"open" (broken) coil on a Rickenbacher field coil

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

I have just been informed by my amp technician that the coil (bobbin) creating the magnetic field on the field coil speaker of my war time Rickenbacher (metal attache case) amp is "open"... the coil is broken somewhere.

We are trying to find if someone can rewind and fix it.
Alternatively I am also looking to buy an amp like it, which may be otherwise defective in order to salvage a speaker from there. The idea is to put the amp back into original "vintage" state.

I'd appreciate recommendations and/or other ideas.

Thanks! ... J-D.

Here's an example of the amp model. I don't have pictures of mine handy.

Blake Hawkins · From: Florida

JD,
Ray Montee had a Volutone amp rebuilt which included
rewinding the field coil of the speaker.
Perhaps he he has the address of the rebuilder.

There is a fellow in Birmingham Alabama who rewinds
field coils:

Hank Brazeal
3850 Galleria Woods #8
Birmingham, AL 35249

(205)403-6243

Blake

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

As I recall, the speaker field coil also functioned as a choke for the power supply (providing additional smoothing of AC ripple). It's quite likely that an electrolytic cap is bad, and that caused the failure. At any rate, have the amp checked out before you go replacing the speaker, or the same thing may happen again. Field-coil speakers are getting hard to find, and they're also expensive to repair. One alternative (not "vintage", though) is to use a regular speaker and replace the field coil with a large choke.

Good luck!

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Mercury Magnetics?

Bill A. Moore · From: Silver City, New Mexico, USA

I read somewhere that Ted Weber was offering a field coil speaker, might try them.
Off thread but not off topic, years ago some guys (musicians) came up here from Mexico, and I got to be friends with them. They all had college degrees from the university in Chihuahua, and Hector (guitar player), got a job fixing tvs,amps, etc. at the music store. I loaned a Fender bass to a friend, and when he brought it back, it was dead, I took it to Hector who determined that the pickup was open. He unwound the thing, repaired the open, and wound it back. It worked fine! He told me in Mexico they never replace anything that they can fix.

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

Thanks to all of you for the ideas and addresses!
I will forward the whole thread to my amp tech.
She had suggested Mercury Magnetics... now we have an alternate address.

I would really want to save the original speaker so to keep the amp "original" and then semi-retire the amp as I plan to have it cloned (with a permanent magnet speaker of course).

Thanks! ... J-D.

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