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Need Help figuring out what vintage JBL speakers I bought

T

TheS2

New Member
Hi,
new member here. I recently picked up a pair of very large JBL speakers at an estate sale and they came with no model# id anywhere I could find. I did picture searches on Google and sifted through forum posts without finding an exact match.
The speakers are 36" tall, 24" wide and 16" deep with no controls on the front. The top is laminated with black melamine (?).
The big driver is a D130F in one cabinet, and a D130 in the other, which is weird. One shed its aluminum dust cover (fished out from behind the grill cloth).
Tweeters are 075 in both, vertically in line with the woofer.
Back panels have the connection panel offset on the top right/top left corner, with the crossover attached to the inside; maybe this is just one piece.
Only other notable thing is the color of the back cover being black on one, brown on the other. Maybe these were bought at different times, a release apart or something like that.
If anyone can help me identify what I have here, I would truly appreciate it.
And since a picture is worth... I am attaching some.
THANK YOU!
IMG_2246.jpegIMG_2243.jpegIMG_2242.jpeg
 
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More than likely what you have is a mismatched pair of (possibly) home-built C35 cabinets, or maybe one home-built and one original JBL. It was not uncommon to fabricate these from JBL plans, and not uncommon to have one in a mono system until the mid-60s when stereo became popular and folks would cobble together a stereo twin. The "load" is sort of the 030 which would have included the D130 (non-F) and the 075 ring-radiator with the N2400 crossover. Your D130F is the outlier which screams of home-built from whatever was sitting around. The F had a wider voice-coil gap to keep the oafs at Fender from torquing them down unevenly and causing the voice-coil to short. The larger gap will make it less efficient than the D130. A real C35 cabinet would have a plinth on the bottom and no formica on top. I can't really compare your two cabinets because I think I'm only seeing one in your photos.
 
Way back when, many speaker manufacturers, including JBL, sold drivers individually or as a kit, and the buyer was expected to build an enclosure for them. That's undoubtedly what you've got here. Presumably the original owner started out with a mono system, then built a second one for stereo, and couldn't get a D130 so used a D130F instead.

ETA: looks like there were many variations of the C35 system, so I'm going to defer to JBL expert @BMWCCA.
 
Thank you to both of you for your insightful response, it is much appreciated! The thought of home-built had occurred to me as well; I had just dismissed it for now, because the box construction and internals look pretty much identical (i.e. done at the same time with the same materials and process), other than drivers and paint on back panel. Then again, this was from the estate of a mechanical engineer, so who really knows. I would have expected some sort of company label for a commercial product, which makes your theory very plausible. Also, I am not sure JBL would have used a mitered & splined plywood construction. I have seen listings for vintage originals that appear to have been veneered particle board/LDF/MDF, so who knows!?

I am including a couple more pictures for everyone's future benefit (hopefully).IMG_2248.jpegIMG_2249.jpegIMG_2250.jpeg
 
One fairly reliable way to tell DIY from commercially manufactured in older construction is to check for screw spacing on the back. Not only screw to screw, but also on the transition from vertical to horizontal screws. Most DIYers would not make the effort to space the screws out evenly. Especially if the cabinet backs are interchangeable, that makes it a pretty good bet that they are not DIY. Unless the builder was a stickler for accuracy.
 
With the new photos, if the formica tops aren't a dead give-away on the home-built theory, then I don't know what else to tell you. :dunno:
 
Spacing seems to be pretty consistent. Corner screws are all 2.5" from the corners, horizontal spacing is ~6", vertical around 7"; although not exactly identical on both back panels. Mechanical engineer.... :bowdown:
I am 100% in the DIY camp now. The melamine on top seems odd, and the other things you pointed out all make total sense.
I am still happy with this find; I only paid $100 for the pair.

Thanks again!

EDIT: Overlapped with BMWCCA's latest response. Formica is the thread killer for sure! Although anything was possible in that time period... :-)
 
Another clue would be whether or not the baffle has a wood adapter for the 075. Removing the adapter would allow for the use of the LE175 horn assembly.

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I can be corrected, but pretty sure the D130F is a high power guitar amplifier speaker, made for Fender amplifiers like the Showman and Twin Reverb. A ruggedized version of the D130...presume it would be great as a woofer, you will never blow it! ;)
 
Bill Ashton said:
I can be corrected, but pretty sure the D130F is a high power guitar amplifier speaker, made for Fender amplifiers like the Showman and Twin Reverb. A ruggedized version of the D130...presume it would be great as a woofer, you will never blow it! ;)
Click to expand...
The true story is somewhat different and mostly what I related in my first post within this thread. You can Google Harvey Gerst if you want it verbatim from the guy who thought up the solution to the Fender problem. Still the same aluminum voice coil in both, just a wider gap, which makes the F less efficient (not as loud at the same power).
 
Actually, I tried to look it up this morning and found a rather long, disjointed post by him on a board (the disjointing not Mr Giest's fault) and we're both right. Was a speaker "ruggedized" for Fender, but otherwise the same as the regular D130...like the "oafs" bit, and more UV tolerant as well. Guitarist Dick Dale at one time seemed to want to take credit, though not accurate; perhaps the one with the aluminum dome had the "Dick Dale" option kit installed, LOL. The thought that the original owner started out with a mono setup (w/D130), then eventally going stereo (buying the D130F), makes a lot of sense. The OP should have fun with these pieces of JBL history.
 
Bill Ashton said:
Actually, I tried to look it up this morning and found a rather long, disjointed post by him on a board (the disjointing not Mr Giest's fault) and we're both right. Was a speaker "ruggedized" for Fender, but otherwise the same as the regular D130...like the "oafs" bit, and more UV tolerant as well. Guitarist Dick Dale at one time seemed to want to take credit, though not accurate; perhaps the one with the aluminum dome had the "Dick Dale" option kit installed, LOL. The thought that the original owner started out with a mono setup (w/D130), then eventally going stereo (buying the D130F), makes a lot of sense. The OP should have fun with these pieces of JBL history.
Click to expand...
We will see what I will do with these beauties. Building a tube guitar amp is not a bad idea… hmmmmm!

Seems like a sad thought to destroy the boxes, DIY or not; but I really don’t have the need or space for them. I’ll either see if I can find a local lover of such things, or sell parts individually.

Appreciate all the responses here, thanks!
 
The D130Fs all came with the aluminum dust dome and still had the low-power aluminum voice-coils. It was the 130A (non-D) that came with the black paper dome and a copper voice-coil but it wasn't an extended or full-range speaker like the D130. The only thing "more rugged" on the F was the doped cone-edge which they put into production on the regular drivers about the same time.
My first was my Dad's mono system from 1956 and the second was a mono trade-in on stereo at my my favorite hi-fi store years later.
:beerchug:
 
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BMWCCA said:
The D130Fs all came with the aluminum dust dome and still had the low-power aluminum voice-coils. It was the 130A (non-D) that came with the black paper dome and a copper voice-coil but it wasn't an extended or full-range speaker like the D130. The only thing "more rugged" was the doped cone-edge which they put into production on the regular drivers about the same time.
My first was my Dad's mono system from 1956 and the second was a mono trade-in on stereo at my my favorite hi-fi store years later.
:beerchug:
Click to expand...
Said aluminum dust dome fell off my driver. If the driver is still good, any hints as to what kind of adhesive to use to put it back in place? I assume that adhesive choice matters.
I guess next step is to hook them up and give them a listen.
 
BMWCCA said:
The D130Fs all came with the aluminum dust dome and still had the low-power aluminum voice-coils. It was the 130A (non-D) that came with the black paper dome and a copper voice-coil but it wasn't an extended or full-range speaker like the D130. The only thing "more rugged" on the F was the doped cone-edge which they put into production on the regular drivers about the same time.
My first was my Dad's mono system from 1956 and the second was a mono trade-in on stereo at my my favorite hi-fi store years later.
:beerchug:
Click to expand...
The wider gap makes the speaker more "rugged" in that it can take more abuse from tweaking during torquing.
 
TheS2 said:
Also, I am not sure JBL would have used a mitered & splined plywood construction. I have seen listings for vintage originals that appear to have been veneered particle board/LDF/MDF, so who knows!?
Click to expand...
I have seen C35 from the factory in both plywood and particle board. I believe the earliest were plywood. Can't check them now for how the grilles were installed but I do know that on my C37 the screens slide out from the bottom. Can't remember on the C35. One day when I get them out of storage where they've been for over 20-years, I can check.

On yours, I'd glue the dome back on the D130F (nearly anything will work fine) and just enjoy them. Certainly you'll get at least $100 worth of enjoyment out of them. I know I have. Play some nice guitar or cello music through them and have a blast.
 
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