Weber Signature Series

[Cygnus X1]

OK, so I bought um, three.
All 12", one alnico to try in the Deluxe Reverb, or 5E3 clone, and two ceramics for the '67 Bassman closed back cab.

All 8 ohm. Someone wasn't thinking clearly when they ordered.
I want the cab to be eight ohm total, but my only options are 4 or 16 if run together. (Right?)

I suppose I could just wire the cab for stereo, since I play here in the garage, at low volume (plus this cab will never see a gig, ever).

So, it's a quasi-question, a rambling, since I already answered it.
Would it be safe to wire it 16 ohm and run it with an 8 ohm drive?
I like it sort of beefy, not real bright.

And, (I know it's always not smart to ask AFTER the purchase),
is the sig series a bang for the buck? Or a waste of money?

Oh, and are these closed back cabs supposed to have a lot of insulation?
I've seen them both ways, blankets, and bare.
Mine's bare, and I like the tone.
But it has junk Kustom 16 ohm speakers in it.

[Cygnus X1]

Bump?
(Sorry, these speakers are occupying my pool table, makes it hard to play...)

[Gris]

Weber's Sig ceramic 'B' is great bang for the buck. His sig alnico is kinda of a ltd application speaker - bright and dirty, low power - good for some tastes (authentic Chi blues tone) in a 5E3 - but lacks tight bass. I have tried pretty much every Weber speaker (I'm a dealer). Next time ask before buying... :-)

[Cygnus X1]

Thank you, Gris.
I'll try the alnico in both the 5E3 and the Deluxe Reverb.
Neither one sees much volume, so it might just fit the bill.

[Gris]

Sig alnico way too bright for DR.

[boobtube21]

I wouldn't wire the two 8 ohm speakers in series to get 16 ohms. From what I've read here that's dangerous; if one blows the OT sees an instant short, ie no load.

I'd just try the one in the cab and don't turn it up too loud. If you like the way it sounds, see if Ted will swap you speakers for 16 ohm versions (doubt it) or sell them on Ebay, then just buy the impedence you need. If the sound isn't to your liking, then you're going to want different drivers anyway.

FWIW I think if you get the sound you want, the speaker is priceless. If not, it's a waste of money until you resell them.

[Cygnus X1]

I'm going stereo on it, just to experiment.
I'm usually set up that way anyhow, one way or the other.

The best sounding speaker I've had in the DR so far is one I robbed out of a Sunn alpha 112 combo. Strange but true.

[ES350]

Just curious; the Bassman wants a 4 ohm load. Why not 2 x 8 ohms for a 4 ohm load?

[Kap'n]

The best sounding speaker I've had in the DR so far is one I robbed out of a Sunn alpha 112 combo. Strange but true.

So, there was something I should have kept from mine.

[Cygnus X1]

Thanks, Kap'n.

That Sunn also got the famous "TFF 5E3 mod".
Gutted it and built a Tweed Deluxe circuit into it!

[Cygnus X1]

Playing with speakers again today.
I put the Sig Ceramics in the 2x12 Bassman cab...stereo 8 ohm.
The one that has been broken in sounds very good. The new one?
Well, I'm breaking it in right now. I just drive music through it for a day or two, fairly well cranked.

I put the Sig Alnico in the Deluxe Reverb.
I like it! I need to break it in...but it sounds pretty good right out of the box. I tend to run the DR with treble at around "2", so it doesn't seem too bright.

Now I have to try the Sunn in the 5E3.
Chores, chores!

[Cygnus X1]

Update...

Everything is broken in, and I ended up with this:
I wired the Sig ceramics in the 2x12, flipped it face down on the garage floor, and pushed bass-heavy music through it for 48 hours
through a Kustom Commander amp. Don't ask...it works.
Then I pulled the back off, and stapled brand new pillows onto the back. After that, I hooked it up to the Deluxe Reverb and played at 6 on the Vibrato channel for a bit. Sweet!
As far as the Sig alnico...I did the same. Broke it in with (Rush) bass heavy tunes, with the amp covered for a couple of days. Similar result. The harshness is gone, and the bass is fairly tight.
I am fairly sure if I wheeled it up past 7, it would get muddy...but the only speaker I have that sounds tight all the way through with this amp was that Sunn Alpha 60...probably a 50 watt speaker. Since I don't gig it, this works out just right.

Perfect?
No...good bang for the buck, though. These speakers do have good warmth and clarity for what they are.

[JJ Gross]

I just scored a used Sig Alnico 12 for my Fender Music Master Bass amp. I just finished recapping the amp and haven't had a chance to wind it up.

It's just mocking me sitting there in the living room now.

I think I'll teach it a lesson tomorrow night.

[Cygnus X1]

Let us know how it goes, JJ.

I admit...I like a bit of scooped tone, I play a lot of "heavy" music.
So my goal was a Greenback type of sound. With clear bass.
So far, not bad. (For the price).

[Mesotech]

Just a note on breaking in speakers. Though not nearly as fun as playing music through them cranked up loud (with pillows, blankets, and boxes piled on top), you could use a low voltage AC transformer (such as the 6.3V heater tap from a spare amp's power transformer) for about 8 hours.

6.3V AC at 60 hertz for about 8 hours will break in the speaker nicely, and it won't kill your ears.

[JJ Gross]

Well, I didn't really get to open up the amp but here goes.
The Sig 12 Alnico in the Music Master Bass sounds a lot better balanced than the original. Nice slight break up when cranked (remember this is a small bass combo I'm running guitar into), but my wife got crabby about me making one of the dogs bark so I shut it down. I was playing an SX Tele (stock) straight into the MMB wide open with the tone on 5.

She won't be around for a while Saturday and the dogs can go hide in the bedroom if they want while I play in the living room. I'll run a few different kinds of guitars through the amp to see how the speaker sounds.

I could however tell the Weber Sig Alnico 12 (an S model IIRC) is much clearer and open sounding than the constipated stock speaker. The amp is a 78 with all it's original RCA gray plate tubes : 2x 6V6GTA + a single 7025. The PI duties in this amp are not tube, it's handled by of all things ... a transformer.

Cheers,
- JJ

[Cygnus X1]

I'm just trying to justify my cheap-ness.

But I do like what hath been wrought here...I would not trust them wide open for a gigging musician. For what I do, they are a good bargain, good tone.