Vox Cambridge Reverb - originalish 10" speaker or something modern?

[marqueemoon]

I have a Thomas Organ-era tube Cambridge Reverb. I believe mine is a 1966 as it has a black control panel. I think it just needs the caps done, and I'm going to have the tech install a 3 prong cord and do whatever else is needed to get it back up and running.

A previous owner installed some meh Pyle 10" in place of the original speaker which I'd like to have the tech replace while they're in there. This amp has some American flavor to the sound (it was Thomas Organ-era Vox's attempt to compete with the Princeton Reverb), but I'd like to maximize its Voxyness.

As it happens a local shop has a 10" Bulldog from this era kicking around. These amps have gone up in value considerably, so the idea of returning it to an original condition is appealing, but I also want to use the thing. If I had the money to do both I'd likely nab the Bulldog just to have it and put in something modern and more efficient, but... I don't.

What would OSG do?

If I go the modern route I'm a little stymied by the options. I have heard good things about Weber. Maybe a Blue Pup? I don't have the budget for some massive alnico thing, and the amp is relatively shallow. The WGS Retro 10 seems like a potential contender. I like the sound in this comparison, and the efficiency (over 100dB) is appealing.

[JSett]

I'd definitely be going for a Weber Alnico if possible. I've never heard a bad Weber speaker...and they're not that expensive if you're the right side of the Atlantic.

[marqueemoon]

I'd definitely be going for a Weber Alnico if possible. I've never heard a bad Weber speaker...and they're not that expensive if you're the right side of the Atlantic.

Yeah. Pretty reasonable.

I wish Weber’s web site was better. It would be great to be able to pull a spec sheet and actually see where this speaker fits in their offerings.

At least they list the dimensions.

[marqueemoon]

Any other thoughts on this? I am leaning towards getting the Bulldog for resale reasons as I suspect long term I may want to let this go.

I am currently infatuated with this sound, and the Cambridge doesn’t really do that particular thing.

[marqueemoon]

Well, the Bulldog was 4 ohms, which isn’t going to fly, so I dropped it off for the tech as-is.

Going to see how I like it before making any further decisions.

[jimboyogi]

I've used a Weber Blue Pup alnico for a couple of EL84 amps. I think they sound great, especially with no negative feedback so the speaker is free to do it's thing without any damping. With NFB they are a bit tamer, but still compress more than a ceramic magnet - they do push the Voxyness more than say a 10F150 would.

I don't have any figures on their efficiency but they seem pretty loud at 15 watts. Not as loud as a 10F150T (what I would use if trying to maximise the Princeton Reverb angle).

And they are very reasonably priced, the alnico and the ceramic Blue Pup are almost the same price.

[marqueemoon]

I've used a Weber Blue Pup alnico for a couple of EL84 amps. I think they sound great, especially with no negative feedback so the speaker is free to do it's thing without any damping. With NFB they are a bit tamer, but still compress more than a ceramic magnet - they do push the Voxyness more than say a 10F150 would.

I don't have any figures on their efficiency but they seem pretty loud at 15 watts. Not as loud as a 10F150T (what I would use if trying to maximise the Princeton Reverb angle).

And they are very reasonably priced, the alnico and the ceramic Blue Pup are almost the same price.

Interesting. My recollection of this amp is it gets a little mushy sounding when pushed, so maybe the ceramic version would be better to maximize the clang?

[jimboyogi]

I've used a Weber Blue Pup alnico for a couple of EL84 amps. I think they sound great, especially with no negative feedback so the speaker is free to do it's thing without any damping. With NFB they are a bit tamer, but still compress more than a ceramic magnet - they do push the Voxyness more than say a 10F150 would.

I don't have any figures on their efficiency but they seem pretty loud at 15 watts. Not as loud as a 10F150T (what I would use if trying to maximise the Princeton Reverb angle).

And they are very reasonably priced, the alnico and the ceramic Blue Pup are almost the same price.

Interesting. My recollection of this amp is it gets a little mushy sounding when pushed, so maybe the ceramic version would be better to maximize the clang?

Yeah ceramic should give you less speaker compression, if the amp power section is giving you all the compression you need. Also with Weber speakers you can choose the power rating, which helps tailor the compression and the treble response.

I've never tried a ceramic Blue Pup, but have used other ceramic speakers from Weber, and they were all excellent.

[OffYourFace]

I have Ceramic Blue Pups in a 2x12 but they are a little different than the stock one. They are custom voiced (or treated?) for the Pete Cage Corsa amps. I don't know how they compare to the standard line but they sound really great with both Vox and Fender style amps. It might be worth asking them about it?

Compared to a Celestion Blue, the Ceramic Blue Pup has an extended frequency range (more bass but still tight), more efficient (a tad louder) and a bit less compression.

[garyfanclub]

Don't have much input on speaker choice, but I'd always go with a modern speaker if you're planning on using the amp for playing live or at any significant volume. Put in a modern high efficiency speaker (or low, depending on what your after), and stick the vintage one in a box. You can "restore it to original" when you sell it, and enjoy it worry free while you own it. Upshot is there's a 99% chance it'll sound way better than the 93db worn out 60s speakers.

50-60 year old speakers are tired, generally hold the amp back from what it's capable of tonally, and who know what's they've been through before you got the amp.

tldr always modern > vintage speakers if you actually want to use the amp.

[marqueemoon]

^Thanks. The original speaker is long gone.

What’s in there now is Pyle Driver 10”. An MH1020 I believe. Supposedly the speaker Derek Trucks used to prefer in his Super Reverbs for its earlier breakup.

The Bulldog for sale locally was the wrong impedance (4 ohms, not 8 )so I passed on it.

I just dropped off the amp as-is with the Pyle for the tech. I’ll give it a spin when I get it back. If I love it and want to fine tune the sound I will resume the quest for the right speaker.

[Marc]

This era Cambridge is similar to the original AC-10? There is a lot good things said about the Celestion Gold 10” in those amps as replacements.

[marqueemoon]

This era Cambridge is similar to the original AC-10? There is a lot good things said about the Celestion Gold 10” in those amps as replacements.

There’s a 10” gold for sale locally. Maybe I will try to nab it if it’s still around when I get the amp back from the shop.

This was Thomas Organ Vox’s answer to the Princeton Reverb. The early ones were tube like mine before they switched to solid state in 1966. I’m not sure how much they have in common with the AC10.

[spiffy chap]

This era Cambridge is similar to the original AC-10? There is a lot good things said about the Celestion Gold 10” in those amps as replacements.

There’s a 10” gold for sale locally. Maybe I will try to nab it if it’s still around when I get the amp back from the shop.

This was Thomas Organ Vox’s answer to the Princeton Reverb. The early ones were tube like mine before they switched to solid state in 1966. I’m not sure how much they have in common with the AC10.

Not sure what speaker my friend has in his, but he also has an earlier model and I think it has a great sound. Can find out this weekend when he’s back.

[marqueemoon]

This era Cambridge is similar to the original AC-10? There is a lot good things said about the Celestion Gold 10” in those amps as replacements.

There’s a 10” gold for sale locally. Maybe I will try to nab it if it’s still around when I get the amp back from the shop.

This was Thomas Organ Vox’s answer to the Princeton Reverb. The early ones were tube like mine before they switched to solid state in 1966. I’m not sure how much they have in common with the AC10.

Not sure what speaker my friend has in his, but he also has an earlier model and I think it has a great sound. Can find out this weekend when he’s back.

That would be very much appreciated!