What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

Jack_TriPpEr

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The Jet City 1x12 cab I have on-hand has a 16 ohm speaker but the solid-state guitar amp head I own only supports a 8 ohm speaker. I already did a brief test seeing if the head could tolerate the impedance mismatch, and the amp head showed it could not. So, I am in the market for a 8 ohm, 12" speaker, preferably Used.

This amp head and 1x12 cab combo is just to serve the purpose of being a liteweight and easily portable setup for the occasional impromptu jam session. My full rig is based on going directly into a PA from a pedalboard using modelers, multifx and IR loader pedals. I also have on my pedalboard, a pedal that outputs a drum-and-bass-guitar rhythm (combined together on a single output). Finally, my pedalboard also has a synth, so at times I would be playing non-guitar sounds like piano, flute, sax, etc. [Edit: and since i want to have enough volume to be heard over a drummer, i'd want the speaker to be rated for minimally 50 watts).

So what 12" 8 ohm speaker would sound decent supporting this variety of sounds? [Edit: should I be looking at speakers that are typically used in keyboard amps?]
 
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Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

Aren’t many keyboard amps two-way designs, with a separate woofer and tweeter? Guitar speakers are basically giant paper midranges.

You are correct. If I did not already have this amp head and 1x12 cab on hand, I would be looking at buying a keyboard amp. I may find that a single 12" speaker does an unsatisfactory job and then i go ahead and buy a keyboard amp, but again, i wanted to give this a try first since it is the less expensive method.
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

the EHX 12VR8 is an Electroharmonix version of the vintage 30
I have the 8 ohm here at the house

these are $44 with free shipping from Musiciansfriend
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/acc...stPUJlWcyALZijdo81UcwPBgxR_5zR2waAiGzEALw_wcB

I would sell you my used one, but the cost of shipping it would be more than the speaker

Thanks the speaker suggestion. I will try to find some demos online of that speaker. With the mid-hump that speaker is known for, i am not sure it fits the bill for a keyboard amp style/application.
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

on my Bugera G5
I got the Jet City JCA12s+
I believe its the new version of your 1x12
it came with a special design Eminence 16 ohm
which again I believe is the same as yours

my G5 says it needs at least an 8 ohm load
but the manufacturer says the 16 will work
and it does
I haven't noticed any difference in volume between the two impedances

and you say your amp doesn't like the speaker at all
what amp have you got?
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

Thanks the speaker suggestion. I will try to find some demos online of that speaker. With the mid-hump that speaker is known for, i am not sure it fits the bill for a keyboard amp style/application.

That speaker has a wide dust cap like a G12T75. It can't be a V30 clone. It does have a 50 oz magnet though, so it might be closer to the Classic Lead 80.
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

on my Bugera G5
I got the Jet City JCA12s+
I believe its the new version of your 1x12
it came with a special design Eminence 16 ohm
which again I believe is the same as yours

my G5 says it needs at least an 8 ohm load
but the manufacturer says the 16 will work
and it does
I haven't noticed any difference in volume between the two impedances

and you say your amp doesn't like the speaker at all
what amp have you got?

My cab is a JCA12S, no +. Has anEminence speaker. JCA-12-1716.

The amp is a solid-state Acoustic G120DSP. The amp literally shut down after a couple minutes of testing it hooked up to the 16 Ohm Eminence speaker. I emailed Acoustic customer service and they wrote back saying that that amp cannot handle a load greater than 8 ohms.
 
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Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

ok
thats the cabinet with the blue front valance panel and the circle logo
on mine its a all black affair and the "+" is for the emulated speaker out

hmmm
seems like a 16 ohm resistor in parallel with the speaker wire would "trick" it
but I'm not sure

yours is the combo or the head
the head shows two 8 ohm outs
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

ok
thats the cabinet with the blue front valance panel and the circle logo
on mine its a all black affair and the "+" is for the emulated speaker out

hmmm
seems like a 16 ohm resistor in parallel with the speaker wire would "trick" it
but I'm not sure

yours is the combo or the head
the head shows two 8 ohm outs

Yes, my cab is like you describe.

My amp is the head version.

Using a resistor to trick the head into seeing 8 Ohms is a cool idea. Will look on the internet and see if anything there can confirm that it works. [Edit: or I could email Acoustic customer service again and ask them to confirm....]
 
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Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

My buddy does this with his Classic 30
Or something like it

He has an external speaker out that he jumps out to trick his amp into using the 8 ohm speaker he has rather than the 16 ohm speaker it wants

Make sure the resistor is at least the 120watt resistor
Some of the small ones I use on electronics are one quarter watt and are far too small
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

My buddy does this with his Classic 30
Or something like it

He has an external speaker out that he jumps out to trick his amp into using the 8 ohm speaker he has rather than the 16 ohm speaker it wants

Make sure the resistor is at least the 120watt resistor
Some of the small ones I use on electronics are one quarter watt and are far too small

It seems what your friend is doing is a different situation, i.e. making the amp see a BIGGER load, whereas I need to make my amp see a smaller load. I think in your friend's situation, that would dictate having the resistor wired in series with the speaker, not parallel (?)

What I found online about wiring a resistor in parallel is that supposedly, the only adequate type of resistor up to the task due to high voltage and thermal factors, would be the equivalent of a load box (?) Ref: https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/14a1h1/question_can_i_wire_a_resistor_in_parallel_to_a/
 
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Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

probably be less trouble to just get an 8 ohm guitar speaker

most bass speakers work for keyboard speakers

I have used keyboard amps and bass amps interchangeably
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

The Jet City 1x12 cab I have on-hand has a 16 ohm speaker but the solid-state guitar amp head I own only supports a 8 ohm speaker. I already did a brief test seeing if the head could tolerate the impedance mismatch, and the amp head showed it could not. So, I am in the market for a 8 ohm, 12" speaker, preferably Used.

This amp head and 1x12 cab combo is just to serve the purpose of being a liteweight and easily portable setup for the occasional impromptu jam session. My full rig is based on going directly into a PA from a pedalboard using modelers, multifx and IR loader pedals. I also have on my pedalboard, a pedal that outputs a drum-and-bass-guitar rhythm (combined together on a single output). Finally, my pedalboard also has a synth, so at times I would be playing non-guitar sounds like piano, flute, sax, etc. [Edit: and since i want to have enough volume to be heard over a drummer, i'd want the speaker to be rated for minimally 50 watts).

So what 12" 8 ohm speaker would sound decent supporting this variety of sounds? [Edit: should I be looking at speakers that are typically used in keyboard amps?]

Not sure if this 100% meets your criteria, but the 12" 8ohm Fender Special Design Lightning Bolt might be a nice option Made by Eminence in USA, runs about $50 used. They are in the Blues Junior amps I believe.
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

Update: saw a used 40 Watt, 3 channel Peavey keyboard amp listed locally for a steal and bought that instead. Having more than 2 channels is better suited to my needs than trying to make my guitar head + extension cab work.

Thanks for everyone's input.

20200505_235822.jpg
 
Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

Out of curiosity, how was it behaving exactly with the 16 ohm speaker? It should work but I believe it would be a tad lower in volume compared to an 8 ohm speaker. Bigger problem would be using a 4 ohm speaker.
 
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Re: What 12" 8 ohm speaker for this application?

Out of curiosity, how was it behaving exactly with the 16 ohm speaker? It should work but I believe it would be a tad lower in volume compared to an 8 ohm speaker. Bigger problem would be using a 4 ohm speaker.

I talked about that in Reply #8.
 
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