Gauss speaker, ebay nightmare...

[Rich Rice]

I'm on a mission now. Back in 1972, my friend bought a beautiful Twin Reverb amp loaded with a pair of Gauss 12's. Sucker was a backbreaker, but it had "the tone" that I've been after ever since.
My son just bought a way cool Vibrosonic on ebay, and it arrived in way worse shape than the description. He bought it largely because of all my raving about the old Twin with Gauss speakers. To make this short, the amp was "in perfect working order". Frankly, it was in perfect working order with the exception that the reverb didn't work, the cabinet was cracked, the master volume is non functional, the dog house cover for the filter caps is gone (really dangerous on a combo amp.. sheesh) and (worst of all) the Gauss speaker had old repairs and dried out glue repairs that have failed, rips in the cone, as well as a nice dent in the aluminum dust cover. Now the seller won't answer e-mail. Let me tell you, this is a good sounding amp, but top dollar was paid based on the description which was anything but honest. I have never had a speaker reconed, but have heard that they seldom sound as good as original, due to sub standard aftermarket voice coils and shims that are "close enough" rather than perfect matches. I'm assuming that since Gauss speakers are no longer made, this would be the case for them.
Brings me to the crux of this post. I'd like to locate an original replacement for this speaker in good shape, it's an early 70's 15" Gauss speaker, and then also like to repair the one that has damage to the cone. I have a feeling we got stuck with this one, and have done many cone repairs over the years. The voice coil seems to be fine, and the speaker sounds good at low volume. All the tears are in the field of the cone, and don't go all the way to the center or into the edging. I have used many different materials, different types of paper and glues, and have re-edged a pair of ancient JBL's with success. I'm concerned about which glue and material to use on this one, though. I want it to last *forever*... Shocked
Has anyone ever tried using Tyvek on a cone repair? Tyvek is a paper like housewrap that is strong, lightweight, and won't tear. It seems like it would make an excellent repair patch, but I don't want to do irreversible harm to such a nice speaker, despite the fact that it's pretty ripped up. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Pics removed. Link to the pics provided a couple of posts down. Too many to post here.]

 

[Paul in Colorado]

I use Orange County Speaker Repair for recones and I'm real happy with their quality and service. I bet they could bring the Gauss back to life.

www.speakerrepair.com.

A Brown Soun in Northern California has a good reputation as well. They sell the Tone Tubby hemp cone speakers.

I'm sorry you got burned on your amp deal. Do you have the guy's phone number?

Good luck sorting things out.

 

[Rich Rice]

Plot thickens... Oh, man.........

Thanks Paul.
That's where I got my supplies for the re-edging kits. (Orange Co) They were very helpful. Who else carries re-foam kits for JBL 14" speakers from 1962?!
We fixed the reverb (broken extension wire inside the unit) and I'm trying the Tyvek for the cracks. If it works and sounds good, great. Otherwise, another $175 or so, and we'll have a reconed speaker.
Well, Chris just pulled the chassis to peek inside. Looks like the amp was rebuilt, new caps, new resistors, broken board, lots of rewired areas. I'll try to post a lnk to pics.

 

[Wild Rice Chris]

I threw an Altec 421B 15" in the amp to test it, and it sounds great. Which is what really matters. But I'd still like to hear the Gauss.

I've probably bought 15 amps this year trying to find the right one (or three!) and I think this may be it.

 

[Rich Rice]

Pics of the patient-"1973"(kinda) Vibrosonic

I hope this link will work:
http://photobucket.com/albums/y168/dabluzeguy/vibrosonic/
Looks like somebody got really, really busy with a soldering gun in there. Do you think it still qualifies as "vintage" with all those new parts?
Oh, and no, I don't have this guy's phone number. I'm sure I could get it, but it's really hard to get a clean shot at somebody through the telephone...

 

[JDO]

Re: Pics of the patient-"1973"(kinda) Vibrosonic

I hope this link will work:
http://photobucket.com/albums/y168/dabluzeguy/vibrosonic/
Looks like somebody got really, really busy with a soldering gun in there. Do you think it still qualifies as "vintage" with all those new parts?
Oh, and no, I don't have this guy's phone number. I'm sure I could get it, but it's really hard to get a clean shot at somebody through the telephone...

i'm getting a page asking me to log in

 

[Rich Rice]

Trouble with the link

I think I got it working, now. Please PM me if it gives you trouble. I appreciate your interest.
Rich

 

[Rich Rice]

From our limited knowledge of amplifier circuitry, (my knowledge is almost nil, Chris is better) it looks as if the main board is broken into two pieces, most of the resistors and caps look new. Many orange drop caps in there, but not the "vintage" ones... It may have been "blackfaced". The master volume does nothing (no great loss IMO), and the overall soldering looks sloppy and amateurish to me. Burned wires abound from being touched with a hot gun/iron. I'm no saint, but wouldn't let those things exist in my soldering work. I just wonder if the seller was that dumb, or if he thought we were...

 

[Pierce]

didn't see the breaks

on my dinky minitor.. thats a 78 ish amp correct? I see late 70's amps with stock OD caps in them ( have a pile of NOS twin boards loaded with them) the bias resistor cap is whack.. as you kids say. fender cap covers are available PM me and I'll hook you up.

the cab corner on those are just glued and stapled // no finger joints there.. some clamps and regluing after peeling back the corners help..I've gone as far as drill small pilot holes and sinkung screws to hold the corners together. those cabs are lucky to be solid at their age without gigging or the UPS/FEDEX bashing
tom

 

[Rich Rice]

It's a '73. I'm not too concerned about the cabinet repair, that part is fairly simple. Mostly I worry about reliability, since the amp has had such extensive work done internally and I'm not really amp savvy. BTW,

the bias resistor cap is whack.. as you kids say.

Thanks for the compliment, I'm a 50 year old "kid".
Just trying to help my son with this beast... it sounds great with the Altec we popped in there for testing purposes, and I have an old Fender EV 15 here to try... We were really looking forward to the Gauss speaker, however. My memories of a friend's '72 Twin (Back when it was brand spankin' new) with a pair of Gauss speakers loomed large when we spotted this amp, and we were dismayed with the (undisclosed) overall poor condition of this amp. I am currently considering filing fraud charges against this seller, have made two attempts to contact him so far, and received no replies. I guess the phrase "Caveat Emptor" comes to mind...

 

[Melody]

I feal your pain

Thers a member here that burned me on Ebay for a SFVR then had the Balls to PM me and ask how i was doing!Sorry too hear that..

 

[moonshiner]

If you are interested, there's a guy up here in Waukesha, WI (1h10m or so from AH, IL) that does FANTASTIC speaker work... He reconed my late 70's JBL's like nothing I've ever heard... I can hook you up if interested... You can talk to him yourself and see what he can't do...

 

[Stirton]

E-Bay Dispute Resolution Process

It sounds from your post like your son is quite happy with the amp, even despite the condition, but that the amp was not as described ("perfect working condition") and so he feels like he paid over the odds for what was by your accout a "fixer upper". I can only defer to the others on this thread as regards getting the appropriate repair and maintenance. I restrict my remarks to pointing to E-Bay's Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described Process. Before starting down this process, I would write to the seller one last time, stating your intention to do so, but also stating what you want from him. I think you want to keep the amp, and so what you should be asking would be a bit less than what it would cost to bring the amp up to the standard described. If the seller doesn't respond within five days or so, I would activate the process--it seems to be pretty much costless for you to do this and although I have never used it, the description looks pretty business-like to me.

I would add any safety issues you have in any correspondence with E-Bay

Hope this helps.

[Edit added 11 October] Although I sympathise with your predicament (and your son's), I would also want to point out that there are many possible explanations for how this could have come about. Maybe the seller knew little about amps, for example--I am not sure that I would have spotted the complaints you had, apart from the exterior. If I were to pursue this, I would be scrupulous about not implying any conscious attempt on the part of the seller to misdescribe the amp.

 

[Rich Rice]

Possible resolution

I received an e-mail this evening, and the seller has agreed to a partial refund to have the speaker repaired. We will do all the rest of the restoration work, and pray that the electronics are reliable. Many thanks to all who have contributed to this thread, and also through PMs. I'll make one last post when all the dust (and check) clear.
Sincerely yours,
Rich Rice

 

[Rich Rice]

My final post on this thread- Happy ending!

OK.. I repaired the Gauss speaker, but we're not that impressed with it, I think it really needs to be properly reconed. The cone is very soft and pliable, and it is my opinion that it has exceeded its duty cycle. (I mean it's worn out.) After much experimentation, it has been replaced with a Fender labeled EVM 15L, (bought at the garage sale from Mike Goldring. Great speaker. Thanks Mike!) which sounds much better. I think it sounds fabulous. Chris may tinker with it internally, he likes to do that sort of thing- but overall the amp is now solid. My knowledge of electronics is too limited to get involved with tweaking an amp. The seller refunded enough money to have the Gauss reconed, so we were very lucky in that respect. All in all, I like the amp, and have since bought another one just like it- again, several issues.. The price one pays for vintage tone lust...
I'd just like to thank those of you who have contributed to this thread, your input/sympathy has been a help in coping with all the nonsense.

 

[Old Sound Guy]

Power & Light located in San Bernardino CA winds their own voice coils and does PERFECT replacements for Gauss speakers. I have had nothing but great results with them.

 

[gridlock]

I would still go back to PayPal and eBay and file complaints with pictures. I do not like getting ripped-off, lied to, and paying top dollar for somthing that was not as advertised. The seller needs to be made public so that he does not do this to someone else.

 

[muchxs]

Zombie Thread.

I'm fairly certain this has been take care of since November 2005. Last post from the OP says "happy ending".

 

[gridlock]

Zombie Thread.

I'm fairly certain this has been take care of since November 2005. Last post from the OP says "happy ending".

Oops, long thread and skimmed.
Thanks for info.
Grid