Watkins woofer destroyed

thermoluddys

Active Member
I had a 12" woofer quit in one of my 2.5`s, so I thought that I would send it to Bill Watkins for repair. Now, I have shipped vintage drums,cymbals and old stereo gear all over the US without any damage. I have learned a valuable lesson on how not to ship a speaker. I thought I had packed it up safe and sound. NOT ! Bill sent me pics and I talked with him on the phone. The speaker was not secured well enough in the box and it was totally destroyed ! (his words) The magnet shifted and severed the voice coils. Bummer. He can`t repair it and does not have a replacement.
So I am looking for a replacement, no luck so far. If a ever ship another one, it will be bolted (not screws) to a wood frame with at least 8" of bubble wrap around it. Bill told me that he has seen this many times. (shame)
So I thought that I would pass this along, maybe save someone some grief.
 
Remember that the people at UPS and Fedex who handle the packages don't really care what happens to them. You've probably seen the videos of delivery drivers kicking packages up a driveway or throwing them over fences. Always assume this is what will happen to your package.
 
I would want it back. The wires of the vc may beable to be reattached and the magnet shimmed and reinstalled. I would want to fart around with it or try the other Bill as he is local to me. Shouldn’t be too hard to find a replacement. I just bought two of the paper cone variety. Good luck, thanks for the packing tip and sorry for your mishap.
Jim
 
I don`t have the pics on this computer, I will post them when I get back to work. The speaker is all bent up, looks like it was taken out of the box and threw up against a block wall a few times. Unbelievable.
 
Same deal happened to me, seller packed my extra ren 90 grills really well. I'm willing to bet money they made the ride from North Carolina to Las Vegas perfectly. UPS guy pitched them over my gate, broke one in the Woofer area.

Freaking Jerk Off.....:mad:
 
I will only sell speaker sets local any more. It’s near 100% chance things will go bad. I had perfect 20year old Vandersteen sub broken, even pack in the original packing. It was dropped on a corner.
 
Check with Bill LeGall, at Millersound. If there's any chance at all, the woofer could be repaired, it's Bill. Probably your pictures would be enough for Bill to pass judgment.

Good luck.
 
I had a 12" woofer quit in one of my 2.5`s, so I thought that I would send it to Bill Watkins for repair. Now, I have shipped vintage drums,cymbals and old stereo gear all over the US without any damage. I have learned a valuable lesson on how not to ship a speaker. I thought I had packed it up safe and sound. NOT ! Bill sent me pics and I talked with him on the phone. The speaker was not secured well enough in the box and it was totally destroyed ! (his words) The magnet shifted and severed the voice coils. Bummer. He can`t repair it and does not have a replacement.
So I am looking for a replacement, no luck so far. If a ever ship another one, it will be bolted (not screws) to a wood frame with at least 8" of bubble wrap around it. Bill told me that he has seen this many times. (shame)
So I thought that I would pass this along, maybe save someone some grief.

I thought Watkins Stereo made new replacement drivers. The refoaming section of their website says they make them but the price isn't cheap ($750 per pair):

http://www.watkinsstereo.com/refoaming.html

Look near the bottom of the page for the statement on Watkins drivers. If they no longer make them, they need to update their website accordingly.

Otherwise, keep an eye on ebay for somebody parting-out speakers.
 
Yes , I mentioned that to Bill. He said that they were going to up date their website. He also said that the company that was building those for him would build more if he ordered 1000.
 
Check with Bill LeGall, at Millersound. If there's any chance at all, the woofer could be repaired, it's Bill. Probably your pictures would be enough for Bill to pass judgment.

Good luck.
StimpyWan,
Thank you for suggesting Bill at Millersound, Bill says that he can repair it no problem. And I have to say that Bill and Loretta Legall are just awesome people to deal with!!
 
That's awesome thermoluddys, the more i read about Bill Legall, the more impressed I am with him and his work.
 
StimpyWan,
Thank you for suggesting Bill at Millersound, Bill says that he can repair it no problem. And I have to say that Bill and Loretta Legall are just awesome people to deal with!!

Awesome news. Bill LeGall is more than just a repair guy, he's an artist. So, I hope the 2.5's will be up and running again soon.
 
^^^that's who I meant by the other Bill. He rebuilt 2 pair of Watkins woofers for me that were damaged. Just reused the basket, coil, and magnet. Also shimmed up the magnet to get the full 1" of travel they are supposed to have. They are amazing, better then new. I'm sure he will do the same for you. Their shop is awesome, woofers over almost every horizontal surface in various states of repair.
 
Listnnthdark,
Wow! awesome setup you have there! I would love to witness the sound coming out of a set of those some day.
B.T.W. I really like your lamp, never seen one like it.
 
Before.JPG MILLERSOUND REPAIR.jpg Bill and Loretta Legall at Millersound are Awesome! Bill repaired my Watkins woofer and had it back to me in 7 days. Bill even sent me a e-mail the day after I got it back to make sure the I knew how to hook to connections up correctly. Great people , great service. Here are a few pics.Before.JPG MILLERSOUND REPAIR.jpg
 

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