Replacement Speaker for Old Amp

[Sparky DeLong]

I'm refinishing an old Peavey bass amp that I got back in 1994; a TKO 115. I pulled it all apart and was a little disappointed to see that it's made of thick particle board. Oh well, I think I paid $200 for it, so yeah.

Back to the story... I pulled the speaker and it's fine, but the amp never really "thumped" like I'd expect a bass amp to do. In fact, I've used it more as a guitar amp than as a bass amp. So, my question is, should I decide to replace the speaker in it, do you guys have any suggestions? I'm looking for something that would work in the following combo cab:
15 inch speaker
Sealed cabinet
Cheap wood - particle board
It has one smallish (~5 inch diameter) port

I play mostly Fender J and P basses, but I'm not adverse to a modern sounding speaker (if there is such a thing?). Maybe it makes more sense to save the money and put it into something new?

 

[two fingers]

Take out the speaker. Measure the INSIDE dimensions of the cab. Call the folks at US Speaker. They will punch your dimensions into software and offer you several options for replacement speakers based on your tone/volume goals and budget.

You can't just slap any 15" replacement speaker in there. It has to work with the physics of the cab.

https://usspeaker.com/homepage-1.htm

I am not affiliated with them at all, other than being a satisfied customer.

 

[agedhorse]

The question you need to ask yourself is how much is it worth to you to try to improve it versus buying something that may be more appropriate to you needs now versus back then?

 

[seamonkey]

Trying to make tone adjustments by changing speakers is an expensive crap shoot.
You could get lucky.
Modern speakers deserve the right cabinet designed for them specifically, and not to be shoehorned into some old sawdust.

 

[Sparky DeLong]

Thanks for the replies! I think I'm just going to stick the original speaker back in it. It wasn't getting a lot of use anyway, so throwing more money at it seems a little pointless (but fun!).