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Post by zpilot on Sept 23, 2014 22:43:17 GMT -7
I recently acquired a WGS Blackhawk HP in a trade. I've been interested in this speaker as a lower cost alternative to my Celestion Gold so this has allowed me to A/B them. The Blackhawk is mounted in a vintage Orange 50 watt combo. The Gold is mounted in a MAZ Jr combo. The Blackhawk is a 16 ohm speaker. The Gold is 8 ohms. The MAZ doesn't have a 16 ohm transformer tap so I tested both speakers using the Orange.
First of all, the vintage Orange amp uses EL34 output tubes and has beefy transformers so it doesn't sound like the newer Orange amps. I actually have it dialed in to where it sounds really close to my MAZ Jr but considerably louder.
And the verdict is: The Blackhawk sounds really close to the Gold. Not exactly like it but close enough so that minor tweaks with tone controls will get me there. I can't say that either one sounds better. They both do basically the same thing when they break up. When driven hard the Blackhawk is a touch cleaner, but then it is the HP version which is rated at 100 watts while the Gold is a 50 watt speaker.
The Blackhawk sells for about $55 less than the Gold so I would opt for the Blackhawk unless I could buy a gently used Gold for around $200. Those pop up from time to time here on the BST listing. Of course loss at resell for the Blackhawk is going to be more vs. the Celestion just because of the name.
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Post by simpleton on Sept 23, 2014 22:52:12 GMT -7
Was there a little more low end with the Blackhawk HP ? I was just curious because of the wattage difference...for some reason I thought that I heard the WGS stuff was usually a little darker or warmer sounding.
Thanks for the post.
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Post by zpilot on Sept 24, 2014 1:21:39 GMT -7
Just a little bit of difference. Not enough to change the character of the speaker after a little change in EQ. Some players may even like it better.
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Post by pcns on Sept 24, 2014 4:22:01 GMT -7
Good report out!
Thanks
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Post by hymns on Sept 24, 2014 6:03:03 GMT -7
I've used the Blackhawk hp for a couple of years. It does have a little more bottom than the Gold. I matched it up with an EV SRO 12L ceramic and to me they click real good together in my Stagecraft elite. I also bought me a new gold from Sweetwater for 215. I've worked with the same rep for years and he helps me out. I also just bought the new WGS 12L and it sounds good out of the box. Just got it so I'll see if it breaks in nice.
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Post by Hohn on Oct 10, 2014 18:28:05 GMT -7
Gently used? I'd want a gold that's been punished as much as possible. Nothing sweetens a speaker like lots of hard use.
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Post by jesslm02 on Oct 10, 2014 18:40:54 GMT -7
Gently used? I'd want a gold that's been punished as much as possible. Nothing sweetens a speaker like lots of hard use. Same here lol. Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Proboards
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