Can any of you recommend a 15" speaker that's good for harmonica? I recently acquired a Sonny Jr. 1 amplifier (the one with four 8" speakers). It sounds awesome, but the previous owner had said that the amp is a lot louder with a 15" speaker instead of the eights.
15 inch can work just fine. Nice fat low end. I have a Mission Amps Chicago 50 with a 15 inch. No more feedback prone than any other combo. As to which one, depends on how much you want to spend. I currently have Tone Tubby Neodymium Bass speaker in it. I got it because of the light weight and the fact that I got it for next to nothing. Works great, but very expensive normally. Other suggestions would be Weber 15F150, Weber Chicago 15, Emminence Big Ben. All work well. Not sure what ohm rating you need. Big Ben is 8 ohm. Webers have options, if you get a new one. Feel free to contact me if you would like more info.
That would mean you would have to make a new baffle as there is not enough wood after you remove the 8's. It has a speaker out jack.Perhaps a separate cab for the 15?
For many years James Harman used a Fender Vibroverb amp that had a single 15" speaker and it worked quite well for him. Until 1977, James Cotton used first a Showman head then later an Acoustic head into a cabinet that had a pair of 15" speakers in it and that worked out well for him. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Loudness depends on several factors. How efficient is the speaker? Not all speakers of the same size are equally efficient. If the 8" speakers and your selected 15" speaker were equally efficient, the air moved by the 8" speakers would be greater than the 15" due to the greater surface area moving the air (201 in.sq. for the 8" vs. 176 in. sq. for the 15") and therefore louder.. There are other factors involved as well. See Greg Heumann's article on amps on his website www.blowsmeaway.com.
First of all, thanks so much to everybody who responded! I have a lot to look into now.
The guy who had the amp before me had a 1x15 speaker cabinet and he would just unplug the eights and connect the 1x15. I'm guessing that the 15 speaker was more efficient than the eights, but I really don't know.
BBQ Bob, I had met James Harman once and he told me that 15's were "the only way to go" for harp. I saw him at The Hungry Tiger in Manchester, CT. Ever since then I have been curious about trying a 15" speaker.
Tuckster, I probably would start just using a 1x15 cabinet, but maybe if I loved it I would have a new baffle made.
A 15" inch speaker is definitely overkill. As Goldbrick said, a 15" speaker would be too muddy when pushed hard. Even Hartke makes an amp that has either a 12" or 15" speaker with a 500 watt capacity (KB12 or KB15). But they can do that because their technicians have studied audio technology. Anyone can stick a speaker into a wooden box. That doesn't mean it will blow away the audience. 2, 3, or even 4 smaller speakers work far better than one 15". Heck, I bought a Peavey 15 watt amp (used) with an 8" speaker, & it sounds really good. Bigger is not always better.
Last Edited by hot4blues on Mar 22, 2017 8:22 AM
I have been using a Fender Excelsior with an upgraded Weber 15" speaker for both guitar and harp. It sounds great with harp IMHO. Sure it sounds different than my 4x8 cabinet but I think it sounds good.
there will always be some outlier who praises the unusual and one guy who catches a big bass on a doughball when everybody else gets more consistant results with shiners
If you like a 15 get one- but its cause you think its cool-not because its " better"
I've been playing in front of audiences (outdoors and indoors) for years with a 15" speaker (Premier). I also have or have had 10"s, 12"s, and 8's within Premiers, Magnatones, a Harpking, and Soulful(s). I get a big, rich and deep sound with lots of grit - Definitely no muddiness......I'm thinking you may have bought your SJ from my buddy Mark G. in NYC. If so he's the guy to hit up for a quality harp-optimal 15. I've been working with Mark for years....d ---------- Facebook
I have always used 10" speakers for harp. My Delta Blues 1x15 was an impulse purchase on line and on sale. I wasn't expecting it to sound as good as it does. I've occasionally played through bass amps with 15" speakers that sounded pretty decent. Historically, I have been a big proponent of tens. But I'm pretty happy with my 1x15 DB and quite a few other non harp playing musicians seem to like the sound I get out of it, so they say. And we are talking about sound quality at a public venue, not in my living room or garage. So, I don't understand the categorical negativity about fifteens. That is inconsistent with my personal, albeit somewhat limited, experience with them. But all my other amps have tens and I like them, too.
Last Edited by hvyj on Mar 23, 2017 4:24 PM
Dennis, you are correct, I got the SJ1 from Mark. He was a lot of fun to hang out with, what a nice guy. He's got some cool amps for sure. Good player, too! He was who recommended the 15" speaker to me... he said that he had a 1x15" cabinet that he used to hook up and that it sounded much louder and fuller. To be honest, the amp sounds great by itself with the four eights though. I'll text him and ask him more about what he used.
I have had one of Mark's Premiers for years. He took a 15' from a larger Premier and shoved it in a smaller Premier making it more user friendly. You can hear it on "The thrill is Gone" on my FB page below....He's terrific: Good luck my friend! ---------- Facebook
I know both Marks in this case as well as Sonny- Having much respect for all involved here,I would like to share a few items with you.
I also own a stock Sonny 1,utilizing a Boss GE-7 as recommended by Sonny and Pierre Lacouque. HUGE improvement-as Sonny would say-like it's on steroids!
Also -a transformer swap-which I have not done yet-the following are articles from Harp-L and Dave Barretts website.
As promised, here's the results of my output transformer upgrade on my Sonny Junior 1. Thanks muchly to Gary Onofrio (Sonny Junior) and David Allen of Allen amps for your help and advice on the wiring. In a quest for more output, and as posted here by Sonny a few weeks ago, I switched the original transformer for the heavier(by several pounds)/ beefier Allen output transformer model TO40MT, which is a 40 watt 4/8 ohm upgrade transformer for Vibrolux amps that retails for $59.00 plus shipping.( http://www.allenamps.com/parts.html ) The conversion was fairly simple and took under 1/2 hour( after removal of chassis and the VERY IMPORTANT BLEEDING of the CAPS which can deliver a dangerous shock from an unplugged amp if not shorted out to the chassis first: hire a qualified amp technician to do the work if you have no idea what I'm talking about here!): The results are very good: the amp is substantially louder (could I estimate 20 % by my ear?) and preserves the tone of the circuit well. Like a wild stallion, it is a bit more prone to feedback, as one would expect, but using a 12AY7 and a 12AT7 as the phase inverter and preamp tubes respectively I control feedback adequately. (Going 12AU7 to 12 AT7 or 12AY7 eliminates the feedback almost completely but to my ear cuts the snarl factor a little more than I like. Sonny suggested trying 12AU7 to 12AX7 but to my ear this wasn't as good as the above). So, for the cost of a couple of power tubes, the upgrade gets my double-thumbs-up rating and endorsement for those SJ1 owners seeking more stage volume. Any SJ1 ownwers who need more details on this are welcome to email. Ahhh, the smell of solder resin! Zig
My whole life I have played 6, 8 and 10 inch speakers and never dreamed of playing through one 15 inch. This amp allows you to switch between 6L6 and 6v6 tubes (30 down to 20 watts). I am yet to try out the 6L6 version at any length and if I get to make a video soon, I'll post it here. So far, I am well impressed. It responds extremely well to cupping effects and light playing, something I was unsure about. And of course there is plenty of bass, which I expected, but also plenty of biting mids if required. So far, a very big thumbs up!! Could very well become my new go-to amp. (Looks very cool too!) R
I have had numerous amps with 15" speakers. 3 had big Ceramic magnet speakers, like Eminence Legend, Kendrick Blackframe. The others had/have P15N alnico or Weber alnico speakers. The big ceramics were pretty neutral sounding, didn't much care for the tone. The alnicos are warmer and seem to break up sooner. And yes, the bottom end is huge.
Last Edited by rbeetsme on Apr 02, 2017 1:51 PM
I've had good experiences with Weber speakers; first their 10 alnico for my Kalamazoo and then their 15" 25 watt for my Excelsior. The former is a classic tone monster but can't be heard in a mix without pa support. The latter has been modified for harp voicing and cuts through a band mix quite nicely. Now the Excelsior sounds like a grown up version of the Kalamazoo.
I have a bunch of good tube amps and speakers here. I do somewhat prefer 10's. I find 8's to be OK but will not project or cut in a live mix. 8's are for home or coffee houses. I have a 59 Sano HiFi here with the original gold frame 15" Utah in it. This amp/speaker KICKS ASS and is in no way muddy. It's loud as fuck and bold. I get a lot of compliments when that amp is on stage. The Weber 15F150 is good also. Bold. If your into Kazoo tone, this is not where these speakers will take you...BN PS: I'm not into speaker breakup, I want my harp to hit the back on the room and rattle your soul!
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Apr 03, 2017 11:42 PM
