More Weber Speakers: 12A125A and Ceramic Silver Bell

 Weber 12A125A

I bought a Weber 12A125A speaker in my chase for the ideal 5E3 tone. I originally bought a Speed Shop A12Q for Tweed tones, but it turned out to be based on an early 60s speaker. Many forum posts for the A12Q remark that it is basically a Weber 12A125S, a speaker that is an Oxford replacement. A12Q did get convincing Neil Young tones, and is likely why the speaker is popular with 5E3 players. Neil Young uses a C12N speaker with his Tweed Deluxe, so the A12Q would be closer to being period correct for that sound. The top end was a little too smooth for me.

The 12A125A is the speaker I should’ve bought in the first place. It reminds me of a thicker version of the P12Q that is in the Redwirez impulse response library, which was my reference. The bright top end works well with the dark 5E3 tone.

I can see why 5E3 user may prefer the in-room tone of the A12Q, but the 12A125A’s recorded tone is exactly what I was looking for. My experience with micing the speaker so far is that I have to back the microphone off an inch more than I would with a Celestion-style speaker. When using ribbon microphones, I have to back off to about 6” off the grille to get the low end where I want it. The sweet spot for me is typically somewhere within the dust cap. 

Weber Ceramic Silver Bell 30W

The Silver Bell was a B-Stock purchase from Weber based on my positive experience with the Ceramic Blue Dog. The Silver Bell is a take on the Celestion silver Alnico speakers used in early Marshalls. The speaker does remind me of a brighter Greenback when recorded, but the sweet spot is wider on the Silver Bell. With the Greenback, my preferred tones are around the dust cap-come junction, while I like the middle of the cone with the Silver Bell. When I was initially hunting for sweet spots, I was expecting yo find it closer to the center. I didn’t immediately gel with the speaker. However, spending more time to find balanced mic positions was a rewarding exercise. The Silver Bell works with every type of low gain front end that I’ve tried: Tweed, Voxy, Plexi.

Clips to come, and eventually IRs.