Help fitting a new Weber speaker in my SFDR!!

44deluxe · April 5th, 2006, 11:06 AM

Hi,

Some of you may remember me buying a SFDR off ebay last year and how my Uncle was going to look at it.....

....well.....it was (as many of you suggested) a bit of a stretch for him, which to be fair, he admitted. He took it to Barry Vyse (importer of the dreaded Torres amps....) and while he's a friendly guy, I was less than impressed with his service unfortunately.

I ended up taking it to a local guy here (the founder of Maughan amps: http://www.maughanamps.com/)...his amps are the biz but they're HUGELY expensive

Anyway, he's pretty much got the amp back working although it's still not 100%. I guess I bought a bit of a dud. :( The sound is SO sweet but it's crackly and the tremolo is still a bit "clicky".....I was also advised to upgrade the speaker so....I took some advice from this place :8

I've now finally received a new 12F150 but I need a hand to fit it.....

How do I break through the black fibre blocking the holes? Is it a tricky job or can I just prod it with something sharp?

Thanks in advance....sorry for the ramble!

mark norwine · April 5th, 2006, 11:11 AM

1.) just punch the holes....no biggie

2.) find another amp tech. With all due respect, you don't have a dud amp....you have a dud tech.

ticking trem? a properly-placed .01uF cap will kill it dead.

crackley? Plate load resistors, PS caps....even a rec tube can cause that. bad / dirty sockets can do that, too.

Sounds like your tech....to be honest....doesn't have a clue.

44deluxe · April 5th, 2006, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark norwine

1.) just punch the holes....no biggie

2.) find another amp tech. With all due respect, you don't have a dud amp....you have a dud tech.

ticking trem? a properly-placed .01uF cap will kill it dead.

crackley? Plate load resistors, PS caps....even a rec tube can cause that. bad / dirty sockets can do that, too.

Sounds like your tech....to be honest....doesn't have a clue.

Thanks Mark!....I think good techs are a lot harder to find here than over there :(

*contemplates emigrating*

44deluxe · April 5th, 2006, 11:43 AM

Ok....last question....

Which lead goes on which terminal....and can getting it wrong damage the speaker?

mark norwine · April 5th, 2006, 12:20 PM

In a single-speaker amp, it doesn't matter.

There are those who say that polarity {incorrectly referred to as "phase"} matters & that you can hear a difference. I sure can't & contend that it doesn't matter, but I can't "tell battery manufacturers apart" in my pedals either. No hope for me, huh? :)

In any case, you won't hurt anything.

44deluxe · April 5th, 2006, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark norwine

In a single-speaker amp, it doesn't matter.

There are those who say that polarity {incorrectly referred to as "phase"} matters & that you can hear a difference. I sure can't & contend that it doesn't matter, but I can't "tell battery manufacturers apart" in my pedals either. No hope for me, huh? :)

In any case, you won't hurt anything.

Thanks dude....I'm all up and running....it's stopped crackling and farting anyway!

Tremo · April 5th, 2006, 04:59 PM

+1 on what Norwine said. I agree 110%.

RussBert · April 6th, 2006, 12:36 AM

Fitting a new speaker...

I know That my routine is a bit overkill, but I like to remove both back panels, the chassis and the reverb tank when installing a new speaker,

1. you get to vacuum/clean out the inside of the cab,

2. If the old speaker sticks to the baffle, it will be much easier to get it out.

3. Installing is made easier as well by having a straight and clear shot at putting the speaker on the mounting studs...it's real easy to slip and punch a hole through the new cone if you're struggling to get around the backpanels, tubes, reverb, etc.

4. you can evenly torque down the speaker retainer screws. I use two fingers on an 11/32" nut driver.

Best of luck!

Dacious · April 6th, 2006, 12:59 AM

Be careful torquing down speaker bolts. I used to be one of the 'eh....eh...eh.....eh....' and one more 'eh' school of speaker bolt tighteners (que Cartman voice effects). You know, that sucker's not coming loose anytime soon.

Then I read an interview with James B Lansing (yes, he of Altec and JBL fame) about speaker design and application. He stated that speaker bolts should be no more than snugged down evenly - basically just past finger tight and retensioned on a regular if infrequent basis. Tightening them down too hard causes poorer sound reproduction and potentially issues when the frame and/or baffle distorts.

I can't claim any vast sonic improvements but it seems to work pretty good on my Vibrolux.

Just one to think about.

yegbert · April 6th, 2006, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 44deluxe

Which lead goes on which terminal....and can getting it wrong damage the speaker?

I connect the hot terminal of the speaker ("+" or red) to the jack's tip, and the ground ("-" or black) terminal of the speaker to the jack's shaft length. I believe that is standard. I do it one way consistently so I have the flexibility to connect a second of my speakers without having to worry about them being out of phase.

But I haven't noticed a difference in sound in a single speaker setup when I've connected a single speaker opposite of that and I can't imagine how it would damage a speaker.

mad dog · April 6th, 2006, 09:59 AM

Having installed a weber ceramic in my BFDR, I can add:

It's a tight fit, can be done w/o pulling the chassis, but do so carefully. That speaker feels heavy after a while, but you have to carefully fit it over the studs. Took a little wiggling.

I was really careful not to drop a tool through the speaker paper. It would be real easy to do so. Also, made sure to cover the frame when I soldered the leads on. Don't think hot solder would do that speaker cone any good either.

Tremo · April 6th, 2006, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mad dog

Having installed a weber ceramic in my BFDR, I can add:

It's a tight fit, can be done w/o pulling the chassis, but do so carefully. That speaker feels heavy after a while, but you have to carefully fit it over the studs. Took a little wiggling.

I was really careful not to drop a tool through the speaker paper. It would be real easy to do so. Also, made sure to cover the frame when I soldered the leads on. Don't think hot solder would do that speaker cone any good either.

In a BFDR, sheesh, you can remove 4 screws and pull the baffle out the front. Then it's a snap to clean and mount the speaker down to the baffle, solder the wires to the speaker, then just reinstall the baffle. That's the easiest and least hassle.

April 5th, 2006, 11:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
44deluxe TDPRI Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: A Brit living in the South of France Age: 37 Posts: 99	Help fitting a new Weber speaker in my SFDR!! Hi, Some of you may remember me buying a SFDR off ebay last year and how my Uncle was going to look at it..... ....well.....it was (as many of you suggested) a bit of a stretch for him, which to be fair, he admitted. He took it to Barry Vyse (importer of the dreaded Torres amps....) and while he's a friendly guy, I was less than impressed with his service unfortunately. I ended up taking it to a local guy here (the founder of Maughan amps: http://www.maughanamps.com/)...his amps are the biz but they're HUGELY expensive Anyway, he's pretty much got the amp back working although it's still not 100%. I guess I bought a bit of a dud. :( The sound is SO sweet but it's crackly and the tremolo is still a bit "clicky".....I was also advised to upgrade the speaker so....I took some advice from this place :8 I've now finally received a new 12F150 but I need a hand to fit it..... How do I break through the black fibre blocking the holes? Is it a tricky job or can I just prod it with something sharp? Thanks in advance....sorry for the ramble!

April 5th, 2006, 11:11 AM	#2 (permalink)
mark norwine Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: New Jersey Age: 50 Posts: 1,382	1.) just punch the holes....no biggie 2.) find another amp tech. With all due respect, you don't have a dud amp....you have a dud tech. ticking trem? a properly-placed .01uF cap will kill it dead. crackley? Plate load resistors, PS caps....even a rec tube can cause that. bad / dirty sockets can do that, too. Sounds like your tech....to be honest....doesn't have a clue. __________________ "Progress is not possible without deviation from the norm." Frank Zappa

April 5th, 2006, 12:20 PM	#5 (permalink)
mark norwine Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: New Jersey Age: 50 Posts: 1,382	In a single-speaker amp, it doesn't matter. There are those who say that polarity {incorrectly referred to as "phase"} matters & that you can hear a difference. I sure can't & contend that it doesn't matter, but I can't "tell battery manufacturers apart" in my pedals either. No hope for me, huh? :) In any case, you won't hurt anything. __________________ "Progress is not possible without deviation from the norm." Frank Zappa

April 6th, 2006, 12:59 AM	#9 (permalink)
Dacious Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Godzone Posts: 2,623 35 Photos	Be careful torquing down speaker bolts. I used to be one of the 'eh....eh...eh.....eh....' and one more 'eh' school of speaker bolt tighteners (que Cartman voice effects). You know, that sucker's not coming loose anytime soon. Then I read an interview with James B Lansing (yes, he of Altec and JBL fame) about speaker design and application. He stated that speaker bolts should be no more than snugged down evenly - basically just past finger tight and retensioned on a regular if infrequent basis. Tightening them down too hard causes poorer sound reproduction and potentially issues when the frame and/or baffle distorts. I can't claim any vast sonic improvements but it seems to work pretty good on my Vibrolux. Just one to think about. __________________ My other Telecaster is a Thinline The Tele Bible, Ch 1, v 10 Love thy Telecaster, covet not thy neighbour's Strat!

April 5th, 2006, 11:43 AM	#4 (permalink)
44deluxe TDPRI Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: A Brit living in the South of France Age: 37 Posts: 99	Ok....last question.... Which lead goes on which terminal....and can getting it wrong damage the speaker?

April 5th, 2006, 04:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
Tremo Banned Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Silicon Valley, CA, USA Posts: 3,803	+1 on what Norwine said. I agree 110%.

April 6th, 2006, 12:36 AM	#8 (permalink)
RussBert Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2005 Location: Connecticut Posts: 321	Fitting a new speaker... I know That my routine is a bit overkill, but I like to remove both back panels, the chassis and the reverb tank when installing a new speaker, 1. you get to vacuum/clean out the inside of the cab, 2. If the old speaker sticks to the baffle, it will be much easier to get it out. 3. Installing is made easier as well by having a straight and clear shot at putting the speaker on the mounting studs...it's real easy to slip and punch a hole through the new cone if you're struggling to get around the backpanels, tubes, reverb, etc. 4. you can evenly torque down the speaker retainer screws. I use two fingers on an 11/32" nut driver. Best of luck!

April 6th, 2006, 09:59 AM	#11 (permalink)
mad dog Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 849	Having installed a weber ceramic in my BFDR, I can add: It's a tight fit, can be done w/o pulling the chassis, but do so carefully. That speaker feels heavy after a while, but you have to carefully fit it over the studs. Took a little wiggling. I was really careful not to drop a tool through the speaker paper. It would be real easy to do so. Also, made sure to cover the frame when I soldered the leads on. Don't think hot solder would do that speaker cone any good either.