Help! Broken Speaker

G

GEC

New member
I think my Mustang III's speaker is broken. There's a fizzy sound that happens at all volumes, but it's more pronounced when the input signal is louder, and it's more pronounced on low notes. With heavy distortion it's not noticeable but it really ruins clean sounds.
It happened because I was an idiot and played a 7 string guitar through an octave down pedal through a Behringer Preamp Booster with the bass cranked into it. I was playing at a low volume so I didn't think it would be a big deal.

Listening very close to the speaker, the fizz sounds electrical, more like a buzz. But it's not present when I'm not playing. Also, I've tried pressing on the speaker cone to see if it's coil rub, and it's completely silent, which I know is what it should be.

Is there anything I can do to fix the speaker?
If not, what replacement should I get? The amp is a 100W digital modeler. The stock speaker is an 8 ohm Celestion G12T-100.
 
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Re: Help! Broken Speaker

I just dont see the application of 7sting with octave down pedal :-D

That is some extreme brutal super Djent you are playing or what ? :-D

sorry had to ask.
 
Re: Help! Broken Speaker

Low B would be ~61 hz...guitar speakers would have trouble reproducing that note with any gusto as they tend to fall off rapidly below 80 hz (standard low E) Using an octave down pedal with a low B would take you down to ~30hz. No normal guitar speaker would like it nor would it be able to reproduce such a note. So replace the speaker and don't do that again.
 
Re: Help! Broken Speaker

Yeah, I've learned my lesson the hard way lol. I was just kind of messing around with different effects and seeing what would happen, not really looking for practical sounds. I should clarify that when I say octave down, it was about a 50/50 wet/dry mix. An all wet mix would have just sounded like mud, I know.

So there's no fix for my current speaker?
 
Re: Help! Broken Speaker

If it is actually your speaker, you could have it re-coned. There's almost certainly a reputable re-coning service in one of KYs big cities...ask your guitar shops and repair shops. I haven't had it done for a while, but it was much cheaper than buying a new EVM speaker. Any vintage guitar shop or amp repair guy should have a re-coning source.

You need to 1) Hook your speaker up to a different amp to see if it is making the same sound; 2) Check you amp out with a different speaker to be SURE it's in good health; a 3) Make a visual inspection of your cab to make sure nothing has come loose.

Good luck!

Bill
 
Re: Help! Broken Speaker

Bummer. That was a nice Celestion speaker.

I like the way it sounds in my Mustang III and I'm fussy about speakers.

I don't know that I'd recone it...but I don't know what to tell you to replace it with either.

If it happened to me I'd put one of my Celestion G12H30's in there since I already have one I'm not using.

That's too bad that happened.
 
Re: Help! Broken Speaker

Here's a little thread I found that might be useful. Although I don't know why anyone would want to replace a perfectly good speaker. https://wgsusa.com/fender-mustang-iii-speaker-upgrade

The thing with the Mustang is that you can get a whole new amp for $325...including the speaker. And another 5 yer warranty.

I always figured that if anything happened to mine once it's out of warranty (5 year warranty, BTW) I'd just get another one.
 
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Re: Help! Broken Speaker

Boogie Bill gave good advice on verification. If it is 'broken' and you liked it's sound, replace it in kind.
 
Re: Help! Broken Speaker

Thanks! So I own three amplifiers: the 100W Mustang, a 40W Mustang II, and my tiny 15W bass amp. I hooked up the Celestion to the Mustang II and -- oddly -- no noise. It sounded just like the stock speaker of that amp. The plot thickens...Could that be that it just wasn't getting pushed hard by the amp since that amp is lower power? I did crank it up to prevent that.

I'm wary of putting the II's speaker in the III because of the power difference. Should I be?

Also, I don't think it was something rattling around in the cab, because I had the speaker un-mounted while still wired to the amp and I could definitely hear the fizz coming from the center of the cone. Does this mean something in the amp itself broke? And if so, how is that even possible with a digital amplifier?

You're right that a new mustang really isn't that expensive, but a $200-250 difference is still a lot of money to consider for my living situation. Also, I barely have enough space for my guitars and amps as it is -- if possible I don't want to have a broken 1x12 sitting around in addition to all my other stuff.
 
Re: Help! Broken Speaker

Update: I put the Celestion back in the Mustang III and -- no fizz. It sounds fine.
Here's what I suspect happened:
The Mustang III's ground wire is soldered to a little ring that goes around one of the speaker mounting screws like an extra washer. So when you tighten the screw and secure the speaker, the ground wire is brought into contact with the speaker basket, grounding it. My Super Extreme Low Bass Notes were powerful enough to shake the screw just loose enough that the ground wasn't always connected. At low volumes and high notes, it was still connected, but at that point any regular old E chord would shake it loose. Now that the screw's tight again, no grounding issue and no problems.
Thanks so much! Y'all saved me a lot of time and money. (And feel free to let me know if I'm way off base about what actually happened.)
 
Re: Help! Broken Speaker

Most any crackle is a loose wire/messed up solder joint

That said...its a travesty of an amp even in properly working condition imho
 
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Re: Help! Broken Speaker

SlyFoxx said:
Low B would be ~61 hz...guitar speakers would have trouble reproducing that note with any gusto as they tend to fall off rapidly below 80 hz (standard low E) Using an octave down pedal with a low B would take you down to ~30hz. No normal guitar speaker would like it nor would it be able to reproduce such a note. So replace the speaker and don't do that again.
Click to expand...

YMMV

A 5string bass B (= octaved down 7string B) should work just fine thru a 100 watter celestion 12"
 
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