SPEAKER TONE CENTER
TONY PASKO
Your Signature Distortion
Speaker cutaway.
Illustration from Celestion,
used with permission
Now that we know the speakers are responsible for providing more of our tone than we
initially thought, and that volume and wattage
are not the same, we can begin part one of
our discussion about what to listen for in a
speaker, and what the difference is between
good and bad distortion.
Let’s start with the understanding that a good
guitar tone is subjective. What I might consider the Holy Grail tone might not do it for
another player. But all tones good and bad
have a purpose and a place, and you should
know how to achieve the tone you’re looking
for. To do this you need to understand how a
speaker works and how all the parts translate
to your sound. First ask yourself: How loud do
I need to be before the speaker starts breaking up? What kind of low-end response do I
need to achieve? How smooth or midrangey
do I need the speaker to be?
These are very important things to know about
your gear, because they can help you determine if your speakers are efficient enough for
your needs, or made from the right materials
for the sound you’re tying to get. Keep in
mind that all amplifiers and speakers distort,
but knowing when and how it happens is the
trick to getting good distortion.
For example, let’s say you have a 20-watt tube
amplifier that breaks up too fast and you wish
it would stay cleaner at a higher volume. This
is considered bad distortion, but is this the
amp’s fault? Do you need more wattage? No.
Before you run out and spend more money
than you have too, try changing the speaker
first. But which one is the right choice? What
specs should you be looking for?
Know that power rating does not always
determine the amount of break up. Break-up is mostly influenced by the cone. Break-up
occurs quicker in a thinner, lighter-weight
cone, but some speakers have a heavier cone
which produces a slower break up.
What you need to compare is the sensitivity
or SPL ratings. SPL, Sound Pressure Level,
is a measurement for volume in reference
to the human ear. SPL is always expressed
in decibels, or “dB.” A speaker specified at
98dB will provide SPL of 98dB when 1 watt of
power is applied and the listener is 1 meter
directly in front of the speaker. Potentially
30 watts will achieve 117dB of output on a
speaker that has a sensitivity of 98dB (that’s
a 3dB increase for every doubling of power).
(Refer to “Speakers: 40% of Your Tone,” June
2009, for more information about how wattage translates to volume.)
A higher power rating typically means a larger
voice coil. Speakers with a larger voice coil
tend to provide a more pronounced low end
with less top-end extension. But there are
other factors to consider.
Choose your magnets carefully. Do you go
with alnico or ceramic? Each have different
magnetic properties and costs associated
with them. Alnico is a composite of aluminum, nickel, and cobalt, and is more expensive. Alnico is commonly thought to produce
the “Vintage Tone,” and has a reputation for
sounding compressed. Ceramic is cheaper
and the most commonly used material. If
you’re comparing speakers that have the
same magnetic flux, but generated from different magnet compositions, you probably
won’t notice a difference in tonality.
Neodymium seems to be the wave of the
future, especially with the reduced weight
and overall costs declining. Neo produces
the most magnetic flux per ounce, making
it ideal for use in multiple speaker cabinets
to maintain performance while reducing
handling and overall weight. Bigger magnets
are more efficient, which translates to more
output at a given power.
Consider the dust cap. The differences in
size, shape, weight and the material of the
dust cap significantly affect the top end. A
small, conical cap can give you a little more
sizzle on the top end, but a felt material produces a smoother top end. This information
alone can help define your search and keep
you from buying multiple speakers until you
find the right one.
If your desire is to clean up or smooth out the
tone of your combo amp, a higher wattage
speaker with a felt dust cap may be exactly
what you need. The key to good distortion is
knowing when and how you are producing it.
Bad distortion happens when you don’t want
it and can’t figure out how to get rid of it.
That’s it for now, but stay tuned—part two of
our discussion will cover the other end of the
spectrum: Adding distortion and low end to a
high-gain amplifier. Is your speaker reproducing what the amp can produce?
Tony Pasko
For more than 15 years Tony has been a music industry
professional, conducting clinics and in-store training seminars world-wide for Peavey, Washburn, Eden Amps and
Parker Guitars, as well as involvement in product development. He’s also an experienced performing musician.
