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blown speaker? [message #5478]

Wed, 16 February 2005 20:38

coleybrown
Messages: 3
Registered: February 2005

Junior Member

apparently someone played a keyboard through my kustom 2x15 bass cab. now, one of the speakers is dead (maybe it has been before the incident?) and the other one buzzes once it reaches a high volume.

as for the buzzing one- I don't see anything physically wrong with the speaker at all. I only get a problem when it's a deep note and it's very loud. I don't know much about speakers, so I dont know if this is common of any "blown" speaker or what. I'd prefer to try to fix this myself, is that possible?
I can provide a photo or soundclip if that is of any help.
Thank you for any information

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Re: blown speaker? [message #5479 is a reply to message #5478]

Wed, 16 February 2005 22:59

rodak
Messages: 511
Registered: October 2001
Location: Georgia

Senior Member

Only buzzes on loud, low notes, and didn't do it before (or your sure it's not cabinet buzz)? Yep, it's a blown speaker. Time for a recone job. I couldn't tell you how to do it myself, but there are plenty of places to get it done. Probably not something you'd want to attempt yourself.

BTW, The term "recone" is somewhat misleading. It's not actually the cone that's at fault, but rather the voice coil - it's overheated and become warped, so it rubs against the magnet structure as it moves, causing the buzzing you hear. To replace it, you've got to rip out the cone and spider and replace the whole business, being VERY careful to keep things perfectly clean, get everything perfectly aligned, and glued back in place.

What's probably happened to the other one is the voice coil got so hot that the wire broke or melted or pulled loose from the external connection or something like that. Again, the solution is a recone job.

Cost can vary wildly, depending on whether you want original (i.e., JBL, Altec, etc) replacement parts or generic equivalents.
I couldn't make any recommendations about that, though, except that I did have a brief dealing about a year ago with a Ted Weber does that sort of thing, and he was really a super guy to work with. His web site is: http://www.webervst.com/ A pretty interesting place to visit for anyone interested in old amps and such. If you contact him, tell him I sent you - who knows, he might even remember me.

www.combo-organ.com

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Re: blown speaker? [message #5480 is a reply to message #5479]

Thu, 17 February 2005 11:38

chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

Coley:
Rodak is right on about the Weber vst site. I've never dealt with them, but they have a great reputation out there.
In one section of the site he does give complete instructions on fixing a rubbing voice coil. (I think it might be in the FAQ's.) Check it out and see if it's something that you feel comfortable in doing.
Bill

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Re: blown speaker? [message #5481 is a reply to message #5480]

Thu, 17 February 2005 12:14

rodak
Messages: 511
Registered: October 2001
Location: Georgia

Senior Member

Yes! In the dropdown box in the middle of the home page, select "Let's Talk Speakers Q & A", scroll down to the 4th question about the 62 brown Princeton, and he has detailed instructions on "repairing" a warped voice coil.

Some excellent advice and information on that page, too - check it out! There's a good question about wiring and impedance, that could serve to answer about 90% of the speaker wiring questions I see posted here.

Thanks for the heads-up, Bill. I'd never seen that section of the site before.

Robert

www.combo-organ.com

[Updated on: Thu, 17 February 2005 12:17]

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Re: blown speaker? [message #5483 is a reply to message #5481]

Thu, 17 February 2005 19:30

coleybrown
Messages: 3
Registered: February 2005

Junior Member

thanks for the help guys. I took it to a local shop and the guy was very familar with the cts speakers, he said i should just buy a new one because reocning it would cost nearly as much.
do you guys have any ideas for decent/ middle range speakers as replacements. i need 12" speakers for bass.

I'll try what was described in the link you mentioned later, when I have more time to work with that and already have SOME way of playing through the kustom.

thanks,
coley

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Re: blown speaker? (Reconing services) [message #5484 is a reply to message #5481]

Thu, 17 February 2005 20:07

LesS
Messages: 477
Registered: December 2002

Senior Member

Here are some other places for reconing .. I got these quotes to recone an Altec 417 in August 2004:

1)
Altec 417 reconing - $80 + $14 return shipping to Connecticut
www.johnsvintageradio.com
John S

Vintage Radio
144 N. Beverwyck Rd., #208
Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034
(973) 575-0717

2)
Altec 417 reconing - $80 + shipping per UPS.com (about $8 to $12)
Steve Griffin [mailto:speakerdoc@worldnet.att.net]
speakerdoc@worldnet.att.net
info@speakerdoctor.com

The Speaker Doctor
4507 East Independence Blvd.
Charlotte NC 28205
Phone 704-567-3010
Fax 704-566-4935

3) Speaker Exchange Tampa, FL 1-800-849-6972 $90 + return shipping

4)
$89 + shipping

http://www.simplyspeakers.com/
Sean Ryan, Tom Ryan

Simply Speakers
6625 35th St. N.
Pinellas Park, FL 33781

Phone: (727) 571-1245 Fax: (727) 526-2096
Toll Free: 1-800-511-EDGE (3343)

5)
$88.40 and $40 labor for a total of $128.40 (parts are original Altec, not generic replacement)

Robert Cunningham [mailto:robert@wizardelectronics.com]

6)
$80 + shipping (about $20 CA to CT) 1 year warranty

shipping instructions: http://www.speakerrepair.com/OCSship.html

Bryan Sunda [mailto:bryan@speakerrepair.com]
http://www.SpeakerRepair.com/

Orange County Speaker, Inc.
12141 Mariners Way
Garden Grove CA 92843
800.897.8373 M-F 10am to 6pm Pacific Time
714.554.8520 M-F 10am to 6pm Pacific Time

7)
The recone kit from Altec is $128.00 each.
An aftermarket kit is $90.00

Michael McIntosh [mailto:michael@brownellsound.com]

Brownell Sound Speaker Repair
VintageKustomFAQ11

[Updated on: Sun, 09 September 2007 22:23]

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Re: blown speaker? (Reconing services) [message #5485 is a reply to message #5484]

Thu, 17 February 2005 20:21

coleybrown
Messages: 3
Registered: February 2005

Junior Member

thank you so much for all the info. the guy could do it locally, but he suggested I just get a new speaker or two for the time being; I think that's what I'll do.

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Re: blown speaker? (Reconing services) [message #5487 is a reply to message #5485]

Thu, 17 February 2005 22:37

rodak
Messages: 511
Registered: October 2001
Location: Georgia

Senior Member

Eminence makes a pretty good speaker for a decent price - the Delta series are good for bass, probably the Delta 12LF. I've always bought them from my friend, Bernie, at www.bltsound.com. He usually sells them for a few bucks less than anywhere else. Tell him Robert sent you.

www.combo-organ.com

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Re: blown speaker? [message #5488 is a reply to message #5478]

Fri, 18 February 2005 08:41

stevem
Messages: 4733
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Thanks for the reconing info Les, how have you been?Yea, a lot of people do not know that these days getting a vintage JBL, or more so Altec reconed with a original part can be a problem. You have to call around from shop to shop, to find a original cone. Alot of them do not say on their site that they use or can get those parts, and most of the time, atleast for Altecs the price they list on their site for reconing is for a generic cone!I can think of no greater waste of money than getting a ALTEC, JBL,EV or any high end brand redone with non-original parts.The Eminence gamma serise(parts express # 290-454)is a good match for replacing the original CTS bass driver. It has a 59 oz magnet, only 5oz larger than the CTS, its range 40 to 4000 cycles, and is good for at least 200 watts RMS if I recall its specs right. And I think it is around 70 something bucks.

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Re: blown speaker? [message #5490 is a reply to message #5488]

Fri, 18 February 2005 15:17

C4ster
Messages: 686
Registered: June 2001
Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee...

Senior Member

Actually, I bought 2 aftermarket JBL E140 recone kits from Simplyspeakers.com for $69 each. The aftermarket kits need to be assembled completely rather than just dropped in as with an original JBL kit. It's not a job for the faint of heart. It takes considratble patience to get it assembled properly. I deviated from the instructions slightly to make it more like a drop in. I had the original JBL cone and voice coil to compare and the visual appearance was very close. The final verdict came when I pushed them hard during a New Years show. Not bad!! These are my subs and I have 2 in each 3x15 siren cascade column. I cross them over at 300 Hz and I couldn't tell the difference. I will be buying more just to have on my shelf when the inevitable happens and I blow another one. If not, there will be E140 baskets on eBay that will need my attention.
Conrad

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