Replacing Weber Alnico 12A125

[1955]

What's the best Weber alternative to the Alnico 12A125?

I have a 5 watt single-ended amp (with tremolo and reverb) made custom for me a few years ago that needs to see 8 ohms. To me this speaker is too bright and doesn't have very much bass. It just never seemed to break in.

The amp is so much louder than my 6 watt Champ that I haven't gigged it much.

I know nothing about speakers, but if I go the less-efficient route to get more output tube saturation and lower volume I'm worried about the speaker breakup being a problem. I'm not sure I want earlier breakup. If I go with a smaller speaker, I don't know if it will sound boxy. I have a Weber 5E3 Tv-front cab. I really just want a pleasing sound at low volumes. Tried an attenuator, didn't sound good. I have a Tube-Screamer Turbo as a work-around, so maybe that's an option. Educate me please.

[BiggerJohn]

12F150. I know it's overkill, but it isn't as bright and does have more bass.

[Guitar_Ninja]

If you want to stick with Weber, any other 12A125 variation will be warmer with more bass. If you email them they're always willing to give you recommendations based on what you're after.

[Martin-Tele]

Stick a Celestion Alnico Blue in there and you'll be REAL HAPPY

[drf64]

Originally Posted by Martin-Tele

Stick a Celestion Alnico Blue in there and you'll be REAL HAPPY

True. But you'll also be poor.

[1955]

You guys take a look at my super-long 2 part post for more on this issue I'm having with this speaker and tell me what you think. Thanks for the help!

[e-merlin]

Sounds like you might be a prime candidiat for a Blue Dog.

Just don't order anything from Weber with a W cone. Most of my amps like my 12A150Ws but the 5150 combo I ordered them for became overly bright with 'em. I'm going to put them in a separate cab so I can use them with my other amps, though.

I wouldn't sell that Weber, just repurpose it...

[Dr. Bill]

Sounds like you have multiple issues here.

1. Not enough bass.
2. Too bright.
3. Maybe too efficient/sensitive.

I also gather that you got this amp primarily for low-volume playing, and it is not working out in that application.

A few comments:

A much more efficient speaker (e.g., Celly Blue, Weber 12F150) is probably not the way to go here.

The 12A125 works great with something like a 5E3 circuit which has gobs of bass to begin with, but it sounds like it just does not match up well with your custom single-ended amplifier circuit for your purposes. You might speak with the builder about revoicing the amp.

A Weber ceramic-speaker 12F125 with a warmer cone or different dustcap might address your concerns without being too efficient/sensitive.

You could call Weber and talk with them about reconing your current speaker in order to get more of the tonal profile you are looking for.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by 1955

What's the best Weber alternative to the Alnico 12A125?

I have a 5 watt single-ended amp (with tremolo and reverb) made custom for me a few years ago that needs to see 8 ohms. To me this speaker is too bright and doesn't have very much bass. It just never seemed to break in.

The amp is so much louder than my 6 watt Champ that I haven't gigged it much.

I know nothing about speakers, but if I go the less-efficient route to get more output tube saturation and lower volume I'm worried about the speaker breakup being a problem. I'm not sure I want earlier breakup. If I go with a smaller speaker, I don't know if it will sound boxy. I have a Weber 5E3 Tv-front cab. I really just want a pleasing sound at low volumes. Tried an attenuator, didn't sound good. I have a Tube-Screamer Turbo as a work-around, so maybe that's an option. Educate me please.

[1955]

Thanks for the good advice you guys!