Speaker 12-280/8-A : 12-280/8-A

The construction of these speakers is impressive: die-cast chassis, solid and sturdy without being uncomfortably heavy. Big ceramic magnets. A large perforated ventilation grille in the centre at the back which literally pumps cooling air around the voice coil - no wonder they are claimed to handle 280 Watts !

The box 12-280-8-A are quite rightly categorised as PA speakers. I intend to use them as Guitar speakers ! This is simply because I cannot find any others with a frequency response that is wide ranging and (most importantly) NOT with any kind of peak or boost in the range 2.9-3.9 kHz. It has been an almost impossible quest to find any guitar speakers that meet this requirement. Almost all begin to peak in output somewhere above 2kHz and usually above 6dB higher than the average output. The 12-280-8-A has a 5dB reduction in output level between 3k-4.2kHz instead of the usual increase. The12-280-8-W by contrast has a narrow 5dB peak at 2.8 kHz and then drops off by 20dB at 3kHz. Fine with a crossover as intended for PA but not really suitable for guitar. The A type is good up to about 4kHz where it drops right down off scale. This is pretty close to what I'm looking for. If after testing for some time with lead guitar I get to notice the lack of high harmonics, then I may try adding a piezo horn with resistive attenuator (because this isn't a PA). The other requirement I've had trouble finding is a solid low frequency response (for lead guitar). Some other reviewers have mentioned speakers needing to be "Broken in" until the low frequency response increases. I've given up on this after about a year with an otherwise excellent 12 inch speaker. It just lacks that little bit of low response. By comparison, the 10 inch speaker in my Pro-Junior has a much more potent bass response than the 12 inch - weird ! So far THIS 12 inch is proving to give just the kind of sound I was hoping for with lead guitar. I'm well pleased !