Speaker Selection for a Frontman 15R/25R Conversion

[RayStankewitz]

Over on the Squier Talk forum, one of the users converted a Frontman 15R into a head and used a 1-12" cab to go with it. I've been contemplating doing the same with a 15R or 25R (more common) but if I have to make a cab, make it a multi-speaker cab. Something like a 4-6", 4-8" or a 2-8" cab. When I was a kid, my father made a set of PA columns for the church using five or six 6X9 car speakers in each one. Hooked to a Bogen Challenger 100w amp, they sounded great, about as good as a Shure Vocal Master of the day.

I don't have much personal experience with speakers other than putting new ones in where old ones lived so anyone with thoughts, would you share them? I know the speakers have to be low wattage rated or the amp won't have enough ugga-duggas to move the voice coils.

TIA,
Ray

[jhull54]

Just my personal opinion, but I would go with a 1x12". It will sound great with that amp, and probably tame some of the highs, and you won't have to worry about the speaker wattage. Just match the ohms and go to town. I put a couple of 75 watt speakers in my 5 watt amps, and they sound great.

[glasshand]

I know the speakers have to be low wattage rated or the amp won't have enough ugga-duggas to move the voice coils.

As jhull54 alludes to, that's a misunderstanding. Wattage ratings are purely about how much power the speaker can handle before it is physically damaged. If they have the same sensitivity, a 100W speaker is going to be just as loud as a 25W speaker when they're driven by a 5W amp.

[mozz]

But generally speaking, a higher watt speaker will have a slightly lower spl rating, due to heavier components. That being said, speaker SPL are all over the map. Almost any speaker you buy should handle 15-25 watts. Usually a higher wattage speaker will have a higher x-max which is how far it travels, so in theory it should have less distortion, which may or may not be what you are looking for.

In my tweed deluxe I purposely used a lower spl speaker so I can crank the amp and get singing tube distortion without being real loud, works to a point.

For cheap speakers look to Parts Express.

[RayStankewitz]

So it seems like the consensus is a 25w or 30w rated 1-12 would be the ticket? I currently have a line on a 25R for dirt cheap that looks like it's been in a closet since new. I intend to cut down the cabinet to just tall enough for the Fender logo to look right and make a cab that's a complimentary size to go with it. Tolex, grill cloth, corners, handles and feet all in a Fender sort of vibe. I might even use a Fender logo on the front just to mess with people. And, I might get lucky enough at Music-Go-Round to find a cab of the right size to use with minimal mods. They had a few the last time I was there.

[glasshand]

Because the Frontman 25R is listed as being a 25W amp, I would go with a 30W speaker, just to give yourself a bit of a safety margin.

[honyock]

I know when I ran my el cheapo Peavey Blazer into a takeout Celestion Seventy80, it made the amp a completely different animal.

I also used to run a Mustang I through a 1x12 and it was amazing how much better it sounded. In a practice setting, it made my tube amps completely superfluous.

For the cost of multiple cheap 8" speakers, I think one could get a decent 12" like a takeout Fender Eminence or Seventy80 Celestion for like $25

Since a guitar signal frequency is not a power hungry as bass, I think it isn't as important to have a low power speaker with a low power amp.

I run a 75w 12" speaker with 1/2w mode with no issues...

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[archetype]

Consider the Jensen MOD series speakers. They're relatively low cost. Pay attention to the description of the tone for each one. A given size will be available with different power ratings, but they're not just scaled versions of the same speaker. They have different tonal qualities.

[OMB]

I have owned a few 4x12's and 2x12's. My preference these days is two separate 1x12 cabs utilizing a different flavor for each. Maybe a Fender/Jensen in one and a Vox/Celestion in the other. I do not run them simultaneously but each on it's own. Helps eliminate same sound tedium.

[notme]

I built a new cabinet for a 12", used a 25w WGS green beret with a fm 15r. Night and day difference in sound. Only problem is the volume control is ridiculously touchy, very hard to regulate. It needs a different pot or a resistor to make it more useable.