Speaker

The transducer that converts the amplifier's electrical output into sound, and one of the largest single contributors to an electric guitar's tone.

A guitar speaker is deliberately limited: it cuts off the top end early and peaks in the upper midrange, which is why the same amplifier sounds wrong through a hi-fi speaker and right through a guitar driver. Its efficiency, power rating and impedance must match the amplifier, and its magnet type and cone material shape the response. Age matters too, since a speaker's suspension softens with use, which players describe as breaking in.

Example: swapping one speaker model for another in the same cabinet can change the guitar's tone more than changing the amplifier.

Speaker

See also