Mustang GTX 100 speaker replacement

Started by aarons, September 01, 2021, 11:27:39 PM

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aarons

Hi. I'm writing to ask for advice on a replacement speaker for my Mustang GTX 100, please.

The sound was too shrill when I bought it (used) so, sadly, I tried to break in the speaker by streaming music with the Master volume at 2pm for half a day. Now, unless I turn down the bass almost completely, or the volume way down, the amp makes a buzzing/flapping noise when I play on the low E string anywhere up to the 7th fret.

I get the same noise when I feed the  FX Send of my Katana into the FX Return of the Mustang, so I'm pretty sure the problem is not in the pre-amp. (To check, I also put the 5 band EQ at the front of the signal chain with the 80Hz slider all the way down, as recommended in a thread I read, and that did not make a lot of a difference.)

Since it looks like I need to buy a speaker anyway, I'm wondering if I should try to replace it with the same, or get a different one (perhaps one that can survive loud music better). I don't buy stuff very often, so if it makes a difference, I can afford to spend a bit more on the new speaker.

What would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

admin

#1
Quote from: aarons on September 01, 2021, 11:27:39 PM
Hi. I'm writing to ask for advice on a replacement speaker for my Mustang GTX 100, please.

The sound was too shrill when I bought it (used) so, sadly, I tried to break in the speaker by streaming music with the Master volume at 2pm for half a day. Now, unless I turn down the bass almost completely, or the volume way down, the amp makes a buzzing/flapping noise when I play on the low E string anywhere up to the 7th fret.

I get the same noise when I feed the  FX Send of my Katana into the FX Return of the Mustang, so I'm pretty sure the problem is not in the pre-amp. (To check, I also put the 5 band EQ at the front of the signal chain with the 80Hz slider all the way down, as recommended in a thread I read, and that did not make a lot of a difference.)

Since it looks like I need to buy a speaker anyway, I'm wondering if I should try to replace it with the same, or get a different one (perhaps one that can survive loud music better). I don't buy stuff very often, so if it makes a difference, I can afford to spend a bit more on the new speaker.

What would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

Start by activating Global EQ - set it to " Low Cut 2

GTX100 employs a 4 ohm Speaker, and actually stock speaker is not too bad, but will flub if using a Gibson with Humbuckers - fixed by setting Global EQ to "Low Cut 2"
I dont recommend a speaker swap on GTX100, and 100 watt 12" 4ohm speakers that sound better than the stock  Custom Fender Celestion 12" are tough to find

Instead edit your patches , go to the AMP block and change the CAB SIM type  for your taste ( 32 choices) on every patch you use

aarons

Thanks for the advice, admin. I should have mentioned that this happens with a single coil pickup and that I tried using the Global EQ to isolate where the problem was. Low Cut 2 was indeed the most effective way to reduce the noise, but it helped only at low volumes. From your answer, it sounds like if I have to replace the speaker, I should  try to get the same as the original.

Many thanks for your advice.

This forum rocks! I've learned so much from it.

admin

Quote from: aarons on September 02, 2021, 12:31:56 PM
Thanks for the advice, admin. I should have mentioned that this happens with a single coil pickup and that I tried using the Global EQ to isolate where the problem was. Low Cut 2 was indeed the most effective way to reduce the noise, but it helped only at low volumes. From your answer, it sounds like if I have to replace the speaker, I should  try to get the same as the original.

Many thanks for your advice.

This forum rocks! I've learned so much from it.

Must use 4 ohm speaker

8 ohm will reduce GTX100 to 50 watts , lower SPL

aarons

Thank you for the advice, admin.

I took apart the amp, put the speaker on the floor (facing up, on a rag) and played the low E string. Initially the majority of the sound was the low E, but as the sound decayed a bit, the buzz became dominant and kept going and going.

The sounds seems to come from the center of the speaker and it feels as an internal resonance frequency of the speaker, but it is a buzz not a pitch. Is that that what happens when a speaker is busted?

The cone looks intact...

gumtown

Not sure if you can disconnect the speaker and run a known good sound source through it (HIFI amp, radio),
just for a check to eliminate any amp issues.

But as you describe, it sounds like a buggered voice coil, which either the bottom few coil windings have separated from the coil former,
or the cone has displaced at an uneven angle.
You can check the speaker cone by pressing it inwards with even pressure on two opposite sides, it should move in and out without any rasping or scraping.

 
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

aarons

Thank you for the idea, gumtown. I don't have an amp that can feed this 4 ohm speaker, but I can try the same idea by using this amp with the Katana's 8 ohm speaker and see what happens.

Thanks you!

aarons

I connected the Mustang GTX amp to the Katana 100 speaker and the buzzing noise is gone, so the problem is definitely the speaker. The Katana speaker sounds great with the guitar (not nearly as loud as the original speaker), but not so much when streaming music.

While I wait to see if I can get a replacement from Fender for the original speaker, since I don't see suitable 4 ohm speakers, my backup plan would be one of the following three speakers:

- https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/F12X2008--celestion-f12-x200-12-inch-200-watt-replacement-guitar-speaker-8-ohm - full range
- https://www.amazon.com/Eminence-Patriot-Swamp-Guitar-Speaker/dp/B0007G966G?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1 - loud w/o distortion
- https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/G12T8--celestion-g12t-hot-100-12-inch-100-watt-replacement-guitar-speaker-8-ohm - recommended by dazco in a posting somewhere

If anybody has tried any of these, I'd appreciate your recommendation in case I need to go with plan B.

Thanks!

aarons

Reply from Fender Customer Service:

QuoteThanks for reaching out.

Sorry to hear you're having trouble with the speaker in your GTX! Unfortunately warranty coverage is not available, as our warranty applies to new products only. Parts for the GTX series amps aren't available separately at this time. You may want to contact Celestion to see if they offer a comparable replacement.

Best regards,

admin

#9
Quote from: aarons on September 08, 2021, 10:07:43 PM
Reply from Fender Customer Service:

Id get one of these in 4 ohms as its the closest to the original speaker
Speaker - Celestion, 12", G12T Hot 100, 100W (4 ohm)

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/speaker-celestion-12-g12t-hot-100-100w


Avoid this one below as it will be too shrill and too bright& brittle in a Mustang GTX 100
Celestion F12 X200 12-inch 200-watt

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/F12X2008--celestion-f12-x200-12-inch-200-watt-replacement-guitar-speaker-8-ohm

vtgearhead

Quote from: aarons on September 08, 2021, 10:07:43 PM
Reply from Fender Customer Service:

...boggle...  So, in effect there is no out-of-warranty repair option for a GTX?  Fender is definitely in possession of a foot-gun as I'd long suspected. 

aarons

Thanks for the advice, admin. I followed your link and ordered it. I'll report back about the sound after I replace the speaker.

As vtgearhead says, it's amazingly bad that Fender would not sell the "Fender Special Design" speakers to repair GTXs! Probably something important to know for anybody considering buying a used GTX like I did.

aarons

It took over 2 months to receive the G12T Hot 100, but the wait was well worth it. I think the guitar sounds even better than before!

The sound for streaming music is suboptimal, but I don't use the amp for that anyway.

Thank you so much for the recommendation!

admin

I'm happier with Celestion HOT 100 in my GT200 vs stock speakers which were prone to be too shrill