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Mesa/Boogie Diesel 115 - recone or reload?

#21
Just posting in to show support for a great old box. Mine is the horizontal one. Love it, and gig it.

gig-rig.jpeg


*FWIW, I have the original EV-15, but it's currently loaded with a ToneTubby SuperMan 15, courtesy of @RVBASS. I switched them out a couple years ago and added a SpeakON jack.
 
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#23
groovaholic said:
I had a Mesa Diesel 115 fall into my lap today for $50.
I knew going in that the driver (OEM 400-watt EVM 15L) was probably DOA, but the enclosure itself is solid and intact.

Got it home and the driver measures open-circuit - so I either need to re-cone or replace the driver.

I would normally just opt to recone, but when I went to move the empty cabinet I was surprised how reasonable the weight is.
Many folks have said these cabinets perform really well with an Eminence KappaLite 3015 (non LF) - which would be roughly 14# less than the EVM.

If I recone, it would probably be a stay-at-home cab. With the Eminence, it would see gig usage.
But I question the logic of spending $250 on a driver for a $50 box...

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I used to have a road ready version of the same cabinet you have and it sounded el-supremo with that 400 watt EV 15L Proline speaker. It served me well for many years until I got too old and decrepit to schlep it. Nonetheless, I would say recone the EV and use the Diesel 1x15 as your "house rig".
 
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#24
www.parts-express.com

GRS 15PT-8 15" Paper Cone Professional Woofer with 3" Voice Coil 8 Ohm

GRS 15PT-8 15" Paper Cone Professional Woofer with 3" Voice Coil 8 OhmEngineered for high output with powerful low frequency extension, the 15PT-8 15” professional woofer is ideal for use in large low-cost sound systems. Packed with features you would expect from much more expensive drivers, the...
www.parts-express.com

Here's the alternate route. $69 Dayton Audio 300W woofer. I've used MANY of their 12's and 15's as replacements drivers with great success. And free shipping. They also offer higher wattage and cast frame drivers for well under $125.

I came to the realization many years ago that a lot of the name brand components in our equipment are the same or very similar as the unbranded ones, but double or triple the price.

maybe worth a look.....
 
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#25
pb9717 said:
www.parts-express.com

GRS 15PT-8 15" Paper Cone Professional Woofer with 3" Voice Coil 8 Ohm

GRS 15PT-8 15" Paper Cone Professional Woofer with 3" Voice Coil 8 OhmEngineered for high output with powerful low frequency extension, the 15PT-8 15” professional woofer is ideal for use in large low-cost sound systems. Packed with features you would expect from much more expensive drivers, the...
www.parts-express.com

Here's the alternate route. $69 Dayton Audio 300W woofer. I've used MANY of their 12's and 15's as replacements drivers with great success. And free shipping. They also offer higher wattage and cast frame drivers for well under $125.

I came to the realization many years ago that a lot of the name brand components in our equipment are the same or very similar as the unbranded ones, but double or triple the price.

maybe worth a look.....
Click to expand...
Only if it works properly in that enclosure. My best guess is that the tuning will be pretty far off, which will really impact performance. Also, the sensitivity is really low and in spite of the claims of 6kHz usable range, my rough calculations show it to be MUCH less.
 
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#28
EdwardofHuncote said:
Just posting in to show support for a great old box. Mine is the horizontal one. Love it, and gig it.

View attachment 7420670

*FWIW, I have the original EV-15, but it's currently loaded with a ToneTubby SuperMan 15, courtesy of @RVBASS. I switched them out a couple years ago and added a SpeakON jack.
Click to expand...
I had the vertical version in the early '00s. It lives with a friend of mine these days.
 
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#30
pb9717 said:
www.parts-express.com

CLEARANCE RESTOCKED FaitalPRO 15FH510 15" Professional Woofer 8 Ohm

www.parts-express.com

There is this option too.....maybe closer to what you may recommend? Love a clearance sale....
Click to expand...
Don’t know if it’s a good choice or not, but I believe it is a very dark sounding driver.

Hoochie Coochie Man said:
Recone.

I have a pair of the Road Ready Diesel 115 cabinets, (plus a spare driver) that don't leave the house, (and in fact are not connected to anything, but they make excellent end tables flanking the couch in the basement "recreation room", as we used to call it).

Regarding the guy with the EV with a broken frame... J-B Weld it! :woot:
Click to expand...
Many of the recommendations (made with supreme confidence) are totally absurd and inappropriate in that thread. That basket is not salvageable.
 
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#35
Jeff Scott said:
I had the vertical version in the early '00s. It lives with a friend of mine these days.
Click to expand...
I get it man... saves you having to carry a cab over to play!

Back when I was playing about every weekend somewhere, that old Diesel cab lived in the Sketchy-looking White Band Van. (if you looked very closely you could see it used to say Franklin County Dept of Aging in all caps down the sides...) but the guys kept it unmarked to throw their fans off. (?) 🙄 Seriously, they kept that old thing right inside the side door, ready for easy load-in, my zipper-bag amp and preamp right behind it. All I had to bring to a gig was my bass and some cables. These days the Diesel lives in my back bedroom waiting for a call to go sub. :unsure:
 
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#37
I once had a Road Ready 215 and two Diesel 115s. I LOVED those things. I got rid of them however in favor of a modern lightweight 212 with much more power handling. The 212 meets my gigging needs better than the Diesels. Loudness. Convenience.

That said, those cabinets, with EVM 15L drivers were the best-sounding bass speakers I have ever heard, by a wide margin. So musical. So articulate. The best possible bedroom practice rig might be a vintage B15N, but a Diesel with the EVM 15L would be a close second. That cabinet and driver combination is already perfect, as-is. IMHO
 
#40
webmonster said:
If you like the sound of a TL606 type cab and gigging it would give you joy, then I'd recommend loading it with a 3015HO. I gig with 2 cabs like this. I really like their sound, and their size and weight isn't (yet) inconvenient for me.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure the porting needs to change for this driver...
 
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