JBL K120 Speakers inquiry

[TubeGeek]

I am new to the game with JBL guitar speakers. I have read all the praises about them over the years and now I have a chance to own a pair of k120's that came installed in a super twin reverb amp. 

I am bartering my tech time for this amp.  I'll be servicing some really cool UREI compressors in trade for the super twin reverb amp.

I plugged in my twin and tried them out and wow they do sound very clean but not in an irritating way.  They are buttery with zero breakup. Nice low end, with mids and highs not piercing and thin. I do hear something funky coming from one of the speakers so I begin to wonder what is going on....fast forward to a week later and I decide to remove both speakers and have a good look at them.

Indeed I find a couple issues with one of the speakers.  The dust cap has been re-glued or positioned and there is a small tear in the surround. Darn.

Now I need to decide if these particular speakers are worth sending off to be re-coned.

I live in Canada and our dollar value is pretty stinking low right now which is making ordering parts from the US, extra expensive for us canuck's.  It's getting brutal expensive and thus I need to know if it is worth doing this and who is recommended?  I want these re-coned right if I do it.

I have in mind: Weber, Vin-tone, or a local guy.

Any thoughts or advice here guys?

[Ed_Chambley]

I use Orange County Speakers for JBL and Celestion as they have the OEM parts for them.  The do a great job, but it is probably better for you pricewise to order new surrounds as from the photos the cones look fine.  The glued on dust cap could have been better applied.

I should think you should have someone in Canada.  Check with your closest high end audio dealer, like the guys who sell home theater stuff Martin Logan or Paradigm which are made in Canada.  Find out who repairs their speakers.

They are very nice speakers, but you are correct, they are clean.

[2deaf]

Those K series are some real speakers, as opposed to those pressed-frame speakers that everyone uses.  The die cast frame has no flex and no ringing when you tap it with a screwdriver.  That alnico magnet is very powerful, but there is practically no magnetism outside of it.  The edgewound aluminum voice coil gets almost all of the magnetic field.  The frequency response is way far and away the flattest for any guitar speaker I have ever owned.  And loud.  I used to play through a pair of K130's that would dominate anybody's Marshall rig.  But, for the past twenty years or so, I have played through Marshall cabinets with Celestion G12T-75's.  Because that is the "sound of Rock".   

I use three different speakers when testing new circuits.  I will use the G12T-75 if it is a Rock or Metal circuit, a Fender 12" out of a twin if it is a Fenderish circuit, and I will use a K120 if I want to know what it really sounds like.

I play bass through four JBL Ki40's and all four have been reconed somewhere along the line.  A buddy of mine burned-up a pair early on when he turned the compressor off and played some funk.  I called up JBL and somebody answered the phone (it was different days).  I sent them the speakers and, for a fee, they reconed them good as new.  More recently, I had the other pair reconed in Sacramento  or somewhere with an cheap after market cone and it rendered them quite inferior to the original.

The K120 is an exceptional speaker and I would encourage you to seek out a reputable firm that has a quality edgewound replacement and the ability to install it correctly. 

[jojokeo]

Those K series are some real speakers... The K120 is an exceptional speaker and I would encourage you to seek out a reputable firm that has a quality edgewound replacement and the ability to install it correctly.

That would be Orange County Speaker. They've been in business since Fender was still operating out of Fullerton and I've used them for decades going way back to my '63 piggyback Tremolux. I've been lucky to live less than 10 miles from them the whole time. I still have four old fashioned 3-way giant hi-fi speakers w/ the 12" subwoofers that only need the surround replaced occasionally. Without OC Speakers they'd have been toast a long time ago. The small Bose systems sound pretty good today but nothing compares to when I turn up even moderately. All that air moving is really cool and all you need to confirm is the huge smiling faces that are are in the room when I show them. Watching movies using them doesn't suck either. 

[Ritchie200]

Would you maybe want to re-cone them yourself?


http://www.simplyspeakers.com/jbl-recone-kit-aftermarket-jbl-e120-RK-JBLE120-8.html


As far as how the JBL 120 series sounds -  Tony Iomi, Geezer Butler 1970's, D series.


Jim

[TubeGeek]

Would you maybe want to re-cone them yourself?


http://www.simplyspeakers.com/jbl-recone-kit-aftermarket-jbl-e120-RK-JBLE120-8.html


As far as how the JBL 120 series sounds -  Tony Iomi, Geezer Butler 1970's, D series.


Jim

Hmmm, it never crossed my mind until now.  I'm gonna watch this video and just may try it out.  It'd be another good skill to learn.