12" or 15" ......who prefers what?

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 12 Jul 2005 4:21 pm

I used my Music Man 112 last night, and the band commented on how good the steel sounded. I usually use my Session 400, but for convention gigs that have difficult load-ins, I'll grab the lighter amp. The band said that the steel had more definition, as opposed to the 15" Session which they said sounded bassy and boomy.

Most players on the forum seem to favour the 15". Even to my ear, the Music Man 112 seemed more shimmery and had a nice top end that cut through the mix.

Does anybody here prefer 12" speakers? I know Peavey has the Nashville 112, but the 115 seems more common. Any opinions? This subject has probably been hashed out before, so my apologies if I'm bringing up a redundant topic.[This message was edited by Chris LeDrew on 12 July 2005 at 05:24 PM.]

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 12 Jul 2005 5:31 pm

I have come to prefer 12's. They suit my style. There is much about a 15 that I like and I do use one now and then but your description of the 12's is right on. Punch, cut, definition. I can see how a 15 would much better suit certain players but they aren't me.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 12 Jul 2005 11:04 pm

If the 15 sounds bassy and boomey, maybe switching to a D-130 would be better.
I have a couple of tube Standel piggybacks, from around 1962, that have the large cabinet with a single 12" that has more "bottom" than most of my 15" amps. The cabinet has a lot to do with it.[This message was edited by chas smith on 13 July 2005 at 12:05 AM.]

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 12 Jul 2005 11:04 pm

I flat-out love the 15" JBL D130F and K130. The E130 is also acceptable, I'm using one in my Randall right now and I regularly get compliments on my tone.

That being said, I've heard a few folks sounding really great with Peavey's 112, but you probably will need more than one if you have to deliver any volume. Lots of great pickers swear by the Twin Reverb with 2 12" speakers, especially the JBL's.

Bottom line: If you like the sound, it's working for you.[This message was edited by Dave Grafe on 13 July 2005 at 12:06 AM.]

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 13 Jul 2005 2:51 am

I have a rack system with two 12" BW speakers and get as much range out of those speakers as a 15".

Obviously the Nashvlle 112 amp with the 12" speaker is an excellent example of a combo amp with the 12" speaker. And as far as volume out of a 112, it's louder than the 80 watts would suggest. I played a job at a Performing Arts center and during sound checks - and before the sound man miked the amps - we were rehearsing and the sound man commented "the steel doesn't need a mike".

However, I had a Fender Twin Reverb (AB768 chassis) with D120-F JBL's and just couldn't get enough lows. I replaced the two 12" with one 15" K130 JBL and it made a big difference.

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 13 Jul 2005 5:10 am

The Peavey Nashville 112 amplifier is suprising many steelers with its twelve-inch speaker and tone. Try one out if you get a chance.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 13 Jul 2005 9:28 am

It's not the lows or highs that make the difference for me. A 15" speaker just has deeper, more sonorous mids with pedal steel. In a loud group, the lows are lost anyway, regardless of the speaker or the cabinet. If a 15" is not cutting through the mix, it seems to me a little touch up of the treble and bright can always easily cure that. But even in a loud group, the mids sound better to me from a 15" - it just has a different voice.

Now when you play alone, or in a quiet group, the 15" really comes into its own. There is a lushness in the bass that not even multiple 12s can match. I once played the first half of a gig with a 4x12 closed-back cabinet. At the break I switched to a single 15 in a closed back cabinet. Everyone in the band, as well as the pro sound guy, agreed my 15 sounded better. It's not about how much air is move, it is about matching the voice of the speaker to the instrument. A pedal steel is rich in highs and high-mids, and weak in lows. A 15" speaker compliments that by taming the highs and boosting the lows. A clean Fender tube amp, 15" speaker and a pedal steel is a match made in heaven by the angels. We just discovered it.

However, blues players like Dan Tyack and Robert Randolph seem to prefer 12" speakers. For their purposes, I would think they know best.[This message was edited by David Doggett on 13 July 2005 at 10:31 AM.]

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 13 Jul 2005 9:33 am

I'm a fan of both, and as such have been gigging with a '76 Fender VibroSonic Reverb with a JBL D130, and a Nash 112, in stereo, typically with a Boss RV3.
Fun Stuff!
~pb

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 13 Jul 2005 12:26 pm

Since I started trying to play steel a couple years ago, I've turned into a bi speaker nut! I've got ont Twin with 2-12's, but all the rest of my amps(Except the Deluxe) have 15" speakers. Fenders sound twangier, and the Gibsons are WAAAAAAY over the top!

Farris Currie · Post by **Farris Currie** » 13 Jul 2005 12:43 pm

I'm not a pro,but I will say one thing!!That little Peavy 112 will talk!!and you can't beat MIKE BROWN for service!! i am using my 112 on left side and a Peavy session on other side,no effects,even tho i own a bunch of stuff.I have played around for 40yrs. and been thru lots of stuff.I am getting the best sounds on my old PROFESSIONAL SHO-BUD like this that i have ever had. and up in the highs MAN clear as a bell. farris