Which speaker with a 1/4W tube amp?

[Rotus623]

I picked up a Blackheart Killer Ant a few days back and plugged it into my 4x12 celestion cab. This thing kicks man!! Although it defeats my purpose, plugging it into a half stack. It is a .25W all tube amplifier that has that natural overdrive at a bedroom volume. The cab that "goes" with it is a Blackheart BH110, and has an Eminence 1016B speaker in it. I can't find any info on this speaker. Does anyone have any ideas on which 12" speaker would give me the best open cab classic overdriven rock tone? I have a 1x12" open back cab I want to use. Keep in mind that the wattage must be reletivaly low, probably around 35W or less. Any ideas??

[45]

Originally Posted by Rotus623

I picked up a Blackheart Killer Ant a few days back and plugged it into my 4x12 celestion cab. This thing kicks man!! Although it defeats my purpose, plugging it into a half stack. It is a .25W all tube amplifier that has that natural overdrive at a bedroom volume. The cab that "goes" with it is a Blackheart BH110, and has an Eminence 1016B speaker in it. I can't find any info on this speaker. Does anyone have any ideas on which 12" speaker would give me the best open cab classic overdriven rock tone? I have a 1x12" open back cab I want to use. Keep in mind that the wattage must be reletivaly low, probably around 35W or less. Any ideas??

The wattage of the driver is just a misleading electrical rating. Nothing to do with the sound, the amplifier etc.
The moving mass could make a big difference. If this is too heavy maybe your amp will sound dull. It's a bit like the lag of the oldfashioned turbo-charged engines.....
I would try the Eminence GB128 which is also very efficient at 101+ dB/1W.
The tone you get also depends very much on the Zout of your amp. If this is too low you could have a darker sound. A 10" cone has a bit more trebles by default, usually.
In my experience the Eminence Legend 1058 (or 10516 if you want 16 ohms) is a better choice for most low power single ended amps.

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[45]

12" AlNiCo or ceramic drivers could also be good solutions.

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[Rotus623]

Thanks 45!!

[kevinkr]

Perhaps one of the Celestion Vintage 30 series here: Celestion at zZounds Note that they are rather expensive, (and possibly a non-starter for this reason) but I have had friends in the past that swore by the blue or the classic with very low powered amps (1W or less) for a quiet practice amp.

[Rotus623]

Thanks! Those celestions are rather expensive. I actually just ordered a 10516 Eminence Legend (that 45 suggested). They are only $50 and the description seems to match exactly what I am looking for. I'll let you guys know how it turns out when I get it installed. Thanks again.

[kevinkr]

Originally Posted by Rotus623

Thanks! Those celestions are rather expensive. I actually just ordered a 10516 Eminence Legend (that 45 suggested). They are only $50 and the description seems to match exactly what I am looking for. I'll let you guys know how it turns out when I get it installed. Thanks again.

Yeah, they are very expensive - I'd probably not choose one myself for such a project, but I have heard the classic and it sounded pretty nice with a 1/2W PP amplifier.

Hopefully the Eminence will fit the bill nicely.

[Rotus623]

Update: I installed the speaker (Eminence Legend 10516) in an open back cabinet. This speaker creates the EXACT sound that I was looking for. It has a great bluesy/classic rock sound. With the volume/gain turned all the way up it sounds like Jimi Hendrix purple haze, mid-way up it sounds like Lynard Skynard gimme three steps. Great advice 45, thanks a lot. For $50.00 this speaker is pure genius!!

[Wavebourn]

12" and 15" speakers from old Magnavox consoles sound gorgeous with such amps on guitar!

[45]

Originally Posted by Rotus623

Update: I installed the speaker (Eminence Legend 10516) in an open back cabinet. This speaker creates the EXACT sound that I was looking for. It has a great bluesy/classic rock sound. With the volume/gain turned all the way up it sounds like Jimi Hendrix purple haze, mid-way up it sounds like Lynard Skynard gimme three steps. Great advice 45, thanks a lot. For $50.00 this speaker is pure genius!!

I am pleased you found it.

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