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Post subject: Speaker swap in my '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 11:09 am
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I have a '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb I bought a few months ago. Been very happy with the amp even though the stock Celestion Ten 30s were just not doing it for me. I gave them a fair chance and waited until they broke in before judging them. Anyway came across someone selling an old pair of Fender Special Design blue labeled speakers out of a 89 Princeton Chorus. Believe they are the same as Eminence 1058 25 watt speakers. Regardless they sound so much better! They break up a little sooner which is what I wanted and they are definitely a warmer speaker with overall tone improvement to my ears. At the price I paid for these speakers I am very happy. If someone is thinking about a speaker swap without breaking the bank older Fender blue labeled special design 1058s might be something to consider. Oh and they sound great playing clean or with some break up.


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Post subject: Re: Speaker swap in my '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 12:16 pm
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lovehifi wrote:
They break up a little sooner which is what I wanted

You want the speakers to break up? Most of us don't want that - at all. It's the tubes that should break up, because they do it in a harmonic way. Speakers don't.


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Post subject: Re: Speaker swap in my '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 1:18 pm
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You may want to hear the amp or you may want to hear speakers...


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Post subject: Re: Speaker swap in my '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 1:33 pm
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I seriously doubt that speaker breakup is an issue. The drivers in a Fender Princeton Chorus are rated for at least 65 watts apiece (the advertised power for each of that amp's two output stages).

More likely, they're more articulate than the Celestions and what you're actually hearing is the nuanced breakup of the Custom Vibrolux Reverb as the output tubes approach compression and OD.

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Post subject: Re: Speaker swap in my '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 2:11 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
I seriously doubt that speaker breakup is an issue. The drivers in a Fender Princeton Chorus are rated for at least 65 watts apiece (the advertised power for each of that amp's two output stages).

More likely, they're more articulate than the Celestions and what you're actually hearing is the nuanced breakup of the Custom Vibrolux Reverb as the output tubes approach compression and OD.


Agreed. The frequency response will be different for different speakers, which might accentuate or dampen how the tube breakup is presented. Lots of tone there that doesn't fit in the (relatively) flat 100-5000 Hz range.


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Post subject: Re: Speaker swap in my '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 2:18 pm
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You guys are right. After playing through them for a couple of hours at different volumes they do sound much more articulate compared to the Celestions. I guess that was what I was hearing as far as break up. The note definition seems a lot more articulate too. They seem to also bring out that bell like Fender clean sound at clean volumes I was missing. They sound great at all volumes so far. At least to my ears. Great speakers for inexpensive speakers. I wonder why Fender decided on the Celestion ten 30s as OEM.


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Post subject: Re: Speaker swap in my '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 2:42 pm
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The Ten 30s aren't bad speakers for the price, but that's it - for the price. Price is a good explanation for why Fender picked them. Sell a thousand amps with a couple of $35 speakers instead of $70 speakers, and you save the company $70,000.
Do the same for ten different amp models, and you talk big money.

(Personally, my Celestion fave is the Vintage 30s, especially for the bass end of things. But they also cost far more.)


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Post subject: Re: Speaker swap in my '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 4:26 pm
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lovehifi wrote:
I wonder why Fender decided on the Celestion ten 30s as OEM.


Art nailed it -- the per-unit price when bought in bulk is usually the determining factor. Not like when Leo ran the show and he chose speakers for each of his designs based on specific sonic performance.

For something akin to traditional Fender tone, there are few Celestions that deliver it. The G10L and G12L are close but I don't think either are in production any longer. Their contemporary Gold Alnico series are very good designs but oh-so-pricey.

That you lucked into some nice alternatives for a reasonable price was very fortuitous indeed.

Arjay

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