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Possibly easy answer speaker/driver question

BlueShox

BlueShox

Registered Turtle
Jul 14, 2007
707
1,324
36
West Columbia, SC
daddylion.com
#1
So I recently acquired an early 80s Fender Bassman 215 cab for cheap because the previous owner said it was not functioning because of a problem with the drivers. To my knowledge, its running stock speakers. I do not know much about cabs or speakers, so I guess here are my questions going here:

1) What is the difference between the speaker and driver, and how does one effect the other? I've searched around on talkbass but really can't find a definite answer to this question.

2) If I was aiming to swap speakers (I'm thinking a pair of black widows) would I have to swap drivers as well?


I am planning on taking this beast to the local music shop before I start taking apart the insides, as the seller did not seem to know much about cabs or instruments in general. The jacks do not seem secure, and I'm kind of suspecting it may just be a simple wiring issue, but I simply do not know much about what I'm dealing with.

Any additional information you think I'd need will be much appreciated, thanks in advance for your answers!
 
#2
the terms speakers and drivers tend to be used interchangeably. The former, however, can be used to describe both the cabinet, the drivers in them, or the combination.

The drivers mean just the cone shaped transducers that physically create the soundwaves ;) I'm not the nomenclature police, just sharing what I've seen and heard over the years.....:hiding:

I'd check the connections to the drivers first before going to the trouble of replacing anything. They can loosen or corrode or who knows what over the years, that's an older cabinet, after all. Good luck ;)
 
#3
Okay, that was my biggest boggle thus far. I had kind of suspected they were the same thing, but after the guy sold this to me mentioned driver and not speaker, I was kind of thinking "well if the speaker is messed up, why wouldn't he just say speaker"? As I said though, seller did not seem to know much about what he had. I picked up the cab for $70

When hooked up to a cab, no sound at all comes through the speakers (no hiss, no normal "pft" from hooking in that jack, etc. nothing). This leads me to believe it is more of a connector/wiring issue than the speakers themselves, which upon outer inspection, seem to be in wonderful shape.
 
#4
Could be bad wiring or bad jack

Maybe a combo of both blown speakers and old ratty wiring

Driver/ Speaker same thing...you well need to replace the speakers if they are blown...or if they are anything special you could recone them.

Most likely they are just plain jane factory Eminence Speakers

The Black Widows are well known strong speakers, will do better as a PA midbass speaker

The Invalid Link RemovedLegend will keep up a little better and should be much cheaper.
The Legend speaker is found in alot of Manufactures Cabinets probably at least 70% of OEM 15" cabinets.
 
#5
when troubleshooting, always go for the simplest stuff first, so in this case, it's wiring and connections. Easy stuff, really.

One can't just throw in any old driver ;) in that cabinet, you have to do some homework if you're going to do it yourself, and if you don't have the experience I really don't recommend it.

You're not too far from Atlanta if I recall where Columbia is. If you must replace the driver, give Atlanta Bass Gallery a call and see what they'd recommend for that cabinet. They know their stuff. :bassist:
 
#7
The driver is what most people call a speaker. Technically a raw "speaker" is a driver and a speaker is the driver all put together in the cabinet with wiring, etc.

If you can operate a screwdriver you can take that thing apart and check the wiring, smart to start there. You can check the speakers (drivers) by touching wires to a flashlight battery. You should hear a thump and see the cone move, if not it's blown.

Also if the cabinet isn't lined inside add some while you're in there, ie: mattress topper foam or quilt batting.
 

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