Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

[SongsForTheDeaf]

I recently got a 80s/90s Peavey Ported PA cab with 15" scorpion speaker and horn... Been running my heads into the bi amp lo jack to just use the speaker

Sounds really good! So much low end and fullness even at low volume and fills the room nicely. I find when I go back to my 12" cabs and amps I miss that low end so I'm thinking I will use this 15" cab for rehearsals and gigging.. only issue I can imagine is maybe going into the bassists territory frequency wise..

I run my Ampeg head into a Traynor 2x12 vertical slant V30 cab and the peavey 1x15 cab at once and its the best of both worlds. I could easily see bands with just one guitar or just guitar and drums really benefiting from using 15" speakers for more OOMPH and I'm sure many do......

Who else is using 15" speakers with guitar ?

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

I've run a head through a PA cab with similar results. As you say, though, you'd be wandering into the bass player's and kick drum's sonic real estate, especially in rock music Might be cool in a guitar/drums/voice only band.

I know 15s are used by guitar players in cleaner type playing situations. PV does a Classic series 15, and the Twin has been offered with a 15. I'm guessing there is a different dynamic going on there. Just guessing, though.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

My go-to cab for guitar heads is an Ampeg B-25B 2x15 cabinet. I play my V4 and my Reverberocket heads through it, and sometimes I put my Super Rocket through it. Most of the time I use combos, though. The 15's give me my favorite sound, but when I played guitar in a band, I rarely had a gig to which I thought it was worth hauling a 100+ pound cabinet in my Focus.

 

[Securb]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

I have a Fender Excelsior with a 15 I love it. I play that thing more than my Marshall.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

My go-to cab for guitar heads is an Ampeg B-25B 2x15 cabinet. I play my V4 and my Reverberocket heads through it, and sometimes I put my Super Rocket through it. Most of the time I use combos, though. The 15's give me my favorite sound, but when I played guitar in a band, I rarely had a gig to which I thought it was worth hauling a 100+ pound cabinet in my Focus.

Nice.. gotta love Ampeg stuff.

I think 15" speakers are my new favorite too

 

[Big Flannel]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

I played through a 1x15 once with my DRRI and it was pretty sweet sounding. Really rich and full. But alas, my bass player decided he "Wanted his speaker back" so I had to stop his complaining.

 

[Securb]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

Dimebag had a couple of 15s in his rig...just saying.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

My vibrocloned blackface Super Reverb

I also play through a Polytone Mini Brute III which has a 15" speaker as well.

LOVE the extended but never boomy low end. : )

 

[Securb]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

My vibrocloned blackface Super Reverb

I also play through a Polytone Mini Brute III which has a 15" speaker as well.

LOVE the extended but never boomy low end. : )

That amp is beyond sweet.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

cool stuff, but as a bassist that gets told "make like a bassist and become inaudible", I vote a resounding NOOO!!!!

:banana:

seriously, for jams its easy to hear guitar but it marches all over basslines and makes the bass hard to hear what you are playing with bad room acoustics.

I recall Dimebag used the 2x15s, and the Staind guitarist experimented with em but concluded that the bassist could not be heard with them.

for a 2 piece I vote for splitting guitar into guitar amp and split a second line into a octave type pedal into a bass amp; thats what I plan to do if it ever comes down to it.

 

[philthis]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

I have a Fender Excelsior with a 15 I love it. I play that thing more than my Marshall.

I'm with Securb on this. That Excelsior is simple but good and opened my eyes to the 15 inch speaker.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

Downtuned C standard single coil guitars with a light breakup OD into a good 15" speaker with the volume up is so satisfying.. Such a full deep sound and with fuzz it is instant Kyuss monster tone.

So far I'm loving this ported 15" cab but I seriously worry of stealing my 2 bassists thunder (hehe) at gigs.

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

My first amp, a Peavey VTM120, came with a homebuilt 1X15 cab. It's similar in dimensions to a 4X12 but built with a baffle that has the 15 in the center with four 3" ports drilled in it. Right now it has a Yamaha PA speaker a friend gave me after the speaker it came with crapped out back in the '90s. Even with the Yamaha, it brings the thunder. It's got a low end that no 4x12 can deliver. It'll make your chest thump. Later on, I would like to upgrade the speaker to an Eminence Commonwealth, though.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

I bought this Excelsior Pro a few months ago and it sounds much better with the Eminence Legend 1518 that the Pro model comes with. Even the stock Chinese tubes seem fine for now.

But the big design flaw is the Bright/Dark switch instead of a tone circuit. I soon bought the BillM Mods tone kit that opens up the full spectrum of the amp, not just full treble or dark bass. It also comes with a pullup feature to bypass the entire EQ section, as well as a brown Fender knob. The problem is BillM is slacking on my order and hasn't shipped in 5 weeks, nor Emailed me back. I'm starting to get irritated, but he's the only guy who took the time to perfect a single knob tone stack for the Excelsior that I know of. I would have constructed one myself if I knew all his parts.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

The Excelsior looks like a fun amp to just crank up and riff away on but I can't justify spending money on it if I won't be using It in my bands. I know it sounds good recorded.. just listen to some of the new Queens of the Stone Age album. They used one for some guitar tracks.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

If I was not really well set in the amp department already, I'd probably get an Excelsior Pro as well, and just keep it stock. I'd run it on full treble and use my guitar knobs as tone controls. It's not the kind of thing I'd like to get if I was gonna immediately dump money into mods. I also think that it is, quite unfortunately, a really ugly amp. I'd probably want to eventually put it into another cabinet...and at that point, with that much into it, I'd just be better off getting another amp entirely.

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

My vibrocloned blackface Super Reverb

I also play through a Polytone Mini Brute III which has a 15" speaker as well.

LOVE the extended but never boomy low end. : )

What speaker do you have in there.?
nice amp btw.....

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

I bought this Excelsior Pro a few months ago and it sounds much better with the Eminence Legend 1518 that the Pro model comes with. Even the stock Chinese tubes seem fine for now.

But the big design flaw is the Bright/Dark switch instead of a tone circuit. I soon bought the BillM Mods tone kit that opens up the full spectrum of the amp, not just full treble or dark bass. It also comes with a pullup feature to bypass the entire EQ section, as well as a brown Fender knob. The problem is BillM is slacking on my order and hasn't shipped in 5 weeks, nor Emailed me back. I'm starting to get irritated, but he's the only guy who took the time to perfect a single knob tone stack for the Excelsior that I know of. I would have constructed one myself if I knew all his parts.

Sorry to hear that.
BillM is a super nice guy...but I totally understand you getting pissed off. He is a one man shop to my knowledge, and all those guys seem to go through "this".
Hopefully another diplomatically structured email will get you what you deserve.
Those are pretty nice amps.
Fender should have Bill M and Justin Holt on retainer. Those 2 guys have helped Fender sell Thousands of amps.
good luck with Bill

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

If I was not really well set in the amp department already, I'd probably get an Excelsior Pro as well, and just keep it stock. I'd run it on full treble and use my guitar knobs as tone controls. It's not the kind of thing I'd like to get if I was gonna immediately dump money into mods. I also think that it is, quite unfortunately, a really ugly amp. I'd probably want to eventually put it into another cabinet...and at that point, with that much into it, I'd just be better off getting another amp entirely.

I like the look of it, and it's got the full potential for having great tone, minus the stupid Bright/Dark switch. Everything else is cool, once it's got the Legend speaker and even better with nice tubes.

The problem with running it in Treble mode is that it accentuates some unpleasing frequencies that humbuckers can't jive with. It's not too bad with single coils, but when I plug a humbucker into the Excelsior, the G string jumps out of the mix with a shrill ear piercing sound.

This is cured with the BillM tone stack, since someone said it goes away when the tone is on 6, and also goes away when the EQ section is bypassed. So, the Bright/Dark switch on the Excelsior really spoils a potentially good amp.

Now, if BillM would send me the kit I paid for 5 weeks ago......I can install it and finally enjoy my Excelsior. I don't even like playing it the way it came stock. It's like taking your amp and turning the treble to 1 or 10, and that's all you get. Stupid.

(I also make my correspondence very polite when dealing with everyone. Things usually work out for the best when you're like that)

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Anyone else using 15" speakers with guitar ?

I do not, but i have serious GAS for an Electric 6X15 cab !

YES, you read right !!! SIX of 'em !