Will I blow my speaker out?

[NewWave]

I'm going to make a 412 cab for my laney ironheart 120w amp. I'm after clapton beano's tone (tight bass,good break up). I'm thinking of getting four celestion greenbacks (100 watts) and run it with my amp watt knob set at 10 o'clock (which means running at about40 watts?). Will I waste my money just to blow it?

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

For the record, putting 4 25W speakers in a cab doesn't give you a 100W handling capacity, it's a 25W capacity, the load is just spread over 4 speakers.

Personally, I wouldn't go for speakers with that low handling capacity. You risk blowing them when you need to turn up. If you're after Clapton's tone, you definitely need a different amp - a 120W amp is so far from the JTM45 that Clapton used it's not even funny.

 

[pinto79]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

Multiple speakers in a single cab equals the power handling of the lowest wattage speaker times the number of speakers. In this scenario, 4 Greenbacks at 25 watts each = 100 watt cab.

Running at 120 watts is not recommended. If you want the Greenback tone but need more overall wattage, you may have to look at a cone like the WGS ones (Can't remember the name) or the Eminence clones (again, can't remember the name).

FWIW, I have run my 1959RR Marshall at full into a single 4x12 loaded with Greenbacks and haven't cooked any yet... YMMV!

 

[hermetico]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

For the record, putting 4 25W speakers in a cab doesn't give you a 100W handling capacity, it's a 25W capacity, the load is just spread over 4 speakers.

Personally, I wouldn't go for speakers with that low handling capacity. You risk blowing them when you need to turn up. If you're after Clapton's tone, you definitely need a different amp - a 120W amp is so far from the JTM45 that Clapton used it's not even funny.

If I don't recall it wrong, the Beano tone was achieved with a 30W Marshall 1962 Blues Breaker 2x12" combo, loading 5881 power tubes. That was an special take of a JTM45 that used a tube rectifier (GZ34) and, the sound (appart of being Clapton) it's achieved with the right drive and the saggy compression of the rectifier.
I doubt you can go even close with a 120W amp at so low levels and a solid-state rectifier.

I bet you can go closer with a lower wattage amp (between 15 - 30 W) with a simple circuit design that includes a rectifier tube (bassman-like, princeton-like, some Dr.Z, etc).

Or try to run a Tube Screamer pedal type into a Wampler Plexi Drive, in front of your amp, clean channel.

 

[NewWave]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

I know about vintage amp = low wattage thing. But this amp is actually pretty versatile with the dynamics and the watt control in it. I think it can nail the sound of a near bursting speakers of bluesbreaker amp clapton use. My question is with an attenuator in this case the watt knob of my amp at 1/3 will i blow out 4 greenbacks? And I'm also interested in G12H 30th anniversary speaker because I was told that it handle jazzy clean very well.. Anyone has/had experience with both g12m greenback and g12h 30th anniversary speakers?

for the record, clapton used marshall first combo which is the bluesbreakers in studio when he is with john mayall&the bluesbreakers

 

[Grenade]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

for the record, clapton used marshall first combo which is the bluesbreakers in studio when he is with john mayall&the bluesbreakers[/QUOTE]

And John stated it was so damn loud they put it in a closet and miked it.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

youll be ok with 4 greenbacks as long as you don't crank the amp too much. a quad can handle 100watts ok.
But even tho your amp is versatile, i think you can find much easier ways to get that "bluesbreakers" tone. You'll know what i mean when you actually plug into that kind of amp.

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

JUST some things to consider.....
Do you have a cab for your amp now.?
Have you ever made a 4x12.?
Will probably be easier/better/cheaper to buy a cab on the used market, or even a new one from Lopo or Avatar.
If you are not addicted to that 120 Watt head, this might be a good opportunity to sell the head, take that money, your cab money, and buy a "smaller" amp.
Not saying you should do that. But you can play a lot of gigs with 20-50 watts.
Good Luck

 

[nedcronin]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

From what I gather the lionheart is not voiced liked the AOR 80's amps I remember. I think you'll do ok with the setup you describe, but unless you are a real woodworker, just buy A used or new cab. They are hard to make, and the materials are expensive. You can get a good, used cab for less than it will cost to make a cab that may have rattles and poor sound qualities that won't be easy fixes. I've run a 50w Marshall through a single 25w greenback at 5 on the master, and I don't suggest anyone do it, but I never had a problem myself. Celestions are tough speakers. The GB's will give you the woody Clapton blues breaker tone but the G12H30 has a deeper bass and brighter highs, not as much mids. I think the GB's will work well for you unless you dime that amp.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

........My question is with an attenuator in this case the watt knob of my amp at 1/3 will i blow out 4 greenbacks?.......

No. Just don't dime it w/o an attenuator.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Will I blow my speaker out?

I've abused many a Celestion over the last 45 years and I doubt your speakers will be harmed at all. Guys have been plugging 100 watt Marshalls into a 4 x12" Marshall cab with Greenbacks for decades.

As for whether you'll get Clapton's Bluesbreakers tone from that rig of yours, that depends on how accomplished you are as a guitarist and how closely you can mimic Clapton's style, and how much your guitar sounds like the 1960 Les Paul Clapton used and how much your rig sounds like the Marshall combo amp Clapton used.

If the young Clapton who recorded those tones you're after were around to plug his 1960 Les Paul into your amp and speakers, I'm sure he'd sound just like Eric Clapton. But your amp and the Celestion Greenbacks you're planning on using were not what Clapton used to record those tones you're after so I doubt even the young Clapton could make your rig sound exactly like the Marshall 2 x 12 combo amp he used back then.

I've heard Eddie Van Halen play Clapton's Crossroads solo, which he said before hand that he'd learned note for note. Didn't sound like Clapton though. Sounded like Eddie playing Clapton's licks with Eddie's tone.