And I thought the C40's were too big,,,now Jim Lansing by AMPEX added

[mikezcar]

OK on some of my other threads I have been lamenting on the size of the C40's I bought and WHERE to put them. Today I go to an estate sale, early because the ad says "electronics", to check it out. Well all the electronics (all upstairs) were common place box store stuff BUT they were driving a rather large set of speakers.

Jim Lansing
by AMPEX
Mod 375
Impedance 16 Ohms
SN#s 1078 & 1079

Ampex Loud Speaker Corporation
North Hollywood CA

There is a "filter" in the top of the cabinets that's as big as some of the tuners I own and the horn has to be seen to be believed. Pictures will follow as I can get help to unload them.So now what am I going to do??? I HAD to buy them if no other reason than to stare at them awhile, oh and they sound great.

What have I got??? Other than the buy all tube Sherwood stuff and old, large speakers I see disease.

Mike,,,,,,, STILL too many speakers but culling back to JBL and one other brand I like.

[John W]

Today I go to an estate sale, early because the ad says "electronics", to check it out.
I guess luck favors the prepared. :applaud: Congratulations, sounds like you found something that could be quite valuable.
Be careful moving it, and make sure you post some pictures.

[John W]

Mike asked me to post some pictures for him.

Wow!

[hjames]

Mike asked me to post some pictures for him.

Wow!

That top image with the wide wood grain area above the grill cloth... gorgeous!
What lovely cabinets .... very fine find!

[Storm]

We are all itching to know...

How much was scarfed up for these?

;)

-Storm.

[Steve Schell]

Score!! Mike, you have just picked up some rather mysterious but quite valuable speakers there, at least in the high dollar value of the components.

375 is the model designation of the high frequency drivers. These blue label "Jim Lansing by Ampex" versions of the JBL 375 were assembled by Ampex in their own facility in North Hollywood. These often bring even more in the resale market than the regular JBL versions. I can't tell from the pictures just what horns they are attached to, but enquiring minds want to know.

The woofers appear to be 150-4 (32 ohm) or 150-4C (16 ohm). They have the cut corner JBL labels, so they were made at JBL. These woofers are hyper collectible and valuable these days.

The crossover networks were built using the highest quality components in the manner of the best 1930s and 1940s theatre systems. Those are air core inductors and paper in oil bathtub capacitors, expensive then and expensive now.

As to the speakers themselves, I am not aware of any home speakers marketed by Ampex with these components. Hard to tell, but they look to me like someone may have stuffed these hi fi components into a pair of organ tone cabinet enclosures.

If you could provide more pictures then we could probably tell you more about what you have. For now, just be very careful in handling the components. A tear in a woofer cone for example might drop the value of that driver by $500 or more. The red wax seals over the screws in the 375 covers should not be disturbed, as they assure the high dollar collectors that the drivers have not been apart.

[grumpy]

Hard to tell, but they look to me like someone may have stuffed these hi fi components into a pair of organ tone cabinet enclosures.

A family friend had these cabs for their organ, same grilles, open tops (leslies)...
I'm 95% sure :o:. Horns -look- like the large perforated plate lenses... but I'm out of
my league in regard to actually identifying anything beyond the cabs.
...rather amazing find. -grumpy

[scott fitlin]

What a find.

:applaud:

[mikezcar]

There are indeed 4 150-4's at 32 ohms here. I will try to manipulate a mirror around to get horn numbers but looks like WAY too much grief to disassemble them. I can tell you I drug my mightiest Sherwood amp(40 watts per), and a turntable loaded with Cream to them today, I think I cracked the slab,,,,,,, quite pleasing to listen to.

The cabinets are open on top, same material as front grills.

Mike

[scott fitlin]

Tell us more about their sound! The vintage mids, and those 150 woofs. :D

[John W]

It sure looks like this system split into two separate cabs.

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/plans/t550a.htm

[mikezcar]

Really can't describe it, it's so clear I think I heard someone drop a pen in the studio on one of the albums and swear I heard someone tighten a guitar string. I biased the bass a little, cranked em up and "feel" the bass is the only way to say it.

I don't have any classical music so carried in a Sherwood tube reciever and listened to the symphony awhile. I believe I was there,,,,,,,

The Jethro Tull I put on, the flute had a whole new sound, crisp clean and helped me remember why I'm crazy about Ian Anderson.

Working on my wife now but just went through a rather protracted begging session to keep the C40's, in addition just had to replace my truck and I'm a cash and carry guy (no car payments) so the wallets kinda thin for a working guy. Quite sure they'll have to go but hate the thought of parting them out as they are pretty cool the way they are.

I JUST went by to see if they had any "tube stuff", they didn't, oh well better luck next time,,,,,

I'll try and get the horn numbers.

Mike

[mikezcar]

537-500

[scott fitlin]

Really can't describe it, it's so clear I think I heard someone drop a pen in the studio on one of the albums and swear I heard someone tighten a guitar string. I biased the bass a little, cranked em up and "feel" the bass is the only way to say it.

I don't have any classical music so carried in a Sherwood tube reciever and listened to the symphony awhile. I believe I was there,,,,,,,

The Jethro Tull I put on, the flute had a whole new sound, crisp clean and helped me remember why I'm crazy about Ian Anderson.

Working on my wife now but just went through a rather protracted begging session to keep the C40's, in addition just had to replace my truck and I'm a cash and carry guy (no car payments) so the wallets kinda thin for a working guy. Quite sure they'll have to go but hate the thought of parting them out as they are pretty cool the way they are.

I JUST went by to see if they had any "tube stuff", they didn't, oh well better luck next time,,,,,

I'll try and get the horn numbers.

MikeI know some of that sound your talking about. Yep, them things are OLD, yep, they have superceded that technology today, yep, power handing and thermal compression are vastly greater and improved these days, NOPE, youll never find nothing else that sound like them.

I get that sound, something like, out of my lenses ( 2395,s ), and that FEEL the bass ( Altec woofers ) in my place. That " Rosin on the Bow " sound it was called.

If your going to sell them, dont listen to them, anymore! That way you wont become hooked on em. Cause if you do keep listening to them, you will never be able to let them go.

Whatever you choose to do, you got a great deal for yourself, you keep em, they work great and please you. You sell em, they bring alot of money. Those xovers with those oil filled caps are even worth $$$$$!

[scott fitlin]

Im thinking you might even want to sell them as whole units, the right collector might be willing to pay big for these.

Maybe put them on ebay using the submit best offer type of sale? That way you could opt to turn down anything below ten grand.

[Hoerninger]

Those xovers with those oil filled caps are even worth $$$$$!

Really impressiv - exceptional.
[The xover I mean.]
____________
Peter

[mikezcar]

Looks like I can take the backs off if the 375's are out of the way and won't have to disturb the horns. If I take off the 4 acorn nuts that hold the driver to the horn is there any kind of gasket or "o" ring to watch out for? Is this the correct way to take them apart? I want to get good pics and all the SN's before they go to evilbay.

Really hope someone will get them and keep them as they are, kinda an homage to the guy who went to the trouble to put them together, and they sound great as is. Also they are in a pretty good package for shipping. Steve I'll take your advice and try the "Best Offer" method.

I'm guessing anyone who hangs out here regular has probably already seen them but I'll put a link in the for sale forum.

Guess I'll just keep the C40's and after these sell buy a set of "modern" JBL's with a little smaller footprint.

My Thanks for all the replies and help. Mike (even a blind hog finds an acorn once in awhile)

[cvengr]

I recently picked up a pair of similar cabinets, although the upper space used by the filter/crossover in this one had been modified/built? to accomodate a short length fflourescent light fixture pointing upwards with a white fogged glass top lense, making the speaker enclosure a top lit pedastal. The grills slid into the frame from the bottom, concealing a 15" Isophon round driver and a horn assembly with a midrange and two tweeters mounted in the sides of the horn throat pointed outwards. Speakers apparantly came from circa 1959-63 vintage, but play very smoothly.

the Isophon (German) P38/45/10 woofer although only 1-1/2" voice coil still is spec'ed at 146,000 Maxwells total flux with 10,000 Gauss in the air gap. Free resonance of 40 Hz, and the cabinet is ported at the bottom but well sealed thoughout. Baffle is only attached by 6 screws simply spanning the enclosure and the port is simply a rectangular slot cut in the baffle, so might be easily modified.

I was curious, was this top compartment a typical cabinet design feature in earlier speaker enclosures? I've seen it in a handful of cabinets, but curious if it was name brand specific or a generic home built simple design feature, say for a turntable at one time?

[SMKSoundPro]

The cabinet is a Hammond Organ JR-20, or HR-20 tone cabinet. My father was a Hammond Organ Factory Artist, and sold organs and pianos for 40 years until his death at the age of 57. He was very well known in Moline, Illinois and the Quad Cities as a nightclub entertainer, and also here in Alaska.

I was taught as a little boy to help dad move and repair organs and leslie speakers. I still do.

I have all of the Hammond service manuals back to the B models of the 40's.

The Hammond tone cabinet uses a 12" alnico speaker pointing up for the reverb channel with a separate 15 watt amp. It uses a 20 watt amp fullrange to two 15" speakers.

I have one PR-40 tone cabinet in storage that are always available, because organ-grinders want a 122 or 147 Lelie with the rotating snowcone horns on a 1" compression driver for the tremolo effect! Only Baptist and Methodist churches want the Pr-40 tone cabinets. It gives that real "churchy" sound.

If you find an older leslie, grab it! They are very sought after especially the 50 watt tube amp with TungSol 6550's.

Now I'm thinking of strapping some old JBL's in it and selling it for BIG BUCKS to some moron on the bay.

Scott.

[Steve Mac]

...
If you find an older leslie, grab it! They are very sought after especially the 50 watt tube amp with TungSol 6550's.
...
Scott.

Hi Scott, hey maybe you can lend some insight into this
Leslie. I've had it for a while...it works fine, it's got what I thought
was a 16" field coil speaker in it. It's the Model 21H and I believe it
to be built in 1952. Is it worth anything?
http://www.steevee.com/images/Studio/leslie1.JPG
http://www.steevee.com/images/Studio/leslie2.JPG
http://www.steevee.com/images/Studio/leslie3.JPG

Thanks in advance!

[Don C]

I've seen at least three of those old organ speaker cabinets at estate sales in recent years. I never pay much attention, as I always figure that they would cost more to ship them than their value.

[SMKSoundPro]

Dear SteveMac,

Check out this link.

http://www.captain-foldback.com/Leslie_sub/chorale.htm

Yes, I believe a model 21h is worthy, because of its smaller size, and can easily accept a 122 or 147 amp. A powerful, potent package that can used used with a Leslie Combo organ preamp, and be plugged into a huge variety of keyboards looking for a REAL Leslie sound!!!!

Scott.

[SMKSoundPro]

The leslie in question used a Jensen 15" permanant magnet speaker, an 800hz crossover to a 1" compression driver!

Perfectly matched to a M100 Hammond Spinet organ, also known as a "baby B3."

Scott.

[moldyoldy]

The cabs are Hammond HR40s, and were sold mostly with late '50s Hammond console organs like the B and C series that had no internal power amp or speakers. Original components included 9x Jensen 10s, 2x Jensen 12s, a 3 channel active crossover tube biamp (4x6V6 for <200Hz bass, 2x6V6 for >200Hz reverb channel, 2 more for non-reverb channel), and Hammond's oil-filled reverb unit, which I believe was the first production spring reverb. I've got 5 of them, only 3 left to restore.

One of several innovations of the stock cabs was the open back design which permitted tuning the enclosure to the room by varying the distance from the wall behind it. When setup right, those 9 10" Jensens produce bass that puts all but the hot-rodded Leslies to shame.

Here's a shot from the rear, I'll post more if there's interest.

[glen]

537-500

Hi Mike,
Those are rare and valuable horns as well.
And like Steve said these speakers that combine the JBL made and AMPEX made components are very rare.
Please add their serial numbers to the serial number thread!

By the way, those "cut corners" labels on the woofers visible in one of your pictures usually have a "date code" serial number that can reveal when they were originally made.
Can you get a close up picture of the labels, or tell us the serial numbers on the cut corners labels?

Fantastic find!
Cream and Tull through a tube amp on these babies must be heaven,
congrats on your score!

[mikezcar]

209-236 The 209 is correct, odd it would be exactly 100 off and still
in sequence
309-237
309-238
309-241

[Steve Mac]

Dear SteveMac,

Check out this link.

http://www.captain-foldback.com/Leslie_sub/chorale.htm

....
Scott.
Thank you Scott. Very nice link.
Funny, no pictures or storyline on the field coil speaker.
I'm laughing right now because I should know this as I cleaned
the cabinet once and had the speaker in my face but for the
life of me, I don't remember. again, thanks.. :)