"Epiphone" Lady Luck 12" Speaker Review

Products are rated from 1 to 7 Harps!

Steve"Big Daddy BluzHarp"Harvell

The Epiphone "Lady Luck" 12 inch speaker was designed by Epiphone and Eminence Speakers .Below is a email that I got from "Eminence Speakers" , my review will follow that.

( Eminence and Epiphone engineers collaborated to develop the Lady Luck speaker specifically for the new line of Epiphone Amplifiers. The development and testing of this speaker has been in process for about two years. The speaker is a 16 ohm model and is rated for 70 watts RMS. Each speaker sports a custom Epiphone/Eminence finish in Mustard Yellow along with the Lady Luck label on the back. The speaker has a stamped steel frame, a front , a rear sealing gasket, a 34 oz magnet, 1.75" voice coil, a full paper cone with paper edge, and a cloth dust cap. This speaker has a sensitivity of 99dB and a useable frequency range from 80Hz-5kHz. It has a very smooth response from the low-end through the mid range. It also has a very nice top end sparkle. The speaker was engineered to exhibit very warm, and smooth break-up modes. The tonality of the amp is such that very little tonal coloration from the speaker was desired. Consequently, the speaker was engineered to provide a subtle, yet effective compliment to the amplifier.)

The "Lady Luck" speaker was designed to be used in the Epiphone "Blues Custom" all tube amplifier that is switchable from 30 to 15 watts and comes with 2 Lady Luck speakers. It is also standard with the So-Cal 50 watt tube head in a 4x12 cab and the name for this unit is So-Cal 412 SL. This speaker is a chameleon in that it changes according to the enviroment ( what kind of amp-pickups-microphone- harmonica or guitar you are using.Included in this is also different power and preamp tubes).The "Lady Luck" handles the whole sound spectrum like a super hero. If you use equipment that pushes the low end , you can feel it in your body.

What I find so kool is the sound she makes that causes your hair to stand up on your neck and arms when you push your amp . For harmonica this speaker is in my favorite Top (5) that Eminence Speakers produces . Yes, the speaker is velvety/sparkly clean in clean mode but the Lady Luck was made to OVERDRIVE ! It is not too smooth-nor too harsh- it leans towards a powerfull ride though . Back in the late 1960s I was into drag cars so I relate that some speakers are meant to be driven hard and others are not . Many speakers are so fast and hard that you have to hold on , not pleasing in all situations . The lady Luck is like a 1967 Chevrolet SS-396 ( 375 horsepower ) with headers and glasspack mufflers . When the SS-396 hits a 100 miles per hour and ya just hold it there , there is the sound of power like you are floating , suspended in space and time . I have never experienced a ride quite like the Lady Luck when I put the hot tubes to her !

When I bend notes real hard it is like changing gears in the SS-396 , the Lady Luck transposes that raw power and makes playing and practicing fun . Coupled with the Valve Junior Head , well , this is possibly better than any rig I have ever played through so far . I have no problem making that last statement at all . The Epiphone "Lady Luck" is a lot like the "Private Jack" speaker made by Eminence in that it makes every harmonica key sound great . Like I mentioned earlier , it is a real chameleon in that it changes with each different key and harp mic with various elements . Playing through this speaker is like riding a wave on a surf board ! Every little move ( on your instrument ) can take you to a higher plateau with power to spare .

I have a little suggestion for Epiphone , please make a 1x12 extention cab to go along with Valve Jr. 5 Watt Head , matching colors etc . It would be a big hit from the way I hear these heads are selling.I give the Epiphone "Lady Luck" speaker a ( 7 ) harp Salute , as fine a speaker as a mere mortal could ever hope to play through !



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