Posted on Apr 04 2012 05:03 PM
Yes, you will get several different opinions here. One person's favorite speaker is hated by another. For example, I don't like the sound of Celestion Vintage 30's but some guys love them. A lot depends on the amp or cabinet a given speaker is mounted in.
I have a '65 Bandmaster that my dad bought me in 1965. I never cared for the stock Oxfords and consequently the amp never got played very much.
I recently found a really clean matched pair of Electro-Voice EVM12L's on ebay for a good price and installed them in the old BM. YIKES!! It's a different, much better amp with a lot more clean headroom and great surf tone. The only downside is that these are very heavy speakers and the cab probably weighs more than a Dual Showman now. Here's what it looks like inside.
IMO a very good, easily available surf-y speaker is the Weber California ceramic. I have a couple of Fender combo amps with them and they sound great...loud, clean and bright. Mine have the aluminum dust cap but they can be ordered with a paper cap if you want a little less brightness. But that's what the Treble knob is for, ya know. 
The Webers can also be ordered in 4, 8 and 16 ohm versions. The BM has a 4 ohm load so you'll want two 8 ohm speakers. They also require several hours of aggressive break-in playing before they sound good. That's why you often find almost new ones for sale regularly on ebay.
But in my humble opinion, the definitive trad surf tone (as opposed to volume) comes from a JBL D120F or D130F. At least that's my humble opinion. Nice D-series JBL's can be very pricey, though.
E-V's are louder and cleaner at very high volumes, the Weber Cali's are great bang for the buck and the JBL's ARE the vintage surf tone, if that's what you are after.
—
Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)
The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)
Last edited: Apr 04, 2012 21:23:47
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