Just finished a custom recone on a pair of JBL 130As for a client.
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All parts were supplied by the client. By utilizing these parts, it resulted in a hybrid configuration. The aluminum dust caps for the D130 were purchased from a Japanese supplier called NORTHWEST TRADING (外径103.8ミリ アルミ製 JBL D130用 ダストキャップ ペア DCA 4100), though I'm not sure if they offer international shipping.
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DCA4100 is also the same part number that MWA Speaker Parts (Arizona USA) uses for that same dust cap.
They only sell to repair shops- but, if you go to most speaker repair shops, you should be able to buy the same dust cap in the USA, in most larger metro areas.
Regards,
Gordon.
They only sell to repair shops- but, if you go to most speaker repair shops, you should be able to buy the same dust cap in the USA, in most larger metro areas.
Regards,
Gordon.
I haven't looked at Al dustcaps from MWA in a while. I haven't reconed any speakers that used them in a while.
In fact, all I've had lately to work on are run of the mill home speakers; some ARs, Bostons, and JBL home products.
I use tons of those DCA4100s. We have one client, with a business that builds guitar amp cabinets and sells specialty guitar speakers, that probably sends us two or three or so D120s, K120s or other 12" speakers to make into "D120-type hybrids", per week. We order D120 kits at the rate of probably 4 per week. I joke that they guy we're doing these for, is the main reason nobody else can find JBL 120s on eBay anymore. He just snaps them up, about as fast as they get posted.
If you include the "clones" we've built on other frames (Jensen SM12, Peavey Black Widow, and such- and yes, except for the voice coil, the D120 kit is an exact fit into these frames) for this client- I think it's at the point now, where I've probably installed more 12" JBL D120/K120 driver kits than any other speaker type. Probably over a thousand of them now.
Regards,
Gordon.
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I had a group of musicians in the Portland area who came to me for a while, before I moved back the to midwest, because I would do proper recones on D130F, and because I knew the difference between a D130 and a D130F. At the time, MWA's kit wasn't correct, even though they had all of the correct parts. I don't know if they ever did correct it.
They are using "paper former" coils in them now, by default. The Kapton former coil is still specified in the E130s (which is correct for them), but they do use the correct coil now for the D130/D130F.
AFAIK, all the other parts were always correct.
As for D130 vs. D130F- according to Harvey Gerst (who was a lead tech there at JBL during the D130F development)- there was only two significant functional changes made to the D130, and they were independent of the release of the D130F as a Fender-badged product. One was an "opening up" of the magnet gap clearance to the coil, from about 7 mil, to about 10 mil, to avoid voice coil rubbing issues when the frame flexed as they were torqued down into a guitar cabinet. The other was, adding the treaatment to the paper flex surround, to reduce cracking. These steps were pretty much independent of anything that people like Dick Dale might have done in terms of blowing up speakers and such. Mind you, the increase in voice coil gap DID probably improve the resiliance of the driver in the case of overheated coils (they had to deform more under heat before rubbing), but that was a side effect of what they were already doing to address production and existing warranty issues.
Regards,
Gordon.
That was the thing I remember, is that once upon a time, if you ordered MWA's D130F kit, they would send you the kapton E130 coil, and a paper dustcap. It may have just been a one off screw up, I dunno. It's been a while.
They also sent out 125A kits with too narrow a coil, and too stiff a spider. I always just build my own JBL kits from the catalogue and make up what they don't have, like nominal 6"dia X 9/16"d, cup spiders with a B compliance, from my secret stash.
I've helped them straighten out a number of kits. They're quite receptive to suggested improvements, if they make sense.
In fact, I regularly call in new model drivers, if I haven't seen them before, just to check it they have a kit or not. If not, I start working on it with them. We've created LOTS of kits, from me fitting parts to frames from our stock that are as close as possible in size, to get all the needed dimensions, and then giving measurements to them. At that point, they can usually find something that's pretty optimal, to match the original as well as possible. We keep quite a back-stock of parts at our shop- so, sometimes, I can even just fit up a whole kit myself by experimentation- and then just call in the relevant parts to them. They seem to especially like that!
BTW: They have those B-compliance spiders and longer-winding coils for the 125A and 127H now.
Regards,
Gordon.
The "official" wattage rating of those early D120Fs was somewhere in the 40-watt range, Right? You almost had to run 8 speaker cabs to get concert-level volumes without blowing them out. Especially when driven by those big Ampeg and SUNN bass head amps of the time.
What are the client’s impressions now versus before?
IIRC, the D120Fs and D130Fs were 75 watts originally, and were increased to a rating of 150 watts, after the increase in gap gauge, and more importantly- the introduction of more heat-resistant and durable voice coil materials. This happened in the very late D-series and early K-series era- late 1960s to mid 1970s or so.
It is funny, how JBL used parts they had, in whatever models they were building, sometimes. I have personally seen a D120F, with a factory installed kit (early 1970s, never removed from the cabinet until I had it), that originally had a Kapton voice coil. This did happen in very late D-series production, apparently.
Regards,
Gordon.
I never put a single D120F or D130F into any amp over 40 watts. I really like the sound of the D130F in those old Fender amps. Super surf's up!
Ever reconed the orange basket D120Fs?
I never put a single D120F or D130F into any amp over 40 watts. I really like the sound of the D130F in those old Fender amps. Super surf's up!
Ever reconed the orange basket D120Fs?
Yep, we see those orange D120Fs once in a while. Some are orange-basket, and some are a hybrid- orange label, but with gray basket. Fender and JBL did some pretty creative "mix and match" things here and there. Gotta keep those production lines running.
Regards,
Gordon.
Yeah, I kept that Twin Reverb, just because of the matched labels and baskets. It was an optional speaker back then. My Twin Reverb daily driver has K120's in it. With STR-7581A tubes, it's the loudest SOB combo amp known to mankind. Well, at least to me.
We had a couple of these big bastards for a while, at the shop:
mojotone.com
Like a Twin, but with TWO MORE 6L6s (180 watts)!
One of them was loaded with dual JBL E120s.
I couldn't be in the same room while it was being played. However, it sounded great from out in the parking lot.
I was kind of waiting for someone to show up with a 400PS bass amp while we had these, just so we could start doing Disaster Area tryouts (think Douglas Adams).
Regards,
Gordon.
Fender Super Twin
1975-1976. Configuration: Combo. Power: 180 Watts. Effects: Distortion. Schematic: Super Twin
mojotone.com
Like a Twin, but with TWO MORE 6L6s (180 watts)!
One of them was loaded with dual JBL E120s.
I couldn't be in the same room while it was being played. However, it sounded great from out in the parking lot.
I was kind of waiting for someone to show up with a 400PS bass amp while we had these, just so we could start doing Disaster Area tryouts (think Douglas Adams).
Regards,
Gordon.
