O
oreoblizzard
New member
Hey all,
Shared this over at Tele guitar forum, wanted to share here as well.
A bit about my Egnater Tourmaster 4212, the speaker swap I recently did, and plans for the future with tube exchange. Possibly get some advice as well.
Owning the 4212 for 17 years now, there's was a lot to be happy with. Volume, adjustability with contour, density, presence, and the power grid (so cool and innovative)
There was also some bummers; transformer failed and needed replaced (I was 1 year out of warranty but Egnater still sent me a new one for free, I only paid for install at a local shop), misprint on the back panel for full/half power (not a big deal but I bought this new for $1600 back in 08 as a 16 year old kid and that looks janky).
But mostly, it always sounded a bit harsh to me. I had been way to scared to mess with it when I was younger. Tubes and speakers were expensive and I thought maybe I just needed pedals or to dial it in better.
Now that its an old amp and I'm older and less shy about such things, I decided it was time I make this amp work for me or sell it.
The stock speakers are a pair of Egnater Celestion Elite 80s, which to my understanding are an Egnater spec'd/tweaked version of the Celestion Lead 80s. Something about tighter bottom end.
The benefit of these speakers is almost zero compression and a direct output of whatever is fed into them. They give what they get and are very "pure". However to me this could be harsh. Between my tele with van zandt vintage plus pups, Les Paul classic 1960 with 496r/500t pups, and American deluxe Strat, I found it hard to get a sparkling and smooth or warm tone out of this amp.
Maybe its my technique, maybe its the super hot 500t and very breathy van zandts.
HOWEVER
(IF ALL THAT PRRAMBLE WAS BORING THE NEXT PART IS THE UPGRADE BIT)
Today I installed a Celestion Vintage 30 12 and a Celestion Gold v12, and I have never been happier with a tonal upgrade in my entire guitar picking career, including any pedal/guitar purchase I've made (big statement I know).
I was skeptical that it would make a big enough difference to merit the cost (could buy a decent used amp for the cost of both speakers), but i have rarely been so satisfied with a purchase as this.
The warmth and sweetness this combination brought is astounding. Overdrive feels like warm maple syrup. Overtones are sweeter than honey. Chimes as bright and soft as a well colored piano. (I'm not accepting critism on the descriptors..)
All similes aside, it was a great upgrade for anyone thinking of trying either or both of these speakers.
I will say the vintage 30 would not be my solo pick if I only chose one, I did run it with the elite 80 before swapping in the gold, and I would say it helped with some mid punch and a bit of compression, but the gold is what really brought the warmth. The vintage 30 is great now paired with it as it pushes the mid bite up a bit and rounds the sound out.
With this specific amp one does need to heed the 50 watt limit on the gold v12, as the 4212 allows 100w output. However, I almost never have the power grid set to 100w. Usually for home playing I'm on 10w, and any live playing 50 is plenty.
NOW for future plans.
I'll probably enjoy this for a bit, however, tubes swap easily and I can afford the experiment. So I am thinking of getting a Mullard 12ax7 for the v1 and see what that will do as well.
Open to recommendations for tubes for the v1.
My playing is everything from Skynyrd and Allman slide styles, to Brent Mason country, and all between. Not a lot of metal. I grab my martin and play bluegrass if I want to pick fast.
TLDR; swapped Celestion Elite 80s out for Celestion Gold v12 and Vintage 30. Its an exceptional sounding amp now. Looking for v1 tube slot upgrades to replace the groove tube ecc83s to continue experimenting.
Love to hear from you all, and thanks for reading!
Cheers
-Aaron
Shared this over at Tele guitar forum, wanted to share here as well.
A bit about my Egnater Tourmaster 4212, the speaker swap I recently did, and plans for the future with tube exchange. Possibly get some advice as well.
Owning the 4212 for 17 years now, there's was a lot to be happy with. Volume, adjustability with contour, density, presence, and the power grid (so cool and innovative)
There was also some bummers; transformer failed and needed replaced (I was 1 year out of warranty but Egnater still sent me a new one for free, I only paid for install at a local shop), misprint on the back panel for full/half power (not a big deal but I bought this new for $1600 back in 08 as a 16 year old kid and that looks janky).
But mostly, it always sounded a bit harsh to me. I had been way to scared to mess with it when I was younger. Tubes and speakers were expensive and I thought maybe I just needed pedals or to dial it in better.
Now that its an old amp and I'm older and less shy about such things, I decided it was time I make this amp work for me or sell it.
The stock speakers are a pair of Egnater Celestion Elite 80s, which to my understanding are an Egnater spec'd/tweaked version of the Celestion Lead 80s. Something about tighter bottom end.
The benefit of these speakers is almost zero compression and a direct output of whatever is fed into them. They give what they get and are very "pure". However to me this could be harsh. Between my tele with van zandt vintage plus pups, Les Paul classic 1960 with 496r/500t pups, and American deluxe Strat, I found it hard to get a sparkling and smooth or warm tone out of this amp.
Maybe its my technique, maybe its the super hot 500t and very breathy van zandts.
HOWEVER
(IF ALL THAT PRRAMBLE WAS BORING THE NEXT PART IS THE UPGRADE BIT)
Today I installed a Celestion Vintage 30 12 and a Celestion Gold v12, and I have never been happier with a tonal upgrade in my entire guitar picking career, including any pedal/guitar purchase I've made (big statement I know).
I was skeptical that it would make a big enough difference to merit the cost (could buy a decent used amp for the cost of both speakers), but i have rarely been so satisfied with a purchase as this.
The warmth and sweetness this combination brought is astounding. Overdrive feels like warm maple syrup. Overtones are sweeter than honey. Chimes as bright and soft as a well colored piano. (I'm not accepting critism on the descriptors..)
All similes aside, it was a great upgrade for anyone thinking of trying either or both of these speakers.
I will say the vintage 30 would not be my solo pick if I only chose one, I did run it with the elite 80 before swapping in the gold, and I would say it helped with some mid punch and a bit of compression, but the gold is what really brought the warmth. The vintage 30 is great now paired with it as it pushes the mid bite up a bit and rounds the sound out.
With this specific amp one does need to heed the 50 watt limit on the gold v12, as the 4212 allows 100w output. However, I almost never have the power grid set to 100w. Usually for home playing I'm on 10w, and any live playing 50 is plenty.
NOW for future plans.
I'll probably enjoy this for a bit, however, tubes swap easily and I can afford the experiment. So I am thinking of getting a Mullard 12ax7 for the v1 and see what that will do as well.
Open to recommendations for tubes for the v1.
My playing is everything from Skynyrd and Allman slide styles, to Brent Mason country, and all between. Not a lot of metal. I grab my martin and play bluegrass if I want to pick fast.
TLDR; swapped Celestion Elite 80s out for Celestion Gold v12 and Vintage 30. Its an exceptional sounding amp now. Looking for v1 tube slot upgrades to replace the groove tube ecc83s to continue experimenting.
Love to hear from you all, and thanks for reading!
Cheers
-Aaron
