I have an inexpensive guitar cabinet that I picked up at GC. Seems to be built well enough but the speaker isn't really doing it for me. I looked at the Tweaker 1x12 cab which runs 250 with a Celestion G12H speaker, or I could just buy a new speaker for 100-150 and take my time to find what I want. Looking something for blues to country range but don't really have the option to play anything so I am relying on sound clips. As far as the cab though, I'm just wondering (aside from open vs. closed back) will the cabinet make that much difference or would I be ok to replace the speaker in what I already have? The tweaker cab looks better but I'm not looking to date it. :)
Assuming your cabinet doesn't rattle, buzz or any of that... you will hear a vastly greater amount of difference between two speakers swapped in the same cabinet as opposed to two different cabinets with the same speaker... if that makes sense.... difference between speakers is much more noticeable than difference between cabs (assuming well built, same size cabs).
or, the difference range between v30/t75 vs. plywood/mdf is like apple/mango vs. tangerine/tangelo
I'd vote speaker unless the cab is really f'ed up.
I agree. We've got a bunch of speaker cabs, some of them really nice, (Avatars) some of them ebay specials, one of them is even a reclaimed Peavey 2x12 solid state combo we picked up for $75. In all cases, the speakers make up most of the sound of the cab.
So the obvious next question, any recommendations for speakers? I have looked at a lot of Eminence and Celestion speakers and also Weber, anything else I should look at? I am looking for something that will do well with kind of a modern country twang but also a good Texas blues.
Oh, and thanks a lot for the feedback. :)
I've used: v30, t75, lead80, g12h30 (anniversary), creamback (current favorite)... I mention those because I don't think they're what you're looking for. process of elimination... eliminate those. but never know, you might really like one. they have lots of upper mids and high end (in varying ways) but I'm thinking you might want smooth with roll-off.
so for blues/country I'd think alnico... but I've never tried one.
second thought... maybe creamback. it's pretty bright but I missed the "modern" and "Texas" modifiers on first glance... so the greenback type might work ok.
there are lots of options outside the celestion universe too.. that I know nothing about.
Blues/country, I think Jensen P12N/Q, etc. The Weber is an ideal replacement, I have a little more faith in them than I do in modern Jensens... I'd look at the 12A125O and 12A125S, both in the $110 range. These are designed to replicate the speakers you'd find in a Tweed Deluxe, which is the kind of amp that to me really gets that sound. That speaker at 30 watts will handle the Tweaker well. Moving up to the 12A150 ups the power handling to 50 watts, but costs an extra hundred bucks (the magnet's a lot bigger and AlNiCo is expensive). There are a lot of reasons that AlNiCo makes for killer speakers, all having to do with how the magnet responds to electrical flux, which are probably not that interesting to you, except they do sound damn good, and if you use low wattage amps they are pretty ideal. Not the best speakers for Marshally sounds, or for high wattage, but nothing's spankier than an AlNiCo with a low-wattage amp, to me.
Thanks! I am having trouble finding it on their website, what does the O, A, S, etc. designate?
Go to https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/ , then click the Vintage series. I don't know what the letters designate, but they are all somewhat different in terms of cone design.
12A125O seems to mean 12", Alnico, 125 is the designator for the wattage maybe?, and then O has something to do with the cone design.
https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/12a125a.htm
https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/12a125s.htm