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SWR Silverado Special 212 Combo Replacement Speakers

D Rogue

D Rogue

Sep 8, 2020
51
31
Hollister, CA
#1
Hello, first post here! I have searched and searched and cannot find anything on what speakers came in an SWR Silverado Special 212 combo amp. I bought one of these used recently for a screaming deal, which will now just be an okay price after I replace the speakers. It looks like one or both of the 12" speakers had a tear in the cone, and had a bad repair job done, so, I'd like to replace them.

My friend The Google didn't have much info, and hours of searching here I'd find little tidbits, but nothing specific. Based on the sticker on the magnet...

upload_2020-9-8_15-55-45.png


... these speakers appear to be made by Eminence in 1999. The cab is ported, so I know that it was designed with a particular speaker in mind. I emailed Eminence with a pic of the sticker, to see if they had a recommendation for a replacement, but haven't heard back yet. I was looking at the Eminence Legend BP122, but that speaker may be more suited for a sealed cab. I like the Eminence Neodymium Deltalite II 2512, but don't really want to spend $150.00 per speaker (but will if enough people say that's the speaker I need).

What I'm looking for is a pair of 12", 8 ohm, 250 watt, speakers, hopefully close to 99 or 100 dB sensitivity. Again, being slightly amazed that a Google search (or here on TB) of "SWR Silverado Special Replacement Speakers" didn't come up with much of anything I thought I would make my first post here. I am a guitar player, but bought this amp for home jamming and recording, so not looking for suggestions on another amp, or comments about buying a piece of junk, but am hoping someone in the know may have a good suggestion for a replacement speaker. So, what do you think? Thanks in advance, and cheers!
 
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#3
jeff7bass said:
This will be interesting. That was a smokin combo in it's day. Good luck.
Click to expand...
It sounded great when the guy I bought it from played through it for 20 minutes or so while we talked gear, but at gig volume the blown speaker issue surfaced. That, or it caused the crappy repair job to fail. Luckily we ran the line out to the recorder, so the recordings don't have the blown speaker noise.
 
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#7
D Rogue said:
Hello, first post here! I have searched and searched and cannot find anything on what speakers came in an SWR Silverado Special 212 combo amp. I bought one of these used recently for a screaming deal, which will now just be an okay price after I replace the speakers. It looks like one or both of the 12" speakers had a tear in the cone, and had a bad repair job done, so, I'd like to replace them.

My friend The Google didn't have much info, and hours of searching here I'd find little tidbits, but nothing specific. Based on the sticker on the magnet...

View attachment 3976402

... these speakers appear to be made by Eminence in 1999. The cab is ported, so I know that it was designed with a particular speaker in mind. I emailed Eminence with a pic of the sticker, to see if they had a recommendation for a replacement, but haven't heard back yet. I was looking at the Eminence Legend BP122, but that speaker may be more suited for a sealed cab. I like the Eminence Neodymium Deltalite II 2512, but don't really want to spend $150.00 per speaker (but will if enough people say that's the speaker I need).

What I'm looking for is a pair of 12", 8 ohm, 250 watt, speakers, hopefully close to 99 or 100 dB sensitivity. Again, being slightly amazed that a Google search (or here on TB) of "SWR Silverado Special Replacement Speakers" didn't come up with much of anything I thought I would make my first post here. I am a guitar player, but bought this amp for home jamming and recording, so not looking for suggestions on another amp, or comments about buying a piece of junk, but am hoping someone in the know may have a good suggestion for a replacement speaker. So, what do you think? Thanks in advance, and cheers!
Click to expand...

Welcome to TalkBass!!! Your hunch is correct. You need speakers designed with the physics of that cab in mind.

Pop the speakers out. Measure the INTERIOR dimensions. Call the folks at US Speaker. Give them those measurements, your budget, your tone/volume/weight goals, and the answers to any other questions they might have. They will give you several options based on the answers to their questions.

https://usspeaker.com/homepage-1.htm
 
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#8
BogeyBass said:
Eminence Speaker, stamp steel frame.
G3 metal work
80 ounce magnet

similar too
Kappa 12A

think GK did a eminence paragon as well with a 3" voicecoil and large magnet

probably special design.
deltalite or kappalite neos can be used to upgrade.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Bogey! That's some real helpful information! The Lites look real nice, and I definitely dig the weight relief, but I doubt this amp is going to leave my garage much, so the price difference is kind of a deal breaker. Those Kappa 12As look nice! I'm still gonna check out some others, but I may get those. Again, I'm a guitar player and just wanted a decent combo for home jams and recording, so while an upgraded speaker would be nice, not sure I can justify the higher price.
 
#12
two fingers said:
Welcome to TalkBass!!! Your hunch is correct. You need speakers designed with the physics of that cab in mind.

Pop the speakers out. Measure the INTERIOR dimensions. Call the folks at US Speaker. Give them those measurements, your budget, your tone/volume/weight goals, and the answers to any other questions they might have. They will give you several options based on the answers to their questions.

https://usspeaker.com/homepage-1.htm
Click to expand...
Thanks, Two! I might have to check them out. With my plans for this amp I would have been happy with just knowing what speaker came with it, and then getting a couple of those. However, I couldn't find out anything about the speakers, which is what lead me here. Then I was able to partially decipher the sticker on the magnet. I was hoping Eminence would email me back, but no big deal. Now, with help from you guys I have a better understanding of what to consider. Thanks for the reply and recommendation!
 
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#13
D Rogue said:
Thanks, Two! I might have to check them out. With my plans for this amp I would have been happy with just knowing what speaker came with it, and then getting a couple of those. However, I couldn't find out anything about the speakers, which is what lead me here. Then I was able to partially decipher the sticker on the magnet. I was hoping Eminence would email me back, but no big deal. Now, with help from you guys I have a better understanding of what to consider. Thanks for the reply and recommendation!
Click to expand...

No problem! A stock speaker from over 20 years ago is a longshot at best. But if you can find those, customer service at US Speaker has always been top notch. They'll walk you through it and get you where you want to go with something similar... or better.
 
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#14
wave rider said:
Tell us your general location, someone may know a good re-coner in your area. Could be less expensive…
Click to expand...
I live in Hollister, California, but work in Sunnyvale, so I cover pretty much most of the SF Bay Area. I had thought recone, but for $75.00 - $100.00 ish for new I figured if I was getting a comparable speaker than I'd go that route. Especially when I can get them on Amazon and have them in a couple days... but in reality, I'm in no hurry. If there's a good shop nearby, which I bet there are a few, that might be something to consider. Thanks for the reply and the suggestion!
 
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#15
two fingers said:
No problem! A stock speaker from over 20 years ago is a longshot at best. But if you can find those, customer service at US Speaker has always been top notch. They'll walk you through it and get you where you want to go with something similar... or better.
Click to expand...
I was planning on going new. Last thing I need to do is throw more money at this than needed, so definitely not looking for a 1999 replacement. I like that Kappa-12A, but it would be nice to see what the experts at US Speaker think. My biggest fear is if I tell them what kind of sound I like they'll tell me I have the wrong amp for that. Damn guitar players thinking they can be bass super stars. Lol!
 
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#16
Okay, now that you guys have armed me with more knowledge I'm thinking the Kappa-12A may not be for me. I prefer a lower end bass, not high mids like the Kappa-12A is described to have. The Lites are all nice, but I don't really want to spend $200.00/speaker. for the KappaLite 3012HOs

So basing my search on a 12" speaker, with a 3" voice coil, 250+ watts, with an upper 90s sensitivity, I'm now leaning towards the Kappa Pro-12A, which US Speakers describes as a nice deep bass sound with scooped mids. My favorite Strat pickups, Lollar Blondes, also have somewhat of a scooped mid. I see the DeltaLite II 2512, which is a similar price as the Kappa Pro-12A, only has a 2.5" voice coil. Should I stay with a 3" coil like what came with the amp? I'd like to try to match a new speaker with similar specs as the stock speakers.

I think after speaking with Eminence and US Speakers I'll be able to make up my mind. Thanks again for all of the replies and suggestions!
 
#17
D Rogue said:
With my plans for this amp I would have been happy with just knowing what speaker came with it, and then getting a couple of those.
Click to expand...


The speakers were most likely custom made for SWR. AFAIK, Eminence usually only supports such custom drivers through the OEM and since SWR is gone, you are probably out of luck. In other words getting replacement drivers or even an authentic recone kits may not be possible.

So the best option IMHO is to measure the dimensions of the cab and porting, so that a new driver type can be selected that will work well with the cab. Don't get too hung up on the 250W power rating of the original drivers. More power handling is better, but the most important thing is the drivers must be compatible with the cab. Also you need two matching drivers.
 
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#18
Years ago I bought a SWR Bigfoot (2 x 12 cab). It had the original speakers already replaced with the Eminence Basslight S2012’s. They are not high wattage (150 ea), but sounded good in that cab. They now reside in a different cab, but worked well to my ears in what would be the cab only version of your amp. At around $100 each, they might be a little high for what you want to pay, but are a good entry level neo option.
 
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#19
I'm confused, are you going to play a lollar loaded strat through it? If so get high wattage guitar speakers (like Eminence Texas Heat or Celestion G12H150 redbacks), but then NEVER allow anyone to play bass through them. The lower frequencies will destroy the speaker cones.

I have a ported SWR redhead and replaced the stock PAS drivers with Eminence Legend BP102, sounds great, and even moreso with an extention cabinet. If you are looking for bass drivers that would sound good in your combo I would look at the 12 inch version of these, BP122. It's weird that the BP102 is described as working in sealed or ported cabs, but the BP122 says sealed and hi-fi home audio applications. Hope my post was helpful. Cheers.
 
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