I'm in Oz now, after having come home a few years back. I'm hoping that Ah Khoon is still about.
Modern build guitar speakers are of poor quality compared to any of the audio ones available, especially when it comes to reproducing the bass frequencies. I find that a good comparison is that an audio grade speaker performs as well as a guitar speaker that is 2 inches larger - i.e. an 8" sounds at least as big as a 10" and a 10" like a 12". Single 8" guitar speakers, no matter the brand, will produce poor bass, so the sudio have to be an improvement. You can look at the range he has and maybe get one for $20 for a used one that would be an improvement, or up to $50 for a new replacement one.
Little amps are supposed to be for practice only and will not really give you a good sense of the amp/guitar tone. You'd really want to play an amp like a Fender Deluxe (25 tube watts into a 12" driver) to get an idea of a real amp. The best speakers I have found are Webers (check out their site). They make copies of all the classic models - Celestion, Jensen and JBL's.
If you'd like to hear the sound of a 'real' Marshall combo - 1980's 50 watts into a 12" Celestion, then you can PM me your contact details and I'll ask my friend about meeting up with you and letting you hear it. You may change your mind about a stack.
cheers,
Mark.
