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Author Topic:  15 inch speakers for pedal steel
Charley Paul


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2019 9:27 am    
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I just bought a D10. Moving on up from an S10.

Due to the extended low end of the C6 neck, I’m contemplating trying out a 15 inch speaker with my Quilter MP.

Any recommendations for something big and warm sounding? I tend to gravitate towards a Fender amp sound. I used to have a Telonics TSNEO12, but found the sound somewhat sterile and clinical......will I feel this way about all of the Neo offereings these days?

Input appreciated!
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George Kimery

 

From:
Limestone, TN, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2019 10:16 am     15 inch speakers for pedal steel
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I have been through Telonics, Black Widows,and Eminence. I have now settled on the JBL D-130's in my Stereo Steel rig. I like the smooth, silky sound that was lacking in the other speakers. Just my opinion, FWIW.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2019 10:32 am    
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George,
In my opinion, you've got the Cadillac in steel guitar speakers with the D-130. Very Happy
Erv
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Dale Rottacker


From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2019 3:57 pm    
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Charlie you might want to consider the 15” Eminence Travis Toy, Double TT’s... Very nice speaker with beautiful even tone... aaaaaaand if you go to the Eminence website till the 28th of this month, and type in Travis Toy, they’ll give you a 15% discount.
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George Kimery

 

From:
Limestone, TN, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2019 4:15 pm     15 inch speakers for pedal steel
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I have the Travis Toy TT-12 speaker and I had the Paul Franklin PF-350. I like both of them but I couldn't handle the weight of the PF-350. I really couldn't tell much difference in the sound between the two, certainly not enough to justify the extra weight. Based on my TT -12, I would not hesitate to get the TT-15. It would be my 2nd choice behind my JBL. You can't go wrong with it in my opinion. I have not tried it, but I have read that it sounds a lot like the TT-12.

Also, FWIW, I think it is a myth that you need a 15" speaker for C6th. Listen to Paul Franklin's demo on his 12" speaker. My TT-12 works for my C6th just fine and may even be better for E9th.
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GaryL

 

From:
Medina, OH USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2019 8:36 pm     15" speaker
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I recently installed a 15" Travis Toy Eminence in a Peavey cab. Liked it so much, I bought another one for the other cab! (Powered by a Quilter Steelaire rack-mount head.)
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John Goux

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2019 9:42 pm    
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When I did a speaker shootout I liked the 15” TT better than the 12” TT. They are both on the dark side, but the 15 has a bit more highs.
John
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Bob Hoffnar


From:
Austin, Tx
Post  Posted 21 Mar 2019 5:19 am    
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The 15” speaker will not necessarily give you more lows than a 12. I prefer using 2 x 12’s or just one 12”. More focused in the lows and the midrange is more full. Look at what speakers bass players use. 15” speakers are pretty rare.

15” speakers have a sound though. 15” jbl d130’s sound great but have a dip in the mids that doesn’t suit everyone. I prefer the 12” d120.

I use a 12” milkman speaker in a half and half. I can hang around in the deep low end with no worries.

One thing to consider is if you are playing the low strings on the C neck is that low frequencies take more power to project. Some amps/speakers tend to sorta fart out with those demands.

Btw: I also didn’t like the telonics speakers. The milkman neo is great. I also would look at celestion neo speakers.
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Mike Brown

 

From:
Meridian, Mississippi USA
Post  Posted 21 Mar 2019 8:00 am     Peavey Black Widow 15" Neo
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Available for order through your local Peavey dealer under part #00027010.
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Godfrey Arthur

 

From:
3rd Rock
Post  Posted 22 Mar 2019 9:44 am    
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Want to experiment?

Try a Radian, 15" coaxial:

5215B – 15″ Coaxial Speaker

A woofer with a built-in high frequency compression driver.

If this doesn't clean the cobwebs outta your steel horse's ears, I don't know what will.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 22 Mar 2019 10:08 am    
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Godfrey,
Do you have any experience with these speakers?
Erv
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Jay Dee Maness

 

From:
North Hills, CA
Post  Posted 22 Mar 2019 10:35 am     tt
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Try the TT from Emenence.
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Godfrey Arthur

 

From:
3rd Rock
Post  Posted 22 Mar 2019 11:56 am    
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Erv Niehaus wrote:
Godfrey,
Do you have any experience with these speakers?
Erv


Yes Erv but I have a pair of 12's used to make studio soffit monitors from an Electronic Musician (if memory serves) DIY article for portable soffits.

When I was in California, I had Radian loan me the frame of their now older 12's that are octagonal shape so I could have the baffle boards routed out to flush fit the Radians.


You'll need a crossover to use this properly.

For guitar you'd have to experiment with a crossover point and slope. If you tuned it properly it should give some real kick to get more of the woofer and less of the horn driver.

Radian makes good speakers for pro sound reinforcement monitors etc. They are built to handle musical instrument level use.

The sound is clean to say the least and the 15's are 127db SPL.

They didn't have these models back when I got the 12's.

The DIY article called for 12's anyway because the monitors were supposed to be "portable."

You'll get more lows out of a 15.

Reminiscent of the Urie Time Aligns:

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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 22 Mar 2019 12:46 pm    
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Godfrey,
Some years ago I was using a couple of Peavey speaker enclosures with 15" Black Widow speakers. I added a crossover and a tweeter to each of the cabinets. I think it helped with the sound.
Erv
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Godfrey Arthur

 

From:
3rd Rock
Post  Posted 22 Mar 2019 1:15 pm    
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Erv Niehaus wrote:
Godfrey,
Some years ago I was using a couple of Peavey speaker enclosures with 15" Black Widow speakers. I added a crossover and a tweeter to each of the cabinets. I think it helped with the sound.
Erv


Yes it would Erv. Acoustic guitar amps used to have horns in their cabs.




The thing about the coaxials is the horn is coming from the center of the woofer so the two frequencies arrive at the ear at somewhat the same time.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 22 Mar 2019 1:25 pm    
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I have a Peavey amp that has a horn and is supposed to be an acoustic amp.
I believe it's a Reno 400.
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Godfrey Arthur

 

From:
3rd Rock
Post  Posted 22 Mar 2019 9:19 pm    
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Erv the Reno reminds me of the KB300 keyboard amp with the horn and a fifteen. Less knobs only.




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Tony Prior


From:
Charlotte NC
Post  Posted 23 Mar 2019 1:59 am    
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I think it's an old wives tail that the 15" give a warmer tone.
which 15" vs which 12 " ? Some may some may not and vice versa.

I installed a 15 JBL in a Twin decades back, why ? Because Lloyd had one in an amp at the time. Seemed like a good idea !

I built a 15" cab for use on smaller gigs with the DV Mark 50 watt amp, the speaker is an Emmi 1518, it's pretty darn bright ! Its rated at 150 watts so it will perform fine. But to be clear, it really isn't any stronger on the bottom end than any of the 12's I typically use. One thing is obvious , unlike the PV BW's this 1518 EMMI speaker is NOT mid range strong or rather, mid range annoying Very Happy

I had the wood, I had the speaker, I have the tools, so why not ? Thats my reason for doing it.
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Last edited by Tony Prior on 23 Mar 2019 7:24 am; edited 3 times in total
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George Kimery

 

From:
Limestone, TN, USA
Post  Posted 23 Mar 2019 6:55 am     15 inch speakers for pedal steel
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I read an article many years ago in Guitar Player magazine written by some famous bass player. His opinion was that the best speakers for a bass were 4 tens. Some of the best bass amps I have ever heard has been 4 tens. The worst was a Peavey with an 18" speaker. There may be very valid reasons most steel players prefer 15" speakers, including "that's the way we have always done it", but using a 15" speaker for lows on C 6th is not a valid reason. I can't speak for the 14 string tunings with lower strings, but a 12" speaker will handle the low C on C 6th just fine. Like everything in steel, the golden rule is experiment and use what sounds best to you.
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Mike Brown

 

From:
Meridian, Mississippi USA
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2019 9:19 am     18" speaker
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George, I would guess that you are referring to the 118D speaker enclosure back in the '70's and '80's. That was offered as a bass guitar cab, but its all in the ear of the beholder. I haven't tried it, but that may have been based on tests using a 6 string bass???? Who knows as that we decades ago.

I can guaranty you that the products that Peavey introduces for bass, six string guitar, acoustic guitar, sound reinforcement have been given the "stamp of approval" by using them in those applications.
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George Kimery

 

From:
Limestone, TN, USA
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2019 10:11 am     15" speakers for pedal steel
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Mike, you are quiet right, it was a long time ago. Let me continue in Peavey's defense with a more elaborate explanation. The amp in question was very large, must have stood 4 ft. high. Besides the 18" speaker, there were other speakers also. The bass guitar had active electronics, which may have been part of the problem. In the article I read, it stated that the 4 tens were the best for the average band playing the bread and butter dates and that you would get the best sound on smaller stages and in the normal club venues. It stated that an 18" speaker would not sound good on a small stage and that it would only start sounding good 40 ft. back. So the whole thing may have been a mis-match of wrong amp for the smaller venues and bad choice of guitar. Not Peavey's fault in the least.
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Mike Brown

 

From:
Meridian, Mississippi USA
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2019 11:00 am     18" speaker cab
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No problem George. Four tens seem to be the "going thing" nowadays. I guess that's where the phrase "trending" was generated from.(?) Every speaker configuration has its pros and cons. We've tried different configurations through the years, some caught on, some didn't. It comes full circle though.
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Mike Brown

 

From:
Meridian, Mississippi USA
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2019 1:40 pm     Correction to my above post...................
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The actual retail price of the Neo 15BW speaker is $287.97 and can be ordered under part number 96010087.
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Tommy Boswell

 

From:
Virginia, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2019 5:21 pm    
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I tried a lot of speakers before getting my hands on a well broken in Black Widow 1501-4. Now it's my favorite. I liked it so much I bought another, then found a Neo magnet for it here on the forum. IMO Peavey got it right when they designed the Black Widow for pedal steel.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 27 Mar 2019 6:53 am    
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Supposedly it was fashioned after the JBL D-130 but able to handle more volume without blowing out. Very Happy
Erv
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