Dilemma re: D120F recone - WeberVST or factory authorized?

[fazeka]

Hello,

I have a 1972 Leslie 18 speaker cabinet, essentially it is the same speaker as the Fender Vibratone which is a Leslie speaker used for electric guitar, primarily. The Leslie 18 houses a 12-inch speaker. When I received the Leslie, it had a replacement Utah in it that to my ears sounded rather “dark”. When I played my P90-equipped Gibson SG through it (in conjunction with my AA864 1964 Fender Bassman head), there was little distinction in the notes; the notes sort of all “blended together”. As I thought about it, I realized that a JBL would probably help with that loss of definition. As such, I scored a blown grey-frame D120F that I intend to use with the cabinet.

Now of course I have some options in regards to reconing this bad boy. Mainly, it’s going to come down to either Ted Weber or having a factory authorized JBL center reconing with an “E” kit. I was initially considering only the “E” kit just because it is factory parts. However, I heard a rumor that the gap on the D120F needs to be opened up/milled to accommodate the “E” kit. Is this true? Also, is there a possibility that the “E” kit will make the D120F sound “harsh”? I’ve heard some say that replacing the aluminum dome with a paper dome (a la Ted Weber) tames the “harshness” but I’ve also heard others say this is sacrilege. Also, some have said the D120F is not the same after the “E” kit recone. I can’t remember but I thought that the D cones were smooth and the E cones are ribbed (?) so I am thinking this may affect the sound. Same goes for the surrounds...

Everyone who has had Ted Weber recone their D120Fs say Ted’s recones sound great. Some have said the Weber recone sounds more like the original D120F than the current “E” kits do. However I do not know how I will like the sound of Ted’s recones as I can’t say that I am trying to cop the Dicky Betts sound or whatever. Also, I understand Ted does not use JBL kits when reconing JBLs (not sure what kit he uses, actually). But it’s nice that Ted can demag/mag/remag magnets if he needs to (something I am doubting the authorized JBL centers in my area can/will do).

So given my circumstance, what would y’all recommend?

Also, anyone know where I can get the springs that go in the speaker terminals? I have one terminal (black) that has it’s cap completely off and of course no spring inside. The other (red) terminal’s cap is intact but it also does not have the spring inside. So I need either replacement terminals or instructions on how to remove/replace the terminal caps so I can get springs in there and also the source of these terminal springs.

Thanks,
Chris

[rlschow]

Hey Chris,

i was just trolling through old threads and I came across your post. I can't believe nobody bothered to respond. But I'm new to posting here myself and I don't know the "vibe" of this forum, so I'm going to jump in and maybe you'll see it. I am about to send a pair of D120F's to Ted Weber for reconing. I trust his judgement when it comes to speakers for guitar amps. I have two other speakers that he did (Jensen C10Q's, not JBL's) and they sound really great to my ear (better than the original Jensen in my Princeton Reverb). I also saw and heard a D120F that he did for a friend three years ago and it was just fine. I spoke to Ted on the phone at that time and asked if his voice coils were edgewound and if he could do an aluminum dust cap. His answers were "yes, and yes". He said the only noticable cosmetic difference from an original D120F was that it would not have the cork gasket. Then I dragged my feet about sending him my speakers, and the next thing I knew, he had stopped taking in recone jobs that were not on his own brand. So I was very happy when I checked recently to see that he's opened up again to do vintage speakers. I'm going to send him the D120F's and a pair of 1958 Jensen P12N's quick before he changes his mind.

Good luck with your JBL. I've always wanted to find a Vibratone or Leslie 18. I've got a 66 AB165 that I converted to AA864 specs and it's a GREAT sounding head.

Roger