Swapping out the tubes and speaker

othomas2 · Post by **othomas2** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:15 pm

Suddenly got the urge to sell my Classic 30 for a Marshall but I'm now wondering if it's be worth exchanging the stock speaker for somethin' else, perhaps the tubes too. Maybe even those that are present in the Marshalls I'm lookin at.

worth trying before buying and selling ?

The amps I'm considering are a Jcm 800 combo & maybe one of the new Haze 40 as I'll be able to get one through work cheaper. Wouldn't normally buy new but I think there is somethin to be said for buying new on something like this.

opinions ?

Post by **Doog** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:18 pm

Well, what is it about the 30 that you find lacking?

othomas2 · Post by **othomas2** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:25 pm

Doog wrote:Well, what is it about the 30 that you find lacking?

It sounds too nice and clean which i know is a bit of plus for most. But still quite muddy at the same time with my jag, and the eq'in does nothing for it whatsoever.

I wanna have a gritty beefy clean... that has bass and sparkle.

I've been unhappy with the sound recently but haven't tried cranking it for a while now. although whenever I've used it in rehearsals and for recording and I've been pretty happy with it, so makes me wonder if it's just a low volume thing.

Coming home for my hols and using my Marshall solid state has sparked this off... it has a lot more going for it than my classic 30 has for me anyways.

If I could marry the two that would be amazing !!

Post by **Doog** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 7:54 pm

I take it the Marshall is closed back? Otherwise, you could hook the Peavey up to the Marshall's speaker/s fairly easily.

A speaker and tube change could totally bring about more bassy goodness and a slightly more gritty tone; although I don't know how much you can totally change the amp's character without major mods.

One obvious thing is that the Marshall has two speakers and a bigger cabinet- this'll always pump out more lows than a small 1x12 combo- I've ran my trusty DSL50 into a 1x12 cab and it really is a difference compared with my usual 2x12 cab.

If you dig the Marshall so much, why not just use that from now on? Tubes really aren't the be-all and end-all of amps, as far as I'm concerned. I say, use the Marshall at a rehersal first before buying any new parts, see how it keeps it up with the band.

othomas2 · Post by **othomas2** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 8:22 pm

I used to gig the marshall a fair bit... and I liked it a lot, but that was about 10 years ago.

It's just a big and heavy lump & not that suitable for London living, plus its on the wrong side of the country at the moment.

So hooking it up to the peavey is out of the question unless I bring the pair together. It's quite useful being at my parents anyways for musical projects up here, which happens on occasions. I don't have a lot of faith in it at the mo... think it could do with a service.

I think what I'll do is sell the Peavey and buy a smaller Marshall.. job done.

Should almost be a straight swap too... price-wise

Thanks for your advice !! I'm just trying to convince myself I don't need to buy a new amp

Not even gigging at the moment either !!

Progrockabuse · Post by **Progrockabuse** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:07 pm

i keep telling myself i don't need a new amp, but i've seen a JTM 45 combo for sale Â£699. If i could get a decent price for my tweed, i'd definatly get it! I really need a marshall.

FenderGuy53 · Post by **FenderGuy53** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:46 pm

Regarding the Classic 30, I think that a tube/speaker change would provide a noticeable improvement in tone. On the other hand, I think that you'd be moving closer to Voxland than Marshallland. You may want to look at the older USA-Made Crate V-Series amps, such as the V3112T or the V1512T. Very sweet!

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:55 pm

FUUUUU.