Scumback Speaker Tone Defined, March 2017....

[Scumback Speakers]

Scumback Speaker Tone Defined, March 2017.

There seems to be a lot of confusion on the net and other places on Scumback Speaker models and the tones they produce. The descriptions below apply to the current black frame California built speakers. This should clear all that up, I hope!

The tone difference between the low power PVC model 20/25w Kraft and 65w nomex coil is pretty small, although some of my clients feel they have a touch more low end than the nomex versions. With clients in my demo room comparing the 20/25w cab to the 65w PVC cab, they told me it was like splitting hairs over the tones between the two speakers, which is pretty accurate, IMO. To handle a cranked 100w Marshall safely, you’ll need eight of the 20/25w Kraft models, or four of the 65w nomex versions.

M Series Speakers (M55/M75/M75-PVC/M55-PVC/BM75/BM55) 35 oz ceramic magnet, 97db

M55-PVC is the tone of the pre 1971 G12M “Greenback T1511” 014 Pulsonic 55hz bass cone, with the same cone stamp as the original. 55hz bass response speaker, with a little more upper mids and treble as the original did. Frequently this speaker was in Marshall “Bass” logo 4x12 cabs. This uses a different 55hz cone than the M55. The 20w PVC coil model uses a regular non heat treated Kraft paper voice coil. The 65w version uses a heat treated nomex voice coil. 20w & 65w versions, 35 oz ceramic magnet in 8 & 16 ohms. The 20w Kraft version is sold without warranty, while the 65w has a 1 year warranty.

The tone of the M55-PVC would be very close to what Paul Kossoff of Free used with his Les Paul & Marshall stacks.

M55 model is my take on the old pre 1971 G12M bass cone type speaker but with a touch more lows, and creamier high end than the original. Good for those looking to fatten up their Strat/Tele, and for the Paul Kossoff/Free tones with their humbucker guitars. 25/65/100w models with 8 & 16 ohms, 35 oz ceramic magnet and heat treated nomex voice coils.

The tone of this speaker is a little darker than the M55-PVC, and is great for Strat players, and for mixing with the M75 in a cab to give it a little more bottom end which would be a little punchier. Open back cabs sound bigger with this speaker than the PVC version.

M75-PVC is the 1966-1971 G12M 003 Pulsonic 75hz lead cone, with the same cone build as the original. Going to have a little more upper mids and treble as the original did. This uses a different 75hz cone than the M75. The 20w PVC coil model uses a regular non heat treated Kraft paper voice coil. The 65w version uses a heat treated nomex voice coil. 20w & 65w versions, 35 oz ceramic magnet in 8 & 16 ohms. The 20w Kraft version is sold without warranty, while the 65w has a 1 year warranty.

The tone of this speaker is like the original 1966-1971 G12M’s, so think early Cream, Hendrix.

M75 is my take on the old pre 1971 G12M lead cone type speaker but with a touch more lows, and creamier high end than the original. Good for those looking to fatten up their Strat/Tele, and for rock tones with their humbucker guitars. 25/65/100w models with 8 & 16 ohms, 35 oz ceramic magnet and heat treated nomex voice coils.

The tone of the M75 is a little bigger on the low end, creamier high end than the M75-PVC. Great with overdriven tones, Strats/Les Pauls, brighter amps, and those who want more grunt than the M75-PVC or Cele G12M Reissue.

BM75 is the 1974-1980 75hz G12M 75hz lead cone, with the same cone build as the original. Going to have a little more upper mids and treble as the original did. This uses a different 75hz cone than the M75, with a heat treated nomex voice coil. 25, 65 & 100w versions, 35 oz ceramic magnet in 8 & 16 ohms.

The tone of this speaker is like the 1974-1980 BlackBack G12M’s, so think EVH & mid 70/80’s rock tones.

BM55 is my take on the 1974-1980 75hz G12M 55hz bass cone, with the same cone build as the original which will fatten up your Strat/Tele, and for rock tones with their humbucker guitars. 25/65/100w models with 8 & 16 ohms, 35 oz ceramic magnet and heat treated nomex voice coils.

The tone of this speaker will add more low end grunt to your BM75, but with a little less high end. Great in open back cabs

H Series Speakers (H55/H75/H55-PVC/H75-PVC/BH75/BH55) 50 oz ceramic magnet, 99db

H55-PVC is the pre 1971 G12H30 “Greenback T1281” 014 Pulsonic 55hz bass cone, with the same cone stamp as the original. 55hz bass response speaker, with a little more upper mids and treble as the original did. This uses a different 55hz cone than the M55. The 25w PVC coil model uses a regular non heat treated Kraft paper voice coil. The 65w version uses a heat treated nomex voice coil. 25w & 65w versions, 35 oz ceramic magnet in 8 & 16 ohms. The 20w Kraft version is sold without warranty, while the 65w has a 1 year warranty.

The tone difference between the 25w Kraft and 65w nomex coil is pretty small, although some of my clients feel the 20w has a touch more low end. When clients were in my demo room comparing the 25w cab to the 65w PVC cab, they told me it was like splitting hairs over the tones between the two speakers, which is pretty accurate, IMO. To handle a cranked 100w Marshall safely, you’ll need eight of the 25w Kraft models, or four of the 65w nomex versions.

The tone of this speaker is the later Jimi Hendrix (post 1968) including Woodstock, Band Of Gypsies, and Ritchie Blackmore Deep Purple tones.

H55 model is my take on the old pre 1971 G12M bass cone type speaker but with a touch more lows, and creamier high end than the original. These are incredible with those looking for the later Jimi Hendrix / Strat tones, but also sound great with humbucker guitars. 25/65/100w models with 8 & 16 ohms, 35 oz ceramic magnet and heat treated nomex voice coils.

The tone of the H55 is a little darker, creamier high end than the H55-PVC. It will fatten up the low end a little and smooth out the top end, too.

H75-PVC is the pre 1971 G12H30 “Greenback T1217” 003 Pulsonic lead cone tone, with the same cone build as the original. Going to have a little more upper mids and treble as the original did. This uses a different 75hz cone than the H75. The 25w PVC coil model uses a regular non heat treated Kraft paper voice coil. The 65w version uses a heat treated nomex voice coil. 25w & 65w versions, 50 oz ceramic magnet in 8 & 16 ohms. The 25w Kraft version is sold without warranty, while the 65w has a 1 year warranty.

The tone of the H75-PVC is the old G12H30 pre-rola tone in the Marshall “100” labeled cabs. It has a good low end, not as much mid hump as the M75 or M75-PVC, and a little more upper mids.

H75 is my take on the old pre 1971 G12H30 lead cone type speaker but with a touch more lows, and creamier high end than the original. Good for those looking to fatten up their Strat/Tele, and for rock tones with their humbucker guitars. 25/65/100w models with 8 & 16 ohms, 50 oz ceramic magnet and heat treated nomex voice coils.

The H75 is a little darker than the H75-PVC, more low end, less high end. Good for straight up rock paired with the M75 speakers, or alone.

BH75 is my take on 70’s BlackBack era G12H30 lead cone type speaker but with a touch more lows, and creamier high end than the original. Good for those looking to fatten up their Strat/Tele, and for rock tones with their humbucker guitars. 25/65/100w models with 8 & 16 ohms, 50 oz ceramic magnet and heat treated nomex voice coils.

BH55 is the 70’s version of the BlackBack T1281 55hz bass cone. Big low end, punchy mids and upper mids.

(continued on next post below)

[Scumback Speakers]

LD (Large Dust Cap) Speaker Models

BM75-LD is the tonal recreation of the early 80’s Cele G12-65. This is a 35 oz ceramic magnet speaker with a large dust cap to tame the high end a touch, and add a little bass to the original style 75 hz cone it uses. You can almost think of it as a 65 hz speaker due to it’s design. Great for hair metal, higher gain rock and Judas Priest type tones, RATT, etc. 25/65 & 100w models, 8 & 16 ohm.

This speaker is most like the original G12-65, a higher powered G12M type speaker, but with it’s own flavor due to the nomex voice coil, and large dust cap that softens the treble a bit.

M75-LD is the slightly beefier and darker version of the BM75-LD. It uses a different 75hz cone to produce more bass, less high end, and more low mids. If you’re looking for just a bit more oomph and grunt than the BM75-LD or a G12-65 Reissue, this is the speaker for you.

J75-LD is a speaker I came up with to sit between the M & H style speakers. When an M doesn’t have the bass and upper mid cut you need, but the H is too much, then the J series speaker is what you want. This has a 40 oz ceramic magnet, 5 oz heavier than the M/G12M speakers, and 10 oz lighter than the H/G12H speakers. This allows the speaker to have more bass than an M, but not as much as an H. It also retains most of the mids of an M type speaker, but with a little more bass, and a little more upper mid bite.

This speaker does well at drop D/C type tunings since the bass response is bigger/tighter than an M type speaker. It’s stronger upper mid content also does well at balancing out the extra bass it provides, so it’s more balanced across the entire EQ range. With the large dust cap used, it also allows the treble to not rip your head off and dial in the tone you need. A very versatile speaker when you need to cover a lot of styles. 25/65/100w versions in 8 & 16 ohms.

H75-LD is the tonal recreation of the early 80’s Cele G12-80. This has a 50 oz ceramic magnet, 75 hz cone with large 4” wide dust cap. This speaker does well with Dumble/D-style amps that need a big bass response, but not too much treble. It’s stronger upper mid content also does well at balancing out the extra bass it provides, so it’s more balanced across the entire EQ range. With the large dust cap used, it also allows the treble to not rip your head off and dial in the tone you need. A great rock speaker when you need heavier tones to cover a lot of styles. 25/65/100w versions in 8 & 16 ohms.

J Series Speaker Models (J55/J75/J75-PVC) 40 oz ceramic magnet, 98 db

J75 is a speaker I came up with to sit between the M & H style speakers. When an M doesn’t have the bass and upper mid cut you need, but the H is too much, then the J series speaker is what you want. This has a 40 oz ceramic magnet, 5 oz heavier than the M/G12M speakers, and 10 oz lighter than the H/G12H speakers. This allows the speaker to have more bass than an M, but not as much as an H. It also retains most of the mids of an M type speaker, but with a little more bass/low mids, and a little more upper mid bite.

This speaker does well at drop D/C type tunings since the bass response is bigger/tighter than an M type speaker. It’s stronger upper mid content also does well at balancing out the extra bass it provides, so it’s more balanced across the entire EQ range. With the regular/small dust cap used, it recreates vintage M75/G12M tones with a touch more bass and upper mids. A very balanced speaker when you need to cover a lot of styles. 25/65/100w versions in 8 & 16 ohms.

J75-PVC is the PVC tone speaker version of the J75. Many feel the papery/woody tone of the PVC cones is what brings back the magic of the 60/70’s rock guitar tones, with almost any amp or style. With it’s upper mid cut and sweet high end, this is a new speaker definition that’s never been created before. Mixes well with M75-PVC, or H75-PVC speakers for JTM 45 type amps, or with the J55/J55-PVC to make a killer cab for JMP style amps. The 65w version uses a heat treated nomex voice coil. 25w & 65w versions, 50 oz ceramic magnet in 8 & 16 ohms. The 25w Kraft version is sold without warranty, while the 65w has a 1 year warranty.


J55 is the darker version of the J75 with more bass, and creamier high end. Going to have more bass than the M55, but not as much as the H55. It will also have more upper mids, but with a slightly relaxed high end compared to the J75. When you need more bass than an M speaker gives you, the J55 is the logical upgrade to step up the bass to go with your J75, or M75. 30/65/100w versions in 8 & 16 ohms.

J55-PVC is the PVC tone speaker version of the J55. With it’s tighter bass, upper mid cut and relaxed high end, this speaker allow for more bass, but without overpowering the low end. Mixes well with M75-PVC, or J75-PVC speakers for JTM 45 type amps. The 65w version uses a heat treated nomex voice coil. 25w & 65w versions, 50 oz ceramic magnet in 8 & 16 ohms. The 25w Kraft version is sold without warranty, while the 65w has a 1 year warranty.

Alnico Speaker Models

S75-PVC Alnico is my recreation of the old Celestion Blues from the mid 60's, available with the old paper voice coil rated at 25w, and the 65w nomex voice coil. The 25w version is true vintage Blue tone, but due to the KRAFT paper voice coil former it's sold without warranty. The 65w nomex voice coil has a 1 year warranty since it's heat treated to handle more power. Great blues and British rock tone from the 60's and early 70's. Decent bass response and big mids with a sweet high end that cuts through the mix but isn't shrill. Alnico speakers aren't the best with high gain/boosts since the alnico magnet can get a little squishy or mushy when driven too hard.

SC75 Scumnico Alnico is my version of the old Vox Silver Alnico speakers from the 60's. I've designed in a little more bass and low mids with a creamy high end. Not as much treble as the S75-PVC speakers, but more low end and low mids. Mixes well with M75's and Greenback G12M's, and has that Beano Tone down pretty well.



The descriptions above are guidelines for better tone with the speakers I’ve designed. In many cases your cab type (open/closed/ported/etc) and the size of the cab will determine what speaker sounds best with your rig. What guitar you use, your fx/signal chain, preamp/power tubes & EQ settings for your amp will also have an impact on what works best for you.

Every guitar player has an idea of the tone they want, or who they want to sound like. With over 8000 clients in 13 years, and over 25,000 speakers shipped, Scumback Speakers has a wide range of experiences and solutions to help you dial in your tone. There really isn’t a one size fits all speaker, although that would be nice!

If you need to a recommendation to get your tone dialed in, I encourage you to fill out my recommendation form on my site and email it in to me. Then I can get your rig evaluated and recommend the best speaker solution from Scumback (or some other manufacturer if I don’t make it) to bring that tone in your head to life.

You can fill out the recommendation form at this link: http://www.scumbackspeakers.com/recommend.html

Or you can copy and paste the answers to these questions and email them to me at:

sales@scumbackspeakers.com

1. Name =
2. Email =
3. Country =
4. Zip code =
5. GuitarPickups =
6. AmpType =
7. VolumeSetting =
8. FX =
9. MusicStyle =
10. CabDimensions =
11. CurrentSpeakers =
12. Comments =

Hope this helps!

Jim