Fitting a 12" speaker to a 15" baffle

AndyJP

Hi all,

Have got a combo with a 15 inch speaker inside. Any idea how I could fit a 12 inch speaker?   The baffle fits a 15 inch speaker.

I can't remove the baffle and get another cut because it has the speaker cloth firmly attached the baffle.

In the states Weber sell a rebaffler kit but can't see these in the uk.
https://www.tedweber.com/rebaffler

Thx!





munckee

Easiest/cheapest way is make a new baffle and buy new grill cloth for it or move the cloth to the new one if you can  I would think.

RiftAmps

Modulus might be able to mnfr a converter for you 

Whistler

Is the speaker front or rear mounted? If you mount the speaker from the rear and if you have a jigsaw then you could do this: buy a piece of plywood big enough to cover the existing hole, saw out a circular hole the right size for your 12" speaker, screw the new piece to the existing baffle and then mount your 12" speaker onto the new baffle you have made. Voila!

ecc83

Whistler said:

Is the speaker front or rear mounted? If you mount the speaker from the rear and if you have a jigsaw then you could do this: buy a piece of plywood big enough to cover the existing hole, saw out a circular hole the right size for your 12" speaker, screw the new piece to the existing baffle and then mount your 12" speaker onto the new baffle you have made. Voila!

Yes, done this a few times to fit new speakers in radios, grams and gitamps. Don't forget to spray the new baffle black to stop it showing through the fret, including the T nuts.

Dave.

ICBM

munckee said:

Easiest/cheapest way is make a new baffle and buy new grill cloth for it or move the cloth to the new one if you can  I would think.

By far the easiest and cheapest way is to make a plywood spacer ring as Whistler and Dave said.

I would do it the other way round and mount the spacer to the speaker first though - which just needs nuts and bolts, not T-nuts - then attach the whole thing to the baffle exactly as if it's a 15" speaker.

Whistler

Either works but I like your logic, ICBM.

AndyJP

Hey guys, thanks all for the tips. Much appreciated. 

But I'm not 100% sure I'm going to keep the amp. I just wanted to try the speaker without modding the amp. I think I'm gonna hold off on this one.

Jimbro66

AndyJP said:

Hey guys, thanks all for the tips. Much appreciated. 

But I'm not 100% sure I'm going to keep the amp. I just wanted to try the speaker without modding the amp. I think I'm gonna hold off on this one.

If you did it the way @ICBM suggested you wouldn't be 'modding' your amp, i.e. there wouldn't be any change that showed if you wanted to reinstall the 15" speaker.

Just use the 15" speaker as a template to mark out the diameter and existing fixing positions on a piece of plywood (1/2" ply should do). Then cut the hole for the new 12" speaker so you have a plywood donut.

Fix the new 12" speaker to the new donut baffle then secure the new baffle with the existing speaker mounting bolts. All as ICBM advised. It means you can swap between 12" and 15" speaker quickly at any time by undoing the connecting cable and the existing fixing bolts. Eezy peezy.

Rocker

I had a Peavey 115 combo many years ago.  There is 'something' in the sound of a 15" speaker, my Tele never sounded as good as when played through that amp.  The amp was extremely heavy and difficult to move though.

bacchanalian

I did this to a Victoria Regal and found this in Germany
https://www.tube-town.net/ttstore/Parts-for-Cabs/Misc-Parts/TT-Converter-15-to-12::8524.html

In the end went with a new baffle and it is just fantastic now.  

Jimbro66

Rocker said:

I had a Peavey 115 combo many years ago.  There is 'something' in the sound of a 15" speaker, my Tele never sounded as good as when played through that amp.  The amp was extremely heavy and difficult to move though.

This /\ /\

For a couple of years in the 80s I used a LAB Series L9 with 15" speaker. A Tele sounded fantastic through it. The 15" really moved some air and added punch. I went from that to a 2 x 12 amp but selling the L9 was a mistake. I still have a yearning for a 15" Neo speaker in a cab with separate head to overcome the weight issue.

AndyJP

Hey guys,

I returned the 12 inch speaker. Gonna stick with the celestion fullback 15 inch for now.

The amp is a Supro Thunderbolt plus. The amp with this speaker is a clean machine. I've picked up a second hand boss ge7 eq pedal to try with it.

A 15 inch speaker is defo a much different experience to a 12. It kicks some serious ass.

AndyJP

Hey guys,

I'm gonna try and build a new baffle for the 12 inch speaker. I reordered lol.

Plan is get the baffle cut and get some new grill cloth. So.... Any idea where I could get some supro style grill cloth?!

ICBM

AndyJP said:

I'm gonna try and build a new baffle for the 12 inch speaker. I reordered lol.

Plan is get the baffle cut and get some new grill cloth. So.... Any idea where I could get some supro style grill cloth?!

Really, don't. A mounting ring is far easier and cheaper.

AndyJP

Cheers for the tips guys.    Will have a look into the donut!
The speaker is rear mounted.

So I'd get a piece of plywood big enough to cover the 15" speaker. Cut out the hole for the 12".
Then connect the speaker to the plywood. Then connect the plywood to the cab enclosure?

ICBM

AndyJP said:

So I'd get a piece of plywood big enough to cover the 15" speaker. Cut out the hole for the 12".
Then connect the speaker to the plywood. Then connect the plywood to the cab enclosure?

Yes, exactly. All you need is a piece of ply - I would use about 6-8mm (1/4"-5/16") - four nuts and bolts (M5 should be ideal, preferably with shakeproof washers), and probably some black paint.

Modulus_Amps

I can make you a mounting ring/donut if you need one, drop me a PM

ICBM idea to mount the speaker to the ring and then to mount it in the amp is the best way forward