Tuesday’s Tip Of The Day: Tighten Up Your Speakers!

An overlooked component that needs to be maintained in guitar amplifiers is the speaker. We often take them for granted. They are either installed by the manufacturer or by the guitarist retrofitting a specific model for his or her personal tone. Speakers fall into the “set ‘em and forget ‘em” mindset. However speakers can become loose form transporting your amp from gigs to studios and back home again. Another contributing factor is the vibration from use. If your amp is being used weekly for gigs and sessions you should check the mounting nuts or bolts periodically, about every 6 months. A loose speaker or speakers can sound terrible and mimic other conditions that may lead you to believe that you need an expensive repair. By checking them you can save a trip to your tech and this is something you can fix yourself. First check to see that you still have all mounting nuts or bolts! In extreme cases the mounting hardware can become loose and actually fall off! When tightening your speakers do not over-tighten them. Tighten down the nut or bolt until it is snug and then crank it about another 1/2 of a turn. The tool you are using to tighten the nut or bolt should feel like it is tight but not maxed out. Another helpful tip is to make sure that you have either kep nuts or star washers. They help the nut or bolt from becoming loose.