over. I assumed that the separate cabs would sound a bit fuller and wider, but the difference was massive, whereas the 2x12 sounded great but the speaker bleed inside meant that it sounded more like a single great speaker rather than a wider, more hi-fi sound. Have tried both in a band situation and the 1x12s at are still my fave in the room unmic’d. In a larger venue with mic’d cabs it’s more of a moot point.

[seanzinger]

Very wise to give different gear time.

Also, I know this wasn’t the point at all but that drum track is SO good. I need this.