I've performed this little operation on my 2 Hot Rod Deluxes. The Celestion Vintage 30 used here will suck the Fender tone right out of the HRD. I really loved the Reverend Alltone 1250 and the Celestion G12M-25 Greenback. If you like Fender cleans, these are very nice sounding amps for the money.
Looks like our experienced technician forgot to disconnect the reverb can first, which makes it possible to set the amp safely aside some distance, so that you have elbow room to work on the cab only. We also install the new speaker using 8 screws with flats and locks to insure that after years of gigging, your speaker stays put. I can't tell you how many rattling speakers we remount in one year! Also we've found that putting a couple drops of super glue into the threaded wooden holes [let dry] stiffens and hardens the surrounding wood, making for a much better platform in which to anchor a heavy speaker. Some speaker frames will have to be drilled to accept the additional 4 screws. We find that with the 8 screw system, torque on any one screw to very reasonable thereby preventing wood stripping from the older 4 screw mounting method. The 8 screw method also serves to keep the sheetmetal rim flatter, especially over time. Just be careful to cleanup all metal filings around the cone edge and certainly from the magnet area. [We tape off the magnet to make cleanup easier, and to insure that our customers receive a pristine speaker decal when they get their amp back] BTW 1> There's no particular reason to drain internal capacitors for this modification. Just keep your ungloved hands OUT of the electronic area. If you're worried you'll slip or something then a good pair of dry welders gloves will certainly do the trick. However if you must drain the caps, get a 5K-10K ohm wire-wound resistor[about 5-10 watts], and connect it to each end of each power filter cap, one by one. Leave it in place for a minute or two on each. Then if you're being extra careful check across those caps with a digital voltmeter to insure that no significant DC voltage remains. BTW 2> The Celestion Vintage 30 is a good choice for any Fender stock amp that normally runs at 40W or below, when dimed. It lends a nice speaker grit, lacking in the stock unit. A bit cleaner might be the Celestion Greenback, or the Celestion Hot 100 for sure. All of the above suggestions are subjective of course, but response curves can be corrected to your preference simply by EQing how you'd like. Of course there are other ways to make this amp sound better. Just get a hold of us. We're happy to answer your questions. Free of charge. There you go. Hope this provides something to think about. Hey....just unbiased suggestions and observations. No disrespect meant or intended to the producer. In fact, we appluad your choice of aftermarket speaker replacement. Hope this insight helps someone. Cheers!
"No disrespect meant". Of course not, which is why you started off with the real douchey "Looks like our experienced technician forgot to disconnect the reverb can first..." remark. The reason for posting this video was to help others who maybe wanted help but couldn`t afford technician costs. Oh and of course people like you to use it to advertise. respect!
Phil Porter I agree. This guy advertises on so many of these types of videos, and other commenters despise him for it. Would never trust my gear with a shameless tech that has no respect for others. Keep up your good work! Adam
+Jaik Cooper If you only want to replace the speaker then you don't have to remove the tubes. I replaced the tubes and had the bias checked on mine at the same time as it hadn't been done for a long time. Be safe.
@UKToneKing The older HRDx stock speakers are Eminence Legends which don`t have such a good reputation. I needed to replace the valves in my amp so I thought I would also give a new speaker a try. Whether the new valves made the difference or the speaker, I can`t say. It has definitely made a difference. I think the G12P-80 is perhaps a better speaker than the Eminence. Clean sounds are it`s strong point but perhaps lacks a bit off bass. It depends what you want, and what volumes you play at.
I have the new hot rod deluxe and when I have it on 3 it seems like when I hit certain notes it makes a vibrating rattle noise ? did U get any think like this
I recently bought a Blues Deluxe and could not leave good enough alone so I tried 4 Celestion speakers. V30s,G12H,Golds and G12 EVH. All were different. Some had more bass,treble,mids and various volumes. As with guitars, nothing that a MXR 10 band EQ cannot do. When all was said and done I kept the stock speaker in.
Sorry but it`s very difficult for me to say, not knowing how often and how loud you play. My first thought is that maybe you should try replacing the valves before the speaker. Have you changed the valves in the past 5 years? If not, it might make a big difference!
My comment was trying to help RodriguezSounds, who was thinking his Celestion Vintage 30 might have died. Assuming his HRD is working fine, the degradation of tone he describes sounds like tube wear or maybe even needing to re-bias.
PHIL - thanks for posting this...it was very helpful. I have the George Benson HRD and don't like the Jensen speaker...I think a Weber Michigan will fit. (Hoping). JIM
@TheTangentUK Sounds like something is loose within the Amp that`s sensitive to certain frequencies and is vibrating at those frequencies. It could be anything, a loose screw or wire... Unless you know what you are doing, don`t try to fix it yourself, you may even lose the warranty. If it`s a new amp I would take it back and change it, I imagine the garauntee will still be valid as they haven`t been out so long. If you can`t take it back, get an expert to have a look. Thanks for posting.
Yes sunn burn is absolutely right...Don't waste your money on a vintage 30 speaker in this amp..I had one in my texas red hot rod deluxe and it always sounded flat and way too midrangey... The lows and high's weren't pronounced very well at all. Not what you want from this type of amp.. ! Its just not voiced for a Vintage 30 For best results try celestions greenback 25 watt , heritage 30 watt 70th anniversary or if you have a bit extra cash on you a g12 65 heritage 65 watt speaker..Thats what I put in mine and it sings beautifully.. This speaker is a cross between a greenback and a celestion classic lead 80. I can only speak for celestion as I have used their speakers mostly. Its sparkly for cleans, pronounced lows and high's, slightly scooped midrange and is also great for rock !
@UKToneKing I haven`t heard the new HRDx live, only on RUclips so I really can`t make a comparison sorry. My HRDx is 15 years old and is perfect for the music I play in the band I`m in. It is extremely well built, solid and reliable which is very important when you are gigging. The clean sound is the reason I bought it. The inbuilt overdrive sound is of no use in my opinion.
I see. I think RodriguezSounds would be grateful to hear from you. Press the reply button underneath his post and you`ll be sure he will receive your advice.
I doubt the problem is the speaker wearing out. Those speakers in particular - the Vintage 30s - are built like tanks. I have 7 of them. Never has one died. If you want a traditional Fender clean tone out of a Hot Rod Deluxe, the Vintage 30 is not the speaker you should be using. A cold bias setting will kill your tone..so will inferior pre-amp or power tubes. What tubes do you have in there?
I`m not after a typical Fender clean sound, although the clean sound I get is to my liking. The Tubes are from TAD. Nothing special really. What I like about the setup is how well the Amp now takes pedals. The band I play in is pretty eclectic, meaning I need a variety of sounds. Sometimes a compromise but generally I can get good tones from "acoustic" clean to serious overdive both with Strat and Les Paul. The video is not to reccommend certain speakers or valves rather how to change them.
I PUT A EV 12L IN BOTH MY HRDX'S. IT NOW FIXES ALL THE COMPLAINTS I HAD ON THE AMPS TONE AND THATS ONLY ME BEING A TONEJUNKIE. IVE DONE SOME TONE STACK CAP UPGRADES AND IT DIDNT DO AS MUCH AS GETTIN THAT CHEAP EMINENCE OUT OF EM. IM KINDA AGAINST THE VINTAGE 30. THEY JUST SEEM TO BE IN EVERYTHING . THEY THEY DO SOUND GOOD . BUT I LIKE THE EV12L FOR THE FACT ITS KINDA LIKE THE OLD JBL D120 WITHOUT THE ALUMINUM DOME. I CAN GET IT TO TWANG TO METAL WITH IT . ANYONE ELSE MODS THESE AND WHAT.
I've performed this little operation on my 2 Hot Rod Deluxes. The Celestion Vintage 30 used here will suck the Fender tone right out of the HRD. I really loved the Reverend Alltone 1250 and the Celestion G12M-25 Greenback. If you like Fender cleans, these are very nice sounding amps for the money.
Great video, very informative! I was wondering what an alnico speaker sounds like in these amps? Do alnico speakers tend to break up sooner? Thanks
Thank you Phil Porter. This is extremely helpful.
Looks like our experienced technician forgot to disconnect the reverb can first, which makes it possible to set the amp safely aside some distance, so that you have elbow room to work on the cab only. We also install the new speaker using 8 screws with flats and locks to insure that after years of gigging, your speaker stays put. I can't tell you how many rattling speakers we remount in one year! Also we've found that putting a couple drops of super glue into the threaded wooden holes [let dry] stiffens and hardens the surrounding wood, making for a much better platform in which to anchor a heavy speaker. Some speaker frames will have to be drilled to accept the additional 4 screws. We find that with the 8 screw system, torque on any one screw to very reasonable thereby preventing wood stripping from the older 4 screw mounting method. The 8 screw method also serves to keep the sheetmetal rim flatter, especially over time. Just be careful to cleanup all metal filings around the cone edge and certainly from the magnet area. [We tape off the magnet to make cleanup easier, and to insure that our customers receive a pristine speaker decal when they get their amp back]
BTW 1> There's no particular reason to drain internal capacitors for this modification. Just keep your ungloved hands OUT of the electronic area. If you're worried you'll slip or something then a good pair of dry welders gloves will certainly do the trick.
However if you must drain the caps, get a 5K-10K ohm wire-wound resistor[about 5-10 watts], and connect it to each end of each power filter cap, one by one. Leave it in place for a minute or two on each. Then if you're being extra careful check across those caps with a digital voltmeter to insure that no significant DC voltage remains.
BTW 2> The Celestion Vintage 30 is a good choice for any Fender stock amp that normally runs at 40W or below, when dimed. It lends a nice speaker grit, lacking in the stock unit. A bit cleaner might be the Celestion Greenback, or the Celestion Hot 100 for sure. All of the above suggestions are subjective of course, but response curves can be corrected to your preference simply by EQing how you'd like.
Of course there are other ways to make this amp sound better. Just get a hold of us. We're happy to answer your questions. Free of charge.
There you go. Hope this provides something to think about.
Hey....just unbiased suggestions and observations.
No disrespect meant or intended to the producer. In fact, we appluad your choice of aftermarket speaker replacement.
Hope this insight helps someone.
Cheers!
"No disrespect meant". Of course not, which is why you started off with the real douchey "Looks like our experienced technician forgot to disconnect the reverb can first..." remark.
The reason for posting this video was to help others who maybe wanted help but couldn`t afford technician costs.
Oh and of course people like you to use it to advertise. respect!
Phil Porter I agree. This guy advertises on so many of these types of videos, and other commenters despise him for it. Would never trust my gear with a shameless tech that has no respect for others.
Keep up your good work!
Adam
Please stop advertising on other people's channel! Your in the process of ruining your company's name. And it's flat out rude!
+arensel84 dude, chill out, he actually gave good advice. Quit being a Douchenozzle.
could you just unscrew chassis , backplate just to disconnect from cabinet? and leave in tubes, and risk of shock?
+Jaik Cooper If you only want to replace the speaker then you don't have to remove the tubes. I replaced the tubes and had the bias checked on mine at the same time as it hadn't been done for a long time. Be safe.
@UKToneKing The older HRDx stock speakers are Eminence Legends which don`t have such a good reputation. I needed to replace the valves in my amp so I thought I would also give a new speaker a try. Whether the new valves made the difference or the speaker, I can`t say. It has definitely made a difference.
I think the G12P-80 is perhaps a better speaker than the Eminence. Clean sounds are it`s strong point but perhaps lacks a bit off bass. It depends what you want, and what volumes you play at.
I have the new hot rod deluxe and when I have it on 3 it seems like when I hit certain notes it makes a vibrating rattle noise ? did U get any think like this
I recently bought a Blues Deluxe and could not leave good enough alone so I tried 4 Celestion speakers. V30s,G12H,Golds and G12 EVH. All were different. Some had more bass,treble,mids and various volumes. As with guitars, nothing that a MXR 10 band EQ cannot do. When all was said and done I kept the stock speaker in.
Sorry but it`s very difficult for me to say, not knowing how often and how loud you play. My first thought is that maybe you should try replacing the valves before the speaker. Have you changed the valves in the past 5 years?
If not, it might make a big difference!
I did that and the V30 speaker made a difference to the great
My comment was trying to help RodriguezSounds, who was thinking his Celestion Vintage 30 might have died. Assuming his HRD is working fine, the degradation of tone he describes sounds like tube wear or maybe even needing to re-bias.
I have changed my speaker in my hot rod deluxe and now the panel over the tubes is hot. I put in a 8 ohm speaker do I need to rebias?
+Jaik Cooper All I can say is take it to an expert. I specifically warn that if you are not sure of what you are doing, then leave it to an expert!
can backplate be left on the chassis ?
just pull off backplate and chassis still screwed together?
+Jaik Cooper Yes, I don't see why not. It may however be a lttle difficult to remove the chassis as it was a snug fit on mine.
PHIL - thanks for posting this...it was very helpful. I have the George Benson HRD and don't like the Jensen speaker...I think a Weber Michigan will fit. (Hoping). JIM
You`re welcome. Hope you find the sound you like. Tone is a lifelong search.
@TheTangentUK Sounds like something is loose within the Amp that`s sensitive to certain frequencies and is vibrating at those frequencies. It could be anything, a loose screw or wire...
Unless you know what you are doing, don`t try to fix it yourself, you may even lose the warranty.
If it`s a new amp I would take it back and change it, I imagine the garauntee will still be valid as they haven`t been out so long. If you can`t take it back, get an expert to have a look.
Thanks for posting.
so it takes this much just to replace a speaker... man... i so need to figure out how to do this stuff...
Yes sunn burn is absolutely right...Don't waste your money on a vintage 30 speaker in this amp..I had one in my texas red hot rod deluxe and it always sounded flat and way too midrangey... The lows and high's weren't pronounced very well at all.
Not what you want from this type of amp.. ! Its just not voiced for a Vintage 30 For best results try celestions greenback 25 watt , heritage 30 watt 70th anniversary or if you have a bit extra cash on you a g12 65 heritage 65 watt speaker..Thats what I put in mine and it sings beautifully.. This speaker is a cross between a greenback and a celestion classic lead 80. I can only speak for celestion as I have used their speakers mostly.
Its sparkly for cleans, pronounced lows and high's, slightly scooped midrange and is also great for rock !
@UKToneKing I haven`t heard the new HRDx live, only on RUclips so I really can`t make a comparison sorry.
My HRDx is 15 years old and is perfect for the music I play in the band I`m in. It is extremely well built, solid and reliable which is very important when you are gigging. The clean sound is the reason I bought it. The inbuilt overdrive sound is of no use in my opinion.
God bless you, I hope all things are well. :)
No problem. As for the dislikes, it happens if you disagree with someone elsewhere. They come and dislike your videos. It`s kind of childish...
I see. I think RodriguezSounds would be grateful to hear from you. Press the reply button underneath his post and you`ll be sure he will receive your advice.
I doubt the problem is the speaker wearing out. Those speakers in particular - the Vintage 30s - are built like tanks. I have 7 of them. Never has one died. If you want a traditional Fender clean tone out of a Hot Rod Deluxe, the Vintage 30 is not the speaker you should be using.
A cold bias setting will kill your tone..so will inferior pre-amp or power tubes. What tubes do you have in there?
Sorry I meant to add that the Vintage 30 is actually rated at 60 watts.
Thank you. Domo arigato!
I`m not after a typical Fender clean sound, although the clean sound I get is to my liking. The Tubes are from TAD. Nothing special really. What I like about the setup is how well the Amp now takes pedals. The band I play in is pretty eclectic, meaning I need a variety of sounds. Sometimes a compromise but generally I can get good tones from "acoustic" clean to serious overdive both with Strat and Les Paul.
The video is not to reccommend certain speakers or valves rather how to change them.
How do you drain the capacitors??
Do a search "drain amp capacitors". You will find a few videos. If you are not confident or sure enough to do it yourself, get help!
Be safe.
watch?v=a21e54eJy2I
If you`re in any way unsure, get a professional to do it!
Be safe.
None at all.
I PUT A EV 12L IN BOTH MY HRDX'S. IT NOW FIXES ALL THE COMPLAINTS I HAD ON THE AMPS TONE AND THATS ONLY ME BEING A TONEJUNKIE. IVE DONE SOME TONE STACK CAP UPGRADES AND IT DIDNT DO AS MUCH AS GETTIN THAT CHEAP EMINENCE OUT OF EM. IM KINDA AGAINST THE VINTAGE 30. THEY JUST SEEM TO BE IN EVERYTHING . THEY THEY DO SOUND GOOD . BUT I LIKE THE EV12L FOR THE FACT ITS KINDA LIKE THE OLD JBL D120 WITHOUT THE ALUMINUM DOME. I CAN GET IT TO TWANG TO METAL WITH IT . ANYONE ELSE MODS THESE AND WHAT.
I was wondering if it would fit. I'll be trying this out today!