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Post by sonicgator on Mar 14, 2007 19:54:35 GMT -7
I was hoping some of you may have experience with either or both of the Weber California and/or Michigan speakers, possibly even both together, that could provide some insight. JChance, you seem to be a Weber expert, what are your thoughts?
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 14, 2007 20:36:33 GMT -7
I was hoping some of you may have experience with either or both of the Weber California and/or Michigan speakers, possibly even both together, that could provide some insight. JChance, you seem to be a Weber expert, what are your thoughts? I have an Alnico California here. Not a bad sounding speaker actually. I played through it before my Alnico Blues came, so I have a few sound clips through that, powered by my Stingray and the 6545 I think. Lessee here.... Ah, looks like there is one clip with the California: Clip:Third Stingray Wide Open Clip: Grosh Tele > Humphrey Audio Atom Smasher > Stingray > Airbrake > Weber Alnico California Atom Smasher all knobs at noon except attack at minimum. Stingray had Cut at noon, Tone at 2 1/2, Volume dimed. H&K Rotosphere II in the loop (you can hear it briefly) www.gear.strayca.com/audio/Stingray/StingrayWideOpen3.mp3Hope that helps a little.
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Post by sonicgator on Mar 15, 2007 5:10:47 GMT -7
Thanks for the clip Benttop. Although, I've never heard a bad clip from you, so I don't know if that's fair! Great playing and tone as usual.
The speaker sounds good, but I definitely think the Blues match the Ray better.
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Post by JChance on Mar 15, 2007 5:41:07 GMT -7
Calis are wonderful in the right amp. They sound really good with a silverface Vibrolux, Deluxe or Pro Reverb and help with the mushy lows factor. Michigan is like an EV 12M.. Both Cali and Mich are extremely efficient and LOUD. If you wanna raise the headroom of an amp significantly, then they are hard to beat. Cali has a bit of a scooped mid factor, which the Michigan is pretty thick in the mids (like the EV). They would match up well together, but like I said...be aware of the headroom increase.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 15, 2007 5:43:25 GMT -7
Thanks for the clip Benttop. Although, I've never heard a bad clip from you, so I don't know if that's fair! Great playing and tone as usual. The speaker sounds good, but I definitely think the Blues match the Ray better. Thanks! I agree on the Stingray, but the California has some of that same vib going on. Just not as much as the Blue. On the other hand, the California takes a whale of a lot more power, and has its own sound. It is actually quite frustrating how wildly different all these speakers really are. ;D
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Post by JChance on Mar 15, 2007 5:43:52 GMT -7
Also, DON"T get the alnico versions if you are using a lower powered amp. This comes from Ted Weber himself. You are just wasting the extra money because a small amp won't make an alnico Cali or Michigan compress, therefore negating the "alnico effect." I was going to get a California alnico for a '66 BFDR I used to have, and Ted told me not to bother and just get the ceramic.....
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Post by rcrecelius on Mar 15, 2007 6:55:46 GMT -7
Also, DON"T get the alnico versions if you are using a lower powered amp. This comes from Ted Weber himself. You are just wasting the extra money because a small amp won't make an alnico Cali or Michigan compress, therefore negating the "alnico effect." I was going to get a California alnico for a '66 BFDR I used to have, and Ted told me not to bother and just get the ceramic..... Thats good advice...with that in mind, it would probably be best to match an Alnico speaker to the specific amp youre going to use it with instead of getting something in higher wattage rating to use with multiple amps.
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Post by mudskipper on Mar 15, 2007 7:11:17 GMT -7
i also have a good amount of experience with Michigan in a various versions with different tweaks. one thing that i tend to disagree with just about anyone is that i don't perceive Michigans as "loud" speakers. to me, EVM12L/D120F/Red Fang/The Tonker are loud speakers. every time i used Michigans, my amps are quieter (in volume). what they do well is to give me a big bass and rounder treble. the bass can get *very* "woofy" and "loose" if you have an amp that has full bass. after about 4 versions, i think i've finally come up with a version of Michigan, i think. in regards to AlNiCo version on low power amps..... what usually like about AlNiCo speakers is the round/bouncy transients rather than the compression at high volume levels. for the transients, i've found AlNiCo speakers to be worth it even in low wattage amps. since i can tell the difference in how the transient responses are at low volume levels or with low wattage amps, it's been really worth it for me to go with AlNiCo speakers for the most part. of course, this certainly is not a defacto rule. as for Cali, i've only heard a ceramic version a couple of times so i can't comment on it in depth. i do have an old D120F reconed by Ted which i love (currently in my BF Deluxe). it sounds wonderfully hi-fi when clean but it translates OD/Dist sounds very well. it doesn't crunch as well as, say, EVM12L but it definitely sounds great. i would suspect a lot of people who say "D120F are spiky and too glassy/bright" have the treble and/or presence too high or haven't done enough "knob twiddling" since they installed their D120F. i usually have my treble on my Deluxe at about 4. one of the benefits of having a D120F in a Deluxe is that i can turn up the bass a little more. i'm sorry to be a full of "counterpoints" in this thread but i hope this helps in some ways.
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Post by sonicgator on Mar 15, 2007 20:17:06 GMT -7
Thanks for all of the replies. I know I at least want to swap the Vintage 30 in my Z-Best out, so I'm looking at a bunch of different options. Weber seems to have a fast growing fan base, so I figure they should be in the mix as well.
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Post by Hohn on Mar 16, 2007 18:26:27 GMT -7
I was hoping some of you may have experience with either or both of the Weber California and/or Michigan speakers, possibly even both together, that could provide some insight. JChance, you seem to be a Weber expert, what are your thoughts? I have an Alnico California here. Not a bad sounding speaker actually. I played through it before my Alnico Blues came, so I have a few sound clips through that, powered by my Stingray and the 6545 I think. Lessee here.... Ah, looks like there is one clip with the California: Clip:Third Stingray Wide Open Clip: Grosh Tele > Humphrey Audio Atom Smasher > Stingray > Airbrake > Weber Alnico California Atom Smasher all knobs at noon except attack at minimum. Stingray had Cut at noon, Tone at 2 1/2, Volume dimed. H&K Rotosphere II in the loop (you can hear it briefly) www.gear.strayca.com/audio/Stingray/StingrayWideOpen3.mp3Hope that helps a little. Dang you, STEVE!! Actually, I mean-- BLESS YOU, STEVE!! This is the VERY CLIP that cost me $2500:) When I heard the piano-like tone when you hit the flatted5 interval it just killed me! The tone was unbelievable! I mean, it sounded like a huge gong! Yes, the BP clips sounded fantastic, but the Benttop clips are what sold me on this amp. I'd like to suggest to Doc that he pay you enough to quit your day job and just have you making Z demos all day. Then again, he alrady sells all he can make... Thanks for helping me find the amp that had given me the most guitar joy I've ever had, Steve. I'll always owe you a cool beverage of your choice. Justin
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Post by superreverb2 on Jul 2, 2007 9:29:47 GMT -7
Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I'm quite interested in the Alnico California as well, and I thought the clip was VERY good. (playing and tone wise) As I didn't see it touched on in the thread, I'll ask. Did the Alnico California in the clip have an aluminum dome or a paper dust cap?
Thanks for your time
Chuck
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Post by dixiechicken on Jul 2, 2007 11:18:39 GMT -7
Really nice soundclip benttop.
Cheers: Dixiechicken
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jul 3, 2007 7:21:45 GMT -7
Thanks guys. That speaker has a paper dust cap.
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