90W Combo speaker is soldered?

Hey guys,

I bought a replacement speaker for my Mark V combo. I had read that these amps used solder-less connections, but when I popped it open, I couldn't work the speaker connection off the way I'd seen in videos. I'm assuming it's soldered then?

I have a soldering gun and solder but I don't really know what I'm doing, so I guess I'll bring it to a shop.

What should I expect in price and time for replacing the new speaker?

The new speaker is a Scumback BH75, if anyone's interested. Thanks!

Yes the speaker wires are soldered to the tabs. Mesa does this on all models as well as the speaker cabinets.
You have a few options..... You can always cut the wires where they are soldered on the tabs, just leave a little bit so the remains can be removed if you go back to the original speaker. You can strip the ends of the wires and add quick connect terminals. I believe it is a 0.250" x 0.020" male tab on both terminals. You would need two female quick connect terminals. You would also need the correct crimping tool to complete the job. The other option would be to use the solder gun and heat up the terminal to remove the wire. Do this to both. Key to this is to remove the speaker first as it is easier to gain access to the terminals if the speaker is on a table with the cone facing down. Use care to keep the 90° plug out from under the speaker, stick it to the magnetic driver on the back of the speaker. If it does not stick, use some tape to hold it in place. I have already punctured a speaker web with the speaker jack so always keep any objects away from the work area to prevent cone damage. If you are not familiar with the soldering process, you can always practice with the tools first. Generally, solder guns are going to run a bit on the hot side so keep in mind too much time on the solder process will tend to melt the insulation on the wires. If you solder is rosin core or a type designed for electrical use, you will need some flux but not a huge amount to get a good solder joint. Typical solder job for removal and soldering to new speaker should take about 15 minutes of time (assuming the speaker is removed), a complete speaker replacement should be about half an hour. (includes amp chassis removal, removal of the reverb tank, speaker swap and re-assembly.

.250" connectors will be a little loose on the speaker. I think the size is actually .205".

I prefer that the wires be soldered on, but it's dangerous if you're not experienced, especially if old wires need to be de-solderd. I bought an otherwise really nice Celestion G12H-75 for $40 because the seller overheated a connector and it damaged the board it was mounted on.

Hmmm, that seems a little more difficult than I'd anticipated.

Is it possible to just buy a new solder-less speaker cable and attach it that way?

For example, the cable would have the 8ohm 1/4" plug on one end, and a solderless connection that I could attach to my new speaker?

Don said:

.250" connectors will be a little loose on the speaker. I think the size is actually .205".

I prefer that the wires be soldered on, but it's dangerous if you're not experienced, especially if old wires need to be de-solderd. I bought an otherwise really nice Celestion G12H-75 for $40 because the seller overheated a connector and it damaged the board it was mounted on.

Click to expand...

You may be right.... I did not measure the tabs on the speakers. Since there is more current than voltage in the output, you may be better off with soldered wires vs quick connect terminals. Most important is the tightness of the terminal on the tab, they tend to be loose if the terminals are not crimped properly.

Soldering wires is not very difficult but I have seen some bad soldering on speaker terminals when I bought a used RA100 Combo. It does take some practice to get a good solder joint. proper tools and solder are required. Most solder that is lead free that is sold at various places may not be all that great. Tin-lead solder generally called 60/40 (60% lead or Pb) is usually much better than the lead free stuff as it does not require higher temperatures like the Pb free solder. Also solders with a rosin core will perform much better than other types.

I keep taking for granted I have been using a solder iron for over 20 years and assume most have the same skills. I have to take into account that some people may never have used a solder iron. I wonder if there are any instructional video's on the net that would help.

Removal of leads from a soldered tab is simple, it is a process of adding more solder to the connection to get the solder to flow and gently pull the lead out of the hole in the tab while under heat. Be careful at doing this at it may spit out molten solder (you should at least have eye protection when doing that part). You do have the option to just cut the wires close to the solder joint so you do not have to de-solder anything. Installing the wires is not too bad either. You may need to cut the old soldered ends off of the speaker wire, twist the wire end, add a little flux. Heat some solder on the tip of the solderiron and alllow it to wick into the bare wire. Eye protection also required as the flux will boil off and splatter a bit. You want the soldered wire minimum not too much solder.

you may be better off removing the speaker with the cable attached and take that with the new speaker to have a tech swap the cable from one speaker to the other.

When i replace the speaker in a Mesa combo amp I removed the original speaker with the wires still attached and attach new wires and plug on the new speaker. Then I put the original speaker/wires assembly in the box that the new speaker came in and save it in case I want to swap back or sell the amp.

bandit2013 said:

Don said:

Removal of leads from a soldered tab is simple, it is a process of adding more solder to the connection to get the solder to flow and gently pull the lead out of the hole in the tab while under heat.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, people inexperienced in soldering tend to use too much heat doing a job like this.

Don said:

bandit2013 said:

Don said:

Removal of leads from a soldered tab is simple, it is a process of adding more solder to the connection to get the solder to flow and gently pull the lead out of the hole in the tab while under heat.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, people inexperienced in soldering tend to use too much heat doing a job like this.

Click to expand...

I would agree. Best to leave the soldering to the tech who has the skills.