Avatar, Fane, and WGS speakers - An ongoing thread with summarized results

  • Thread starter Thread starter GuitarGuy08
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I'll leave a more detailed review soon but I think I have found the mix for me. The Fane mixed with the Invader is wildly good. Of course, I do wonder now what two of the M65s would possibly sound like but the invader mixed in us basically perfect for what I am looking for. With the AV60, it is juicy, balanced, fat, gritty - more of a modern edge. The invader mixed in is just mid rich, focused, clear, goodness. Tight bass but fat, sweet present round top end. Deep, round lows. The mids are pushed forward, what I want. This allows you to use a lot less gain but still get the vocal screams and harmonics alllll day!!! Jeez this is too freaking amazing!!! Thank you WGS and Avatar both. I'm in tone heaven currently.

Again, in the future I will try two of the fanes together but I couldn't imagine it being better somehow. Extremely 3D on all ends of the spectrum, the body of the note remains in front of the gain structure but has a huge snarl that is clearly audible. Effects seems to dance and echo behind you on a widened stage space with these two running in combination. Something about how present and thick the midrange is. I thought I leaned toward modern guitar tones, but I am realizing that I definitely lean toward something more Greenback/vintage.

The invader throws me because every sound clip I hear, i do not really dig it against many other speakers. Something about it mixed in is working I think. You know how it is, like possibly the M65 is louder, so maybe I am mostly hearing that but who knows. Only time will tell but it was one of those moments where it is immediately good. You don't think about it and tweak it and stuff - you just play. Sounds huge. I have this 2x12 turned vertically and the thump and grind is nuts. Oh, I'm using a strat BTW as well for the majority of these tests. Granted, it is an epic and fat sounding strat, but still, a lot more thump to it than you would think.

Anyway, the thread goes on. More reviews coming up.
 
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Ears have shifted but this combination still sounds really dang good. I wish I had an A/B switcher to jump between the cabs, even though they aren't the same, it would be fun. I have done zero testing with my cabinet back open as of yet.

The sizzle and bass punch of the AV60 is nice. Nice mids as well.

Fane has a tight bass and a lot of clarity and mid and sweetness/roundness in the high end.

Invader has an extended high end and aggressive mids.

I'd guess that the flavor would depend on which guitar you are playing and what you are trying to achieve.

Seems like all of the combinations have clarity, which is nice.

Some give you more of a field when listening or playing in the room. I am not sure that would translate to a recording but who knows
 
I felt there was a bit of something lacking. The slightest edge you could think of. Everything is there, what was it missing....

I could recall I put in a particularly soft sounding RCA blackplate in V1 to try to smooth out the sound before.

Put in another one I had that sounds like the rest of them, and it's there that extra bit of sparkle and compression is.

Earlier I said the invader 50 has a brittle high end. That's not quite the case. It's more like it has a shelved or super sweet almost recessed high end. The good thing? These speakers balance each other out perfectly. Where the invader leaves off, the 65 picks up and vice versa.

I have tried this combination with a strat and an LP.

Both sounded killer.

I feel like I have the highest highs that are always present but never harsh.

I have the lowest, thumpiest lows that are tight as can be. Present and clear.

The mids. Oh the mids. It's mid heaven here for me in the best way. They never bark or bite too much in one area. It's not like the 7th fret on the G sticks out more than the 15th fret on the high E. That's the weirdest part. How can each note be present and fat and balanced? It's wild. I generally play without any pedals engaged, though I have a wonderful board for when they are desired.

The guitar tone is always present and never lost. It never feels like it is in the background to the gain stacked on top, which is something I hear a lot.

This combination really is something special and not what I expected to find at all.

Invader 50 + Fane M65 wins by far in this cabinet.



The thread will be ongoing, as I will swap speakers in my other cabinet to suit my Marshall instead of Rivera. 😜
 
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GuitarGuy08 said:
Ears have shifted but this combination still sounds really dang good. I wish I had an A/B switcher to jump between the cabs, even though they aren't the same, it would be fun. I have done zero testing with my cabinet back open as of yet.

The sizzle and bass punch of the AV60 is nice. Nice mids as well.

Fane has a tight bass and a lot of clarity and mid and sweetness/roundness in the high end.

Invader has an extended high end and aggressive mids.

I'd guess that the flavor would depend on which guitar you are playing and what you are trying to achieve.

Seems like all of the combinations have clarity, which is nice.

Some give you more of a field when listening or playing in the room. I am not sure that would translate to a recording but who knows
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I wonder if we know anyone in the area that has an A/B switcher in the area that you could use? LOL!!!
 
Welp, I just couldn't stop myself.

I isolated the Fane for testing and to me, it is almost perfect in every way. It really has a lot of depth, dimension, and clarity. The only thing? I hear the slightest bit of that 'nasal' sound. Just a bit.

Once, I heard it, I swapped back in the Invader 50. Nah, the Fane had enough dimesnion solo without needing the added aggressive mid thing of the Invader.

The invader almost adds like a slight, always-on pedal kinda vibe. It did not remove the slight nasal bit, it just accented other frequencies I did not want and added a cloudiness to the overall sound I did not like compared to the M65 alone.

I swapped back in the AV60. It is doing well in 'filling' out the nasal sounding bit but has a slightly higher SPL, making it the dominant speaker of the pair, only slightly so though. I kinda wish it were the other way around, because I am uncertain if it takes just a tad away from that thick top end - which seems to be the case.

Again, not bad by any means whatsoever. The pairing I really think is overall what most people would desire. I mean it's thick, tight, clear without being harsh - I just wonder.....

The AV60 doesn't seem to give quite as much dimension to effects for whatever reason. I am still only testing with a closed back cabinet. I may pop the panel off soon to let the mids breath a little more.

It really is a killer sound and everything is clear. My picking was really getting to me lately and I think part of that had to do with the extra 'womp' that the Invader was adding. If I were only using a strat, it would work, but with a 7-string and tons of gain, it can get out of control.


The Fane M65 is damn near the most perfect speaker I may have ever heard. Overall, I can't think of one better.



With the AV60 (Vet 30) + Fane M65 (Cream Back) you do get a very killer sound. It is one I am going to keep for now and keep messing with. Eventually I may call Avatar and talk to Dave about what I am hearing and which speaker he thinks would best fit that need.

If it could sound almost dead on like the M65 but without that touch of nasal on top, I'd buy it in a heartbeat!


The thread goes on.........
 
Doesn't sound like the AV75 'fills' in the place I need it to. I wonder if an EQ in the Fx could get it out possibly? @griff10672 What say ye? Could an eq in the loop help eliminate a slight nasal sound from the speaker? I would think not but IDK
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
Doesn't sound like the AV75 'fills' in the place I need it to. I wonder if an EQ in the Fx could get it out possibly? @griff10672 What say ye? Could an eq in the loop help eliminate a slight nasal sound from the speaker? I would think not but IDK
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don't know ..... is the nasal sound originating from the amp ... or the speaker itself ?
 
griff10672 said:
don't know ..... is the nasal sound originating from the amp ... or the speaker itself ?
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I would think the speaker in this case, which is why I don't think an EQ in the loop would help. If I mix in a vet 30 style speaker with it, it fills it out, it just also adds a bit of sizzle that I am not quite looking for.
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
What kind of amp are you running with it? The AV60 here is lacking some type of dimension against the Fane.
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A Synergy SYN-50 with a variety of modules. The AV75 sounds to me like a "perfected" Creamback H, with a punchier low end and smoother highs. Still plenty of midrange, but it's clear and grit-free.
 
Rising Farce said:
A Synergy SYN-50 with a variety of modules. The AV75 sounds to me like a "perfected" Creamback H, with a punchier low end and smoother highs. Still plenty of midrange, but it's clear and grit-free.
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It's so hard to tell from the demos off of their site. I do see an AV75 on Reverb currently for a decent price. Hm..... Hell, they are already cheap to begin with really. If I get an Avatar shirt with it, it's worth the extra. I'll end up talking to Dave soon and see what he recommends.
 
Rising Farce said:
A Synergy SYN-50 with a variety of modules. The AV75 sounds to me like a "perfected" Creamback H, with a punchier low end and smoother highs. Still plenty of midrange, but it's clear and grit-free.
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You know, the H is what they originally recommended to pair with the M. You're the second member hear to hail the AV75. I will have to check it out for sure. No nasally top end at all?
 
Just here to say Dave @ Avatar is fantastic. Bought about a dozen speakers from him over the years and several cabs. Have 2 of the Avatar Fane M65s in a 1936 cab and they sound great.
 
tallcoolone said:
Just here to say Dave @ Avatar is fantastic. Bought about a dozen speakers from him over the years and several cabs. Have 2 of the Avatar Fane M65s in a 1936 cab and they sound great.
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Dave has been extremely cool to work with. I know he'll try to set me up as best he can.
 
I have four of the Hellatone 25 Ceramics. They're nice, they have that Greenback vibe. Maybe a bit thicker, like in between a G12M and G12H although it's definitely got more low end than the G12M. I tend to roll the bass down anyway so others might like that.
 
Well, I went ahead and shot an email to Dave so he can reply whenever it's convenient for him. I am really wanting to try out an AV75. The HT25s & 50s do sound nice as well. Hell, the AV30 sounds like it could be alright to mix in with it possibly. If I had to choose one currently, thinking of a mix, I'd go ahead and shoot for the AV75. The description makes it seem like it could pair well. "Big bottom end and tons of tops, but not scooped. Mids are full with warm low mids and well defined upper mids and highs."

Right now, the M65 has more depth running alone in that 2x12 than mixed with any other speaker. I DO really like the AV60 mixed with is but overall somehting still is best with the M65. Also - damn what a tight, thumpy speaker. Rocked my 7 string through it and it handled it with ease, even on super hard hitting gained up riffs. Yeah, something to just 'fill out' the dimension a bit more.

Time will tell.
 
I just realized something.... the pickups I may be testing with may all have a slight mid-forward push/presence and it may possibly not be the speaker altogether, albeit a slight amount. Illuminators in the 7 string, Planet Tone DG in the strat (Fat Mid Sound), Silos....

I am going to try the speaker with a set of EVO 2/Blaze and see what's up. Blaze should be extra mid-scooped. We shall see. Waiting for a response from Dave on what he thinks would pair well with the M65. I did mention the AV75.
 
Dave from Avatar has confirmed that he would recommend mixing the Fane M65 with an AV75 if I am seeking to mix it. He said to just get another M65 if I want to stick with what I know. There is only one way to know what will go best, and I would always start with the mix rather than the same.
 
Welp - I sold a pair of what used to be my favorite speakers to my buddy for dirt cheap :) Glad he will get to enjoy them, and I can check out something new! Just pulled the trigger on a couple of the AV75 speakers from Avatar.

One will be mixed with that Fane.

I may want to drop one of them into my custom 1x12 to replace the Vet30 it is currently stocked with or it may end up in my other Vertical 2x12.

We'll see how it goes!
 
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