Speaker replacement questions

[yepbuddy]

I sent a pm to bill fitzmaurice, and he suggested that I post to the open forum. I'm gonna copy the original message, and see if you all can help me out. thanks in advance.

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hi bill, i've seen from the forums here that you are more or less the "bass speaker guru". i asked my local repair shop about replacing stock speakers in a fender bxr410h. i was hoping to reduce some weight by installing some of the basslite 10's by eminence. they suggested, however, that i replace the speakers with legend bp102's, stating that their experience with neo speakers was that speakers blow out easier.

the other question i had was about replacing speakers in an old woodson 2x12 pa cabinet, for it to be used as a bass cabinet (something i can carry around in one hand). again, their suggestion was to use the delta-pro speakers, but i was wondering if there was a neo option, and what you think i would be happier with.

your help on this matter would be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance.

[sleepytime]

If a salesman is not someone I know and trust, I generally assume that they are trying to steer me to what they have in stock or are trying to get rid of when I get "advice" like that. I have not seen anything that suggests that speaker durability depends upon what the magnet is made of.

[billfitzmaurice]

S2010s are very cab friendly, they'll pretty much work well as a replacement for almost any ten. BP102s will handle more low end power, but they're also very mid shy; I wouldn't use them without separate midrange drivers.
There are neo options to fit just about any cab. As is always the case you'll get the best possible result only by modeling the driver/cab combination in a program like WinISD Alpha Pro.

stating that their experience with neo speakers was that speakers blow out easier.

Baloney. And local stores are probably the worst places to buy drivers, as they will have very limited stock and high prices.

[NicJimBass]

I've been thinking of swapping the drivers in my Gallien-Krueger 700RB/210 combo, as the weight is a little too much for me, as much as I move it around. Is there anyway you could tell me what neo drivers would work for this Bill? What info on the enclosure would you need to do so? Thanks!

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by NicJimBass

What info on the enclosure would you need to do so? Thanks!

The original driver specs, and G-K won't give them to you. You can use the cab size alone to predict how a new driver would work, but not how it would compare to the originals.

[greenboy]

And when you are done Biff Bill, would you wax that car again?

[NicJimBass]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

The original driver specs, and G-K won't give them to you. You can use the cab size alone to predict how a new driver would work, but not how it would compare to the originals.

I guess what I meant in my original post was not related to tone as much as it was to physically working in the cab... i.e. not bottoming out or whatever problems the wrong driver could cause. I actually prefer the sound of neo speakers to conventional ones.

[Wes Whitmore]

I have the exact specs of the 2x10 RBH combo at home, but it's a small ported cab, under .95 ft3 net for each driver, and uses 2 slot (fixed) vents make of ply. The vents will be the tough part to adjust compared to a tube. The entire cab is made of .75" ply, and there are no braces.

[NicJimBass]

Looking again to find out what drivers will work in my GK combo... anyone?

[Wes Whitmore]

Nick,
I'm thinking that you might be able to use the S2010 in there if you can get the port worked out. Hopefully prices for those come back down. I bought one for $75 before the price doubled...

[NicJimBass]

Originally Posted by Wes Whitmore

Nick,
I'm thinking that you might be able to use the S2010 in there if you can get the port worked out. Hopefully prices for those come back down. I bought one for $75 before the price doubled...

I'm a noob- what do you mean "get the port worked out"?

[Wes Whitmore]

The combo has those slot ports below the speakers. You need to make sure that the ports combined with the net airspace in the cabinet tune the cab to where the speakers need it to be. Those ports are a little tough to tune because they are part of the cab instead of a round plastic port. Hopefully, they are close just how they are so you don't have to mess with it. The mod is worth it though.
I had some Neo's loaded in a 1001rbii combo and it was much lighter than stock.
Wes

[Rick Auricchio]

Originally Posted by Wes Whitmore

The entire cab is made of .75" ply, and there are no braces.

Most of the weight is that overly-heavy plywood. Had they used half-inch with braces, it would have been 1/3 lighter. Of course, installing braces costs money, and they don't care how heavy it is for you to lift.

Switching from ceramic to neo drivers would save you perhaps 10-12 pounds. The cab is what, 80 already? If you were replacing four drivers you'd have a decent weight saving.

[Wes Whitmore]

That design of that cab was long before the trend of using lightwieght .5" plywood. At least it was nice dense plywood, though heavy. I think the combo was under 69 pounds with a 1001 and neos. Each ceramic driver was some 12 pounds. I do know that 16 pounds was very noticeable and I recommend it. It made it totally manageable. It will sound different than the stock cab.
Wes