Gantz power amp speaker choice

[Andy Gibson]

What speaker are the Jay Gantz power amp guys using? I’ve seen posts saying some are using a TT15 or other eminence. But the gantz is 500w and the eminence is 300w. Wouldn’t that risk a blown speaker?

[Douglas Schuch]

I am no expert, but here is my understanding:

First, speakers are rated with a bit of conservatism baked in - as in,it's not a matter of 300 watts is fine, but 301 and your goose is cooked!

Perhaps more important with the combination you are asking about - Steelers generally don't send a strong signal to the amp and then max the volume - we use a volume pedal. So we are typically only using the full power of the amp to get sustain as the signal drops way down - we generally try to avoid hitting the speaker with full amp volume and also volume pedal to the floor - for the sake of our the hearing of ourselves, bandmates, and audience!

The last factor to consider is that it is actually recommended sometimes to have an amp that puts out more power than your speakers can handle and that you need for volume - that gives you the "clean headroom" many desire. This would be particularly true of a basic power amp, which you do not want to have clipping peaks and distorting - it's not built with the idea of emulating a tube amp when it breaks up - it's exactly what it says - a power amp.

Others can correct me if I'm wrong on this, but to get a linear output of volume (by which I mean that each step up on the volume knob returns a more or less equal increase in volume as we perceive it), the volume pot would have to be logarithmic for watts since each increase in volume takes a substantially larger increase of wattage. So if you dial your power amp back just a little - say 8 out of 10 - you should be at around 300 watts, and you will have that clean headroom and not be risking a blown speaker if you are also using a volume pedal in the usual way. Or go for 7 out of 10 as a max if you don't use a volume pedal or any other attenuator in line before the amp.

edit: one should also be careful if one uses any pedals that have a "gain" knob that can increase the gain higher than that sent from the instrument as that could risk overloading a speaker.

[Tony Glassman]

I’m using a Neodymium Black Widow. It sounds great.

[Donny Hinson]

Believe it or not, there is almost always a risk of a blown speaker! Depending on the programming you feed into the speaker (the waveform composition of the input signal), it’s possible to blow a 200-watt speaker with a 100-watt amp. (A fact which some rockers have discovered after “windmilling” a guitar with heavy distortion.). The simple fact is that there are certain types of signals which seriously tax any speaker’s design; among them are heavily distorted signals, large amounts of sustained bass, and signals with large amounts of both bass and treble, sometimes called called “complex programming”. But most steel guitarists seldom do any of those. In fact, most Steelers with 200-300 watt amps seldom use more than a fraction of that power. The ratings of speakers are usually determined by their ability to handle a sustained frequency of a certain power level (think: holding down the key on an electric organ), and that’s because that’s when heat builds up in the voice coil. We steelers almost never hold loud chords or notes for an extended period, so there’s little worry we’ll ever tax a speaker’s capabilities. And further, most amps are power rated with all the controls “maxed”, and that’s something we never do. In fact, some amps (like a Twin Reverb) have no output at all when the tone controls are all turned down, so every time you set the treble, middle, or bass controls at any setting below 10, you’re effectively lowering the output power of the amp.

All this to say that it’s perfectly fine for us (steel players) to have an amp rated considerably higher than the speakers. There’s little danger we will ever come close to exceeding the speaker’s power rating. Of course, if your rig goes into extended feedback, or if you try running the whole band through one speaker, all bets are off.

[Paddy Long]

I'm running my Straight Ahead power amp into a 15" Telonics speaker, open backed cabinet.

[Pat Moore]

I have mine thru an Evans preamp, thru the amp, then into a BW 1502 speaker in a separate cabinet.
I put the amp volume knob at halfway. 250 watts are more than enough power for about any gig!
Just my 2 cents, but man it sure sounds fine!!!
Thx, Pat

[Carl Williams]

TT-15 speaker. V8 Octal - HOF Mini Delay - Ganz 500 Watt amp - TT-15 - Tommy Huff Cab
Tried the TT-12 last year but having played through a 15” Black Widow for 30 years is what sounds “better” to my ears….”Some Tone is in the Hands…but all other factors contribute as well (fill in the blank here…..)….