# Marsland Speakers - what can you tell me?



## LowWatt

I'll probably be picking up a Garnet Revolution II off of a fellow member here this weekend. It looks like the speaker is the original Marsland. I've always heard that in old Traynors the Marslands are the big weak point. 

What is the tone of an early 70s Marsland ceramic 12" speaker like?

How does the volume compare to common Celestion and Jensen classics? (volume is definitely a concern for me).

Should I look to replace the Marsland (I'd still keep the original around)? If so, any suggestions for the replacement?


----------



## zurn

You can look at my thread but I just inherited a Garnet 2x12 cab with Marslands, although I have only played around 30 mins with it, I can tell you that they are pretty dark so you wont be getting any kind of Vox or Fender cleans with them. On the plus side they have a good mid/bass range, the bass coming out of this cab with my Fender Twin SF is incredible. I think they are more suited for a bass cab than guitar.

http://www.guitarscanada.com/showthread.php?31605-NGD-Vintage-Garnet-Trayor!


----------



## Scottone

generally pretty crappy speakers IMO, but I did have a nice sounding alnico one in a Traynor Guitarmate a few years back, so you never know.

Rev II's are cool amps. If was me, I'd pick up something like an Eminence Private Jack to put in there.


----------



## Wild Bill

You've got some answers about the tone. As for the volume, modern speakers are a LOT more efficient! A good Eminence, Celestion or Weber will sound noticeably louder for the same power.


----------



## LowWatt

Thanks guys. It's sounding like an upgrade is probably going to be in order.

Now I'm thinking, with my other two amps having 12s, my love of 10s and 15s, and the oversized cabinets of early Garnets, i might just take the opportunity to make a new baffle and maybe either go 2x10 or 1x15. 

I've had a lot of positive experiences with Weber speakers, so I'll probably go that way in the end and get something with a bit of a Jensen feel.


----------



## hollowbody

I replaced the stock Marslands (though I've heard rumours they are actually Eminence's) in my YGL-3 with Celestion G12T-75s. They weren't my first choice for replacement speakers, but they were a good deal. The amp sounds a lot more organic and woody now, with a richer midrange. I thought I liked the sound before, but I ****ing LOVE it now!!!

I've been thinking of one day cutting a baffle for a single 15" for it, kinda like the Fender Twin Custom 15. I think that would kick ass!


----------



## infinitemonkey

Anybody know what the timeline was for Traynor with Marsland vs. RSC? People generally say good things about RSC (Radio Speakers Canada) but don't like Marsland. Jensen is somehow mixed in there as well.

I have a TS-50, which is one of Traynor's first attempts at a solid state amp and probably was made in about 1979-80. The speaker in it actually sounds pretty good. The TS-75 from the same period has a 15-inch speaker, said to be an RSC, which gets raves (at least within the small circle of people who have ever seen or have any idea what a Traynor TS-75 is).

I know the guy who makes Saxon Cabs has a nice stockpile of eight-inch Marslands, which he is selling in 4X8 cabs. He says they're on the dark side, sound wise, and not overly efficient. This thread has got me thinking about ordering one of those cabs before they're all gone.


----------



## Emohawk

infinitemonkey said:


> I know the guy who makes Saxon Cabs has a nice stockpile of eight-inch Marslands, which he is selling in 4X8 cabs. He says they're on the dark side, sound wise, and not overly efficient. This thread has got me thinking about ordering one of those cabs before they're all gone.


I have one of those cabs, and that's a very accurate description of the tone. They're darker than most guitar speakers, but even the little 8" jobs do have quite a nice bottom end. The very extreme top end (of the guitar range) is there also. And they are rather inefficient, but if you want to tame down a loud amp or mute some mids they will do the trick.


----------



## whammybar

Frank Marino used those Marsland before changing to JBL waaaay back in the day. I never found anything lacking about his tone even then.


----------

