Amp load mismatching question for fender blackface

[danjcarroll]

Hey Everyone

I have a 66 Bandmaster blackface head that I am converting into a combo.

Its using a bassman OT that runs at 4 ohms.

I know that its possible to run an 8 ohm speaker with this without damaging the amp, however I was curious as to what effect this has on the sound of the amp, ie tone, percieved output, ability for output section to overdrive etc??

Also what would everyone recommend out of a 2x10 or 1x12 formatt??
I am trying to keep weight to a minimum and am open to any recommendations regarding speakers.

I was going to grab two alnico weber 10A125's or two 10A150's for the two ten thing (or two rajin cajun's)

Or go for a Alnico Gold single 12 or Celestion G1265 heritage.

What are everyones thoughts on the best coarse of action?
Im going for a warm tone with medium break-up, solid and tightish bottom end, strong smooth midrange and very slightly subdued tops. Also lower efficiency is a plus as I'm trying to keep the levels down for the soundman.


Cheers for everyones advise
Dan

 

[TweeDLX]

The Ragin' Cajuns sound great, but...they are bright, and very loud. You might consider the Emi Delta Demon (less efficient, darker sound)or Copperhead for a 2 x 10" configuration. I've had bad luck with Webers and cone cry, but YMMV.
http://www.eminence.com/guitar.asp?speaker_size=10
Check out the Tone Guide for a more in depth verbal description of the speakers.

Mike

 

[mark norwine]

I adore the cajuns......a pair of those in a 2x10 b'master, especially one that's got a b/f bassman OT in it, would be a spectacular amp.

I like the copperheads, too....but they just don't have the "girth" of the cajuns....

Another thought: With my personal 2x10 amp I wanted more complexity. I put in a Copperhead + a Lil' Buddy. The copperhead is bright & articulate while the Lil' Buddy [hemp cone] is dark & "chewy".

EDIT: I didn't really answer your question. Personally, I'm not a fan of mis-matching the Z. The amp wants 4 ohms for maximum power transfer & tube life, so why not give it what it wants? If I had to mismatch, I'd go "down" (4 ohm amp, 2 ohm speaker) before I'd go "up" (4 ohm amp, 8 ohm speaker).

I'd rather have a 2x10 box than a 1x12 box anyway, but that's just me. If you do decide to go 1x12, I'm not sure the G1265 is the way to go. To my ears, I don't think they sound so good in open-back boxes.

 

[ganttmann]

I think you'd find you'd have less clean headroom running an 8 ohm speaker on a 4 ohm output tap. Could be a good thing. Who knows. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure you can get Weber speakers w/ 4 ohm voice coils. I have a Weber ceramic magnet California 12 in my Deluxe Reverb and I've been liking it pretty well.

Gantt

Hey Everyone

I have a 66 Bandmaster blackface head that I am converting into a combo.

Its using a bassman OT that runs at 4 ohms.

I know that its possible to run an 8 ohm speaker with this without damaging the amp, however I was curious as to what effect this has on the sound of the amp, ie tone, percieved output, ability for output section to overdrive etc??

Also what would everyone recommend out of a 2x10 or 1x12 formatt??
I am trying to keep weight to a minimum and am open to any recommendations regarding speakers.

I was going to grab two alnico weber 10A125's or two 10A150's for the two ten thing (or two rajin cajun's)

Or go for a Alnico Gold single 12 or Celestion G1265 heritage.

What are everyones thoughts on the best coarse of action?
Im going for a warm tone with medium break-up, solid and tightish bottom end, strong smooth midrange and very slightly subdued tops. Also lower efficiency is a plus as I'm trying to keep the levels down for the soundman.


Cheers for everyones advise
Dan

 

[danjcarroll]

Thanks guys.

That is great.