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Hey guys, I've been getting into building my own speaker cabinets lately, and would love to hear some more feedback from jazz players on what they look for in a specific speaker (either in a combo or with a separate head), and what brands and sizes y'all love. Slight breakup, booming bass, clear highs, what?
I've got a Quilter 101r head, and recently started playing it through an Eminence Legend 15". I'm a huge fan of the low end the 15" has, and it even accentuates a slight overdrive in kind of a Kenny Burrell sound.
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02-26-2019 12:45 PM
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I favor speakers with a wide frequency range and high wattage ratings. EVM12s are wonderful, but I recently tried the Eminence version of the Electro Voice, the EM12, and found it to be a really good choice. The obvious downside is the weight. The cab carrying the EM12 is a bear to move around.
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Favourite speaker depends on the amp. With my Vox AC30 I loved Celestion Greenbacks. With my Polytones I love the stock CTS speakers. With my DIY 5E3/6L6 amp I dig Weber 12F150.
And with my Quilter 101R I love the WGS G10G/S (or G12C/S).
So no one answer here. At the moment I am building a 2x10” tweed cab which will have a 1x15” baffle too. And I have a 15” Legend waiting, so nice to hear Your promising experience!
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Weber alnico. 10a150 in a Princeton, 12a125a in a Harvard. I think jazzers would really like the eminence Ga sc64, which comes stock on the headstrong lil king. It’s a bit dark for my taste. I’m also looking for 12” Princeton alnico recommendations.
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I'm not a man of science, but my ear leans towards 10" speakers of the Alnico variety.
I also know that I like American Jenson-esque over British Celestion-esque speakers.
That said, I also stick closer to Fender circuits overall.
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Favorite speakers need to be associated with favorite cabinet/combo amp as well as where they will be used (i.e. home, studio, live venue, etc.).
Since I tend to prefer a clean Fender-ish tone for home and live performing, I generally go for a ceramic speaker. EV's, Celestions and Eminence are my favorite brands. I really dig Emi Legends! Weber and Warehouse are also great speaker makers.
Recently I took a leap into the AlNico world and dropped a 50 watt Celestion AlNico Gold in my 22 watt Heritage amp and was amazed how sweet it sounded.
Bottom line? I'm digging a bunch of speakers and enjoying each of their sonic qualities in different amps and cabs.
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CTS speakers were original equipment in several of my Ampegs, Polytones, and my Lab Series L-5 amp. They sound quite good with all sorts of guitars, IMO.
The white, coffee can EV SRO that I have used in an Ampeg and a Fender amp is a classic.
The JBL D-130 and D-140 speakers I have are tremendous speakers.
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I have an Altec 418b (15” alnico) in my Ampeg Gemini II that sounds great. I also have a later Altec 425-8H (10” alnico) that really fattens up the sound of my 5f2a-ish amp (for sale in the for sale forum, wink-wink).
I’ve had a couple of those old CTS speakers in various amps and they’ve always sounded really good to me, too.
Eminence have been hit or miss. I have a 10” Legend that is perfect for the amp it’s in, but a 15” Legend sounded like dookie in the Ampeg.
I don’t know if there’s such a thing as one size fits all when it comes to speakers. Each speaker can have a huge impact on sound, and it can get expensive trying out different options. I’m moving more towards “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality when it comes to gear.
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That Emi Legend 151 is one of my favorites also. The other speaker combination that always impresses me is a pair of WGS speakers in my favorite pine cab, a 12+10. Using a G12C and a G10C.
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Love the old cts 10's. A good english v30.
As for modern speaker, I've really like everything I heard from WGS. Especially the c12c/s.
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Thanks for the responses, y'all. I'll have to check out some EV's.
I'm actually looking for a pair of 10" to put in a cabinet of old reclaimed pine I've been working on. I unfortunately mis-measured it, and the 1962 12" Ceramic Jensens that I intended to put in it are too big by a quarter inch, so I'm just making a new baffle for 2x10s".
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Um...you might want to check out the weight and availability of two EV10 speakers. They are extremely efficient, but ain't lightweights. They are approximately 12lbs each. Also, EV stopped making those speakers years ago, so your best bet would be to find 2 on the used market.
Originally Posted by camhead
For comparison, the 75 watt Emi Legend 1058 10" speaker weighs only 4.4lbs ea. Modern day technology and old school efficiency.
Before making a final decision, you might want to do a bit more research. Happy hunting!
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The only ones I use are the 60s brown and gold foil Jensen C12N's in blackface Twin Reverbs and the same speaker in a 10" size in blackface Vibrolux Reverbs.
+1 on Webers for modern speakers.
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current? celestion alnico golds
cheers
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I've found that I like broken-in Weber 12F150s for most things. They must be broken in, though - completely different.
The Eminence C-Rex has a nice, warm sound that works nice for jazz.
In my tweed, I paired an Alnico Weber 10A125 and 10A125-O and those work really nice.
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The OP's induction into the cult of EV can begin with Paul Rivera's reminiscences of the legendary EV10: Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
Finding one is another matter. And don't get involved in discussions of whether it was a 10L or a 10M, or even a 10S. That way madness lies.
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For "jazz amps", an EVM-12L. For Fender type amps, some hemp-cone like the Cannabis Rex.
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Yeeeah, I saw some of the prices on those old EV's after I posted. Definitely top shelf! Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
Um...you might want to check out the weight and availability of two EV10 speakers. They are extremely efficient, but ain't lightweights. They are approximately 12lbs each. Also, EV stopped making those speakers years ago, so your best bet would be to find 2 on the used market.
For comparison, the 75 watt Emi Legend 1058 10" speaker weighs only 4.4lbs ea. Modern day technology and old school efficiency.
Before making a final decision, you might want to do a bit more research. Happy hunting!
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i recently went through a fairly exhaustive search for the ultimate speaker (for me). My criteria was that it had to sound good for clean *AND* overdriven. I really wanted to find a neo magnet speaker because they are typically under 4.5lbs but in the end, every neo speaker I tried had a nasal quality to it that I couldn't bond with. Here are some of the candidates.
- WGS ET-90 - Too much bottom and not enough top end detail. Caused my archtops to feedback with the extra bottom
- WGS ET-65 - similar to the 90, not as much bottom
- Eminence Tonker - Nice overall but a bit bottom heavy (not as bad as the WGS though)
- Celestion BN300 - Neo magnet, similar to EV but a tad nasally, not as much character as I'd like
- EV12L - Great speaker but the weight and upper mid spike are a detraction. I also found that it doesn't really sound best until you get some volume through it. It's also very directional and if you sit and play, the treble frequencies and mid spike are very brittle.
- JBL D-120/K-120 great speaker, weight and metal cap are a detraction, reconing can solve the latter problem
- Eminence JS1250 - Josh Smith speaker , great for blues, not so much for cleans
- Celestion G12H-75 creamback great clean and great dirty sounds. The winner for me.
I'd still like to try the celestion cream 90 (alnico) but I really love the G12H-75.
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Jack have you checked out the Eminence GA SC64? I think it does a lot of what you describe but it’s not super light.
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i had it on my list to check out but it's only rated at 40w so I was hesitant. I know a lot of folks love it. I've found speakers to be so subjective. I posted a speaker inquiry on thegearpage looking for a non-cast, clean speaker that doesn't mush out at loud volumes and could handle overdriven tones as well and I probably got recommendations for every speaker in the eminence catalog! Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
I've said this before but people say they know what they like but they really like what they know. (That includes me too of course...)
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Great speakers! Also, someone above mentioned the Jensen C12n. That's a FABULOUS speaker. I have found and repurposed those in several amplifiers. GREAT speakers. Originally Posted by Encinitastubes
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aren't those copies of what fender used in the '60s? It's funny because in the '70s, we couldn't wait to replace those! Originally Posted by Greentone
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Yes, but I like them. Here's a '68 C12n
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