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Double Bass AMPEG SB12 Speaker recommendation....

Lorenzo

Lorenzo

Jun 11, 2006
26
4
NYC
#1
After a year of procrastinating, I finally got my vintage SB12 into the shop and had it brought back to life. It really is a great sounding amp. Years ago I used to borrow my friends SB12 to play small gigs in NYC and I still remember how rich and warm the tone was.

Right now my SB12 has a newer JBL 12" speaker. It's OK, but falls short on the bottom end. I play blues and jazz so the tone is more important than the volume. Can anyone recommend a 12" speaker that will give me that warm, rich, deep bass tone I remember? How about the Eminence Basslite speakers? Thanks!! :help:
 
#2
The Eminence Basslite S2012 is fairly bright and may not be what you're looking for. If you want to go with a neodymium magnet speaker, the Eminence Deltalite 2512, may sound more like the original driver. The Celestion BN12-300S neo 12 is nice too.
 
#3
Hmmm. I used to have an SB12 as well, and I tried a ton of different speakers before I found what I was looking for. Oddly enough the Jensen C12N was the best. In order to get a darker sound, I would look towards a less efficient speaker(something a bit closer to the wattage of the amp). Maybe keep your eyes open for a vintage "square magnet" like Ampeg used to use in the early 70's...
 
#6
That's valid. I would only use the TS parameters to model the behavior of the system below a few hundred Hz, where the theory is quite accurate. Beyond that, you have to cast a wider net for info, or simply resort to listening. But I think that narrowing one's driver choices with a bit of modeling is better than pure trial and error.

The biggest problem with TS theory is of course that the theory doesn't say what you should want. Most successful bass speaker designs do not have ideal performance from a hi-fi standpoint, and figuring out what is desirable relative to one's tastes, can be a challenge. I resorted to measuring the response of some speakers that I was happy with, and unhappy with.

The Eminence S2012 should be workable, but I doubt it would perform any differently than any other mainstream bass driver in a small closed box. One possible option might be a replacement driver for the GK MicroBass combo, which is in fact designed for a small closed box, and has less midrange as well.
 
#7
I'm doubting that a GK MB speaker would be a good match unless the SB12 cab is modified for it. According to The Unofficialampegpage.com the SB12 cabinet is 20" x20" x 12 1/2", quite a bit bigger than a GK MB cabinet. The SB12 cabs I've seen were also slot ported on the front baffle, not sealed like the MB cabs.
A GK MB extension cab would probably sound great though with the SB12 head.
Fliptops.net recommends the Eminence Beta12 as a replacement speaker for the SB12 cab.
Buzz
 
#10
Hey guys, thanks for the thoughts and info. Looks like there's no magic bullet here. I got an email from Bruce at fliptops.net, and he does indeed recommends the Eminence Beta 12A. Looks like the most popular choices are the Eminence Beta 12A or Deltalite 2512, or the Jensen C12N. Guess I'll have to try to get these into by cab and see which sounds best. - Lorenzo
 

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