Speaker replacement for Music Man RD 112

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I don't like the sound of the original speaker in this amp. Anybody have any suggestions speaker-wise? I'd like to use it for steel, and the speaker that's in it now has no guts at all. I've read reviews on this amp and the speaker seems to be the only complaint.

I'd like a clean sound with a strong low-end response. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

An EVM or SRO would fill the bill perfectly, if you wouldn't mind adding a couple of pounds!

Craig A Davidson · From: Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin USA

Try a 4ohm Blue Marvel. It's the same speaker that is in the Nashville 112.

Andy Zynda · From: Wisconsin

Back when I had my Rd112, it had a JBL D120f in it.
I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of that amp. It was loud and sweet.
-andy-

David Spangler · From: Kerrville, TX USA

I'm with Donny. When I had my Music Man, I installed an EV EVM-12L and it was a killer sound.

I also like the Eminence Delta Pro 12 and the Delta 12a.

Another option is the JBL D/K/E-120. My friend has a Music Man with a K-120 and the difference was amazing.

Adding either speaker is kind of like putting a V8 in a Volkswagen.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I appreciate the suggestions. In fact, I'm posting in the "Wanted to Buy" section for a suitable replacement speaker for this amp. Maybe one of you can steer me in the right direction.

Robert Parent · From: Gillette, WY

I have two Music Man 112 amps. One has an EVM and the other a JBL, both work well. I heard about a speaker company named Weber which is suppose to sell some speakers voiced similar to the older JBL's. It might be worth a check to see what they have.

Tim Bridges · From: Hoover, Alabama, USA

I would try the Weber Blue Dog. It will be a perfect fir. Alot like the JBL 120 series. Reasonably priced; or, a used JBL K 120, or D 120.

thurlon hopper · From: Elizabethtown Pa. USA

If you can get your hands on an Altec 4178H it will probably be the sweetest sound you will ever hear from a single 12 inch speaker. i have one in a box and have compared it to my EVM12L and JBL E130 as an extension spaeaker with my Fender Twin and the Altec has the best sounding highs of any of them. Plenty of lows also. They just beat anything i have ever used.

Greg Sullivan · From: Poughqaug New York

Jody Carver uses a Music Man 212 HD 150 and at the PSGA show this past November had an extension speaker with 2 417 8H speakers and you never heard such a great sound.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I ended up putting a Celestion "Seventy 80" in it, and it's just right. It's a big difference from the original speaker, which didn't want to work hard at all. I used it on a pedal steel gig last Saturday, and it was great - nice bass response and clear highs. It still doesn't have the depth or headroom of my Session 400 (how can it, really), but it sure weighs less. And that helps where I live - lots of slippery ice and snow storms. I'll risk my back on a big venue gig, but the smaller ones suit the Music Man 112 just fine.

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

Chris, that Celestion will work just fine and in addition is more versatile than the Altec Lansing speakers I use.And talk about heavy? Unreal I have a bad back due to lugging my Music Man amps around with Altecs or any other similar brand.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Jody,

That HD 2-12 must sound really good. Robbie Roberston from The Band used one of these on The Last Waltz concert. He also had a 2-10 and ran them both in stereo (through the mid-70's.)

I find the RD 50 pretty light, due to it's small size and transistor/tube hybrid design. I'd still love to have one like yours, though.

David Doggett · Posted 14 Dec 2005 9:54 pm

I have a Music Man 112RD I got for a ridiculous $200. It came with a Celestion V12-60 Silver Series, 8 ohm. These amps have a 4 ohm/8 ohm switch on the back, so you can use either. This rig has a lot of punch for such a small amp. But still, I prefer the tone of the all-tube silver face Fenders for pedal steel.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

David,

I recently test-drove a '76 Silverface Twin on a steel gig and was a little disappointed. It was all original except for the speakers, which were new Jensens. It didn't seem to have any mid-range, and not a lot of bottom end either. It just didn't cut it, you know? I was surprised, after hearing so many glowing comments on this amp's performance with a pedal steel.

Could this have been the fault of the speakers? If so, do you think a 15" would improve things, or are some of these amps just not up to scratch?

[This message was edited by Chris LeDrew on 14 December 2005 at 11:00 PM.]

Lefty · From: Grayson, Ga.

I have two HD-130 2-12s. I have EVM-12L's in one, and JBL's in the other. I had a pair of JBL D120Fs, and they sounded great in it. At the moment I have a pair oe JBL-E120s, good with more mid-range, more like the EVM's.
I liked the D-120Fs the best of the 3, and will probably put them back in. One heavy amp with the EVM's or JBL Es though.
Lefty

[This message was edited by Lefty on 15 December 2005 at 10:00 AM.]

David Doggett · Posted 15 Dec 2005 1:48 pm

Well, Chris, we should probably put this in a new discussion on SF Twins. But briefly, they have a huge midrange scoop built in. You have to turn the mid control way up, and the treble and bass way down just to get a flat EQ. Most steelers like that big scoop, but not everyone. With the usual 2x12s my Twin settings for pedal steel are something like Bass around 7, mid straight up (5.5), Treble and Bright around 2 or 3. If you are use to a big watt steel amp with a 15" speaker, you have to really crank the bass up on 12s to get the same low end. For a Twin with a 15" spekaer my settings are something like Bass around 2 or 3, mid around 8, Treble and Bright around 3.

Most Twins are 100 watts. Tube watts are more than solid state watts (that's a whole discussion) but these Twins don't quite have as much volume as a 200 watt NV400. The later ultralinear 135 watt Twins will match a NV400 in output (and sound way better at top volume), but wont match a 300 watt NV1000. So a 100 watt Twin with 12s will not have the low end thunder of a 200-300 watt solid state amp with a 15" speaker. A Super Twin, with 180 tube watts, will keep up with anything, especially through a couple of 15" speakers, and will sound like a million bucks doing it.

The volume you play at makes a big difference. Twins begin to sound their best near top volume, where solid state amps begin to crap out. At lower volumes the difference between solid state and tubes is more subtle; but even down low I prefer the extra overtone texture you get with an all tube amp.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Thanks for all that info, David....it does clarify things for me.

Cheers...

Joe Shelby · From: Walnut Creek, California, USA

I bought a new 115 HD 130 in 1976, after using nothing but Fenders (blonde Bandmaster,
Vibrolux Reverb, and a mod-ed SF Super Reverb). It came without a speaker (which the guy who ordered it for me wasn't aware of
at the time), so the guy called John Walker (is that right, Jody?) and he confirmed that the 130/15's came without, since their standard line speakers couldn't handle the power. The music store scrambled and took a D-130 out of an old Showman cab and I took it
on home with great expectations...
I was less than underwhelmed with the sound,
but used it as my only amp for nine (gigging) years. It was very reliable, very
loud; even on stage or outdoors did I ever have to turn it up past 2 1/2, but just never
had the warmth or lack of harshness I found
with the Fenders I'd used. I point to the solid-state preamp and, perhaps the use of EL
34's in the output stage.
That said, I worked for a year in a houseband
with a guitar player who had a very early HD65/410. It went up in smoke one night, and
Music Man offered to put in a whole new chassis at no cost. I guess they wanted to research the old one. I used that amp a couple of times and loved it. Five years ago,
some really evil people assaulted me and took
much of my music gear, including the 115 HD 130. It had a JBL K-130 in it, which would have been nice to be left behind, but thieves
don't have much sense anyway, so...
David D.--I would love to have an open discussion here on the SF Fenders. I firmly
believe that there's few others that can stand up to a properly set up one and in the
end it's in the ear of the beholder. I don't
know a lot, electro-technically speaking, but
my ears love these amps.

Joe.

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