70's fender blue-label speakers: worth reconing?
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- steve albini likes it
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70's fender blue-label speakers: worth reconing?
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.
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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- calaverasgrandes
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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!
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."
are you talking about the SROs?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!
i can't quite remember if those fit your description.
?What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.? -- Seneca
- calaverasgrandes
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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!
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."
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!
?What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.? -- Seneca
- calaverasgrandes
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- steve albini likes it
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I don't know how reliable this is, I heard the round blue label 70's Fender speakers were CTS.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.
not to worry, just keep tracking....
- the north wind
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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!
Whales!
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