Best speaker for Sweet 16

[Danerada]

So I just bought a Sweet 16 head. I am going to build a speaker cab for it. My question is, does anyone have any experience with this amp and different speakers? I would like to know, by consensus, what is the best speaker for the Sweet 16 head...

I understand sound/tone being subjective...just looking for opinions with supporting data.

Thanks y'all.

 

[László]

I have nothing on best speaker for the amp, but one thing famous engineer Michael Wagener, who is known for his guitar tones, says to consider is that you can vary the tone of the amp by pushing a speaker to more or less of its capacity (speaker distortion being different from amp or preamp distortion).

So for a cleaner sound from the speaker, he says to choose a cab rated higher than the wattage of the amp, and for a more distorted, fat gainy sound, go with a speaker with a lower power rating.

So, for example, my choice for that amp would be a Celestion Blue, a speaker I could push pretty hard with a 16 watt amp, because the speaker is rated at 15 watts, plus it's a speaker with a classic tone. What can I say, I like speaker cone breakup.

For a cleaner sound, I'd get something with a higher wattage rating. What kinds of tones are you going after?

 

[Danerada]

Thanks Les.

I love cleans. Big, round cleans.

 

[László]

Thanks Les.

I love cleans. Big, round cleans.

Then I'd get something like a speaker that can handle a lot more wattage, since it won't break up as easily. An 80 Watt Celestion might be a good choice; the cleans I get with a Mesa Lone Star through their version of the CL80 (that they call the Black Shadow 90) are stellar. Big, spanky cleans.

I'd also consider one of the G12H30 variants, but I think you'll get cleaner tones with a higher wattage speaker.

Personally, I like Celestion speakers. I know there are other good ones on the market, it's just a personal preference.

One other speaker to consider for cleans would be an EV. That thing will stay clean forever.

 

[CatStrangler]

A "british" style speaker I have used that I would describe as big round and clean is the Weber ceramic silver bell (an alnico version used to be available as well, maybe still is) and is available in a variety of wattages, and as the Weber site and Les point out, the wattage rating has a big impact on tone. I fall in the camp where I usually go for the lowest wattage speaker I think I can get away with.

 

[mad monk]

Dane, I can help. I have a first-run Sweet 16 head, and a rev C combo. PRS uses a Celestion G12H in the combo, and a Celestion Vintage 30 in their Big Mouth 1x12 closed back cab. I've run both amps through both speakers, comparing the amps themselves. I've plugged the amps into other cabs, too.
Celestion G12H in open back combo. Not best for clean with either amp. I think the box is too small.
GWS speaker in a Bugs Dallas amp. Higher wattage speaker didn't help me much keeping it full. Clean, yes. Full, no.
Celestion Vintage 30 in PRS large 1x12 closed back cab. Better, especially on the bass side of things. Really good going into "grit".
Celestion Heritage G12 in Marshall JTMC12 1x12 open back cab. Better still. Cab is close in size to PRS above. I think a large, open back cabinet has a better atmosphere with clean guitar sounds. Not as good for "grit".
Jensen C12N in large 1x12 open back Fender cabinet. Best of the lot for clean. Big, round bass. It was the deepest cabinet by an inch, or so.
I also ran it through a Mesa 2x12 closed back cab. Don't know what speakers were in it, but it weighed a freakin' ton. Only slightly better than the 1x12 closed back for clean. Best of the lot when cranked.
So, my conclusion in all of this is that a larger, open back cabinet fared better for clean tones. A higher wattage speaker didn't help me much with "this" amp. Any of the Celestions would be a good choice. I think a Celestion G12H would be good in a larger, open back cab.
The guitar's volume knob makes all the difference with keeping a Sweet 16 in the clean zone.

 

[László]

Dane, I can help. I have a first-run Sweet 16 head, and a rev C combo. PRS uses a Celestion G12H in the combo, and a Celestion Vintage 30 in their Big Mouth 1x12 closed back cab. I've run both amps through both speakers, comparing the amps themselves. I've plugged the amps into other cabs, too.
Celestion G12H in open back combo. Not best for clean with either amp. I think the box is too small.
GWS speaker in a Bugs Dallas amp. Higher wattage speaker didn't help me much keeping it full. Clean, yes. Full, no.
Celestion Vintage 30 in PRS large 1x12 closed back cab. Better, especially on the bass side of things. Really good going into "grit".
Celestion Heritage G12 in Marshall JTMC12 1x12 open back cab. Better still. Cab is close in size to PRS above. I think a large, open back cabinet has a better atmosphere with clean guitar sounds. Not as good for "grit".
Jensen C12N in large 1x12 open back Fender cabinet. Best of the lot for clean. Big, round bass. It was the deepest cabinet by an inch, or so.
I also ran it through a Mesa 2x12 closed back cab. Don't know what speakers were in it, but it weighed a freakin' ton. Only slightly better than the 1x12 closed back for clean. Best of the lot when cranked.
So, my conclusion in all of this is that a larger, open back cabinet fared better for clean tones. A higher wattage speaker didn't help me much with "this" amp. Any of the Celestions would be a good choice. I think a Celestion G12H would be good in a larger, open back cab.
The guitar's volume knob makes all the difference with keeping a Sweet 16 in the clean zone.

Fantastic, informative post!

I'd expect exactly what you found with the Mesa 2x12...best for grittier tones, though I kinda like that. Same with the PRS 1x12, a cab I've owned. Being a cab with dual ports, I find that the PRS Grissom cab is great with cleans, and a very sweet sound for grit as well. The best cleans in my studio come from the Lone Star 2x12 with open back and the Celestion 90s.

 

[Buildermike]

I have a both a two channel C and H amps from PRS. I do prefer the Celestion Vintage 30 with both amps, both closed and open backed. I had also tried Celestion G12H and the Greenbacks which I did not like as much.

 

[pac90]

Dane I found with my 15watt combo (egnater tweaker), with the speakers in the open back combo to eliminate any cab variable, that the blue sounded to me > the original G12H30. The latter speaker in this amp didn't sound as good at low volume, still a great speaker though, just needed more vol or gain

I have a bias towards the celestion blue sound though, it works very well with P90s and single coils

 

[The Fight]

I would highly recommend a 1X12 or 2X12 Ev12L loaded cab.
Good luck!

 

[Boogie]

Dane, I know you remember playing the Sweet 16 thru the PRS 1x12 with V30 at Jeff's basement-o-love. I'm guessing that you could adjust the amp's bass control while switching between clean and dirty because that cab (which is really a closed back combo without the amp) can sound huge...almost too huge. But I have that cab now and it hasn't left my Super Dallas' side for almost 3 years. For band/live mix applications, the V30 rules; for in my living room or recording, I like the WGS ET65 in a 1x12.

 

[Danerada]

Thank you for all the replies!!!!! I just ordered a PRS 1x12 Stealth cab!

Yeah Boogie - I remember!!!!