Rescue a TL-606, or start anew?

[m.oreilly]

i have had this mesa boogie/TL-606 in storage for almost 15 years, loaded with a 'mint' EVM 15L. i'm happy with my berg ht322 (after years of 15"s in all sorts of cabs, i now really prefer 10"/12"drivers) as my go to cab, but for smaller/low volume situations (and concern for my back), was thinking of going a bit lighter, using the TL-606, replacing the boogie's EVM with a 3015LF, and installing some piezo tweeters. would this be worth the effort, as opposed to:

A- building an fEarful (even though i would prefer 10" or 12" drivers, the sensitivity of the 3015LF may influence me to go 15", the 'ful cab being lighter and more "in tune" w/the eminence driver)

B- saving some $$$ using the existing TL-606, redo the baffle and use two deltalite 10", retuning the cab to suit

C- stick with first idea mentioned in the post body, and add a fEarful "head" cab (of HF drivers)?

i'm pretty much a 99% fretless player, so sizzle is not so important to me, but tight bass/mids are...

[Matt Dean]

I would either use that cab stock as is or replace the 15L with a 3015 and skip the piezo tweeter.

I use a Diesel 115 loaded with a 3015 a lot for rehearsals and small room gigs and love the sound of it.

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by m.oreilly

i have had this mesa boogie/TL-606 in storage for almost 15 years, loaded with a 'mint' EVM 15L. i'm happy with my berg ht322 (after years of 15"s in all sorts of cabs, i now really prefer 10"/12"drivers) as my go to cab, but for smaller/low volume situations (and concern for my back), was thinking of going a bit lighter, using the TL-606, replacing the boogie's EVM with a 3015LF, and installing some piezo tweeters. would this be worth the effort, as opposed to:

A- building an fEarful (even though i would prefer 10" or 12" drivers, the sensitivity of the 3015LF may influence me to go 15", the 'ful cab being lighter and more "in tune" w/the eminence driver)

B- saving some $$$ using the existing TL-606, redo the baffle and use two deltalite 10", retuning the cab to suit

C- stick with first idea mentioned in the post body, and add a fEarful "head" cab (of HF drivers)?

i'm pretty much a 99% fretless player, so sizzle is not so important to me, but tight bass/mids are...

3015LF is a somewhat bad match for a TL606. Been there, done that, sent it down the river. The 3015(non-LF) will work quite well though.

If you want to build a nice 112 cab, how about a fEarful 12/6? Works well for me for fretless....

[m.oreilly]

thanks for the replies (though some conflicting results)...the 12/6 sounds about right, though atm i'm trying to only use drivers available from musician's friend/guitar center, as i have room on their respective ccards. i'll have to see if the 3015 non LF is available. as you can see, i'm trying this on the cheap...

[tdvt]

Originally Posted by Passinwind

3015LF is a somewhat bad match for a TL606. Been there, done that.

I concur. I replaced a 15L in one of my trusty TLs with a 3015LF, works, but not great. I can't say I've heard a non-LF in one though. I still have one TL (though still working at this point) so I may get the chance sometime.

I'm going to try the fEarful 12 route myself as it seemed like the old TL's were getting heavier every time I moved them.

[Blues Bass 2]

I'd say get a non LF-3015 also . I had one in a 115 cabinet and it had a very good mid bark to it , a kind of Jaco type mids tone besides having real good low end once broken in . They say you lose the mids from 15's when you move from out in front of them but I had no trouble hearing it with my band , very good cutting tone . Mine had a tweeter too but I don't know if it really needs one .

[Mo'Phat]

Originally Posted by m.oreilly

i'm pretty much a 99% fretless player, so sizzle is not so important to me, but tight bass/mids are...

My suggestion, which is both the cheapest and easiest option, and which might be the best option to achieve your tone goals, is to just drop a Kappalite 3015 (NON LF) driver in the TL-606.

It's one driver, so you won't have to get piezos or mids or deal with a crossover. The driver weighs just 7 lbs or so, so you'll immediately cut about 20 lbs of weight from the EV driver-equipped box.

Tight bass and mids. Yep.

[koobie]

Unless you can get a TL606 close to ear level, the dispersion of the highs is mediocre at best. Of the three TL606 type cabs I've had, the Mesa cabs are the heaviest and most cumbersome. Unless you're aiming for an old-school vibe, I'd sell it and build a fEarful or buy a Thunderchild.

[Queg]

Originally Posted by Matt Dean

I would either use that cab stock as is or replace the 15L with a 3015 and skip the piezo tweeter.

I use a Diesel 115 loaded with a 3015 a lot for rehearsals and small room gigs and love the sound of it.

+1

I own one as well. The Diesel 115 with 3015 sounds great and can take more power then the stock EV 15L.

Edit: I also own a fEarful 15/6, which is a much bigger box then a TL606, but is tonally more versatile, goes lower, takes more power, and of course the 1/2" ply makes it light. But even as a DIY project, a fEarful is far more expensive then simply dropping a 3015 into your existing cab.

[m.oreilly]

i thank everyone for the replies. i decided to go with two deltalite 2510 (there was no mention of the non LF 3015 at either MF or GC, and i didn't have the total for the LF on any of the cards, so...), redoing the innards/baffle, and seeing what happens, as if it doesn't pan out, there will be two jack cabs in the near future.

[Mo'Phat]

Hmm...since nobody agreed that was a good idea, good luck, I guess.

It's not like Guitar Center/Musicians Friend is the only place to get speakers.

There's quite a few Eminence vendors out there.

[m.oreilly]

indeed, but i am trying to just use my GC and MF cards, as i'm short on cash and my real world cards are getting me through to next payday. i don't need agreement, as i can use the existing cab internal volume (removing the duct shelf and its supports, new baffle) and port it accordingly, and if i don't like it (it is complete as far as the exterior) i'll do a total fresh build, but i have people wanting me to play, and dragging around my full rig to go over tunes with an acoustic player would have been fine when i was 20...the mesa has casters already...

[Mo'Phat]

You are correct, you don't need agreement. It's just a message board peeve of mine when people list options and ask for advice...then just a few short hours later, the thread starter chooses the one option that nobody backed. Why start the thread?

[m.oreilly]

for opinions/ideas. i had no idea i would make the choice i did when starting the thread, otherwise, "why start the thread"? since no one had any cons re the choice i made (i.e. boogie cab not good enough quality to redo/too heavy to bother with retrofitting, volume too small/15" or die, two 10" are not a better option, "what were you thinking!", etc etc), it was worth pursuing for other parts of previously mentioned future options using the deltalite 10"s

[steamthief]

How did the 2x10 conversion turn out?