JBL D-130 Problems

[65-Showman]

I have a 1965 Fender Showman Cab with two JBL D130Fs in it and I just noticed that one of them wasnt working, but the other is. I checked it with a meter and I think that it is the coil? If it is or whatever it may be, is there a way of fixing it without sending it away? This speaker is also a 8-16 ohm speaker. Also this speaker has never been recone or repeired it is all original.

I have also been looking around and I cant seem to find any old JBL D-130Fs that are both 8 and 16 ohms, is there a website with these old speakers?

[pierce]

not sure why they say 8-16 ohms, a D130F is a 8 ohm speaker. if you wire two in series, they would be 16 ohms.

you should be able to replace that speaker with a K130, but it can likely be repaired by a -good- speaker company. All D130F have the same spec, as do the K130 (k130 has a stronger coil form, and stronger glues, so they can handle more power)

when you say 'checked with a meter', you're seeing an open circuit across the contacts? then either the wiring to the voice coil is broken or the voice coil is open. either would likely require a pro speaker guy to repair, as those speakers use flat aluminum wire wound on edge on their voice coils, this is not something easy to rebuild without extensive experience...


fyi, specs on a D130F (1960s) are here
http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/jbl/specs/pro-comp/f-series/page04.jpg
specs on the somewhat newer K130 (mid 70s and forward)
http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/jbl/specs/pro-comp/k-series/page4.jpg
the main difference is the K130 can handle more power.

my brother has a D120F and K120 (12") side by side in a Twin, they both sound very much the same, and he's very into vintage guitar sounds (1953 ES295, a 50s Tele, and an Epiphone L5 style).

[65-Showman]

Thanks, What is the sound difference between the D130F and the K130? I was also wondering if anyone knew of a good speaker repair company in Central/Southern Ontario?

[pierce]

from what all I understand, no audible differences until you push the D130F past its physical limits. the two coil forms are the same mass, its just that the newer K130 is made from a stiffer plastic so it won't deform under heavy loads. the k130 uses a stronger glue so it won't tear itself apart under heavy loads.

the d130f itself is a reinforced version of the classic D130 made in the 1950s... guitar players in the 1960s were starting to play louder and harder and the D130's were starting to tear. so they made the D130 with a stronger glue, a stiffer cone and a slightly wider voice coil gap, initially for Fender, hence the F. They also switched from a paper dome to an aluminum dome, mostly for cosmetics, but it did slightly improve the treble.

can't help you with a speaker service in ontario... in California, there's Neals Speakers in Sacramento, Orange County Speakers in Southern California, and the other place I've heard of who does good work is in Florida (Simply Speakers). Basically, a voice coil repair turns into a reconing, as the voice coil and cone are installed as a single assembly. I'm looking at Simply Speaker's website, a D130F/K130 recone with JBL OEM parts is $200, with aftermarket parts, its $140.

others here likely have more experience with speaker repair places.

oh, there -is- another possibility... take a close look at the back of the speaker, behind the terminals, there's two braided flexible wires that connect from the back of the terminal strip to the cone. is one of these per chance broken? that would be a relatively easy repair if its broken at the terminal strip side, it would just need resoldering (by someone familiar with electronics soldering and delicate parts!)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_o9ZAx-cSbdg/R7NRYAbouSI/AAAAAAAAABQ/OJq2tqairSg/s1600/IMG_2268.JPG

[BMWCCA]

the d130f itself is a reinforced version of the classic D130 made in the 1950s... guitar players in the 1960s were starting to play louder and harder and the D130's were starting to tear. so they made the D130 with a stronger glue, a stiffer cone and a slightly wider voice coil gap, initially for Fender, hence the F. They also switched from a paper dome to an aluminum dome, mostly for cosmetics, but it did slightly improve the treble.Even I know a lot of that is slightly incorrect. Not that it affects the OP in this thread, but you're in the right place for D130F history. You just need to search the right references:

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=14876

or get the whole history here: http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=9659