best bass speaker

[dogmeat]

so, I searched "best bass speaker" and got zero results. really.

here goes... looking for a speaker for my friend's solid state Fender bass amp. its a MIJ 90s combo amp. about 50 watts (in solid state world)... 12" speaker, 8 ohms

 

[J-bass&Tele]

The best bass speaker is the speaker in a cab specifically tuned to that speaker.
Really.

 

[J-bass&Tele]

If we do a little math. I have a "modern" bass cab with an Eminence Beta 12A-2, the cab is tuned for that speaker. Sounds great, loud as an Ampeg 4x10 and is 11kg (~24lbs).
That speaker costs ~120-150€$£ depending on where you are.

It'll probably do the job in that amp but I'd be surprised if a used Fender Rumble 40 isn't gonna sound better, be louder and lighter. About the same price.

 

[ctmullins]

Any 12" speaker "will work", but @J-bass&Tele is absolutely right - bass drivers must be matched to a properly tuned cabinet to perform well. It's not like guitar world, where the cabinet is just there to keep the drivers from falling to the floor.

If it's just for low-volume work (like studio or practicing), then anything like the Eminence Beta or the Eminence BP122 will be fine, and make noises that sound like bass. But if your friend expects it to perform in any kind of group setting, we will need to know the internal dimensions of the cabinet, as well as the dimensions of any ports.

 

[Dontownatele]

What’s the volume of the cab?

Just give us the amp model or better the outside dims and thickness of the wood.

From the speaker cab volume you can pick a closest pick bass driver for your cab size. That is the best one for you.

Eminence data sheets give the suggested cab volume, I believe. Others have to be calculated from T/S but there are online calculators for that like https://www.micka.de/en/index.php#ideal

I have a great result with $20 8” drivers that have a cab tuned for them, and I got lucky on the tuning. My volume was based on a matching 2x8 guitar cab that fit nicely as a side table next to my living room couch (aka wife approved dims)

 

[corliss1]

Most any decent replacement speaker will likely cost more than the entire amp is worth for that type of unit, unfortunately.

 

[Killing Floor]

The mechanical load on a bass speaker is significantly different from a guitar speaker. You can't simply swap a bass driver like you can with an open back guitar amp.

 

[printer2]

Might want to check here.

https://www.talkbass.com/

 

[Dontownatele]

Most any decent replacement speaker will likely cost more than the entire amp is worth for that type of unit, unfortunately.

Lies! $20! Probably better than most ears can pick up in a fender combo

https://www.newark.com/multicomp-pro/55-2952/12-woofer-with-paper-conecloth/dp/80R7003

T/S data sheet and 38hz Fs!

https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2329546.pdf

I’m biased towards MCM. I have some of their 8”s and they’re great for what they are.

 

[uriah1]

Gauss or EV

 

[J-bass&Tele]

Lies! $20! Probably better than most ears can pick up in a fender combo

https://www.newark.com/multicomp-pro/55-2952/12-woofer-with-paper-conecloth/dp/80R7003

T/S data sheet and 38hz Fs!

https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2329546.pdf

I’m biased towards MCM. I have some of their 8”s and they’re great for what they are.

I would definitely hear that roll-off at 2,5kHz, but I agree, 20$ is about as much as I would throw at a SS bass combo from the 90's. Fender or otherwise. I have a couple of 12" speakers from comparable 20-50W bass combos in boxes (for a reason) and if I was on the west side of the Atlantic, I'd ship them to the OP.
Sure, the amp could probably sound decent into a good, tuned cab but it will still be a 50$ amp.

 

[PhredE]

Respectfully to OP, and sort of following on what most others have said or implied..
there's a big difference between 'best' and what might be 'good enough'.

Is there a chance we could know which specific model of amp is involved?
A pic of the current speaker (especially if the printed production number(s) were present) would be helpful to research a similar replacement.

 

[clydethecat]

Is the speaker that is presently in the amp blown?

 

[dogmeat]

thanks for the replies all.

so... its a Fender Sidekick Bass 30, and prolly '80's, not '90's vintage

current speaker not blown. sounds OK until above "couch" level. this amp is loud enough for small venues if the speaker didn't turn to rubbish. my friend (pro for 50 years) has a P bass with Duncan Quarter Pounders

it just occurred to me.... I didn't realize it's that old... maybe I am chasing the wrong thing. I know electricity, I know transistors in other applications, but not in guitar amps (sure I can figure it out). I've built half a dozen tube amps from scratch and done repairs on other amps for years. maybe I should check the caps, etc. what else?

fwiw, the speaker didn't look like a bass speaker. small magnet. it did say Fender on it

 

[ctmullins]

Open-back cabs are not suitable for proper bass work.



…. But if your friend insists, then an Eminence BP122 would probably be “ok”.

 

[edvard]

I'll go out on a limb here and simply say "Peavey Black Widow". I have personally known only 5 people who played bass; one of them was a roommate who bought a Peavey BW because it sounded better than any other cab at the music store, and one bought a set of BWs off eBay because I told him about the first guy when he complained his bass cabs just didn't get him where he wanted to go. They both demonstrated night-and-day improvements in their bass tone over what they used previously. The other 3 agreed with my opinion when asked, and said they liked them, but didn't have any stories to tell.

I'm sure your mileage may vary, but that's my personal experience.

 

[mexicanyella]

My guess would be that the amp craps out above “couch level” because of the open back cabinet, regardless of what kind of shape that speaker or any other is in. I’ve heard open back guitar combos sound nice for rootsy bass at quiet levels, like living room conversational levels, in home recordings. But not louder.

That amp disconnected from its internal speaker and driving a quality bass cab would likely sound good, but by the time you acquired a quality bass cab you could have just acquired a bass amp. Likely one smaller, lighter and about 400% louder. You’d have to have some reason to really want to play bass through that at a gig to pursue it.

Don’t take that as bass amp snobbery or condescension; take it as my own grudging acceptance that some of my bass gear recycling has been a disappointing reinforcement that to do bass well at band levels, you have to accept certain things about physics, which are not often free, or even cheap.

For me “cheap and loud” involves gear that is about 4-1/2 feet tall and totals about 200 lb. Reduce any number in any direction the the price rises in pretty much direct proportion.

 

[Dontownatele]

Get this https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BAM200--tc-electronic-bam200-200-watt-compact-bass-head

And can find a very good 1x15 (or 4x10) used for like $200.

About the price of a “very good bass speaker”.

30w is farting out. Not the speaker. 30w is barely louder than tv for bass.

 

[zephyrR1]

I had Trinity Amps build me B15 cabinet I ordered with a Jensen 15” he built the same as Ampeg B15 took about 8 months to receive it came out great you tune it by removing or replacing insulation. At one point he offered me my money back

I would recommend Fender Rumble 100 can’t remember what watts the 10” speaker it’s all about the speaker Note original cabinet and speaker shown.

 

[PhredE]

thanks for the replies all.

so... its a Fender Sidekick Bass 30, and prolly '80's, not '90's vintage

current speaker not blown. sounds OK until above "couch" level. this amp is loud enough for small venues if the speaker didn't turn to rubbish. my friend (pro for 50 years) has a P bass with Duncan Quarter Pounders

it just occurred to me.... I didn't realize it's that old... maybe I am chasing the wrong thing. I know electricity, I know transistors in other applications, but not in guitar amps (sure I can figure it out). I've built half a dozen tube amps from scratch and done repairs on other amps for years. maybe I should check the caps, etc. what else?

fwiw, the speaker didn't look like a bass speaker. small magnet. it did say Fender on it


View attachment 1303265

Closing up the back and swapping in a proper bass driver would go a long way to make that usable.
At the same time, all the extra time and $ might not be worth the effort too.

Just from a quick look, even if that driver was the one that came stock with the amp it doesn't appear to be up to a typical standard for bass. It looks like a guitar speaker commandeered for bass duty. Unfortunately, with many Fender / Emi OEM drivers there are rarely published specs for them. So, you're basically on your own when trying to guess a comparable replacement driver.

Edit: Similar to what Dontownatele did in his project, let me throw out an unconventional option (a non-bass speaker, but a general purpose "pro audio" type woofer):

PRV Audio 12W750A Alto Series 12" Woofer 8 Ohm

PRV Audio 12W750A Alto Series 12" Woofer 8 OhmPRV Audio 12W750A Alto Series 12" Woofer 8 OhmAudio professionals and musicians alike understand that tone can make or break a performance, whether on stage or in the studio. That’s why PRV Audio’s Alto Series 12″ 12W750A was carefully voiced to...

www.parts-express.com

It's a 12" woofer with a freq range pretty closely matched to what typical bass drivers offer (60-5500hz). It's 97db with a power rating of 375WRMS. You could use it without closing up the back (the speaker could more than handle the punishment the amp might serve up). It will add 4 or 5 lbs to the unit too, so just be aware of that. $75.