How hard is it to put a new speaker in a FSK

Nigel Mullen · Post by **Nigel Mullen** » 5 Sep 2008 11:06 am

Just wondering if some of you who have switched speakers in a fender steel king would give me some direction. I have a 1501 black widow that I want to put in the fender steel king and take out the speaker that came in the amp. As I've never done anything like this before, I need all the help I can get. Thanks so much in advance for your help. Nigel

Mike Kowalik · Post by **Mike Kowalik** » 5 Sep 2008 1:10 pm

It's piece of cake.The hole pattern on the BW is the same as the Steel King speaker.The only catch(a minor one) is that the Fender speaker has little ears that a clip attached to the speaker wire slides onto.Take some cutters and remove the clip from each wire....then strip some insulation from each wire.

Once the BW is installed you will notice it has 2 terminals for the speaker wires.....one is red(positive) and the other is black(negative).When disconnecting the Fender speaker be sure to notice which wire is positive and which is negative.

Then connect the appropriate wire to the the proper terminal on the BW speaker and you are good to go.

You won't be sorry....I removed that stock Fender speaker soon after I got my Steel King and have never regretted doing so.

Nigel Mullen · Post by **Nigel Mullen** » 5 Sep 2008 5:06 pm

Thank you Mike. Much appreciated. Nigel

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 5 Sep 2008 9:46 pm

Actually, unless you're using two amps or two speakers, the polarity of a speaker is totally meaningless, it will work fine wired either way.

Another interesting fact is that not all speaker manufacturers use the same polarity reference on their speaker terminals, so mixing different brands requires some sort of testing.

One last added bit of advice: Always be careful not to overtighten the speaker mounting screws/nuts or you may damage the speaker frame.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 5 Sep 2008 10:00 pm

Has anyone tried a 1502 in a Steel King? I have an old Vegas with a 1502 I've been thinking about putting into my Steel King. Does anyone know how this speaker compares to the 1501?

Michael Pierce · Post by **Michael Pierce** » 6 Sep 2008 7:17 am

Doug, I actually researched this awhile back when I was putting together a 1x15 cabinet to use with my Evans head. Opinions varied (imagine that!) as to which was the better speaker for steel, but the 1501 seems to be the preferred model and the one recommended by Peavey. Here's a link to one thread on the topic (from the older version of the Forum). It doesn't sound too hard to install these in the FSK, so it would be interesting to hear your expert reaction to installing the 1502 in your amp (I assume the 1502 you have is 4 ohms).

Best, Michael

PS. I'll be in Northampton tomorrow night for the Robert Earl Keen show at the Calvin!

http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/001745.html

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 6 Sep 2008 7:19 am

Hi Doug:

The 1502 is a bass speaker but Peavey used them in some non bass amps including the Nashville and Vegas amps. It's a good sounding speaker and I'm sure it's worn in good if you have it in the Vegas. It's worth a try to see how the FSK sounds with the 1502.

See you at the RISGA steel show Sept. 20th.

Lenny

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 6 Sep 2008 11:25 pm

Thanks Michael and Len. Yes, the 1502 in my Vegas is certainly worn, battered, and covered with dust! I've owned the amp for about 25 years and it has a lot of hours on it.

Thanks for the link, Mike. I was interested to read Mike Brown's comments:

I recommend the 1501-4 BW for steel guitar applications. All other BW's that we manufacture have KEVLAR impregnated cones which have a characteristic of sounding "middy". Please don't confuse today's 1502 BW with what was installed in the early Session 400 Limited amp.

... so the current 1502 has a KEVLAR impregnated cone (middy tone)... and the "old" 1502 does Not? Mine is one of the old ones, and it sounds really nice in the Vegas IMO.

Michael, have fun at the show tonight. I'll be playing in North Grosvenordale CT tonight.

Thanks Len, I'm looking forward to the Rhode Island show!

Nigel Mullen · Post by **Nigel Mullen** » 9 Sep 2008 1:59 pm

I completed the speaker swap in my FST and it sounds absolutely great. I did'nt run into any problems at all thanks to you guys. Really appreciate you help in this. Nigel

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 9 Sep 2008 8:00 pm

I just swapped mine too. The jury's still out, but so far it sounds pretty good. With the original speaker, the unwound strings on my Emmons p/p sounded very thin, sometimes annoying. But the lows were thunderous. With the 1502 the highs are fine, not shrill, and the mids are very warm, but the bass tones are not the same. There's not as much low rumbling, which is odd because the 1502 is a bass speaker. This weekend I have three gigs, so I'll have a chance to blow the dust out of that 25 year old 1502 and see how it performs.

Nigel Mullen · Post by **Nigel Mullen** » 10 Sep 2008 6:00 am

Doug: I also use a Emmons P/P single 12 and I had the identical problems that you experienced with the small strings being almost shrill through the original FSK speaker. After using the amp for a while it started to distort a lot. Since I've changed the speaker the distortion is completely gone and it just sounds better all over. I have'nt gigged with the new speaker yet but I'll let you all know how that works out next week. Nigel

George Kimery · Post by **George Kimery** » 11 Sep 2008 4:21 am

If you want to do a little "SNEAK LISTENING" you can pull the lugs off the FSK, then use something like lamp cord and make up a little jumper cable. Then hook the jumper wire to the speaker wires on the FSK and then connect them to the new speaker that you are going to install. The cabinet in the FSK might make a small difference in sound, but at least this way you will here the difference in the two speakers and be able to make a more informed decision if you really want to switch speakers.

Alan Rudd · Post by **Alan Rudd** » 11 Sep 2008 2:11 pm

Just did the change on mine, so far so good. Simple operation. I didn't cut the clips off the speaker wires. I bought some terminals and found some identical wire and made an adaptor. That way, if I put the original speaker back in, I just pull the terminals loose and slip then back on the ears of the original.

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 11 Sep 2008 2:25 pm

I haven't done this yet on my FSK but I intend to---

--on any amp that does not have a "speaker out" jack (and in my opinion ALL amps should have one. The hardwired FSK rig is all wrong!) I install a jack inside the cabinet and install a plug on the speaker lead. I always want the ability to

A) sample a different speaker in another cabinet and

B) run out to something---a house back line cabinet or something in the event of an emergency such as a blown speaker.

I'm considering putting a BW in my FSK too although there are certainly some good qualities to the original speaker. Not sure what speaker I've got here---came out of an 80's Session 400 Limited.

Hey Doug---been working with some cats that you know.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 11 Sep 2008 2:56 pm

I put the Fender/Eminence speaker into my old Vegas 400 (the amp the 1502 came out of), and it doesn't sound very good in the Vegas. There's no warmth, it sounds thin to my ear. Maybe that's because I'm used to hearing the Vegas with the 1502. Anyway, the Vegas will now be a good practice amp, a good spare amp.

Hi Jon, yes, I heard you've been playing with Mike and Dennis. I'll be working with them tomorrow night in CT.

----------------------------------------------

My old 1502 is pretty beat, but it still sounds good. It looks a little odd in a nice, clean FSK.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 11 Sep 2008 7:52 pm

Jon Light wrote:I haven't done this yet on my FSK but I intend to---

--on any amp that does not have a "speaker out" jack (and in my opinion ALL amps should have one. The hardwired FSK rig is all wrong!) I install a jack inside the cabinet and install a plug on the speaker lead. I always want the ability to

A) sample a different speaker in another cabinet and

B) run out to something---a house back line cabinet or something in the event of an emergency such as a blown speaker.

Amen, Jon!! I hadn't really noticed the FSK's setup until a couple of days ago when I thought I'd run the FSK into the speaker in my Nashville 1000 to check out the difference before ordering a 1501. D'OH!!!

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 13 Sep 2008 12:05 am

Doug,

My favorite speaker is the 1502. Good choice. I imagine it makes that Steel King just sing. Must be the ribbed cone on the 1502.

I have 2 NV400's and a PX300 power speaker. The main NV400 I use has a 1502 and the others are 1501's. The 1502 just blows them away. It is so warm sounding and has character in the bass region that the 1501 doesn't have. I wish Peavey still made the 1502. I would get rid of the 1501's in a second.

Bill Moran · Post by **Bill Moran** » 13 Sep 2008 2:35 pm

Good topic. I just traded for a SK. Haven't
played it yet . Bought it over the phone.
I have a extra 1502 from a Nashville if
needed.
You guys save some of us a lot of trial
and error !! Thanks

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 13 Sep 2008 2:41 pm

Just an advisory -

If the Steel King is still under warranty, a speaker replacement will void the warranty. I found that out as an endorsee when I got one of the first '64 Vibroverb Customs and asked the guys about going with a Weber speaker in place of the stock Eminence.

Their policy is that the speakers are matched with the amp, and any change might affect the output stage of the amp, correct impedance and power ratings notwithstanding.

I personally do not agree with the technical reasons behind the policy, but it is what it is. Change the speaker to anything other than a stock replacement, and your warranty is void.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 16 Sep 2008 10:32 pm

I played three gigs last weekend with the 1502 in my Steel King, and the the tone is warm, with more mids than before... however it lacks the punch and clarity of the original FSK speaker IMHO. The lead player in one of my bands noticed the difference. The drummer said he couldn't hear me as well as usual. The range of speaker is more limited than the original speaker, in my opinion. I guess that makes sense because it's a bass speaker. So... yesterday I put the original speaker back in and I'm happy to have the original FSK tone back.

As far as the warranty, my FSK is three years old, so that's not a problem.

Nigel Mullen · Post by **Nigel Mullen** » 17 Sep 2008 4:06 am

I did'nt like the way mine sounded either with the black widow speaker so I switched back to the original FST speaker. My original speaker is not great either as it has some distortion on the low notes which was the main reason I made the shift. I have since emailed Eminence(Canada) and they can supply me with a speaker similar to the original so I guess that's my next move. I'll keep you updated. Nigel

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