• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

12" Speaker Recommendation

Which Speaker Would You recommend?

  • Total voters
    19
THRobinson

THRobinson

Nov 11, 2021
83
43
#1
Hey guys, I have a Fender Rumble 75 I bought cheap because not working. Sadly, not as simple as a bad solder joint. The coil wire broke. Managed to get it working but something more wrong with it, can hear it when you move the cone, like small wires scraping inside, and when plugged in it's a fuzzy buzzy mess.

Usually sell used for $300CAD, got it for $60CAD. So... I think it's worth buying a new speaker for it versus scrapping it and finding something else, likely a Rumble 25.

Not in a band, haven't played guitar/bass in 25yrs and just getting back into it. I like '70/'80s rock, metal, hard rock. A 25w amp would be more than enough and what I was initially after but now that I have this... worth upgrading? or spend the same amount on something else/smaller?

Just looking for advice... speaker wise was eyeing up the Eminence S2012, seen a lot of posts about how good this amp is with that and some sound dampening inside, but... let me know what you think.

Replace Speaker?
Scrap and buy a smaller amp (probably same price as a speaker)?
Which speaker?
Another option?
 
  • Like
Reactions: JRA
#2
Hopefully the electronics are in better shape than the speaker...I'd definitely verify that before investing in a speaker.

Assuming the amp is okay, I would ask Fender for their recommendation since the design of the enclosure and the specifications of the speaker need to be matched or at least close for the driver to work well in that enclosure. Eminence and/or Celestion may also be able to make a recommendation based on having answered this a same or a similar question a time or two.

Good luck!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MattZilla, seamonkey and agedhorse
#3
Well, amp works... I plugged in headphones and I had a small 4" midrange from another project I plugged in to test with when determining if a speaker or amp issue.

Other than that, not sure how to check it for other issues.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrBss
#5
And I said:
Get the speaker that was designed and built for this amp. There's an oem speaker for your amp on reverb.com (I'm not selling it, but i easily found it searching for Rumble 75 oem speaker).
Click to expand...
Sadly Fender doesn't seem to have 12" Bass Amp speakers, and Reverb (Canada) has 0 results including the USA (for sellers willing to ship to Canada).
 
#6
I have a Bassman 150, which appears to have the same cabinet (or close) as your Rumble 75. Probably has a similar speaker... a stamped-frame Eminence with a tiny magnet. After getting the amp, then the speaker specs from Fender and Eminence, I looked for replacement options.

Excluding expensive models with power handling that would be wasted with that amp, the S2012 seemed to be one of the best options, along with the Faital 12FE300 and the Eminence Beta 12. But those are 8 ohm speakers, and my OEM speaker is 4 ohms. With greater sensitivity, output might've been a wash.

Ultimately, I decided that the cost of replacing the speaker wouldn't raise the value of the cab by an equivalent amount, so I added some interior padding and called it good enough.

So another option I'd suggest is, any used 12" woofer you can find for cheap. I would not spend much money chasing an original replacement speaker, which seems designed to a price goal more than a performance goal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MattZilla
#7
@1n3 agreed about chasing a factory original. Though it's a shame, there's is a $25 used one on eBay right now, but... USA. So shipping to Canada a heavy big item like that, well, I'd be saving some money but not a lot.

I'm pretty certain mine was an 8Ohm speaker which makes it a bit easier to replace I think. On this site I have seen a few mentions of people using the S2012 and saying how much better it is, which is why I'm likely going that route. (LINK)

My "logic" is... without a speaker, this amp is maybe worth $25. Either fix it, or remove the top and make a head, and the box just a regular 12" speaker and make a cabinet for it. Whatever... but with no speaker I doubt I'll make back my $60, especially where I live.

So... either I spend $180CAD after tax, plus the $60 I already paid, and have an upgraded $240 Rumble75, which is still $60 less than the average used one...

or...

I wasted $60, and spend the $180 looking for something else used, and will likely be smaller and not sound as good as even the stock Rumble75 did.

Ideally I'll find a used speaker, and I'm not in a rush. Been 25yrs, and my bass is still being refinished anyways... I have some time to look around. Just wanted some feedback about speakers to look for so I can setup some alerts on Kijiji and Facebook.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chiplexic and Al Kraft
#8
Outta curiosity though... is the Rumble75 a good amp to begin with? Is there something better at that same size/price?

I haven't touched a bass amp in literally decades so I have no idea what's considered good these days.
 
#12
THRobinson said:
@1n3 agreed about chasing a factory original. Though it's a shame, there's is a $25 used one on eBay right now, but... USA. So shipping to Canada a heavy big item like that, well, I'd be saving some money but not a lot.
Click to expand...

I don't know about "heavy"... bet that speaker isn't more than a pound over the S2012. Like I said, tiny magnet. BL Product is 7.70 Tm; less than an Alpha 12. Still, I wouldn't be willing to incur much shipping cost for that speaker.

My situation was different from yours, of course, having a working speaker. So I generally understand and support your thinking on speaker replacement. You can be patient, that's in your favor.

THRobinson said:
Outta curiosity though... is the Rumble75 a good amp to begin with?
Click to expand...

No personal experience, but I expect it's decent. I did a gig once with a Rumble 100 and it was fine. Depends on how loud you need to be, I'm sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: THRobinson
#19
THRobinson said:
I was looking something like this... less than 1/3 the price of the Eminence

https://www.amazon.ca/Technical-Pro-wf12-1-12-Inch-Subwoofer/dp/B004UMA342/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2XH8UOWIZTB1J&keywords=12"+subwoofer&qid=1649915846&refinements=p_36:12035761011&rnid=12035759011&s=electronics&sprefix=12+subwoofer,aps,94&sr=1-2
Click to expand...

Honestly at this point it's a complete crap shoot, so sure..give it a try. The only way to know is to buy it and try it. If it doesn't work, buy something else and try again. Repeat the process until you find something that works.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JRA
#20
You might try contacting partsexpress.com or fullcompass.com and see what lower price 12's they would recommend for that size cabinet. Measure the inside dimensions and the size and length of the port. You should be able to find something for <$100 which would work well. Maybe not perfect but I would not go over that price. I had decent success with a Dayton Audio.

You may also check in the Rumble forum, there were a lot of posts about upgrade speakers for the Rumble 100 which is just a newer version of the 75.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Murch and Al Kraft

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back