So, even though it appears alot of guys/gals have flown the coop here since Nik stopped selling kits I thought i would give a little update on my Bluesmaster, specifically on the speaker choice. I originally had Weber AlNiCo 1265's installed, and they are pretty nice speakers, but not a great match for the Bluesmaster. I originally ordered them based on some recommendations from this forum and a few other sources, as they are a popular choice for the OTS series. The problem is that the Bluesmaster's tone stack is very similar to Blackface Fenders, and, as such along with having a nice high end and mid range section it also has a very large bass response. It's not something we think about very much, but Leo did design his amps to go along with his guitars, the strats and teles, and so the amps needed more bass response to make up for the guitars' lower bass output.

The 1265's, as i said were very warm, and had nice high end, and were not overly dark, as i had feared, but they did not take the bass output from the Bluesmaster well at all. Even at low volume and low bass settings the bass response was loose and flabby, and i just couldn't get used to it. At first i tought they just needed to break in some more, so i kept them in and kept gigging with them, but as they opened up, they got warmer and brighter, but the bass response never really developed. I thought maybe this was just how AlNiCo's are (these were my first AlNiCo speakers), but after doing some reading, and emailng weber, it turns out the bass response is more of a result of cone construction than magnet design.

Reluctantly, I pulled the Webers out, and dropped two of my 20 year old Eminience Legend G1's in there. I had 4 in my 4X12 cab that i used to use with my Sovtek and i always thought they were pretty good drivers. To my surprise, the amp really came to life. The bass response on those old speakers is nice and tight and well defined, and the mids and highs are every bit as good if not better than the Webers. The Blackface quality of the speakers REALLY shines through now. I am very impressed. I can even turn my bass control up past 3 now, and it stays nice and tight and well controlled.

I think the closest thing Eminience to them now is the 1258, so i may look into a pair of those to replace my 20 year old ones, as i am afraid they may go at any time, as the cones are pretty dry and flimsy and may blow any time. I'm thinking either those or the Weber 12F150's.

In short, if you have a Bluesmaster, and you are not happy with the low end response, try a more American type speaker, it seems the British style, while awesome in the mid's and high's, just don't stand up to the bass response that the amp is capable of.

Hope this helps!

Gregg

No Apologies Needed I agree it is like a Blackface on steroids. I was playing with a little more last night, and with the old eminence speakers in,there my Dano i can crank the bass right on up with no problem (surprise surprise) but with the Les Paul it can get boomy and overwhelmig real quick (again surprise surprise).

I may switch the power tubes out again to the JAN 6L6WGB's to get a little lower bass response for tonight's little blues jam and see how it goes. I should just shut up and play, but that's been hard for me to do lately

I look forward to hearing your clips

Does the C-Rex allow the brightness to come through as well? I know that the hemp cones are known for "taming harsh treble" is why I ask. I've pretty much resigned my self to the fact that my LP will be a little muddy until i swap the pups out, but if I throw I GE-7 in front of the amp I can get some nice highs out of it, but I found out last night that even with the eminence drivers I have in there now the bass can get a little farty with the LP, but the highs and mids are there. So will the cannabis retain the mids and highs without being farty in the Bluesmaster?

Edited. Damn autocorrect

Best I heard so far is BM50 + Celestion Gold

I will try my Legend 1258 with it soon.
Choice may depend on how clean you play it
I set the preamp vol low, master vol high

until I got the Celestion Gold, I thought of selling the BM50, I preferred the Fuchs ODS until that point.
It's certainly worth switching tubes and speakers before discarding an amp that is known to be popular

Sorry again, but you are only overdriving the preamp turning up the first volume unless you crank the master too (or output of C-lator if you use one).
In amps that sound good with JJ's they have a good reputation (I've used them in dozens of amps), my 100W HRM had a full set for 2 and 1/2 years of constant gigging and sessions and they still test and sound great, only found it out after replacing with Winged "C" and other pre tubes... thought I would hear more output, better tone. Now the JJ's are a great spare set.


"I cranked up the clean channel to around 8 out of 10 to drive the power section and was greeted with a beautiful power tube saturation overdrive sound and the Webers compressed and sang beautifully! All this from the supposedly "crappy" JJ's!"

The Crex is not a dark speaker at all.  The treble is not muted, but it is never harsh.  Definately check this speaker out- it is very good at doing American tones.

The Lil Buddy (the 10" version of a Crex) on the other hand is a very dark speaker.  So I guess there is more at work than just the hemp cone.  I haven't tried Tone Tubby speakers, but i would be interested to see what they're all about (except I don't have unlimited $$$!).

I've heard nothing but great things about the EVM's. The only reason I haven't tried them is due to price.