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Fender Bassman Neo 115 with 4 ohm Speaker

ethridgenetz

ethridgenetz

Feb 5, 2011
22
29
Iowa
#1
I recently acquired a 1966 Dual Showman and I want to use it with my Bassman Neo 115 cab. I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with a 4ohm speaker replacement for this cab or has any recommendations.

I have an email out to Eminence to see if they have any recommendations.

Yes I know the transformer can probably handle the 8 ohm speaker but this amp has already had the transformer replaced once (I’m guessing the original owner didn’t realize it was a dual showman, but I’ve checked the transformer and it is in fact the 4 ohm transformer for the dual showman.) and I plan on gigging this amp heavily and I don’t want to risk anymore problems.

I know speaker swaps aren’t ideal in bass cabs and that the cab is tuned for the stock speaker. I’m not looking for more volume or anything — I’m just looking for a 4 ohm speaker that will get me close for this cab. TIA!
 
#2
ethridgenetz said:
I recently acquired a 1966 Dual Showman and I want to use it with my Bassman Neo 115 cab. I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with a 4ohm speaker replacement for this cab or has any recommendations.

I have an email out to Eminence to see if they have any recommendations.

Yes I know the transformer can probably handle the 8 ohm speaker but this amp has already had the transformer replaced once (I’m guessing the original owner didn’t realize it was a dual showman, but I’ve checked the transformer and it is in fact the 4 ohm transformer for the dual showman.) and I plan on gigging this amp heavily and I don’t want to risk anymore problems.

I know speaker swaps aren’t ideal in bass cabs and that the cab is tuned for the stock speaker. I’m not looking for more volume or anything — I’m just looking for a 4 ohm speaker that will get me close for this cab. TIA!
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There may be a drop in 4 ohm driver that will work fine. I suggest paying attention to the sensitivity rating. The Showman is about 85W. So the efficiency of your speakers is extremely important. Often 4 ohm variants are less efficient than their 8 ohm counterparts.

IMHO, get a matching Bassman Neo 115. Then you don't have to worry about the cab tuning, and the sensitivity goes up ~3dB.
 
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#5
ethridgenetz said:
@Wasnex is there a sensitivity range I should be shooting for? The 4 ohm speakers that Eminence currently have on offer — the Kappa, Delta, and Legend are in the 90s dB. Should I be looking for a certain percentage of headroom?
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With only 85W, higher is better.

You need double the power to achieve +3dB. So if the sensitivity of one driver is 3dB higher, then it's similar to doubling the power.
 
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#6
You will also need a driver that's suitable for the cabinet, or you may need to tune the cabinet for the driver. The Bassman Neo 115 is an efficient cabinet. Maybe you ended up with the wrong amp for your cabinet? What about trading it for a Showman with the stock 8 ohm output?
 
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#10
ethridgenetz said:
@agedhorse Yeah this is just what I have. Trying really hard to find a 115 solution for this amp. My other 215 cab is 4 ohm but it’s just too big.
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It's going to be a relatively tough thing to find, because most higher quality 115's are 8 ohms and match up nicely with the modern higher powered heads. a 4 ohm 115 would be generally limited to a (modern) amp that's 400 watts RMS at 4 ohms and 200 watts RMS at 8 ohms. The sweet spot in high performance bass amps is in the 800 watts at 4 ohms and 400 watts at 8 ohms region.

Have you considered having the output transformer replaced with the Showman 8 ohm version? It might be no more expensive and give you a LOT more speaker options (including what you already own).
 
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#12
@Freight Train yeah but I already have a 215 that works well but it’s too big for van gigs, small stages and crowded stages when we’re squished in front of a headliner.

@agedhorse I’m thinking about moving the showman along for something modern with the same tone stack and switchable ohms. Mighta just went all in on the showman too hastily.
 
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#13
ethridgenetz said:
@Freight Train yeah but I already have a 215 that works well but it’s too big for van gigs, small stages and crowded stages when we’re squished in front of a headliner.

@agedhorse I’m thinking about moving the showman along for something modern with the same tone stack and switchable ohms. Mighta just went all in on the showman too hastily.
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There's always the newer Bassman 100T and 300
 
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#19
Meghans Dad said:
Unfortunately the Bassman 100T has no longer been available for a while and hard to find used. As for the 300, if you're referring to the Super Bassman, it is still available. They are very heavy (65lbs)but sound great with Neo 15's.
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Yeah, I wasn’t clear about this. The warranty would apply to the 300 not the 100T. There are plenty of used 100T’s out there.
 
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#20
There's a cabinet, I can't think of the brand, that came out a few years ago. I want to say it had 2 15s in it, but one faced downward. It was about the size of a regular 115. Would that work if it had a 4 ohm load?

I'm really hoping someone remembers what cab I'm talking about and can help fill in the blanks.
 

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