I'm going to build a 5F1 clone next month and looking for a good sounding speaker for harp (or maybe both harp and guitar), this is my first build so trying to make the right chioce is tough. I found this vid on youtube, some of you guys might have watched it. I really would like my amp to sound something like this. http://youtu.be/x65Cun5vkIE I would really appreciate any advice/tips.
Weber alnico Signature 8 or Weber Vintage Series 8A100. I'd also go with the Beam Blocker for either of these. The Signature 8 is cheaper and a little nastier sounding. The 8A100 is somewhat more refined. A little bit rounder. It's also louder.
I have the 10A100 in my Model 1 Kalamazoo and like it a lot. ---------- LSC
I built a 5F1 clone a few years ago. I love it! At first, I put a smooth cone alnico Weber Signature 8 in it. I loaned it out to a couple of people and the speaker was toast. Weber was running a sale on their Vintage series speakers. I bought a 8A125-O with the H dustcap. It tamed some of the brightness of the amp.
My favorite 8" speanker ia a 10" speaker! I like old (60's vintage) low wattage deep cone speakers. I had a 1950 jensen 8" that blew the voice coil a couple years ago. Everything I tried seemed stiff without sustain. I bought a 6 x 9 speaker out of a 1950's juke box and that works very well. It doesn't have the soft distortion the jensen had, but it does have a warm tone for a small speaker.
@ Joe_L, yeah I know he used a Kendricks Blackframe. I also try to google the review on this product but it turned out people are not quite like it and said it's overpriced. That's why I decided to post here see if I can have any other chioce.. and for vintage series alnico, none of them said on their website that it will fit in tweed champ. Did you have to use a bigger cabinet to fit the speaker in ? Thanks a lot for the link s by the way.
I wasn't gpoing to be the one to say it, but sence it's out. I do not like Kendrick speakers.I have bought a few different models over the years and didn't like any of them at all. IMHO it was a waste of money! Its tough buying stuff off Ebay, but nothing beats an old good condition speaker.
Last Edited by on Aug 06, 2011 3:34 AM
@slipakorn - I bought my kit from Marsh Amps. I used the standard size cabinet that shipped with the kit. I would have to measure the cabinet later today.
I can tell you that the vintage series speaker fit in my cabinet without any problem.
I don't have a favorite 8-inch speaker for harp. I've tried many (weber, jensen, etc) but never found one that really stands out. The weber sig ceramic smooth cone is okay and doesn't cost much.
Thanks Joe, really appreciate your help. Your dimensions is actually bigger than the cabinet plan than I got and also slightly bigger than waber's cabinet. I might have to build the cabinet slightly deeper..
I also have been considering building something like this. I looked at the Marsh link. How much electronics skills does someone need to do this?
I can follow instructions, have used a soldering iron for basic electronic repairs, replaced speakers, reverb tanks etc and am a pretty good "tinkerer".
I know only very basic electronic principals. Is this something I should consider taking on?
BTW I put a 12" Weber Signature series 12A100 in my Blues Jr and it improved that amp for harp
---------- MBH member since 2009-03-24
Last Edited by on Aug 06, 2011 6:28 AM
I took a basic electronics class in high school. I have a heathly respect for electricity. I had built a few Radio Shack kits as a kid.
The Marsh kit was easy. It included instructions. Mike Marsh was super easy to deal with. When I ran into problems, he was super helpful. There are some great people on the Internet who are also super helpful.
Personally, I find repairing things more difficult than building from scratch. The Champ only consists of about 25 or 30 parts.
Thanks for the comment Joe_L...sounds similar to my experience. I might try this. I am also thinking about building the cabinet. I might try to make one that looks like one of the very early art deco styles.
I need to find a good example. If anyone has a link that shows examples of old amp cabinets please share.
