Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Second opinion on speaker replacement
- Thread starter Blank_0101
- Start date
1958: Nope, WinISD Pro 0.7.0.900.
I forgot to mention: That cab needs to be lined (if it isn't already). They came from the factory unlined. OP, better budget for that along with your drivers. I've run that cab both lined and unlined. Unlined it sounds like ass & would be a waste of a pair of good drivers.
I forgot to mention: That cab needs to be lined (if it isn't already). They came from the factory unlined. OP, better budget for that along with your drivers. I've run that cab both lined and unlined. Unlined it sounds like ass & would be a waste of a pair of good drivers.
I think I understand the 200 watt thing you were saying? My plan is to use a P bass, and soon hopefully a telebass with mudbucker, tuned to bead with flats. The rig needs to handle my bass and low end from the amp that would be between 300-500 watts.
If the cab can't handle those demands in any realistic way, I'll just quite now, part it out and start looking for something better.
Reconing them would I believe allow the amp a 400 watt max he said.
When he cut the cone it had a spurt of wire in it that was grinding on the cone. underneath the dustcap.
If the cab can't handle those demands in any realistic way, I'll just quite now, part it out and start looking for something better.
Reconing them would I believe allow the amp a 400 watt max he said.
When he cut the cone it had a spurt of wire in it that was grinding on the cone. underneath the dustcap.
My plan if I do keep it is to completely overhaul it. new paint and sealer to protect the chippy board bits. Get new casters and super glue back tolex. I also plan to try and make a new logo, instead of the dated pointy peavey logo. And maybe use threaded inserts on the driver to baffle area for longevity and security.
What do you recommend for liner? Also where do you get metal corners and suck for amps? and jack plates cheap.
Convoluted foam mattress topper's work great for lining cabs. It is very inexpensive, and can be found at most any walmart, target, or Kmart.
For corners/hardware, there are quite a few online sources like:
http://www.partsexpress.com/
http://www.usspeaker.com/
http://www.speakerhardware.com/
If you need to send the cab that much power with a low B, then you're looking at drivers that are going to cost a lot more than what I suggested. A big part of my recommendation was based on your saying you were budget-conscious.
No chance of that, my friend. Not even close.
Yes, which is why he cut the cone, because he knew the voice coil was burned and the driver was useless with its current cone (except as a conversation piece). I don't know what one of those square-magnet jobs is worth reconed. Might be worth something for studio use, 'cause there is a point where they sound sorta funky/grindy when slightly overdriven, and it doesn't take much power to do it (so you don't rattle the window where the engineer's sitting).
Ok yea, I'd seen that done, but wondered if there was a more "acoustically sound" material. but yea sounds alright then.
Ok, I have currently $600, and have about $700 worth of stuff left to sell, and I'm making $200 babysitting.
I owe someone $300, and don't plan on using all the money right away.
The problem is I guess I'm spoiled because I've read all this stuff about great cabs that are light, efficient and great and I can't afford them. At the same time all the stuff I can afford isn't efficient or appealing like 4x10's.
The a pair of MBE212's stacked was my best idea instead of the 2x15, but he made it sound like it'd crap out and die from my intended use. If they should work or you have another idea, that doesn't involve building (no time), let me know so I can dump the 2x15 without sinking money into it.
Well, there are commercially available materials that are designed specifically for that use (basically open cell cushion foam). From what I have read around here and other online sources, those materials are very similar to the mattress topper and essentially like buying really expensive garbage bags.
I always keep a box of 260-515 from Parts Express on hand. It works well enough, it's easy+neat to cut with kitchen/utility scissors, installs fast with Super 77 spray adhesive. I won't go to the wall defending it, I've just had great luck with it so that's what I use. FYI, there are many threads in this forum on cab treatment.
Looking at that port area and depth Í think that is probably a pretty high tuned port. If you do an overhaul with new speakers take some extra time and use winISD or something similar. It will be easy to lengthen the port or make it narrower and tune it in a low B friendly way that will fit the speakers you're using. I think there are a whole lot of speakers you can make to work in that cab as long as you make sure the internal dampening is ok and you adjust the port.
One point of advise: even a bassy cab for low b does not need to be linear to 30 or even 60 hz. When you start modelling cabs it is easy to get carried away and go for as much bass as possible and ultimately end up with mud. The freq specs Craig gave you for for the legend ca145 look pretty good and bassy to me.
What you want is the right compromise between a low port tuning freq, that will limit x max for the low b fundamental and not to much low end in the freq spec, to sound like a bass guitar. The smallish size of this cab for two 15's will help you with this.
One point of advise: even a bassy cab for low b does not need to be linear to 30 or even 60 hz. When you start modelling cabs it is easy to get carried away and go for as much bass as possible and ultimately end up with mud. The freq specs Craig gave you for for the legend ca145 look pretty good and bassy to me.
What you want is the right compromise between a low port tuning freq, that will limit x max for the low b fundamental and not to much low end in the freq spec, to sound like a bass guitar. The smallish size of this cab for two 15's will help you with this.
You could wait a while, save up, and buy a pair of Kappalite 3015LF drivers. The LF version. $540 for a pair from Parts Express. In that particular cab they'll take whatever you can throw at them, almost up to their thermal power rating (400-450 per, for a cab max of 800-900 watts). Also they are VERY efficient. Their power handling AND their efficiency together is what makes them so great. And don't listen to people who say they don't go high enough into the midrange for BG. They do. I know this from personal experience. (Plus you said you were going to run some other cab for a top end, so it's n/a anyway).
I just remembered something else about that 215 cab. You're going to have to make deeper notches in the frame of the speaker grill to clear the Eminence driver's frame. Or you can mount rubber amp feet to the baffle board to stand the frame off the cab by a larger distance, then bolt the frame to the baffle board. Or do surgery on the stock fasteners to stand them off more. Whatever. Just alerting you that you'll need extra clearance. It's no big deal, easy fix.
If you can measure the (internal) dimensions of the cabinet AND the dimensions of the port I can reverse engineer it to see at what frequency the port is tuned.
After that we can search for a well suited driver so you get the optimal driver (basswise) for the cabinet.
After that we can search for a well suited driver so you get the optimal driver (basswise) for the cabinet.
Hey askrere--
I've recommended those guys before for recone services so you can get it done locally and not ship, etc. but now you've got me second guessing it.
I don't have any sort of pull there or anything. Had a couple recones done there years ago when it was Austin Speaker Service on Anderson Ln. More recently at the new location, I bought a couple Aloha 6's and tweeter diaphrams from them. But, I kinda know what I want and they're a local source to get it, don't really need their advice or opinion on it, just "order me this", ya know.
About the knife thing......technically, he wasn't damaging anything, the speaker's blown already, may've just been showing you that or "displaying his tech knowledge" or some weird thing, BUT,....I think it's pretty messed up to just do that without asking/telling you first. Especially someone who doesn't work with speakers everyday coukd easily thing he's tearing up their stuff to sell them new stuff. That's no way to treat customers.
As far as the neo "fad" thing. These guys are fairly old and very old school. Some of them turn their noses up at things like ultralite neo speakers, line array's, digital signal processing, etc. Their idea of a good replacement might be some EV 15L or something that doesn't have near the excuraion/lowend capability as some of this "new-fangled stuff" 'cause that's what they used in the good ol' days 30-40 years ago. Used to be, maybe still is, some old amp techs around here who are the same way. Can work miracles with a Fender tube amp but won't even look at something with a transistor in it.
Maybe the guy's just gotten grumpier, more bitter over the years. Maybe things aren't working out now that they did this Speaker Works deal and it's not just him running his speaker repair shop like "the good ol' days". I really don't know. I thought the guy was sort of a character, kinda funny but knew his stuff, but, like I say, I'm not a regular enough customer around there to really know them and usually have my mind made up on what I need before I even go there.
As for your cab, I wouldn't spring for 3015LF's without building a box specifically for them. The Legend CB158 is a good fit as far as replacements for those. They have good SPL, lowend and are friendly towards smaller boxes. Pretty warm sounding, not much topend. Keep that in mind if you'd like to run the 215 by itself without your guitar amp doing the highs. Lowering the box tuning is a good idea. Means buikding the ports longer. You're local here, I can help you out with some of that stuff. At least help you avoid wasting money. Those old square magnet 15's that were in there can sound nice at low volumes, but will turn into fart machines trying to get to good, louder gig, stage volumes. 1 Legend could do what both of those could in the lows.
Anyway, just ask if you need some help.
I've recommended those guys before for recone services so you can get it done locally and not ship, etc. but now you've got me second guessing it.
I don't have any sort of pull there or anything. Had a couple recones done there years ago when it was Austin Speaker Service on Anderson Ln. More recently at the new location, I bought a couple Aloha 6's and tweeter diaphrams from them. But, I kinda know what I want and they're a local source to get it, don't really need their advice or opinion on it, just "order me this", ya know.
About the knife thing......technically, he wasn't damaging anything, the speaker's blown already, may've just been showing you that or "displaying his tech knowledge" or some weird thing, BUT,....I think it's pretty messed up to just do that without asking/telling you first. Especially someone who doesn't work with speakers everyday coukd easily thing he's tearing up their stuff to sell them new stuff. That's no way to treat customers.
As far as the neo "fad" thing. These guys are fairly old and very old school. Some of them turn their noses up at things like ultralite neo speakers, line array's, digital signal processing, etc. Their idea of a good replacement might be some EV 15L or something that doesn't have near the excuraion/lowend capability as some of this "new-fangled stuff" 'cause that's what they used in the good ol' days 30-40 years ago. Used to be, maybe still is, some old amp techs around here who are the same way. Can work miracles with a Fender tube amp but won't even look at something with a transistor in it.
Maybe the guy's just gotten grumpier, more bitter over the years. Maybe things aren't working out now that they did this Speaker Works deal and it's not just him running his speaker repair shop like "the good ol' days". I really don't know. I thought the guy was sort of a character, kinda funny but knew his stuff, but, like I say, I'm not a regular enough customer around there to really know them and usually have my mind made up on what I need before I even go there.
As for your cab, I wouldn't spring for 3015LF's without building a box specifically for them. The Legend CB158 is a good fit as far as replacements for those. They have good SPL, lowend and are friendly towards smaller boxes. Pretty warm sounding, not much topend. Keep that in mind if you'd like to run the 215 by itself without your guitar amp doing the highs. Lowering the box tuning is a good idea. Means buikding the ports longer. You're local here, I can help you out with some of that stuff. At least help you avoid wasting money. Those old square magnet 15's that were in there can sound nice at low volumes, but will turn into fart machines trying to get to good, louder gig, stage volumes. 1 Legend could do what both of those could in the lows.
Anyway, just ask if you need some help.
Looking at your pics, the box tuning may already be in the ballpark. I was thinking of some of the old Peavey cabs that just had holes cut in the baffle for ports.
If you go the Black Widow route, look for a pair of 1505DT's or the equivilent from the newer line. The 1502 models, although advertised as bass guitar speakers, don't have that much xmax and will get grindy trying to play big, deep lows.
If by "stereo", you mean a 2 channel tube poweramp or something, your available output taps matter. CA154 is a good choice if you need 4ohms per side (meaning per speaker).
If you go the Black Widow route, look for a pair of 1505DT's or the equivilent from the newer line. The 1502 models, although advertised as bass guitar speakers, don't have that much xmax and will get grindy trying to play big, deep lows.
If by "stereo", you mean a 2 channel tube poweramp or something, your available output taps matter. CA154 is a good choice if you need 4ohms per side (meaning per speaker).
I've got the same cab, and play a 5 string as well. I reloaded with some Eminence speakers ($300 for pair). Sounds great, good luck!
Yeah, I can't say I've memorized the drivers for all of Peavey's cabs...took a shot in the dark on that lol. May not have been the originals, but do you know for a fact that they won't work at all? He could still run the specs in WinISD and see if they would...and I guarantee it will work better than a broken set of 15's
This is the place we're talking about if anybody's interested.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
It used to be just a little repair shop that maybe also sold or rented some PA gear and stuff.
They've since moved, changed business names and tried to expand into custom guitar speaker lines, etc. Don't know if this stuff is seeing any success outside of local circles. It's not just the little old fashioned electronics repair shop anymore.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
It used to be just a little repair shop that maybe also sold or rented some PA gear and stuff.
They've since moved, changed business names and tried to expand into custom guitar speaker lines, etc. Don't know if this stuff is seeing any success outside of local circles. It's not just the little old fashioned electronics repair shop anymore.
So the 8Ω idea is to sort of serve as a governor, limiting the power since the cab won't really "support" a big low B push?
And as such, it shouldn't be getting more than a couple hundred watts anyway?
That makes sense, I think.
