# Speaker upgrade and mods DSL40C



## Pilgrim of the Dark (Jul 12, 2014)

*mod edit: collect your thoughts THEN post and only one bump per day*

Hi all!

I recently bought a Marshall DSL40C and think it's quite a fantastic amp! That being said, I am not liking the fizz I'm getting with higher gain settings and I think the stock speaker (celestion seventy-80) overdoes it quite a bit in the treble department and lacks depth and complexity.

I have read a bit about the c19 bright cap mod (basically removing the c19 cap from the circuit) helping with the harshness of the ultra gain channel and the treble increase when switching from classic to ultra.

BUT, before I do that, I'd like to find a great speaker to go in the amp in place of the terrible stock speaker. I want the speaker to bring out the best of that classic marshall tone (this amp can achieve anything from old plexi tones to jvm high gain, and very nice 2203 tone in either the classic gain crunch mode or ultra gain normal mode.

I've really only heard of people throwing a Vintage 30 in this amp, but I'm not sure the vintage 30 is the best speaker for bringing out the best of Marshall's tones.

Anyone out there have a lot of experience with different speakers? Recommend me the one you think would be best and tell me why. Thanks!

Btw, through this amp, I play mostly 80's shred (Malmsteen, Gilbert, Becker), early Van Halen, some Led Zeppelin style stuff, and cleaner funky stuff like RHCP.

I've listened to way too many clips of celestion and eminence speakers, but each model sounds so different from sample to sample and what seems like a nice, even response with juicy midrange in one sample, seems like a dull, scooped mid sound in another... 

I'm in search of some speaker swappers' opinions on this one! Some people who have actually used many different speakers!


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## sage (Jul 12, 2014)

I ran a DSL100 head in the 90s with the 1960A cab, loaded with G12T-75s. When I plugged that thing into an old Mesa cab, the 1/2 open 1/2 closed version that had the Black Shadows and the EVM12Ls in it, it was an entirely different amp and the experience led me on a journey of speaker swapping and tone chasing. Over the last decade and a half:

The 1960A with the G12T-75s. It's the stock Marshall tone since the 80s. All those JCM800 tones that everyone chases around, most of them were fed into the G12T-75. It's kinda flat to my ears. Nothing is really accentuated and there's not much in the way of speaker breakup being added to the tone, but I'm currently playing with a guy that runs a DSL100 into a 1960A cab and he gets the sound he wants out of it.

The Krankenstein with Eminence Texas Heats. The cab is incredibly over sized and over built. The Texas Heats are 150W a pop, for a total power handling of 600W. They never overdrive on their own, but do a really decent job of moving a lot of air. Kinda brittle and cold sounding, but if you're going for that industrial sound, there it is. Paired with my JSX or my Single Rec, it definitely brought the pain.

At the same time, I owned a Black Pearl 30 combo with an Eminence Red Fang. For that vintage tone, it was awesome. It didn't have a lot of thump to it, so I paired it with...

A Traynor 1x12 sealed cab with a Vintage 30. Up until this point, I had never heard a V30. It was awesome under the Black Pearl and complemented its tone incredibly well. I was recording one day and hooked my Single Rectifier up to it and it sounded godlike. I became an instant V30 fan and immediately sold the Krankenstein and bought a...

Dr.Z Z-Best cab with an Eminence Tonker/Swamp Thang pair. The Tonker is crazy bright and clear, the Swamp Thang is darker and grindier. It was a cool sound, but not really my thing. I sold the speakers and dropped in...

A pair of WGS Retro 30s. A 75W Vintage 30 clone with a slightly darker voice. In the ported Z cab, I had an outstanding tone that really complemented the Single Rec. When I sold the Single and went Kemper, the tone was still there with that cab. Unfortunately, I got in a volume war with our bassist and blew the Retro 30s. On Craigslist, I found...

A pair of EVM12Ss. Added about 35lb to my cab. Could handle the power of my Velocity 300 better, had a lot of air moving power, but lacked in character and speaker breakup, which I have become a real fan of. The metal band I joined (and am currently in) was getting louder by the jam and it became obvious that I needed to go back to a 4x12. I tried selling the Z-Best as is or unloaded and it wouldn't move. I knew a dude who had the identical cab and had swapped the stockers for Celestion Golds. I traded him a Red Witch Famulus pedal for...

The Celestion V30/G12H30 set that comes in the Z-Best cab. Honestly, it sounded slightly better than it did with the Retro 30s in it. I don't know if it's the mix of speakers or if the Celestions have a slight edge on the WGS speakers, but it was an incredible tone. Sold the cab and bought...

A Basson 4x12 loaded with Eminence Legends. They sounded really decent. I mean, they're the closest Eminence gets to a V30 in speaker character. I sold a pair of them to a doomer that blew his speakers and loaded the EVM12Ss in there in an X-pattern. This combo gave a crazy amount of punch and clarity with some really musical speaker grind added on top. Used it for a while with the Kemper then switched back to using a Single Rectifier. Was very happy with the tone, but was trolling CL one day and found a dude that wanted to trade out his slant cab for a 4x12 bottom cab and I ended up with...

My current Mesa Recto cab with Vintage 30s. I will probably never get rid of this cab. It throws. It grinds. It cleans up nicely. What's on top of it went from a Single Rec to a 5150II to a Carvin V3 to a Mesa 50/50 in the last 6 months, but the cab stays. It's like the V30 is an extension of my sound. I don't know that I'd use one in absolutely every situation, but if you're going for a lot of mid-range punch without a bunch of fizz on the top end, if you're going for adding some speaker character rather than trying to faithfully reproduce the sound leaving your power amp, if you're going for a nice balance between smooth and attack, I can't think of a better speaker.

TL;DR - V30>All


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## Pilgrim of the Dark (Jul 12, 2014)

Thanks for the info, man!!! Much appreciated!

So, just to get this straight, the V30 will give plenty of clarity and punch with a sweet, enhanced midrange? That actually sounds pretty good. 

After reading all that, I've narrowed my choices down to a V30, a Greenback, or a G12T-75...

That makes it easier to try a few out.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jul 12, 2014)

Pilgrim of the Dark said:


> So, just to get this straight, the V30 will give plenty of clarity and punch with a sweet, enhanced midrange? That actually sounds pretty good



Yes! To me v30s just have a "tearing" or "barking" thing going in the mids that no other speaker ive tried has. They are great at killing fizz too in my experience. Im pretty much a fanboy now, but its for a reason and based on experience and from trying alot of other speakers first, but the v30 has what i was always after.


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## Pilgrim of the Dark (Jul 13, 2014)

VBCheeseGrater said:


> Yes! To me v30s just have a "tearing" or "barking" thing going in the mids that no other speaker ive tried has. They are great at killing fizz too in my experience. Im pretty much a fanboy now, but its for a reason and based on experience and from trying alot of other speakers first, but the v30 has what i was always after.



Good to know, and again, thanks for breaking down your entire quest for the right speakers. It gave me a lot of insight into many different speakers.

I've never personally played a V30, but have played many, many seventy-80s... Horrid speaker. I liked the stock speakers in my old Jet City 212 better (I think they were Chinese Eminence Legend ripoffs).

I did have a Vox AC15C1 back when they first came out and the Greenback in it was incredible sounding. The best speaker I've ever tried... But, I couldn't get along with the Vox for lead work, so I have no idea how greenbacks sound for cranked plexi-style lead tones.

I'll have to try some speakers out, but right now it's between the greenback, creamback, g12t-75, and v30.

Thanks again for all the info, very cool of you!


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