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Wharfedale Speaker ID Assistance

JAN Amps

JAN Amps

Member
I recently picked up this vintage Wharfedale speaker however, I've been unable to identify the model number. It's a large floor standing speaker being 37"H X 23"W x15.5"D. I haven't removed the back panel however, I can tell that it's a ported enclosure, with one 10" or 12" full range driver. The cabinet appears to be made of mahogany and as you can see in one of the pics, the grill is deeply recessed. From all appearances, I'm guessing that it's at least a 1950's or earlier piece.

Any help with identifying the model number or any other information, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks...Gary
 

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I am not an expert, but I suspect they are one of the many Wharfedale custom cabinets made by "The Radio People," and purchased by US military personnel in Japan in the 1960s/1970s. You may have to remove the back and check the drivers.
 
I think those are pre-W** era. Beautiful speakers. Those most-likely came with oil caps. If not, then they are from the '60's (I believe everything they made in the '50's up to around '61 originally came with oil caps, and not electrolytic ones).

I'll poke around and see what I can find, but that Wharfedale logo looks really-old, like maybe as old as the mid '50's. The drivers will tell the tale. Definitely Briggs era. Those should sound wonderful with a nice, warm tube amp/receiver.

Actually, I DO remember a pair of Radio People SFB3's that had the same type of logo, so maybe they ARE Radio People models. I still think they're pre-W** era.

If that's got one of their alnico full-rangers, then you've got one nice speaker right there (And the fact that it's just the one suggest that it's probably from the mid '50's back when stereo hi-fi was still a niche market). I bet that cab is heavy as all get out (The magnets on their old full-rangers were HUGE). Looks like the same color/veneer that my W90's have. There is nothing like the look of a well-kept 50 year old walnut or mahogany veneer like that.
 
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Wigwam Jones said:
I am not an expert, but I suspect they are one of the many Wharfedale custom cabinets made by "The Radio People," and purchased by US military personnel in Japan in the 1960s/1970s. You may have to remove the back and check the drivers.
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That's interesting information. Thank you for the reply.

I'm still thinking they go back to 1950's. I took a closer look at the pic of the Wharfedale emblem and in very small letters it says, "Patent Applied For". I wouldn't expect to see that on on a 60's/70's piece but who knows for sure. Also, the full range driver and only one speaker, makes me think it was for mono tube audio. Again, just speculation on my part.

I'm definitely going to remove the back panel, once I get some time to remove the million screws holding it on!
 
Gang-Twanger said:
I think those are pre-W** era. Beautiful speakers. Those most-likely came with oil caps. If not, then they are from the '60's (I believe everything they made in the '50's up to around '61 originally came with oil caps, and not electrolytic ones).

I'll poke around and see what I can find, but that Wharfedale logo looks really-old, like maybe as old as the mid '50's. The drivers will tell the tale. Definitely Briggs era. Those should sound wonderful with a nice, warm tube amp/receiver.

Actually, I DO remember a pair of Radio People SFB3's that had the same type of logo, so maybe they ARE Radio People models. I still think they're pre-W** era.

If that's got one of their alnico full-rangers, then you've got one nice speaker right there. I bet that cab is heavy as all get out (The magnets on their old full-rangers were HUGE).
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T:banana::banana:

Thank you for the great information. I'll see what other people have to say and later in the week, I'll remove the back panel and update the thread.

Thanks...Gary
 
JAN Amps said:
T:banana::banana:

Thank you for the great information. I'll see what other people have to say and later in the week, I'll remove the back panel and update the thread.

Thanks...Gary
Click to expand...

That's a perfect speaker for old blues (like pre-war blues) and jazz stuff, not to mention '50's and '60's rock/pop, Sinatra and that sort of thing (Also great for '60's and 'early '70's funk/soul for some reason... Perhaps it's because of the horns and strings... They love all-analog music in general, as opposed to modern digital keyboards, guitar effects, etc... They're old-school for sure). Throw a N.O.S. '50's or '60's Sprague oil cap in there (or a similar US-made oil cap from the '50's or early '60's), hook it up to a warm-sounding tube/tube-like amp/receiver, and you're ready to go. Probably sounds great already, but still needs the caps checked (I just put oil caps in my W90's to replace the modern polypropylene caps that they were previously-recapped with, and it was a big improvement... Certain modern polypropylene capacitors just don't sound quite-right in those alnico Wharfies... I don't know why, but they add a bit of glare to the mids and highs that just doesn't belong there).

LOTS of detail in those speakers. They're rolled-off on top and bottom, but what's in between is a thing of beauty. Ultra-smooth, but detailed and very, very-natural. I absolutely-love the sound of the alnico Wharfedale drivers. Someday I hope to get a pair of their old full-range 12's. They're not about analyzing. They're about LISTENING.
 
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Gang-Twanger said:
That's a perfect speaker for old blues (like pre-war blues) and jazz stuff, not to mention '50's and '60's rock/pop, Sinatra and that sort of thing (Also great for '60's and 'early '70's funk/soul for some reason... Perhaps it's because of the horns and strings... They love all-analog music in general, as opposed to modern digital keyboards, guitar effects, etc... They're old-school for sure). Throw a N.O.S. '50's or '60's Sprague oil cap in there (or a similar US-made oil cap from the '50's or early '60's), hook it up to a warm-sounding tube/tube-like amp/receiver, and you're ready to go. Probably sounds great already, but still needs the caps checked (I just put oil caps in my W90's to replace the modern polypropylene caps that they were previously-recapped with, and it was a big improvement... Certain modern polypropylene capacitors just don't sound quite-right in those alnico Wharfies... I don't know why, but they add a bit of glare to the mids and highs that just doesn't belong there).

LOTS of detail in those speakers. They're rolled-off on top and bottom, but what's in between is a thing of beauty. Ultra-smooth, but detailed and very, very-natural. I absolutely-love the sound of the alnico Wharfedale drivers. Someday I hope to get a pair of their old full-range 12's. They're not about analyzing. They're about LISTENING.
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I haven't tried hooking them up figuring that I should first, take a peak inside, to make sure everything looks ok. However, I do have several pieces of tube equipment, that I can use to test it.

You might be on to something regarding this speaker using an oil cap. I grabbed a flashlight, and peaked inside the speaker through the grill cloth and port. I could see what appears to be a large oil cap mounted on the inside back of the cabinet. I'm hoping that is what it turns out to be.
 
audiomagnate said:
I'm no expert but there is no way those are pre war. They look late 50s or early 60s to me.
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Oh no, I simply meant that they're great for pre-war BLUES & JAZZ STUFF, that's all. :D

No, I'd say it's probably from the mid to late '50's, judging by the look of the cab and logo, plus the fact that there's just the one.
 
I finally got around to removing the back panel and I was quite surprised, as to what I found. What I thought was going to be one full range driver turned out to be not correct. There's actually another driver, that I'm assuming is a tweeter, shielded by a metal can. I couldn't see or feel it through the grill cloth so I missed that one.

The large driver is marked, " Wharfedale, 15 ohm, 17000 lines, Super 12/FS /AL Model. There's also a hand written 3/58 on the cone so, I'm thinking that might be the manufacture date. As you can clearly see in one of the pictures, the surround has rotted away and the wires to this driver are very brittle and missing a lot of insulation. I did an ohm check and it read about 14.7 so I'm hoping the coil is in good condition.

There was no writing visible on the metal cover of the other driver.

There's one oil filled cap and a control as seen in one of the pics. There's also an unusual wood box attached to the inside of the cabinet. It appears as through this just puts pressure and adds support to the back of the 12" driver.

I'm going to re-due all of the wiring and replace the surround so hopefully, I'll be able to test it in a few weeks.

Thanks for everyone's input. I appreciate it....Gary
 

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That is what I did. However mine were on the mids, so no cone movement. The woofer will be more of a challange due to cone movement. Need something more flexable. Keep us posted. There is a Whrafdale owners thread as well FYI.
 
tyeeslayer said:
That is what I did. However mine were on the mids, so no cone movement. The woofer will be more of a challange due to cone movement. Need something more flexable. Keep us posted. There is a Whrafdale owners thread as well FYI.
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Yup, make sure you allow for a little excursion. I have a Super 12 someone re-foamed with felt. Unfortunately, the felt is almost taut, limiting the range of movement. The cone can move outward a little, but not back much at all. Will have to redo. My first re-foam. Hope the spider centers the cone (not just side to side, but the voice coil in its travel.) Right now, I think it's a trifle extended even at rest.
 
JAN Amps said:
Yes they do, foam rot and all! :yes:

I'm going to use foam to make the new surrounds. It will have to be a custom job using what I can find as a replacement. I've done many surrounds so I think it will be a little bit of a challenge, but doable.
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The "FS" stands for "felt surround" as far as I know. I think it may have been a combination of felt and polystyrene, but don't quote me on that. Maybe someone with a similar driver (or a driver with similar surrounds) can chime in and give you an idea of how stiff/flexible those originally were/are supposed to be. I've never owned a pair with the early surrounds like that, so I really can't say.

I LOVE those cabs/speakers though. Take your time, do it right, and get those refurbished properly, and you'll be glad you did. And go very-easy on the power with those. They shouldn't be rated for anymore than 20 or 30 watts per channel. And tube/tube-like power is best. I'm powering my early '60's W90's (alnico magnets like your Super 12's have) with a Fisher 800C from the same era, and the sound is delightful. The alnico Wharfies have a sound that's reminiscent of the early '60's Vox AC30 guitar amps that the Beatles used. Smooth, yet chimy highs and a rich, lush-sounding midrange. Think of the EL84 tube sound.
 
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