Grateful Dead Music Forum

Any thoughts on modifying a Mesa TA30 1x12 combo?I bought a JBL K120 about 2 years ago with the intention of putting it in a 1x12 cabinet and then acquiring an MC50 and SMS preamp. Lately I’ve been playing more blues than Dead tunes so I don’t really need a full blown Jerry set up. The Mesa is actually a pretty versatile amp and I’m now thinking of just swapping out the existing speaker for the JBL. Alternatively I could put the JBL in an extension cab but I’d like to keep the footprint of my rig to a minimum.

A speaker swap isn't a mod to me - it's just a speaker swap.

As long as the speaker fits, it can't hurt to test it in your combo.

BTW, I own a TA-15 which I run through a Reverend open back 1X12 with a Weber Ceramic Blue Dog, 30W, lightly doped. Awesome Vox tones and the Marshall channel ain't bad, either.

This is what the TAs do best, or course - Vox and Marshall (it wouldn't occur to me to use mine for Dead but if it works for you, that's all that matters).

I have a TA15 and with a JBL it sounds great for Jerry stuff. I wish I bought the TA30 for reverb & additional headroom. It has a great clean channel, and in my mind is easier to portage than the Maestro/Mc/Cab rig. It's certainly not the same as we all can attest...but it's closer than many rigs.

If I had the TA 30 combo I would put a JBL in without a 2nd thought. I don't think it devalues that combo in any way, and in many ways will make it more attractive.

I've shopped for a TA30 combo or a head/cab for years intermittently. I just want a screamin' deal. But I must confess ...I truly love amps. I have as many as I have electric guitars at this point.
Peace
M

mgbills wrote: ↑Tue Mar 27, 2018 7:41 pm I have a TA15 and with a JBL it sounds great for Jerry stuff. I wish I bought the TA30 for reverb & additional headroom. It has a great clean channel, and in my mind is easier to portage than the Maestro/Mc/Cab rig. It's certainly not the same as we all can attest...but it's closer than many rigs.

One of the best thing about this forum is it gives us new ideas to try that we wouldn't have otherwise considered. I'm in - I'll experiment with my TA-15 through my SSP 1X12s with JBLs. I'm still skeptical because the TA-15's clean channel is basically like a Vox AC15 and it wouldn't occur to me to use that amp, either, for playing Dead. But the proof is in the pudding.

mgbills wrote: ↑Tue Mar 27, 2018 7:41 pm I have a TA15 and with a JBL it sounds great for Jerry stuff. I wish I bought the TA30 for reverb & additional headroom. It has a great clean channel, and in my mind is easier to portage than the Maestro/Mc/Cab rig. It's certainly not the same as we all can attest...but it's closer than many rigs.

If I had the TA 30 combo I would put a JBL in without a 2nd thought. I don't think it devalues that combo in any way, and in many ways will make it more attractive.

I've shopped for a TA30 combo or a head/cab for years intermittently. I just want a screamin' deal. But I must confess ...I truly love amps. I have as many as I have electric guitars at this point.
Peace
M

While I'd swap speakers without giving a second thought... And I think it'd improve the amp tremendously.... 99.999% of guitarists aren't deadheads or don't value JBL speakers. Save the old speaker as I believe a non-factory speaker would actually devalue if you went to sell.

Jon.
That's how I used it. Grabbed a 1x. Dialed in the Jerry settings. Used a reverb pedal. I was practicing at the time with a group that had great volume control. Not enough headroom for a loud group, but nice & light and close to tone. You can even dial in a smidge of dirt on the clean channel.

Yea. Strummin. See you're point. Not everyone sees little hearts when they spot a silver dust cap.

Hi Guys I re-acquired a 70's SF Twin Reverb just last week, and used it on my monthly DeadHead gig last night.
It had the original Rola speakrs in it 2x12's and it had a Steel Tone-Stack mod on Channel-1, and the Reverb on Both Channels mod, but other than that the Reverb Channel is stock as far as I know.
Oh Yeah it also had the Master Volume completely bypassed (it was a pull-out type knob), and also had the Tremelo Circuit bypassed with a click-off switch on the Intensity knob.
I/we are trying to keep volume down, so I decided to run the amp in the Tilt-Back position. Which made it pretty loud where I was standing, but I think lower overall.
I had the Treble on 10 and could hear that it was pretty crispy (I coulda used a little more on guitar, but the Steel sounded really good), ...I know that JBLs of the Aluminum DustCap variety are crispier and I usually run the treble a weeeee bit below wide-open with them .
Anyway...
I have a 4-ohm JBL E-120 here, which would be a perfect replacement/match to mainline direct from the speaker jack .
I was thinking of putting that in there, and just run one speaker.
But after last nights gig, I still want to but not sure I need to!... to mod or not?
I sold this amp to another Steel player like 15 years ago, he recently passed on and I just bought it back from his wife, along with a Peavey LA 400 which a real screamer also with a Sarno Black Box in front of it (1x12 Black Widow 1203-4, 210W, 2-channel combo amp).