Guitar amp speakers, Who has got an opinion on the best?

I would like to know which guitar amp speakers are capable of the best, most powerful sound out on the market today? Both 10", and 12" :cool:

I think that is a little hard to say. Different speakers sound different to different people. I have a 4x12 cab loaded with 500 watt Pyle Drivers. I think it sounds awesome playing metal. But a friend of mine prefers Celestions for the same type music. Although I think both sounds good, he hates the way mine sound. I think you need to get out there and play through some different amps/cabs. and see what you think.

Its the same with home stereo speakers. If you have only heard the little Bose satellites you will think they sound awesome. Until you go out and listen to say....some Definitive Technologies BP3000's. Then you will see the difference.

just my .02 worth......

My Peavey stack comes stock with Sheffields, but my Fender half stacks 4 x 10 speakers dont say on the back what brand they are. I can tell there original, but its a vintage amp, and there old, so I am thinking about replacing them with some real hot rods that can handle high volume distortion, and thicker bass when needed. Im not up to speed on which replacement speakers are the hottest on the market now days for delivering real high quality sound at high volume levels, but thats what im looking for, some real durable earth shakers in a 10 inch, with an amp thats 175 watts :D

I'd go with Eminence for a replacement speaker (and have). I like them because they have such a wide variety of speakers, and are very reliable, and their customer service is top notch. Celestions are good, but are way way over priced and overrated. There's no such thing as a "be all, end all" speaker. Everybody's tone tastes are different, and people hear things different than each other. So, what works for one person, won't work for everyone.

I remember back in the day when I was in highschool Pioneer made a car stereo speaker that had the best sound, I mean it blew them all away in a
6 x 9 configuration. It was called the " Pioneer 6907 "
Thats what I was wondering, if there was a guitar amp speaker out there that was above, and beyond the rest.

Originally Posted by: PRSplayaI'd go with Eminence for a replacement speaker (and have).

+1

They have a speaker for about any kind of sound that you could ever want. Go check out their website. They make speakers in almost any size for amps... I have a Commonwealth 12 in my Blues Deluxe and it makes it sound amazing even compared to the original

Originally Posted by: axemaster911I remember back in the day when I was in highschool Pioneer made a car stereo speaker that had the best sound, I mean it blew them all away in a
6 x 9 configuration. It was called the " Pioneer 6907 "
Thats what I was wondering, if there was a guitar amp speaker out there that was above, and beyond the rest.

Guitar speakers are totally different than regular audio speakers. Regular audio speakers are designed to "accurately" reproduce the frequencies inputed into them... guitar speakers are designed to enhance and color the sound that goes through them. Different speakers do this differently, and not all speakers work well with all amps. Different speakers will react differently to different amps. Different people have different tone preferences. So, there's no such thing as the best guitar speaker. My best speaker might sound like total crap through your rig and to your ears.

Originally Posted by: aschleman+1

They have a speaker for about any kind of sound that you could ever want. Go check out their website. They make speakers in almost any size for amps... I have a Commonwealth 12 in my Blues Deluxe and it makes it sound amazing even compared to the original

Thats what im looking for, the best sounding 10", and 12" speakers on the planet. I intend to keep stirring things up untill I find them.. :D

Originally Posted by: PRSplayaGuitar speakers are totally different than regular audio speakers. Regular audio speakers are designed to "accurately" reproduce the frequencies inputed into them... guitar speakers are designed to enhance and color the sound that goes through them. Different speakers do this differently, and not all speakers work well with all amps. Different speakers will react differently to different amps. Different people have different tone preferences. So, there's no such thing as the best guitar speaker. My best speaker might sound like total crap through your rig and to your ears.

Your making it sound like there's no hope. :confused:

Originally Posted by: axemaster911Your making it sound like there's no hope. :confused:

What PRS is trying to say is that guitar speakers aren't like regular stereo speakers in the way that with stereo speakers you have single output that can be used to judge allllll the speakers... Where as amp speakers are made in so many different varieties to appeal to all different types of people seeking different tones... Eminence does this about as best as anyone becasue they make two major varieties of speakers... They make British style speakers which tend to be a little warmer get great clean tone... don't respond quite as well to high gain situations but are great for classic rock, blues, hard rock... etc... They're basically an updated advnace on vintage Marshall speakers like the Green Labels that are so highly touted.... They're called the Red Coat variety and sport a Union Jack flag logo.... The Commonwealth genre of Eminence speakers are designed after America style music... They appeal to high gain good low end and great high end bite... They respond very well at high gains and often feature a large magnet to give them a wide range of output... They're geared for modern music... Metal, Hard Rock, and whatever else you can think of..... They don't nail the vintage tone like the Red Coats but they get awesome tone nonetheless....

I went for a Commonwealth 12 because I liked the added punch it gave my Blues Deluxe... so it gave me a strong speaker in an amp that gets awesome vintage tone... so I kind of got the best of both worlds.....

The best thing for you to do is seek out information on speakers... But I think everyone here will agree that the tone quest starts with guitars and amps... then goes to effects pedals... And you're just getting started with that... Then you get into speakers, tubes, cables, cabinets, strings, wiring, circuitry, blah blah blah... The tone quest is a never ending one...

But like I said... seek out the manufacturers of speakers... The main ones are Eminence and Celestion.... Go to their websites and check out all their products... Not sure about Celestion but Eminence does a great job of describing their speakers... They might even have sound samples... Emerse your mind in all things speakers and you'll be able to make your own opinion based on what tone you're looking for.... which leads me to a question....


What tone are you looking for??
It's best to have an idea where you're going in a situation where you're trying to get somewhere... haha

Originally Posted by: aschlemanWhat PRS is trying to say is that guitar speakers aren't like regular stereo speakers in the way that with stereo speakers you have single output that can be used to judge allllll the speakers... Where as amp speakers are made in so many different varieties to appeal to all different types of people seeking different tones... Eminence does this about as best as anyone becasue they make two major varieties of speakers... They make British style speakers which tend to be a little warmer get great clean tone... don't respond quite as well to high gain situations but are great for classic rock, blues, hard rock... etc... They're basically an updated advnace on vintage Marshall speakers like the Green Labels that are so highly touted.... They're called the Red Coat variety and sport a Union Jack flag logo.... The Commonwealth genre of Eminence speakers are designed after America style music... They appeal to high gain good low end and great high end bite... They respond very well at high gains and often feature a large magnet to give them a wide range of output... They're geared for modern music... Metal, Hard Rock, and whatever else you can think of..... They don't nail the vintage tone like the Red Coats but they get awesome tone nonetheless....

I went for a Commonwealth 12 because I liked the added punch it gave my Blues Deluxe... so it gave me a strong speaker in an amp that gets awesome vintage tone... so I kind of got the best of both worlds.....

The best thing for you to do is seek out information on speakers... But I think everyone here will agree that the tone quest starts with guitars and amps... then goes to effects pedals... And you're just getting started with that... Then you get into speakers, tubes, cables, cabinets, strings, wiring, circuitry, blah blah blah... The tone quest is a never ending one...

But like I said... seek out the manufacturers of speakers... The main ones are Eminence and Celestion.... Go to their websites and check out all their products... Not sure about Celestion but Eminence does a great job of describing their speakers... They might even have sound samples... Emerse your mind in all things speakers and you'll be able to make your own opinion based on what tone you're looking for.... which leads me to a question....


What tone are you looking for??
It's best to have an idea where you're going in a situation where you're trying to get somewhere... haha

I know there's a difference from guitar amp speakers, and stereo speakers, but you made a dam good point on the type music, and tone requirements.
I have a vintage 60s model half stack with 4 x 10s. I dont want to blow the original speakers due to the amps value, and they are old, so I can just tell they cant handle the bassier distortion that I like.
I play metal, and hard rock, but I also love to switch between clean chord progressions, and high gain power chords somtimes with heavy pedal driven distortion.
Thats the tone requirements for my shop. :cool:

I'm a huge fan of the Eminence Wizards. I've used them in conjunction with several amps/speaker combinations, and they've worked great with everything I've played through them. It's voiced similar to the Celestion G12H-30, but is much more efficient and versatile. The Celestion Vintage 30 is also a very nice and versatile speaker. I have one in my Traynor YCV50 1x12 combo, and it sounds great, and records extremely well! I can't wait until I can get the rest of my gear up here so I can try the Wizard out with this amp.

I hate to tell you, but you're going to have to use your own ears to let you know what sounds good. We can suggest speakers for you to try all day long, but in the end, our opinions on what sounds good doesn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to what sounds good to you.

Originally Posted by: PRSplayaI'm a huge fan of the Eminence Wizards. I've used them in conjunction with several amps/speaker combinations, and they've worked great with everything I've played through them. It's voiced similar to the Celestion G12H-30, but is much more efficient and versatile. The Celestion Vintage 30 is also a very nice and versatile speaker. I have one in my Traynor YCV50 1x12 combo, and it sounds great, and records extremely well! I can't wait until I can get the rest of my gear up here so I can try the Wizard out with this amp.

I hate to tell you, but you're going to have to use your own ears to let you know what sounds good. We can suggest speakers for you to try all day long, but in the end, our opinions on what sounds good doesn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to what sounds good to you.

I agree, I figure when its all over I'll have a better idea of at least where to start looking. If one certain brand keeps coming up again, and again that might be where I'll start. Thanks for the input though. :cool:

For me it used to be JBL. Excellent and durable but heavy as hell.
The weight snapped the handle and wheels off my Fender Supertwin.

One thing I wouldn't recommend is getting a speaker re-coned.
I easily blew 3 re-cone jobs on the Fenders before I gave up and got the JBL's.

A lot of players, hell, most of 'em, chase after speakers that colour the sound in a particular way, or 'break up' just so in response to a particular amp. To me that has at least one major drawback. This 'magic' confluence of amp settings and speaker characteristics only works for [u]one[/u] kind of sound, at one volume level.

If you drive your amp a little harder, it doesn't sound as good. Drive it a little less, it gets weak or flabby sounding. Arse!

I hold that if your amp sounds great, you sure as hell do not need a speaker that presumes to 'interpret' your amp for you. I chose my amps because they sound good. I use Weber California speakers because they deliver exactly what my amps send out to them. Efficiently. Loud as the voice of God. And no bull**** cone breakup or 'interpretation'.