Breaking in the Speaker

Vox AC15HW1I’ve often heard people talk about how their headphones or guitar speakers really “opened up” or became more “dynamic and alive” after breaking them in.

I recently had the opportunity to borrow a virgin, unplayed Celestion G12M Greenback speaker, which is the same speaker as in my Vox AC15HW1 hand-wired

Celestion G12M GreenbackSo, I thought it would be interesting to do a swap-in comparison with my current G12M, which has probably about 100 hours of playtime on it, at both bedroom and gigging levels.

Honestly, I was not blown away.  I thought the differences would be really obvious, but they’re pretty subtle.

Have a listen:
And here’s a little pictorial of swapping the speaker.   After removing its screws, the speaker is still stuck in there.   There’s a thin layer of cork between the speaker and the cabinet, which either has adhesive applied to it, or has just kinda bonded with the cabinet interior.   It needs a little coaxing to get out of there.  I’m using a 15″ utility bar to gently pry free the speaker.

Since this is a big cabinet, there’s plenty of room to remove the speaker without removing the tubes and amp section, but on a smaller amp like the AC15C1 Custom, it’s necessary to remove the tubes or the entire amp/control unit (just 8 more screws), to create a big enough opening to remove the speaker.

Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly

Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly- Label the wires, or take a picture to remember wire orientation Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly- Keep your screws organized for reassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly - Use a utility bar to gently pry the speaker free Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly - Use a utility bar to gently pry the speaker free Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly- Careful with the tubes. Remove them (and the entire amp unit) if you don't have room Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly - Label the parts Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly- Label the parts Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly Vox AC15HW1 Disassembly