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Thread: 2-speaker amp working with one speaker

  1. #1
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    2-speaker amp working with one speaker

    Hi,

    I took a half-dead Frontman 212R to the shop to get it fixed, albeit quite reluctantly as I'm not sure I want to spend any real money on it. I was told that the cost of the fix for the amp itself is quite low but they need to also replace a bust speaker. I was offered the option of not replacing the dead speaker and continue using it with just the one speaker. Is this really possible for amps like this? And if so, will it sound OK? Will any frequencies be lost? Are the two speakers exactly the same?

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    Forum Member Keefoman1's Avatar
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    Re: 2-speaker amp working with one speaker

    I agree with you on not spending too much money as this amps were cheap when new. Beeing a solid state amp, it will not do any harm by running just one of the two speakers. The speakers should also be identical, so you won’t be missing any frequensies and so on.

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    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: 2-speaker amp working with one speaker

    Well, hold on now. If you run on one speaker you run the risk of having the wrong impedance, doubling the current and blowing up the output section of the amp. The change in impedance will change the frequency response too.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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    Forum Member Keefoman1's Avatar
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    Re: 2-speaker amp working with one speaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Offshore Angler View Post
    Well, hold on now. If you run on one speaker you run the risk of having the wrong impedance, doubling the current and blowing up the output section of the amp. The change in impedance will change the frequency response too.
    That would apply to tube-amps, yes. Transistor amps are much less sensitive to impedance variables, although not guaranteed it will not be a problem, but it’s probably going to be fine.

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    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: 2-speaker amp working with one speaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Keefoman1 View Post
    That would apply to tube-amps, yes. Transistor amps are much less sensitive to impedance variables, although not guaranteed it will not be a problem, but it’s probably going to be fine.
    Well, given the "quality" of the components used in a modern Fender amp, I would have to think of the amp as sacrificial at this point. If you blow the coil on the remaining speaker you'll see the magic smoke come out of the amp, along with the rattling of broken pieces of thermoplastic.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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