OK I'm thinking on turning my Valveking 112 in to a head and cabinet. I can easily do the wood work. Thinking on oak for the wood, clear coated with some satin clear coat. My big question is speakers, the stock speaker will be replaced. I do not know what speaker to use. Do I go with a 2x12 or a 2x10??? Closed or open back cab???? I play at home and do not gig at all.

2x12, for sure. Even if you're just playing at home the sound is just so much more full. Hell, I pretty much just play at home and I use a 4x12.

Cool thanks. I also play with a EH Pulsar tremolo in stereo to another amp (soon to be another VK) I do like the sound of multi speaker setups. So I may just go with a 2x12 (or2x10) for both.

I love the sound of 2 12s. It's just a great match for the range of the guitar.

1x15.

If you're building your own cabinet why not experiment a bit? I built my own cab for a Fender Bandmaster vm head with 3 10's and one 12. I pretty much just put together what I had laying around as far as speakers but I've been happy with the results.

Oak with a clear finish will look really pretty regardless of speaker choice though.

My peference is either 1x15 or 2x12.

Both are way over the top for only home use, but hey, who cares! They sound fantastic wih the right (combination of) speaker(s) and you'll be happy you did it.:D

does changing it to a 2x12 have affect on the volume?
by the way, what speakers will you put in?
i changed my VK speaker to a v30

I'm a huge fan of 2x10"s. Very subjective of course but I find them still to have a nice round warmth to them but with the farty flap that you can sometimes get with 12s.

It seems to me - and it may just be the cabs I have - that 212 open back cabs cancel out more frequencies than a single 12er in an open back, especially the low end. That can be good or bad depending on the amp and sound you're going for :D ... Doesn't seem to be the same with 212 vs. 112 closed backs... no scientific backup here, just my impression...

A 212 or 210 will move a lot more air than a 112, so it will at least seem much louder at a lower position on the volume dial with speakers of the same efficiency. What kind of music do you play and what (different) qualities do you want from your current set up (more/less bright/dark/clean/dirt/breakup/snappy/smooth/tight/loose)?

The watt output rating of your amp and ohm rating[s] would be good to know as well, for any speaker suggestions which should suitible for your amp.

I also prefer head & cabs.... let's you mix and match for very different effects..

I play mainly 50's style rock and roll, rockabilly, Johnny Cash, and Social D type stuff. All my guitars have some form of a P90, either re pops, mean 90's and even surf 90's. I like a clean bright tone with very little break up. I do not have a clue on what speaker to use either. I think I'm suppose to use 16 Ohm speakers???
I like the price of these and the reviews seem to be decent.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/celestion-rocket-50-12-guitar-speaker
I cannot afford $150 a speaker for V30, unless I keep it a 112.

Yes I know, the Celestions are very expensive Stateside (as are Webers & Co here due to shipping/imports duties etc..) .

I have a pair of V30's in a cab for the Bassman, and am still a bit unsure, they are not broken in yet, so they are staying until they are - I may have quite a wait :D.. but the v30's don't have a lot of low end presence, can be a great thing in a band context - they cut and don't mush, but solo might be a bit much.. just food for thought. I recently got a cab loaded with G12H Anniversaries, which seem to have a bit more low end, not sure what they cost in the US. There are absolutely loads and very enviable prices for other good options Stateside, and I'm sure lot's of people here will chip in. Sorry not familiar with the Rocket 50's.

But so you get the right speakers, it's really important to know the output in watts of your amp (you should probably stay above that, going higher is not a problem) and the ohm load it can/should take. I did a quick google on "Valve King 112", it appears to be a 50w amp with a 16 ohm load. So - if this is correct for your amp - you could use either 2 x 8 Ohm, minimum 25w speakers wired in *series* [speaker cable + to + of speaker#1 || speaker#1 - to + of speaker#2 || speaker#2 - to - of speaker cable] or a single 16 Ohm minimum 50w speaker with that amp. I know a lot of amps will tolerate a one step ohm mismatch, however it will tax your output tubes (depending on the transformer impedance) or output transformer a bit more, so unless you are sure, it usually best or at least safest to stick with the specs the amp was designed for.

The other thing to watch and consider is the sensitivity of the speaker, e.g. a Jensen C12R has rating of 93.8dB a Celestion v30 100dB... so at the same volume setting, a v30 will be about ~6.2db louder.. that's a lot. If you are looking for more 50's and country twang clean, higher is probably better but louder, for Chicago blues, a struggling pair of C12Rs would probably be a better choice...

50w is pretty high though, even with C12Rs, you need to turn up pretty hight to get the speakers to work hard and output stage cooking.... but I see you live in Oregon, your neighbors might be far away... I miss Vermont and the (back then) average of one inhabitant per 5 square miles... was great for electric guitar practice ;) ... long cold winters though...

cu!
Henry

p90jj: I use a ValveKing 2x12 combo (heavy!). I didn't think all that much of the stock speakers so I swapped them out for one Celestion 100W G12 and one Eminence 75W Wizard (each one is rated 8 ohms). I don't wire them together — rather I run them separately to the speaker outs on the amp backplate and set the impedance selector to 4 ohm. This also gives me the option of sitting a separate amp head on top of the Peavey and wiring it to one of the speakers and leaving the Peavey amp connected to the other — in effect, I've then got two 1x12 amps I can flip between (or run together) using an A/B box.

I don't know what the speaker out sockets/impedance options are on the 1x12, but I still think you'll get better sound with a 2x12 cab rather than a 1x12. And I like mixing two speaker types — the Celestion/Eminence mix works for me.

50W with 16OHM impedance. I use the clean channel almost exclusively, and I use a ton of reverb too.

I've used a Laney 2x10 with my Orange Tiny Terror and it really didn't sound as good as the Marshall 1936 2x12 which I'm currently using for gigs. However for small gigs I use an Orange 1x12 cab which sounds pretty good. This has brought me to a personal opinion that perhaps 10's don't really work for me but that's just my view, many will as posted earlier think 10's are great.


A lot depends on the amp used, speakers and cab construction and tone is such a subjective thing.

Good luck with the project

I've used a Laney 2x10 with my Orange Tiny Terror and it really didn't sound as good as the Marshall 1936 2x12 which I'm currently using for gigs. However for small gigs I use an Orange 1x12 cab which sounds pretty good. This has brought me to a personal opinion that perhaps 10's don't really work for me but that's just my view, many will as posted earlier think 10's are great.

A lot depends on the amp used, speakers and cab construction and tone is such a subjective thing.

Good luck with the project

Yes, I use the TT + Laney 2x10 setup at home and it sounds great, but not sure it really cut it when I took it to the N.European Roundup. The 2x10 has Jensens - there seems to be an idea that they work better for clean sounds than for heavily driven sounds, but I like 'em just fine for both.

My gigging combo is a 1x12, but (1) it is housed in an oversize cab, and (2) it has had some of the doping removed. I don't miss the weight of a 2x12!

I like a 15 are 212 over the 210. The only 10 combo I ever had I like was a Peavey Classic 50 410. But I think they voice those amps for those 10s maybe. Me myself if I am playing super clean, I like playing my Les Paul tru an old Peavey Steel guitar amp with a Black Widow 15, and good reverb.

p90jj: What do you think of the stock Peavey Valveking 112? Do you like it? I'm thinking of buying one....

I like it real well, it has a great clean sound, pseudo vintage. BUT I feel a few upgrades are in order. I swapped the reverb tank out for a old Accutronix tank,and a speaker upgrade I'll have to get the number for you. There is WAY more drive than is really needed, for my style of playing. It is not quite as bright as I'd like, has great highs, mids and lows.
Here is some more info in the amp
http://ultimate-guitar-valveking.wikispaces.com/Valveking+Tone
Bottom line is I'd buy another one in a heartbeat, great deal if you can findthe m used on CL for well under $300!!!

Cool, thanks!

What is CL? :confused:

Craigs's list
http://houston.craigslist.org/

P90jj, that second review sounds interesting, a few of the big brands have been using cathodyne PIs again (e.g. Vox Nightrain, and Orange I think). How does it break up when you push the output stage? They can be a bugger to get right, but sound great when they do.

It is not quite as bright as I'd like

Now that's a really good pointer. Just over the top me perhaps, but I would try (e.g. via google) to find out which speaker is used stock in the VK (likely an OEM, highly probable an Eminence). On the Peavey site, it's billed only as a "ValveKing® speaker" ... but if there is a number on it which corresponds to the Peavey branded models on http://www.peavey.com/products/speakers/instspeakers/
you might have an easier time searching for that (Peavey support might even tell you if you ask). You could then find e.g. an Eminence spec sheet for that speaker to compare the frequency curves with other choices you are considering, and at the very least know what you don't want to buy ;) .

I really love the top end and the mids/bottom of the Celestion G12H 55Hz 98dB Heritages (30w, so would have to be in a 212 with your amp) once they have been broken in a bit, but Stateside probably a bit too much price wise, but I'm sure there are Weber & Co. equivalents.

If you go with mixing speakers in a 212, keep in mind, if you mismatch the sensitivity of the speakers by too much, the one with the higher rating will be the one heard the most...

Have fun & good luck!
Henry

OK I have confused my self even more!!! I think that I may have found the speaker for me to use
https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/12f150.htm
AT $110 each I can afford them. Should I go with 2, 8 OHM 25 watts or 2, 16 OHM 25 watts or 50 watts???????

OK I have confused my self even more!!! I think that I may have found the speaker for me to use
https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/12f150.htm
AT $110 each I can afford them. Should I go with 2, 8 OHM 25 watts or 2, 16 OHM 25 watts or 50 watts???????

1x15.What he said.

You want the >Weber California 15" (https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/)< with ceramic magnet and paper voice coil cap.

Looks like this:

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h230/WestofDeerfoot/VT-15/06_cab_in_progress.jpg

Sounds exactly like what I want!!! thanks!!!!

Here is a great 15" speaker I just put up for sale today and is looking for a good home.
http://www.gretsch-talk.com/forum/buy-sell-trade-negotiations/63524-15-electro-voice-bass-guitar-speaker.html
Pop's

Should I go with 2, 8 OHM 25 watts or 2, 16 OHM 25 watts or 50 watts???????

According to the manual for your amp, it is rated for 50w and requires a 16 Ohm load (impedance), unlike the head and the 212 version, it has no impedance selector.

So no matter what you choose, the total impedance should be 16 Ohms and the minimum total wattage should be 50 watts.

Watts:
If you have more than one speaker, the wattage is x 2 of the lowest rated speaker. If you only use one, it's the value for that speaker.

e.g.
50 watt single speaker = 50 watts total handling power
25 watts + 25 watts = 50 watts total
25 watts + 50 watts = 50 watts total (double the lowest)
15 watts + 100 watts = 30 watts (double the lowest, and too low for the VK)
50 watts + 50 watts = 100 watts total

You need at least 50 watts minimum with the 112 ValveKing. Anything above that is also fine, and will cause less speaker breakup at the same volume. Judging from your comments above, you say you want less breakup, so a higher total rating than 50 watts is perhaps better for you. Below that can work fine at lower volumes, you will have more speaker break up, but if the amp is cranked, you can damage or fry (push them past their maximum rating) the speaker[s] if the volume is too high.


Impedance/Ohms:

The ohm rating of multiple speakers changes depending on how they are wired.
First google hit: http://www.bcae1.com/spkrmlti.htm

It is better not to mix speakers with different ohm ratings, since they will not balance.

When you wire two 8 Ohm speakers in series, it will give you 16 Ohms
If you wire two 32 Ohm speakers in parallel, it will give you 16 Ohms
If you connect *only* a single 16 Ohm speaker, you will have 16 Ohms

2 x 16 Ohm speakers would never be the right choice for your amp, since you can only get either 8 Ohms in parallel or 32 Ohms in series.

With amps with a tube output section and output transformer, using a different load MAY work without incident, but it will stress and can damage your output transformer or output tubes if you do. It depends on the resulting primary impedance (which a different load attached will effect) of the output transformer and the quality of the transformer.

Personally, I would choose either a single 16 Ohm or two 8 Ohms, 32 Ohm (which Weber offers) speakers can be a tough re-sell, should you ever want to get something new and sell them. 8 Ohm speakers will be usable for more amps than 32 Ohm speakers.

The other value to watch, the sensitivity/SP rating of the speaker, which you will find above.

hope this helps.

OK I think I got it, California Ceramic magnet 80 watts and 16 OHM, Aluminum dome, is all this correct???

The specs fit your amp fine, the rest will be down to your ears and tastes :D
I wish the Webers were not so expensive on the side of the pond, still very curious what you think when you have it set up, let us know.

Priced the wood for the cab, well I'm not going with oak, at $56 a board!!! Thinking I may go with pressboard and tweed. Not a huge tolex fan.