Ceriatone Forum

Title says it all really, I'm planning ahead and trying to decide on which speakers I'll go for when I get my Overtone (decided on HRM BM100 with a few of the popular tweaks - will be ordering imminently)...

Had a listen to a lot of clips and read lots of reviews and I'm drawn to a combination of these 2 speakers - the Swamp Thang and Texas Heat - they seem to give nice Fendery clean tones but also good meaty overdriven tones - though granted I haven't been able to find a clip recorded using a D-Type amp (or not that I've realised anyway)...

Oh yeah, I'd be going for an open backed cabinet....

Has anyone here tried them?

What's the verdict? Is it a combination worth trying (I'm not against trying them and swapping them out if they're not right for me...but no harm in getting opinions first - hell that's half the fun isn't it??)

I'm also thinking in terms over potentially getting a 2nd 2x12" (but closed back) with the same combination at some point in the future to run with a Marshall-type amp or use both together as a 4x12" depending on situation etc....

I don't think its possible to give a definitive answer unless someone has used that specific combination. I put a Tonespotter and a Texas Heat in the cab I built for a mate and compared with my EV and Red Fang was complete pants. Thin and brittle sounding. Not sure which of the two would be the culprit but I now suspect both of them.

There have been some cheapish EV's s/h on eBay UK recently so if I were you I'd be patieint and try and get one, then do similarly for  Gold.  You can always shift them if they don't suit. But the biggest problem will be, unless you have two cabs to A/B combinations you are going to struggle to do realistic comparions.

I've had a Texas Heat a couple of years ago. Bought it originally for a Blues Junior. After a first good impression I found it quite uninspiring, dull and muffled both on the BJ and a Mesa F50, I didn't have an OTS at the time. Eventually sold it.

The Swamp Thang I found far more interesting. This speaker is quite alive and dynamic and I used a pair in a 2x12 with the OTS for awhile. I eventually swapped them for an old G12-65 and a WGS ET65 because I found them still a bit dark but they are very punchy. I haven't sold those yet but it was my last attempt at Eminence speakers. I believe I'm more into Celestion tone and WGS seems to be quite close. Eminence do NOT sound like Celestion which is a good thing if you want another type of tone but not if you look at Celestion tone for cheaper (for US guitarists, in europe prices are about equivalent)

I did a serie of comparison clips with my OTS and posted them there: http://ceriatoneforum.com/index.php?topic=29.msg14149#msg14149 (http://ceriatoneforum.com/index.php?topic=29.msg14149#msg14149)

Cheers
Fabien

Thanks Fabien, those clips did help actually.

The more I read and the more I listen to clips online, the more I think that I am at least going to try the Texas Heat/Swamp Thang combination - got in touch with Eminence and they said it's one of their most popular combinations...and Emi speakers aren't that expensive (not a consideration, but still a plus) so if it's not right then I haven't wasted too much money...

No Eminence speaker comes closer to EV, especially old EVs. To compare speakers properly you have to use a/b box and identical speaker cabinets. I totally agree here with Hywell.
I’ve got a,b,c,d switch box and we have tried four different speakers in our CCC lab using four identical cabs. EV is the definite winner, period.

In a 2x12 D style cab what would you pair with an EV Doc? Mine has a Emi Red Fang Alnico but only because I got it when they were £120 just before they went up to £200. My mate who i built the cab for has bought an EV and is looking for something similar to the Red Fang so I have suggested he try my Gold, but what about Fanes or Taydens?

Any thoughts?

Hi Hywel,

I always consider two things when building a cab: Tone and weight, especially when we build multispeaker cabinets.

EV has a great tone but as we all know it is extremely heavy, that's why I use neodymium speaker with it. If you want to bright up a cab use Celestion G12 Century (not the Century vintage). To add more bass - try Eminence Deltalite II 2512 which has same 100 db sensitivity as EV.

To go bit heavier, Fane AXA12 alnico is great together with EV or Celestion G12 K100.

Eminence Patriot Series 12'' speakers are 101 or 102 db so they work great with EV depending on players taste. I like RWB and Cannabis Rex.

 

Hope this helps

Cheers

Thanks Doc,

Weight isn't an issue, its for studio use only and I put casters on it as well as side handles.

After much swapping and tweaking i have gone back to my original Weber 1265 alnico's. They needed some break in time, and i needed to learn the amp and really get it set right, but now that i have, i can't see myself using other speakers. i originally had problems with them being too flabby in the low end, but with the right tubes, and some good break in time on the speakers, it isn't an issue now. I went through 4 different speakers and always ended up coming back to em.

That said EV's are always a great choice, as are the suggestions made by everyone here. I may still get a set of Weber's Neo 12's just to see how they sound in the amp. they are supposed to be a pretty good clone of the JBL D120, even better than the WeberAlnico California speakers. i figure if i don't like em i can always flip em.

If you have some buddies in the area with a variety of speakers, trying theirs out might be your best bet, you may find something you really love!

Gregg

I really dig the texas Heat but not really a fan of the overly honky Midz on the Swamp thang, have tried them both in a 2x12 cab but I didn't like the mix of the two.

i did however like these combo's of speakers in a 2x12 ported D-style cab:

Texas Heat & Celestion G12-H65
Texas Heat & WGS ET65 (Two-Rock Labeled)

Funny how perception varry from one individual to another. To me the SwampThangs don't have honky mids and sound even a bit scooped compared to the G12-65 or ET65, probalbly due to the massive lows and powerfull highs.
Both SwampThang and RWB sound great and smooth with overdrive but are definitely too dark for my taste. Tried them both again yesterday on my OTS and my Budda SD18 and still I prefer the ET65/G12-65 for the OTS and the G12H30 (anniversary) for the Budda.

Cheers
Fabien