I have a 12" Celestion Vintage 30 (60 Watts, 8 ohms) and a 10" Eminence (30 watts, 8 ohms), just lying around. I was thinking about building an open backed speaker cabinet the size of a 2 x 12 cabinet and putting in the 12 and 10 inch speakers, wired in parallel to yield 4 ohms. Any thoughts on this? I will build the cabinet large enough that I can always put in a new baffle with two 12 inch speakers later.
"When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top
I think the biggest issue might be the sensitivity of each speaker- if one speaker is really loud, you might not hear much of the other speaker.
But, I've used my Mesa Mark Five:25 1x10" combo with a 12" cab and it sounds awesome- better than either speaker by itself. The 10" speaker is punchy and focused, the 12" speaker is bigger, warmer, and rounder.
+1Originally Posted by Don
In this situation the Eminence speaker is likely to drown out the Celestion since they're generally not as efficient. But it might still sound pleasing, you'd have to experiment with them to determine that.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Good point on the speaker's efficiency. I'll have to see if I can find the spec sheets on the speakers. I'm pretty sure I can find one for the Vintage 30. Both speakers are from the late '90's but haven't been used in a long time.
Will the 2 speakers divide the output (wattage) of the amplifier equally, or do I have to worry about the 30 Watt Eminence? I plan to use the cabinet with one of two 50 Watt tube amps (Fender Bassman or Sovtek Tube Midget). I rarely play at a high volume level.
"When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top
Theoretically the speakers should divide the load equally, given that each is an 8Ω driver. However, static measurements are different under dynamic conditions so there will likely be some variance. I don't see that either intended amp would pose any potential for damage to the Eminence speaker.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Thanks Phantomman. I think I will wire them up before building a cabinet, separated by 10 feet or so, and then put a decibel meter on each of them to see if one is vastly louder than the other, although I realize they will react differently when in a cabinet. I don't really NEED another cabinet, but hate to see 2 speakers just sitting in a closet. I also have a Carvin 12" GT12 100Watt 8ohm speaker that I removed from my Carvin amp, because I didn't like how it sounded that I could throw in the mix for testing.
"When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top
One thing to keep in mind, when using 2 speakers, the total power rating is that of the lowest rated speaker multiplied by 2. That's because each speaker will see about half the signal. So, 60 watts total, in your case.
THere's been a few amps and cabs over the years with the combo.
Personally, I like them when I play them - the two seem to blend well, the 10 is a big punchier, with the boom from the 12.
That said, that is with speakers that are specifically selected to work together, not pulled from (forgive me) a parts bin.
They could end up working well together, but you'll find out...
********************************
"Do you call sleeping with a guitar in your hands practicing?"
"It is if you don't drop it."
- Trent Lane, Daria, Episode 1-2.
That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that.
Well it's back to the drawing board. I connected the 2 speakers in parallel, and the 10" Eminence had more coil buzz than a 70's synth with a sawtooth wave. So I must have had it in my parts closet for a reason. I then connected the 12" Vintage 30 to my 12" Carvin GT-12, and they sounded pretty good together. I had wanted to avoid making a 2 x 12 cabinet, mainly because of the weight. The current Carvin GT-12's are made by Eminence, I'm not sure about mine, it's from 2010. I think the magnet is bigger on mine than the current ones. It weighs about the same as the Vintage 30, in fact that's the speaker they were copying according to what I've read.
So for now, I'll probably build a cabinet to accommodate 2 x 12". I can always build a different baffle board for a 10 and 12 inch speaker if I get the Eminence re-coned, or come across another 10".
"When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top
Many of us here are rowing that same dinghy, Michael. I've got boxes of parts (for both guitars and amps) that I have no idea what I'll do with. I don't really have room for any more amps so a new build really isn't in the cards. I'm hopeful that a restoration project will come along -- I get a lot of satisfaction from breathing new life into a piece of vintage Fender history.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Or you could make an adapter to fit a 10" speaker in a 12" speakers hole.
Yes I could do that also Don.
"When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top
I thought I saw a cabinet with both a 10" and 12" available recently but I don't see it now. I think it was a Mesa cab and it had a divider between the two speakers, so it was basically two cabinets in one.
I did find this from Sweetwaters website:
"
Combining speakers of different wattages with a single guitar amplifier can prove interesting, sonically. This can be done in a single cabinet or separate cabinets. Since both speakers receive the same output from the amplifier, the speaker with the lower wattage rating will be working harder, producing a less efficient output that is closer to break-up. The speaker with the higher wattage rating will work more efficiently and sound smoother. Of course, the design of the speaker itself and the type of cabinet it’s in will influence these factors as well. Using a 12-inch speaker in one cabinet and a 10-inch in another gives you a best-of-both-worlds scenario. Full and chunky with beefy low-mids and a chimey bite in the upper-mids. Putting some physical separation between the cabinets further enhances the effect. Those parameters can be pushed farther by doing the same thing with a 2×10″ and 1×15″ set-up. Usually seen in bass guitar rigs, this high-wattage combination can offer bottom-end definition without sacrificing midrange punch.
As a general rule, make sure that the combined wattage rating of your speaker combination is greater than or equal to the wattage rating of the output of your amplifier, to minimize speaker damage. Also keep in mind that since all speakers receive the same output from the amplifier, your lowest-watt speaker is the starting point for figuring total wattage necessary. Here’s an example: for a 50-watt amplifier with a two-speaker set-up, a general rule of thumb is to use two 25-watt speakers as approximately one-half of the wattage of the amp will be distributed to each speaker.
Part four of this series will focus on the technical matters of impedance, wiring diagrams, and what effect they have on your amplifier and overall sound. Always remember to use your ears as your ultimate guide.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
