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Vox / Les Paul Advice Needed.


Aaresz

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Posted

Sorry this really has nothing to do with Gibson, but I know our Forum Members have a wealth of information.

 

As many of you already know I have a Vox AC15 with the Wharfedale speaker, and I'm considering replacing it with a Celestion Alnico Blue. I have not done anything like this before, and I'm curious to know how difficult it is.

 

Upon inspection it looks like it just unplugs and then the speaker unfastens, but I doubt it's not that simple.

 

Thanks in advance for your assistance..................

Posted

It should be very easy. There will be four speaker mounting nuts and two speaker terminal wires. The speaker wires should be spade connectors and if so they will pull right off, with a little wiggling.

 

When mounting the new speaker make sure that you do not overtighten the mounting nuts. You want them tightened enough that the speaker seats firmly against the baffle board, but not enough to distort the speaker frame.

 

Should be a piece of cake. Good luck!

Posted
It should be very easy. There will be four speaker mounting nuts and two speaker terminal wires. The speaker wires should be spade connectors and if so they will pull right off' date=' with a little wiggling.

 

When mounting the new speaker make sure that you do not overtighten the mounting nuts. You want them tightened enough that the speaker seats firmly against the baffle board, but not enough to distort the speaker frame.

 

Should be a piece of cake. Good luck! [/quote']

 

 

+1 Worst case scenario, the speaker wires will be soldered onto the connectors.

Posted

No, worst case scenario is you have to remove the chassis to get the speaker out, but that is rare. Also, the Blue should have the same number of mounting screw holes and spacing as the stock speaker, but it doesn't hurt to check. It should be an easy swap. The AC15 is going to sound amazing with a Blue in it!

Posted

Sorry I just got back (from playing my new american standard ash tele :) ).

 

It should be as easy as Zaphod said, but, I think VOX solders the speaker cable to the speaker... so you'll have to desolder it and my advice is to install some connectors so that you can change speakers easily in the future.

 

When did you purchase your amp? I think up to 2006 they shipped them with soldered terminals and no plug ... but after dec 2006 they started using a plug so you can unplug from the amp (never with the amp on) take the speaker out and work confortably.

Posted

Thanks everyone for the advise!

 

TG I got mine in later part of last year, I'll have to look to see if it soldered or not.

Posted

It took me 2 minutes to swap out my speaker on a Valve Junior. I had to solder the speaker wires to the speaker connections. Really, really easy to do.

Posted
No' date=' worst case scenario is you have to remove the chassis to get the speaker out, but that is rare. [/quote']

QFT. That's what I had to do when I swapped the speaker in my Blues Junior. Not the worst thing to have to do, but it's not something I wanted to deal with just to change a speaker.

Posted

Stupid question, where do you buy a blue speaker and how much is it?

Just any Vox retailer?

 

Sorry I just got back (from playing my new american standard ash tele =P~ ).

I'm sorry too...=D>

Posted
Thanks everyone for the advise!

 

TG I got mine in later part of last year' date=' I'll have to look to see if it soldered or not. [/quote']

 

 

Then the wire will be soldered to the speaker but not to the amps board... (which was the problem before as you needed to desolder it to get anything out of the amp)... it will most surely have a plug that conects them to the amp and you can just umplug it and take the speaker out... do all the soldering (if needed) outside and then just put the speaker in and plugging it.

 

I recomend you put some (i dont know how they are called) of those speaker conectors that slide in the speaker terminals, no soldering required for some models.

Posted
Stupid question' date=' where do you buy a blue speaker and how much is it?

Just any Vox retailer?

 

 

I'm sorry too...=D> [/quote']

 

I've been shopping them and they seem to run from $250. - $275.

I'll probably pay the $275 at a local retailer whom specializes in "Beatles/British invasion gear". He stocks the correct 8 ohm speaker for an AC15, but they have vintage gold JMI tag from the 60's. He's a leading VOX retailer so he gets a lot of cool stuff. I got my vintage correct "Beatles" amp stand from him also.

 

P1000035-1.jpg

 

Here's my amp & stand in case anyone is interested.

Posted
No' date=' worst case scenario is [/quote']

 

 

Ok fine... NO... the WORST case scenario is he opens his amp and it turns out to be a gateway to Hell and ALL the Demons come out and kill everyone and the world ceases to exist as we know it.

 

Or..... they leave everyone alive... but only let us play Bee Gees music on cheap chinese crap fake guitars through battery powered mini amps... equally horrible, you choose.

 

 

ok... i go put my helmet back on....

Posted

Sorry to make things more complicated, but that's what I'm good at. Have you considered Eminence speakers made in the US of A? Or Weber? Both companies have alnico samplings that are made to the old Celestion specs. Be careful buying Celestions, there are two lines, one of which is British and one of which is Chinese. Oh, and the Eminence are a better value. Not that you can go wrong with a Celestion Alnico Blue, but there are other options.

 

And remember not to judge the sound until the speaker has had a chance to break in. That's worse than my wife deciding she doesn't like the color before the paint dries.

Posted

Chan, that was awesome! Thanks for the laugh!

 

Bobv, thank you for your insight. I was not aware that there was 2 differant Celestion versions out there.

Posted

The Alnico Blue is isn't one of Chinese made. From what I've read the Alnico series and the Heritage series (all the expensive ones) are still made in the UK. You might want to look at Weber's Blue Dog, too. And someone else here recommended the Warehouse Speakers version highly.

Posted

 

 

Ok fine... NO... the WORST case scenario is he opens his amp and it turns out to be a gateway to Hell and ALL the Demons come out and kill everyone and the world ceases to exist as we know it.

 

 

man that sucks... happened to me when I was building my first cab... thanks god the climate here was a little too humid and hot and they decided to get back in...

Posted
Chan' date=' that was awesome! Thanks for the laugh!

 

Bobv, thank you for your insight. I was not aware that there was 2 differant Celestion versions out there. [/quote']

 

 

Yeah... vintage and new, new are made in china...

 

 

I would recomend eminence red fangs.... they are made in america with british parts or made in britain I cant remember right now... (they are part of the red coat line, and are red, I am sure the patriot line is built in the states from american parts).

 

The red fang is suposed to be a very very close match tonewise to the original celestion design... they go for less than half of what a celestion blue (made in china) costs!

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