70's fender blue-label speakers: worth reconing?

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crow
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70's fender blue-label speakers: worth reconing?

Post by crow » Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:04 pm

i thought i'd get some opinions on whether i should get some blown "special design" 12" speakers reconed, or just get new speakers. i have 4, but only need 2 for a 2 x 12 bassman cabinet i'm putting back together. i suppose that since i'll probably use it to record bass with (i won't be gigging with it), maybe i should get some EVs.

I've had this cabinet (and the matching silver bassman head, which is awesome) for years and never cared for it (as a guitar cab), and a borrower blew the speakers, but right before i was about to give/throw it away, i saw in Recording the Beatles that Paul used this exact rig for a lot of later beatles stuff. naturally, i figured "well, if it's good enough for P-Mac (o god, i didn't really write that, did I?), maybe i should really give this thing a shot."

i'm leaning toward ev's, but am mulling it over and would love to hear some two-centses.

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Post by RefD » Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:27 pm

EV
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newfuturevintage
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Post by newfuturevintage » Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:08 pm

if you want to use it as a bass cab, the EVs will be nicer than the blues.

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Post by KennyLusk » Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:36 pm

ebay the blue's and buy EV's. Alot of guitarists (including me) like the sound of those 70's blue magnets.
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Post by calaverasgrandes » Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:08 pm

It totally depends on the EVs though! I find the super high wattage EVs dont sound as good as the lower watt ones. Apparently someone at Mesa Boogie agrees with me. The mesa version of EVs are just the Force series with the magnets from the EVM series.
The best EVs are those old ones with the chrome frame (why is a part you dont see chromed?) and the hammertone coffee can cover over the magnet.
Man I wish I had my old cabinet back!
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."

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Post by RefD » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:28 pm

calaverasgrandes wrote:It totally depends on the EVs though! I find the super high wattage EVs dont sound as good as the lower watt ones. Apparently someone at Mesa Boogie agrees with me. The mesa version of EVs are just the Force series with the magnets from the EVM series.
The best EVs are those old ones with the chrome frame (why is a part you dont see chromed?) and the hammertone coffee can cover over the magnet.
Man I wish I had my old cabinet back!
are you talking about the SROs?

i can't quite remember if those fit your description.
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Post by calaverasgrandes » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:41 pm

I think they are the SP15? Not entirely sure. google image search shows similar looking ones called sp12. It has a chrome frame and a pinkish/brownish hammertone finish "coffe can" on the magnet.
Last one I had about 12 years ago. I think it had an alnico magnet. I used to play it through a 1x15 cab with an acoustic 450, later a traynor YBA 1a MKII. Best bass tone ever. Louder than 2 tubes and one speaker have any business being. Lost it to an unscrupulous landlord.

on further research, the SP12/SP15 appear to be the whizzer cone version. Mine had a plain ribbed cone, with a copper colored script EV logo. But aside from that looked just like the SP15
Man I wish I had never thought of that speaker. I need one for my Mesa cabinet now!
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."

RefD
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Post by RefD » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:20 pm

calaverasgrandes wrote:I think they are the SP15? Not entirely sure. google image search shows similar looking ones called sp12. It has a chrome frame and a pinkish/brownish hammertone finish "coffe can" on the magnet.
Last one I had about 12 years ago. I think it had an alnico magnet. I used to play it through a 1x15 cab with an acoustic 450, later a traynor YBA 1a MKII. Best bass tone ever. Louder than 2 tubes and one speaker have any business being. Lost it to an unscrupulous landlord.

on further research, the SP12/SP15 appear to be the whizzer cone version. Mine had a plain ribbed cone, with a copper colored script EV logo. But aside from that looked just like the SP15
Man I wish I had never thought of that speaker. I need one for my Mesa cabinet now!
Image
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calaverasgrandes
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Post by calaverasgrandes » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:33 pm

nah, mine had a different label, and it was brown not white. I found a pic of it from google search on audioheritage, but their site somehow foils deeplinking their photos.
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."

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Post by themagicmanmdt » Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:42 pm

i could never personally stand those blue label fender eminences.
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Post by Chris_Avakian » Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:57 am

i thought the eminence ones had square magnents? i had one of those huge 2x12 cabs with two blue back fenders i still wish i had... good for guitar, atleast.

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Post by Randy » Thu Jun 26, 2008 4:40 am

FRIZEYED wrote:i thought the eminence ones had square magnents? i had one of those huge 2x12 cabs with two blue back fenders i still wish i had... good for guitar, atleast.
I don't know how reliable this is, I heard the round blue label 70's Fender speakers were CTS.
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the north wind
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Post by the north wind » Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:23 pm

The blue labels out of my 70s twin were CTS. You can look up the codes to figure out who made them.
guitar files wrote:The first 3 are the manufacturers code

137xxx = CTS

304xxx = Stackpole

140xxx = Clarostat

134xxx = Centralab

381xxx = Bourns

106xxx = Allen-Bradley Speaker Manufacturers codes

220xxx = Jensen

465xxx = Oxford


The next number(s) is (are) the year. Initially this was a single digit, latter that was extended to two digits for clarity.

The last two digits are the week of the year. Note that if these digits are larger that 52, it probably is NOT a date code!
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Post by crow » Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:11 pm

very interesting! i'll check those codes.

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Post by themagicmanmdt » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:33 am

yep - the later ones were eminence (the late 70's ones).

those date codes for the regular silverfaces.

sorry.
we are the village green
preservation society
god bless +6 tape
valves and serviceability

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