# Need a new speaker in my practice amp.



## TeenageAngst (Oct 1, 2012)

I blew out the speaker in my 15w Fender practice bass amp. It's just a little cheap thing that came in my bass starter kit but I really liked it for my apartment because it's small and easy to control the sound. My 100w Ampeg is a bit... much for an apartment building lol, plus I don't want to lug it around too much since it's got those fragile tubes :X. Anyway, I was thinking of replacing the speaker but I'm clueless as to what manufacturers are any good. I don't want to drop a wad on a speaker and end up having to replace it 6 months down the road again because it can't handle a 15w amp. Any suggestions? I don't have it in front of me but for reference I think it's either an 8" or a 10" speaker.


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## Oly (Oct 1, 2012)

If it's just a practice amp I don't think you need to look for anything particularly special, in fact it'd probably be a waste to get anythign _too _high-end. Also I _highly doubt_under-powering a speaker will damage it(as long as the ohmage is proper) but it's been a bit since I really studied up on that. As i recall though, the wattage is the maximum you _can_ pump through it, not a set amount you HAVE to.

Honestly you'd be better served asking at like, ultimate-guitar.com's forums, as the bass forum there is much more active than this forum is and the people there definitely know their shit. They can give you a much surer answer than I can. also you might want to have a look around on like, zzounds.com or musicansfriend.com, IIRC they both carry speakers and should both have reviews, for what that's worth.

Also; unless the Ampeg is designed _really_ badly, the tubes aren't THAT fragile... my Epi Valve Jr. has been knocked around, fallen over, dropped 3 feet from the back of a van, and not faltered a bit. Not saying you should just use that of course, just that tubes aren't THAT fragile.


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## TeenageAngst (Oct 1, 2012)

My dad has a Marshall tube amp and he treats that thing with kid gloves because of the fear of breaking something inside. I know under-powering isn't an issue but it makes me wonder what kind of speaker came with the practice amp if it would blow like this. The thing isn't even that old, a few years at most. I'll give ultimate-guitar a look though, thanks.


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## Kellan Meig'h (Oct 23, 2012)

I have a Fender Rumble 15 and I've tortured that thing w/o blowing the speaker. Anyway, you'll want a speaker that's for a bass amp, so the frequency response is correct. A guitar speaker won't sound right and it won't last long, either. Maybe call Fender? Can't hurt.

As far as tube amps go, I worked on F-4D Phantom aircraft. They had a shit-load of tubes in them with delicate little keepers to hold them into their sockets. You can imagine how those tubes were tortured in flight. No need to treat a tube amp with kid gloves.

Just my 0.02 USD worth.


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