I keep trying kit I can't afford! (Jensen Blackbirds)

[musicmaker29]

Hi!

Just picked my amp up fromt he repair shop at the weekend..........whilst I was there I realised that they make their own cabs now and to test it I used a little (ish) 2x12 (or 2x10 can't remember) cab with Jensen Blackbird speakers in it....................FLIPPIN HECK! Sounded awesome and way better than my Engl cab.........I want it.

So I asked the price..................:S:S:S:S:S - turns out the speakers are about £160 each and the cab itself was 200, I need to win the lottery.  Anyone know of any other speakers that will come close to delivering this insanely brilliant noise for less money or is this yet another case of 'you get what you pay for, end of'?

Seriously, if you get a chance to try these speakers, go for it!

cheers, ALex :)

[Pete24v]

Where did you try them out?

[musicmaker29]

Tried em at Hotrox in Nottingham!

[robbiethered]

Good taste mate!

It sounds like you played through my own cab, I had it on order to be loaded with Jensen Blackbirds and picked it up the next week!

I agree the Blackbirds are great, I chose them above any other speaker I could get.

Admittedly I had been saving for a while to get it.

By the way they are the 12 inch version.  Cab is 200w at 8 Ohms.

I use it mainly for a Laney VH100R.

[Gunner Recall]

I almost went with a blackbird in my port city cab but ultimately ended up with the ol' EVM12L.

If (or should I say when!) I get another pc cab I'll probably load in some blackbirds  :P

[robbiethered]

Yes, for years I wanted an Electrovoice like that to beef up my Marshall combo but they weren't really available until recently, and now of course when I don't need them they are re-released!


Be great to put one in an ordinary 1x12 combo and be able to compete with a loud drummer like the old Boogie amps with EVs in could! Like putting a Rolls Royce engine in a mini, ha ha!

Nevertheless I prefer the sound of the Blackbirds, they sing at all levels of volume, alnico magnet speakers at 100 watts each!

[musicmaker29]

the world is a small place lol

Im well jealous, although if I flog my Engl cab I suppose I might come close to getting the cash together (plus a little saving up!).

Would it make sense to replace a couple of the speakers in my current cab with blackbirds as, if I build this slowly I might actually be able to afford it - 1 blackbird this month, one after Christmas.....get the cab in about 6-8 months time.......

what sort of music are you playing through it btw?

[Brow]

Good old Hot Rox, that's my neck of the woods!

I've seen online that they've started selling their own range of cabs. Are they anygood? I'm looking at a replacement cab for my Splawn and these look quite good on paper :)

[robbiethered]

I play mostly everything from clean jazz and all blues styles,  through to heavy rock.

It gives more depth and a much faster response than my other cab, which has two Celestion G12T-75s in it. Never liked those speakers, didn't flatter either the amp or my guitars, and had a horrible farty sound around the upper midrange.

The blackbirds in this cab seem to flatter everything. Totally different beast, and I'm a fussy git when I've got the chance to be! My guitar plays like silk now too, no more seeming to resist the notes I want to play, coz the speakers gel with the player.

There's bound to be people who are not so keen on them, it's personal taste. They're right for me though.

I dunno what Engl use and how the wattage and ohms are in your cab, you may need to think about the changes you'll make if you replace them one by one. Others on here or the shop themselves will know more about speaker matching in cabs.

The cab itself seems to be good, yes, it's fairly compact but projects well and there's a special panel at the back you can remove if you want to port it and spread the sound more. Haven't had it long so I can't say how tough it is for the road yet etc.

[ethan_hanus]

Maybe one of these speakers will suit your fancy. They are exact copies of famous brand speakers, for half the price, except they don't do every single speaker known, just a few. I personally like the WGS V-30, which is a Celstion Vintage 30 copy, awesome speaker.

http://wgs4.com/catalog/american-vintage

[robbiethered]

Do you think so? Are they really good copies?

I do recommend Hotrox though, they know what they're on with and can advise about valves etc.
I'll have to get some preamp valves off them when I get round to it. I've bought a fair bit of kit from them since I first went last year, and it all seems good.

Reminds me actually, they've got one of my guitars still, I'll have to pop down there.

I've now gigged with the cab mentioned, it really shines when you crank it up. The speakers sing like Nightingales, as well as Blackbirds!

[JacksonRR]

Maybe one of these speakers will suit your fancy. They are exact copies of famous brand speakers, for half the price, except they don't do every single speaker known, just a few. I personally like the WGS V-30, which is a Celstion Vintage 30 copy, awesome speaker.

http://wgs4.com/catalog/american-vintage

The Warehouse Guitar Speakers are very well received internationally. The clips on the site are reportedly not even close in sound quality, but do give a general impression of the model. I haven't heard one personally, but they are high on my list things to buy/try this year. A g12T-75 without the harshness and a bit more mids or a Vin30 without the high-mid spike? Yes please! The prices are very nice as well. You can outfit a 4x12 for around $280 with those. I do also remember someone posting here about a similar small speaker company based in the UK.