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Post by djcakadave on Jul 14, 2022 21:17:47 GMT -7
I'm thinking about a cab project and would like to get a 15" speaker for it. What would you all suggest as a good american voiced 15?
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Post by Patrick B on Jul 15, 2022 4:25:57 GMT -7
I've found no better than an old JBL D130F. To me it's way above second place. I have a couple that are simply magic. I also have one or two that have been reconed and are just average so the condition/cone can make or break them. It's sorta risky buying one without hearing them unfortunately. I have 5 or 6 total. If you buy one that has been reconed try to make sure the proper cone has been used and from appearance has been done with care. I have one that has been reconed with a ribbed cone and it's the worst of my collection. It could be the cone or then again it could be something else. Hard to say.
After the JBL I would possibly pick the Weber Neo15. Weber makes this speaker and references the JBL D130F as their target. This is a very lightweight speaker which is a plus and sounds fantastic. I could live with it if I lost all my JBL's. They do offer several options on this speaker including dust cap material, paper or cloth surround and doping so that unfortunately can make it harder to know what you are getting or what you want. I found a used one so I didn't have to decide on the options but it's great.
Tie for 3rd might be the Weber California Ceramic and the Eminence Legend. These are both great speakers with the Weber available in several options.
Fourth place is the EV EVM 15L. I think this might be the speaker Stevie Ray Vaughan ended up in his Vibroverbs due to it being such a durable robust speaker. It's a heavy speaker (but possibly no heavier than the JBL, not sure) and to me, it just sounded more sterile and like a PA cabinet speaker than a guitar speaker. You want a guitar speaker to impart something to the sound, not too much but not too little. If this was my only speaker I would probably still be looking for something else.
Take a Dr. Z 1x12 and make you a new 15" speaker baffle from 1/2" birch plywood. Sounds amazing and is a very nice size. I've converted 2 or 3 of my Dr. Z 1x12s this way.
I think I've posted a similar review of these same four 15" speakers on this site before so if you can find that maybe there's something I've left out here. Hopefully it will be consistent with what I write today. I'm just writing from memory as I did then.
I play clean to moderate overdrive with a Stratocaster through my EZG 50, my Fender Vibroverb clones, Super Reverbs, Blackface Bassmans, etc. I like to play Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix style Blues and Blues Rock. I don't play exclusively clean but on some songs I do like Stevie Ray Vaughan's Lenny. And then turn up the Tube Screamers for Voodoo Child and songs like that. I don't play hard rock like AC/DC so much anymore. I say this just to give you an idea of the style of guitar I'm talking about when I personally evaluate these speakers. You may be looking for something completely different obviously.
Good luck and keep us updated on your search and results.
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Jul 15, 2022 6:28:40 GMT -7
For the EZG: Eminence Legend 151 in a ~medium-sized open-back cab. If you don't believe me, ask Jaguarguy (Mike). Killer speaker for a killer amp. "Big block" power, all-around.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Jul 15, 2022 6:38:44 GMT -7
For the EZG: Eminence Legend 151 in a ~medium-sized open-back cab. If you don't believe me, ask Jaguarguy (Mike) . Killer speaker for a killer amp. "Big block" power, all-around. Mark speaks the truth!
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Post by djcakadave on Jul 15, 2022 7:06:04 GMT -7
Sometimes I feel like Willie Coyote sitting in the middle of a field with a million rabbit holes, Saying to myself "which one do I go down"
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jul 15, 2022 12:36:40 GMT -7
The Altec 418-B is no slouch either. I've got two of them, they're great sounding speakers.
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Post by adam on Jul 15, 2022 15:33:06 GMT -7
I can't say enough good things about how my EZG sounds in a Marshall 4x12 with V30's on top and H30's on the bottom. I think it's worth a mention because it's maybe not how one would think to use a traditional fender style amp. Big, huge, 3d sounding and never piercing or fatiguing. They really did a fantastic job with that amp.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jul 15, 2022 15:53:05 GMT -7
I can't say enough good things about how my EZG sounds in a Marshall 4x12 with V30's on top and H30's on the bottom. I think it's worth a mention because it's maybe not how one would think to use a traditional fender style amp. Big, huge, 3d sounding and never piercing or fatiguing. They really did a fantastic job with that amp. I've got my EZG in the shop for a top-to-bottom checkup, and they're going to do what you had done to yours...I had done a few of the mods, and installed a choke-or-no-choke switch, but I got the amp second hand and it was non-working when I got it. Not sure if everything was right and I've never really bonded with it, so it's gonna be cool to see how it sounds when Don gets done with it.
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