I need to either
A: stop randomly perusing places like eBay and Reverb, or
B: acquire thousands of dollars to just spend willy-nilly.
It's a dilemma I believe most all of us here have. While we're "happy with what we've got" there's always something else that sparks your curiosity.
I'm very pleased with my choices of guitar and preamp gear I currently have. It took a long time to get there. However, I can't help looking at other speakers, cabs, poweramps, etc. For example, I have two 4x12 cabs that are actually slightly smaller in size than the normal 4x12 cabs we're used to seeing and using. They came with some really crap lightweight speakers that I replaced straight away. I had a pair of Celestion V Type speakers and a pair of Eminence (unknown model) speakers that all featured the same 60 watt and 8 ohm ratings. So I installed one of each in the top two positions of each cab and wired them for the 120 watt/16 ohm operation. The bottom two speaker positions retain the crap speakers the cabs came with; not wired up and just there to cover the speaker holes. lol Maybe they work as "passive drivers" to a certain extent, maybe not. Don't care but the speaker holes need to be covered. lol I don't need the loud output of 4 speakers in each cab, just the look of a 4x12 and bigger than a normal 2x12 internal cab volume/dimensions. I prefer running in a Stereo output with one cab on each side of stage too, so this idea seems perfect. These speakers seem to have the perfect blend of breakup/bark and attenuation/emphasis of certain frequencies when pushed a bit without having to go stupidly loud. (Hence my somewhat radical EQ settings that look/sound like wtf on paper and lower volume, but actually fill out great at my stage volume)
So am I happy? Yes, very much so. But here comes that curious side....
I wish those speakers I have were 16 ohm each so I could wire them for 8 ohm per cab. 8 ohms is right in the wheelhouse of the MT200.
I'm used to having Celestion G12T-75 speakers in damn near everything I ever owned, and I also liked them. I want to get a quad of those to replace the current 2x12 configuration of Celestion/Eminence pairings, but that would change the frequency response and level of speaker breakup. Would I like that change better or not?
I'd like to try a tube poweramp again. It took a little while but I'm finally used to my MT200 and became happy with it, but a tube poweramp is also like a Siren call.... it beckons in ways I can't describe.
And then, do I want 6L6 or EL34s in that tube poweramp? I've always preferred the 6L6 in the past, but the past is gone; which one would really compliment my playing style, my songs, and my band's overall sound
today?
So you see, it's always some kind of dilemma. I am very happy with what I'm now using and will more than likely never change certain components of my rack. I
seriously doubt I'd ever replace the MP-2 with something else; no other preamp has ever defined the sound I've heard in my head for so many years but could never quite get. I'm happy with my rack fx unit, but I don't consider adding an fx pedal later on to be such a big deal. Not like changing speakers and poweramps. So either I stop looking at all that, or find more money than what I already make to piss away on gear.
The real kicker here is that I do also constantly remind myself that
I don't have a roadie to huff all my gear around for me. I'll have to ultimately say no to having a pair of standard sized 4x12 cabs with 2 or 4 heavy magnet drivers in each cab, and adding another rackcase loaded down with a tube poweramp that weighs more than Dante's car....so far my gear is manageable, but I also have had a lengthy career working with steel so I can't expect my back to just get better in time.