# Help identifying speakers



## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

Can anyone identify these please. They were apparently bought from Fender back around early 2000's to replace the 4 10 inch spkrs in a 1970 Super Reverb. There doesn't seem to be any markings on the frame but I was told they came in Fender boxes.
Any ideas?
Maybe Fender blueframe reissues (eminence)..if so, any comments on their suitability for a SR?


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## washburned (Oct 13, 2006)

I think the more important question is how do they sound?


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## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

washburned said:


> I think the more important question is how do they sound?


Well, I don't know, I don't have the amp yet...want to know what they are before I buy because I don't get to hear it.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Gizmo said:


> Maybe Fender blueframe reissues (eminence)..if so, any comments on their suitability for a SR?


I think you are correct with this possibility. I have one and it looks the same. 
They were inexpensive and aren't the best speakers, from what I have read....but they are OK.
I don't use mine that often...but to my ears it sounds ..well ....OK. I also have Webers and they are much better.
Eminence has several other 10" speaker models that you could consider...depending on the tone you want.

Cheers

Dave


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

Fender Guitar Amp Speaker 10" 8 ohm 30 watt Vintage Blue Alnico


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## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

Thanks guys. I wonder if they sound a bit better than the original "Special Design" speakers (which would have been ceramics I think).

Don't have much experience with 10 inch spkrs, but the fact that they are non original in a vintage amp is a negative.

I guess when they were originally replace back in about 2004, they must have cost close to $100 Cdn each by the time taxes were paid.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

WCGill said:


> Fender Guitar Amp Speaker 10" 8 ohm 30 watt Vintage Blue Alnico


Thanks for posting this WCGill...I looked all over for it last night and gave up.

Gizmo..I might have been a bit too "negative" about these speakers in my post. The AlNiCo's tend to be a bit "warmer" and more vintage sounding (IMHO), as you likely know.

Cheers

Dave


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

I like these better than the Jensen reissue P10R's, but nicer still are the Weber Signature Alnicos.


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## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

Did a bit more searching based upon the information provided by y'all and found this interesting thread....

Any insight - Eminence 10" blue frame alnicos - The Gear Page

Seems they're not bad speakers at all and suite the SR quite well.

Think I'll bite with the amp.....for about the same price as a used reissue I can get an original '69.


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## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

OK, don't have it in my hands to check, but for the life of me I can't figure out how these things are wired. They're presumably (according to a previous reference) 8 ohm drivers and the SR runs at 2ohm, so these should all be wired in parallel.
Looking at the photo in my original post, it looks like some strange combination of series parallel that makes no sense to me at all.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

the pic is not the best but could make sense if the speakers were 3 x 4 ohms and 1 x 8 ohms wired up to be 8 ohms. Or 3 x 2 ohms and 1 x 4 ohms wired up to be 4 ohms.

I don't have the software running, but if you label them say A, B, C and D, it looks like:

WHITE IN>--->A ---->|------>B------>|------>BLACK OUT
..............................|-->C------>D-->|


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## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

I didn't consider different speaker impedance because I was told they were all replaced at the same time...so it seems a bit daft to get 4 speakers not the same. 
I just drew out the schematic and it came out something like yours....with all the same 8 ohm impedance, that would give about 13 ohms.
So whats this s/w your talking about?


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Hmm thats the thing, I am not sure which program I have that has speakers, Eagle Cad I think might, give me a mo to find out!


HAHA been a while since I ran it:



> Your version of EAGLE is not up-to-date. An update to version 5.10.0 is available.
> See http://www.cadsoftusa.com/download.htm
> Please also visit http://www.element-14.com


Ok, definitely a bit of a learning curve yes but it does have speakers:










OH AND, I know this image is small, the size is controllable, I just went with small for the sake of having done it. Not sure if this is even right or not yet


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## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

Thanks....gonna check that out!

Got it....freeware...for Mac too!!!


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## tbellisario (Apr 14, 2010)

Gizmo, I just checked the wiring on my original speaker 68' SR. The wiring is parallel with 2 OHM resistance as measured by meter. If you look at the speaker with the connections below the magnet, the lead to the right should be grouped together and go to the middle "tip" of the 1/4" speaker jack. The leads from the left side should be grouped together and go to the shaft connection of the jack.
Do not run with more than a 4 OHM load with a Super Reverb! Most Fenders can take a 100% impedance mismatch.
More than that the output transformer life will be shortened. Make sure to double check your resistance with a meter. Also be sure to use the "speaker" output on the amp, not the "ext speaker" if you run just the 4x10.
The speakers in your post for sure have Alnico magnets, if they were ceramic they would be circular is shape, not "horse shoe" like yours.
Email me if you would like a picture of the back of my 68'
[email protected]


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

tbellisario said:


> Gizmo, I just checked the wiring on my original speaker 68' SR. The wiring is parallel with 2 OHM resistance as measured by meter. If you look at the speaker with the connections below the magnet, the lead to the right should be grouped together and go to the middle "tip" of the 1/4" speaker jack. The leads from the left side should be grouped together and go to the shaft connection of the jack.
> Do not run with more than a 4 OHM load with a Super Reverb! Most Fenders can take a 100% impedance mismatch.
> More than that the output transformer life will be shortened. Make sure to double check your resistance with a meter. Also be sure to use the "speaker" output on the amp, not the "ext speaker" if you run just the 4x10.
> The speakers in your post for sure have Alnico magnets, if they were ceramic they would be circular is shape, not "horse shoe" like yours.
> ...


Just a caution, you know that the DC resistance of a speaker is NOT the same as its impedance! You are measuring the DC resistance of the wire of the voice coil. This isn't at all the AC impedance, which requires much more expensive equipment to measure and also, is frequency dependent.

However, as a rule of thumb, the DC resistance will usually be a bit less than the AC impedance. So if you measure 6 ohms DC it's a good bet the speaker is actually an 8 ohm impedance unit. However, you can be fooled! Higher powered speakers have larger wire in their voice coils so they will read even lower DC resistance. You could read less than 4 ohms DC and still have an 8 ohm speaker.

Also, looking at Keeps schematic, since the speakers are not connected in a "balanced" fashion they will NOT share the load equally! The one speaker on the left in the chain but "all by its lonesome" will hog half the power for itself.

WB


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## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

Thanks tbellisario and Wild Bill.

I did get the amp and the speaker wiring was so weird the first thing I did was put all 4 in parallel (they measure about 6 ohms dc resistance so I was pretty sure they were 8 ohms each). 

I also put a disconnect between two pairs so I can run it with just 2...this takes the volume down a bit and allows a bit more crunch.

After giving it the once over, I used it for a couple of gigs at the Lachute Blues Festival. I put a home made plexiglass screen in front that made a huge difference too, the sound guys loved me for it...this is a LOUD amp!

So to answer washburned's question...the speakers sound GREAT!



Wild Bill said:


> Just a caution, you know that the DC resistance of a speaker is NOT the same as its impedance! You are measuring the DC resistance of the wire of the voice coil. This isn't at all the AC impedance, which requires much more expensive equipment to measure and also, is frequency dependent.
> 
> However, as a rule of thumb, the DC resistance will usually be a bit less than the AC impedance. So if you measure 6 ohms DC it's a good bet the speaker is actually an 8 ohm impedance unit. However, you can be fooled! Higher powered speakers have larger wire in their voice coils so they will read even lower DC resistance. You could read less than 4 ohms DC and still have an 8 ohm speaker.
> 
> ...


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