# Vintage speakers ... Info needed .. if you have it..



## MattKnight (Nov 27, 2009)

I am trying to find out some info on a couple of speakers.

I pulled them out of an Electrohome cabinet stereo. The stereo is from
the late 50's. Girlfriends parents bought it when they were married.

All I could find is that they may be made be Jensen for Electrohome.

I suspect that they must be Alnico.. I don't believe a lot if any ceramic magnet speakers were being made in the late 50's. 

I popped one into a cab I made and plugged it into a newer champ xd that I never use because the speaker is slightly bigger than the one from my 70's RadioShack headphones.. I really like the idea of small watt tube amps but why do they marry them to tiny, farty speakers I will never know.. Anyway it sounded very nice on the cleaner amp settings .. not so much the higher gain amp models but that is to be expected I think for a vintage alnico.. 

On the back of the magnet are 2 numbers 19-100009 01 and DGA8. Also on the cone in white lettering is 38-35.

I am not interested in selling them. I am just curious who may have made them and if they are alnico magnets. I think the both of them in a low watt champ style amp would sound very nice.

Thanks for any info you may have.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5223943014/


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

DG=Marsland
A8=Month/Year (January '58 I would guess)

Probably not very good for guitar speakers.


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## MattKnight (Nov 27, 2009)

Ahhh well. At least I know. .. maybe I could make paper weights out of them..

Thanks!


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

MattKnight said:


> Ahhh well. At least I know. .. maybe I could make paper weights out of them..
> 
> Thanks!


Who knows? Let your ears be the judge. BTW, I can't see your picture but if they have a square open box kind of magnet on the back they are alnicos.


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

MattKnight said:


> Ahhh well. At least I know. .. maybe I could make paper weights out of them..
> 
> Thanks!


Hi Matt!

Just a little history. In the 50's there was a company called Radio Speakers of Canada, or RSC, in the Kitchener/Waterloo area. This was long before NAFTA and Free Trade agreements so there were expensive duties on speakers coming from the States or Britain. What a lot of companies like Jensen did was to allow a company like RSC inside Canada to make speakers to their specs under royalty, with their name. This bypassed the customs agent at the border!

The early 60's was the start of Japanese electronics flooding into Canada. RSC couldn't compete and went under. A new company sprung up called Marsland, with many of the same people and much of the old equipment. Canadian companies like Traynor and Garnet bought Marsland because they were cheaper than imports.

Eventually Marsland went under as well. A few of its employees went on to start McBride Speakers, which eventually became the Canadian stocking master distributor for Eminence speakers. To my knowledge they are the only ones stocking a major speaker line in Canada, which means overnight deliveries instead of weeks. They sell through local distributors but don't mind selling "onesy-twosy" direct, although at retail pricing, of course.

A bit of speaker knowledge about the old brands is still in the heads of some of the McBride Folks. If you're stuck you might google up an email address or phone call. I don't think they kept much of the old datasheets but you might get an answer off the top of someone's head.


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## MattKnight (Nov 27, 2009)

I fixed the link to the pic. Yes, they have a square..ish open magnet. I think they must be Alnico because of their age.. That and they sound like a Alnico speaker.


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## MattKnight (Nov 27, 2009)

Wild Bill said:


> Hi Matt!
> 
> Just a little history. In the 50's there was a company called Radio Speakers of Canada, or RSC, in the Kitchener/Waterloo area. This was long before NAFTA and Free Trade agreements so there were expensive duties on speakers coming from the States or Britain. What a lot of companies like Jensen did was to allow a company like RSC inside Canada to make speakers to their specs under royalty, with their name. This bypassed the customs agent at the border!
> 
> ...


Hey Bill.

Thanks. I like history. When it is Canadian history about a mucic related industry then I am all ears. Or in this case, eyes. I now have more info do dig around with! I gave the one I pulled out another listen with a low watt tube amp last night. I have to say that at low volume it sounds sweet clean. Pretty good with a little dirt and just plain awful with high gain.. which is ok. If I want high gain I have other options. I think I will try them together in a cab that I wil build for them. Honestly any excuse to get in the shop and make sawdust is good.


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