Be careful what you ask for! (Weber content)

blacklove · April 25th, 2008, 07:14 PM

I just replaced the stock Eminence speaker in my DRRI with a Weber 12A150 (50 watt), along with a beam blocker. I'm looking for a little cleaner and tighter definition and response at mid-volume levels. The stock speaker seemed to "lose the note" with increased volume. Ted recommended that I try a higher power alnico.

And, as promised, yeah, I got what I asked for. Just a little too much of it!

It's SO WEIRD to have my amp sound so different! Not a complaint, really, because I like the character of the new tone, but it's much more radical a change than I thought it was going to be.

The bass is rolled off significantly and there's mid and high frequency definition in spades. Downright barky and sparkly. I realize it's going to take a heap of playing to break it in a bit (good thing I'm in a band nowadays). I'm looking forward to having it mellow out just a tad, though.

I think the bass rolloff, although it sounds weird to me right now, is going to open up the overall sound when the band it playing and give other instruments a little more room.

Anybody else have similar experiences?

eugenedunn · April 25th, 2008, 07:37 PM

Yep,

I replaced the farty original speaker in my 79 Champ with a very robust Weber 8-inch 8F125. Ted suggested it when I requested a speaker that would maximize clean headroom with little and late breakup.

I felt the speaker was a bit dark when first installed, but boy, did it project!

It's been over a month now of pretty regular playing at high volume.... it sounds significantly brighter..... to my memory.... It has a great tone and power handling capability..... mates really well with my pedalboard effects.

I'm really happy with the speaker. It was a good choice because it is custom built for the vintage 3.2 ohm Champ requirement.

woodman · April 25th, 2008, 08:19 PM

once it's broken in, i'm betting this story has a happy ending.

tazzboy · April 25th, 2008, 09:52 PM

Yeah that is good speakers to have. It's very lively I know cause I had it in my 12" Pro Reverb and sound very amazing. (Mine had the light dope which is in the 57 Low Power Tweed Twin.)

I agree with Woodman give it time to break in and it start sounding much more amazing.

Scott S · April 25th, 2008, 10:03 PM

Perhaps I need to give my Alnico Blue Pup a little more time to break in, then. I bought it for its power-handling capability, but it sounds dark and muffled compared to the speaker I was using before (an ancient 8" alnico speaker with a tiny voice coil that had probably been a light-duty ceiling speaker in a previous life). The BP doesn't sound *bad* per se, but it doesn't have the brightness and chime I was expecting from the descriptions...

- Scott

eugenedunn · April 26th, 2008, 07:43 AM

Besides the break-in period, the new stiffer speakers require a rethink on how you set your EQ..... sometimes radically different that what you're used to with the original speakers. Because I could run at a much higher volume and still stay clean, I found I could run my bass EQ MUCH HIGHER, but had to turn down my treble eventually.

In my 79 Champ, it seemed I had to run the Bass at 5-6 and the treble around 9 originally. After break-in of the Weber 8F125, it seems the sweet spot is Bass at 10, Treble at 8.

The speaker has brightened up, so I feel tweaking down the Treble helps the tone stay fat.

When I use the Champ in rehearsal instead of my Princeton, I just max everything and control it from the guitar knobs.... it can cut through the mix pretty well with the extra Treble.

woodman · April 26th, 2008, 08:57 AM

FWIW, it took ALL my Webers a good 20+ hours of *real* playing to come into their own, at which point i was totally delighted. it's worth the wait!

eugenedunn · April 26th, 2008, 10:12 AM

Yeah Woodman! I feel like my beefy little 8-inch Weber 8F125 is just going to get more and more full sounding as the days wear on.

I love that I can just pick-up the little combo and know that I have enough volume and tone on tap to hang with almost any playing situation outside of an actual gig.

In fact, I betcha that in a small gig, the little Weber could get by.

gpower · April 26th, 2008, 06:37 PM

My Traynor with a ceramic Blue Dog sounded much better from the get go and, got even better again and smoother sounding as I put time on it. I'd say it stabilized after 20 - 30 hours of playing.

woodman · April 26th, 2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eugenedunn

Yeah Woodman! I feel like my beefy little 8-inch Weber 8F125 is just going to get more and more full sounding as the days wear on.

I love that I can just pick-up the little combo and know that I have enough volume and tone on tap to hang with almost any playing situation outside of an actual gig.

In fact, I betcha that in a small gig, the little Weber could get by.

sure, a lot of people gig with souped-up Champs. it really depends on whether your drummer behaves!

eugenedunn · April 26th, 2008, 09:54 PM

Tomorrow afternoon, I'm having an outdoor rehearsal with the boys.... full drum kit and all..... My Princeton Reverb is still at the shop getting a recap and tweaked.... so once again, the mighty Champ is gonna hafta sub-in. I am going to run it with an extension cabinet though.....

Luckily, our drummer is really a considerate guy. We generally play pretty quitely overall. Our bassist has a new 320-watt Eden Nemesis 2x12 combo, so I'm sure he'll want to crank it now and then.

Even though I'd rather have the extra power of the Princeton, I am going to consider this as another great opportunity to get some quality break-in time with the new Weber speaker in the Champ.

Tremo · April 26th, 2008, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blacklove

I just replaced the stock Eminence speaker in my DRRI with a Weber 12A150 (50 watt), along with a beam blocker. I'm looking for a little cleaner and tighter definition and response at mid-volume levels. The stock speaker seemed to "lose the note" with increased volume. Ted recommended that I try a higher power alnico.

And, as promised, yeah, I got what I asked for. Just a little too much of it!

It's SO WEIRD to have my amp sound so different! Not a complaint, really, because I like the character of the new tone, but it's much more radical a change than I thought it was going to be.

The bass is rolled off significantly and there's mid and high frequency definition in spades. Downright barky and sparkly. I realize it's going to take a heap of playing to break it in a bit (good thing I'm in a band nowadays). I'm looking forward to having it mellow out just a tad, though.

I think the bass rolloff, although it sounds weird to me right now, is going to open up the overall sound when the band it playing and give other instruments a little more room.

Anybody else have similar experiences?

Wait till the6y break in completely. I can tell you those 12A150s have plenty of low end. You should hear KBR's 2x12 with them. Huge.

blacklove · April 27th, 2008, 12:28 AM

Well, it's a big change. I wonder how much of the break-in period is the "player" break-in. The amp reacts differently, for sure. Wonder how much I'm altering my playing!

blacklove · April 30th, 2008, 01:59 AM

Update:

With a few band practices under its belt, the speaker is in fact getting smoother and expanding a little bit in the bass range. Ted Weber knows his stuff!

Telenator · April 30th, 2008, 05:33 AM

I have the exact same speaker in my '77 SFDR. It's a real sweetie! I love the clean headroom and tight low end. Humbuckers are no sweat now.

I did one small mod to my amp that made a world of difference with this speaker.

I clipped one leg of the "bright cap" on the volume pot to cut the brightness. Then I mounted a small switch on the back panel and ran two wires, (one to the cap leg, the other to the volume pot), so I can switch the bright cap "on" for my humbucker guitars, and "off" for my single coil guitars. Works like a charm with the Weber speaker!

blacklove · June 15th, 2008, 12:43 PM

Another Update

After about 30-40 hours of playing now, the Weber is sounding truly sweet. The low end took a while to develop but it's just at the right level now. And maybe it's my imagination, but my amp seemed to get a lot louder over the break-in period. I used to put the volume up around 4 or 5, now it's staying just over 3.

tazzboy · June 15th, 2008, 02:08 PM

Sounds like you are a happy customer.

April 25th, 2008, 07:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
blacklove Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Small Pond Posts: 391 6 Photos	Be careful what you ask for! (Weber content) I just replaced the stock Eminence speaker in my DRRI with a Weber 12A150 (50 watt), along with a beam blocker. I'm looking for a little cleaner and tighter definition and response at mid-volume levels. The stock speaker seemed to "lose the note" with increased volume. Ted recommended that I try a higher power alnico. And, as promised, yeah, I got what I asked for. Just a little too much of it! It's SO WEIRD to have my amp sound so different! Not a complaint, really, because I like the character of the new tone, but it's much more radical a change than I thought it was going to be. The bass is rolled off significantly and there's mid and high frequency definition in spades. Downright barky and sparkly. I realize it's going to take a heap of playing to break it in a bit (good thing I'm in a band nowadays). I'm looking forward to having it mellow out just a tad, though. I think the bass rolloff, although it sounds weird to me right now, is going to open up the overall sound when the band it playing and give other instruments a little more room. Anybody else have similar experiences?

April 25th, 2008, 07:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
eugenedunn Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 55 Posts: 641 33 Photos	Yep, I replaced the farty original speaker in my 79 Champ with a very robust Weber 8-inch 8F125. Ted suggested it when I requested a speaker that would maximize clean headroom with little and late breakup. I felt the speaker was a bit dark when first installed, but boy, did it project! It's been over a month now of pretty regular playing at high volume.... it sounds significantly brighter..... to my memory.... It has a great tone and power handling capability..... mates really well with my pedalboard effects. I'm really happy with the speaker. It was a good choice because it is custom built for the vintage 3.2 ohm Champ requirement. __________________ Ono Boy says "good n' swampy....."

April 25th, 2008, 08:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
woodman Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mint Hill, NC Age: 62 Posts: 5,572	once it's broken in, i'm betting this story has a happy ending. __________________ Truth is stranger than fact ... www.myspace.com/woodymitchellmusic BAND PAGES: www.myspace.com/stragglerswing (Stragglers - Western Swing) www.myspace.com/loafersgloryband (Loafers Glory - '70s country-rock)

April 25th, 2008, 09:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
tazzboy Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2005 Location: Eugene, Oregon Age: 31 Posts: 2,680	Yeah that is good speakers to have. It's very lively I know cause I had it in my 12" Pro Reverb and sound very amazing. (Mine had the light dope which is in the 57 Low Power Tweed Twin.) I agree with Woodman give it time to break in and it start sounding much more amazing. __________________ tazzboy Guitar: 1982 Gibson Les Paul Standard AMP: 59 Bassman Reissue. EFFECTS: 2 Boss TR-2 Tremolo, Boss CE-2 Chorus, and Boss DM-3 Echo Delay.

April 26th, 2008, 07:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
eugenedunn Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 55 Posts: 641 33 Photos	Besides the break-in period, the new stiffer speakers require a rethink on how you set your EQ..... sometimes radically different that what you're used to with the original speakers. Because I could run at a much higher volume and still stay clean, I found I could run my bass EQ MUCH HIGHER, but had to turn down my treble eventually. In my 79 Champ, it seemed I had to run the Bass at 5-6 and the treble around 9 originally. After break-in of the Weber 8F125, it seems the sweet spot is Bass at 10, Treble at 8. The speaker has brightened up, so I feel tweaking down the Treble helps the tone stay fat. When I use the Champ in rehearsal instead of my Princeton, I just max everything and control it from the guitar knobs.... it can cut through the mix pretty well with the extra Treble. __________________ Ono Boy says "good n' swampy....."

April 25th, 2008, 10:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
Scott S Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SW CR IA US NA PE Age: 27 Posts: 1,362	Perhaps I need to give my Alnico Blue Pup a little more time to break in, then. I bought it for its power-handling capability, but it sounds dark and muffled compared to the speaker I was using before (an ancient 8" alnico speaker with a tiny voice coil that had probably been a light-duty ceiling speaker in a previous life). The BP doesn't sound bad per se, but it doesn't have the brightness and chime I was expecting from the descriptions... - Scott

April 26th, 2008, 08:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
woodman Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mint Hill, NC Age: 62 Posts: 5,572	FWIW, it took ALL my Webers a good 20+ hours of real playing to come into their own, at which point i was totally delighted. it's worth the wait! __________________ Truth is stranger than fact ... www.myspace.com/woodymitchellmusic BAND PAGES: www.myspace.com/stragglerswing (Stragglers - Western Swing) www.myspace.com/loafersgloryband (Loafers Glory - '70s country-rock)

April 26th, 2008, 10:12 AM	#8 (permalink)
eugenedunn Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 55 Posts: 641 33 Photos	Yeah Woodman! I feel like my beefy little 8-inch Weber 8F125 is just going to get more and more full sounding as the days wear on. I love that I can just pick-up the little combo and know that I have enough volume and tone on tap to hang with almost any playing situation outside of an actual gig. In fact, I betcha that in a small gig, the little Weber could get by. __________________ Ono Boy says "good n' swampy....."

April 26th, 2008, 06:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
gpower TDPRI Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Halifax, NS Age: 53 Posts: 70	My Traynor with a ceramic Blue Dog sounded much better from the get go and, got even better again and smoother sounding as I put time on it. I'd say it stabilized after 20 - 30 hours of playing. __________________ Whether you think you can...or you can't...you're right!

April 26th, 2008, 09:54 PM	#11 (permalink)
eugenedunn Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 55 Posts: 641 33 Photos	Tomorrow afternoon, I'm having an outdoor rehearsal with the boys.... full drum kit and all..... My Princeton Reverb is still at the shop getting a recap and tweaked.... so once again, the mighty Champ is gonna hafta sub-in. I am going to run it with an extension cabinet though..... Luckily, our drummer is really a considerate guy. We generally play pretty quitely overall. Our bassist has a new 320-watt Eden Nemesis 2x12 combo, so I'm sure he'll want to crank it now and then. Even though I'd rather have the extra power of the Princeton, I am going to consider this as another great opportunity to get some quality break-in time with the new Weber speaker in the Champ. __________________ Ono Boy says "good n' swampy....."

April 27th, 2008, 12:28 AM	#13 (permalink)
blacklove Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Small Pond Posts: 391 6 Photos	Well, it's a big change. I wonder how much of the break-in period is the "player" break-in. The amp reacts differently, for sure. Wonder how much I'm altering my playing!

April 30th, 2008, 01:59 AM	#14 (permalink)
blacklove Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Small Pond Posts: 391 6 Photos	Update: With a few band practices under its belt, the speaker is in fact getting smoother and expanding a little bit in the bass range. Ted Weber knows his stuff!

April 30th, 2008, 05:33 AM	#15 (permalink)
Telenator Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Connecticut Posts: 4,367	I have the exact same speaker in my '77 SFDR. It's a real sweetie! I love the clean headroom and tight low end. Humbuckers are no sweat now. I did one small mod to my amp that made a world of difference with this speaker. I clipped one leg of the "bright cap" on the volume pot to cut the brightness. Then I mounted a small switch on the back panel and ran two wires, (one to the cap leg, the other to the volume pot), so I can switch the bright cap "on" for my humbucker guitars, and "off" for my single coil guitars. Works like a charm with the Weber speaker! __________________ Dogs have the right idea!

June 15th, 2008, 12:43 PM	#16 (permalink)
blacklove Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Small Pond Posts: 391 6 Photos	Another Update After about 30-40 hours of playing now, the Weber is sounding truly sweet. The low end took a while to develop but it's just at the right level now. And maybe it's my imagination, but my amp seemed to get a lot louder over the break-in period. I used to put the volume up around 4 or 5, now it's staying just over 3.

June 15th, 2008, 02:08 PM	#17 (permalink)
tazzboy Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2005 Location: Eugene, Oregon Age: 31 Posts: 2,680	Sounds like you are a happy customer. __________________ tazzboy Guitar: 1982 Gibson Les Paul Standard AMP: 59 Bassman Reissue. EFFECTS: 2 Boss TR-2 Tremolo, Boss CE-2 Chorus, and Boss DM-3 Echo Delay.