Guitar amplifier/speaker relationship question.

[prodigitalson]

So I'm doing some Spring cleaning and I'm wondering if two old and or broken amps need to go or just become tables for or maybe a little learning project.

1. Tiny Yamaha GA-10. Works fine but even brand new its had a real tinny sound because of the tiny speaker and the 10W.

2. A cheap but kinda aesthetically pleasing Epiphone Firefly 30 DSP. Won't come on at all now but I think the speaker works.

Id like to find a use for the Epiphone because it looks cool. Would it be worth trying to connect the 10W Yamaha to the Epiphone's speaker?

It obviously won't sound like it did with 30W but should sound better than the 10W amp as it is?

Worth the effort?

[dchill]

1. The larger 10 inch speaker will most probably...

...make your Yamaha GA10 sound way better. I recommend trying it. That won't cost you anything.

[prodigitalson]

2. Cool.

I know that low W amp can sound great and even louder than you would expect. 10W + the look of the Epiphone + the experience= worth it.

Never done this. But I figure someone on YouTube can teach me.

[dchill]

4. You're basically just extending the speaker wire...

...from the Yamaha to the speaker terminals on the Epiphone. In effect, the Epiphone becomes an external speaker cabinet. You can even use an old 2-conductor extension cord for the wire.

[prodigitalson]

6. Yeah. Cant be too difficult.

I say now.

[RainCaster]

3. My thoughts

1. Sell the Yamaha. Craigslist, Facebook, sell it for cheap.
2. Try to fix the Firefly. Check out the fuse, power cord, all the usual suspects. These DSP amps aren't that great, but worth some efforts to revive. If you can't fix it for less than $35, don't bother, just sell it for parts. Or make an end table out of it for your man cave.

[prodigitalson]

5. Interesting.

So salvaging the full 30W of the Epiphone for 35 bucks or less should be the first move?

I doubt I could could get more than $10 for the Yamaha but Id pay $35 if the Epiphone was resurrected in its 30W glory.

[RainCaster]

10. If that Epiphone had tubes, I would invest far more

But if you already have amps you like, there is really nothing special about either of these. You can give these amps a new home, and have enough money for a few sets of strings. BTW, my name comes from my two favorite guitars, and I have multiple amps to match.

[BlueTexasMan]

7. Get this;

Vox VX15 GT 1x6.5" 15-watt Digital Modeling Combo Amplifier

Around $130 (you can do it!) and you'll have a blast playing with all the built in effects. If you need help learning about using the controls, the salesman will be glad to help you. Even online sales outlets have engineers eager to assist you. I use Sweetwater for online equipment purchases (because of their responsiveness to questions by phone or chat) and Guitar Center for hands on play before you buy. Have fun and rock on!

[OxQQme]

8. Or get this:

That video was 2018. The price is now $114.99

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611705&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1pyCBhCtARIsAHaY_5dhkGUqI6SRV7Kmcf78qLpXh-9JZacd1juQ-qmibcHKyN2U8Qm7YL4aArWkEALw_wcB

A step up -->
A band mate of mine has the 15w Stage Right and loves it for it's sound and portability.

Here is one review I found on youtube:

fwiw, I've purchased several products from Monoprice and have not been dis-appointed.

[Postal Grunt]

9. Not to rain on the parade..

but there are some aspects of this Frankenspeaker mashup to consider. First of all, there's the question of impedance matching between the amplifier output and the larger speaker. The probably higher weight of the larger speaker cone may also be a problem for the amplifier because chances are that the Yamaha amp is based on a small op-amp included with just enough output to handle the original smaller speaker. When you start driving the new setup, the op-amp will be running hotter than designed for. Excessive heat means bad news for the longevity of of any op-amps involved.

Any honest tech that works on speakers and amps will tell you that a speaker driven by a low wattage amp can be destroyed quicker than using a higher wattage amp. The low wattage amp will go into clipping or distortion more easily and could overheat the voice coil in the speaker. That's not to say you can't hook it up if you're not worried about the gear. It could be kind of spectacular to watch it in its death throes or at least educational. If you need a new amp and speaker combination, wait a little while for your stimulus check from our friends in DC and then do your due diligence before you put your money down.

[prodigitalson]

11. Rain? Hardly.

My choice was made at 'spectacular in its death throes.'


I bought a 100W. Fender with the last one.