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Topic: Has or does anyone use the Eminence commonwealth for steel |
Marty Holmes
From:
Magnolia ,TX USA
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Posted 2 Sep 2009 12:14 pm |
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| I love the Emimnence clone JBL made for Fender,but have heard that commonwealth and JBL clone are two different speakers.How close do the two sound from each other,and how different do they sound from one another.I called the local music store ,but Fender only makes the JBL clone for the steelking,and custom 15 twin reverb,not for sale induvidually to the public.Is the commonwealth worth $150 for steel guitar? |
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 2 Sep 2009 12:55 pm
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| The Steel King/Custom 15 stock speaker and the Eminence Commonwealth are both the same speaker, made by Eminence. Fender does not sell their branded version a la cart - you have to get the Commonwealth if you want one. I believe this speaker is a knockoff of the out of production JBL E130. How close it sounds to the JBL I can't say. I do know they have a big heavy ceramic magnet. |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 3 Sep 2009 6:11 pm
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Yes, the speaker in the Custom 15 and the Steel King is a Commonwealth. They have a lot of high end, and are very heavy. I had one in my Session 400 for a while, and had to set the treble and presence on zero and still couldn't dial out the highs. It also made the amp unbearably heavy. Having said that, I did like the sound of the Commonwealth in the Steel Kings I've used. It was hard to tell in my Custom 15 because that amp just sounded bad no matter what speaker I used.
I probably wouldn't get another Commonwealth, just on the premise of its high-end tendencies - and, of course, weight. If you are looking for one, watch the forum. They come up from time to time for about $100 plus shipping.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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Jim Dickinson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 3 Sep 2009 7:35 pm
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The Eminence Commonwealth and the Fender Sreel King Speaker are not the same speaker.
The Fender Steel King Speaker was designed by Jerry Hubbard at Fender, to closely as possible, match the sound of a JBL D130. Jerry, former Cheif Engineer of Acoustics of ALTEC Lansing, when it was a real Audio Company, is one of the Country's most talented speaker designers, designed the speaker after JBL declined to make them any D130s. Although it is built by Eminence, on an OEM basis, for Fender, it is a proprietary product of only Fender. The Commonwealth may be similar, although I believe it has a deeper cone, it is not the same.
Jim |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 4 Sep 2009 3:14 am
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Thanks, Jim....the notion here on the forum for the longest time has been that they are one and the same. If this is not the case, thanks for the correction.
The one I had in my Session 400 was from a Steel King. If the person who designed it is one of the country's best, I must have certainly received a dud.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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Tommy Detamore
From:
Floresville, Texas
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Posted 4 Sep 2009 5:42 am
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Chris, your impressions are quite interesting to me, as I was able to make a similar comparison, although I arrived at an opposite conclusion. Go figure, right? 
In the show I am working in, all backline and guitars are supplied by Fender. I had the opportunity to try out three amps (a Steel King, a Twin re-issue, and a Twin Custom 15) before making a decision as to which one I wanted to use.
I gravitated towards the Steel King first, since I hadn't had much of an opportunity to work with one before, and was concerned about headroom with a tube amp in a live setting. I tried it for about a week, and could never find the sweet spot. There was a bothersome high-end thing that I couldn't dial out without sacrificing clarity in the mids and low mids. I was convinced that it was the speaker, since I had heard quite a few similar reports from others, with most blaming the speaker.
So I moved on to the Custom 15. Even though it uses the same speaker, I didn't have the high-end problem with that amp. Granted, I tend to play with a fair amount of highs (some might say too much!), so maybe this amp-speaker is a just better fit for me and my guitar-pickup-hands equation.
I took the Custom 15 home a few times so I could mess with it and compare it to a couple other amps. I have a '68 Twin with a JBL D-130 that I use to record with sometimes. I also have a '68 Dual Showman Reverb head that I use sometimes with a Rick Johnson cabinet loaded with a BW 1501-4. I thought, at home at least, the Custom 15 compared quite favorably with both. Not identical to either of course, but in the same camp I would say.
I have been using the Custom 15 for a few months now and I think it has sweetened a bit as the speaker has gotten broken in. BTW, I never did really try the Twin re-issue for pedal steel. I relegated it to use as an amp for a Fender Dual Professional that I also play in the show. And it has proven to be a good match for that guitar.
As stated, my initial concern with the Custom 15 and the Twin re-issue was headroom, but on this show we play pretty quietly on stage, so it hasn't been an issue. I run the Custom 15 on "4".
I know a lot of this has to do with the guitar-pickup-player combination, and tonal preferences, but I wonder if maybe you might have in fact had a bum speaker and/or Custom 15?
I would be very interested in your thoughts.
And thanks Jim for your clarification....
_________________
Tommy Detamore
Source Audio, Goodrich Sound, and Stringjoy Authorized Dealer
www.cherryridgestudio.com
www.steelguitartracksonline.com |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 4 Sep 2009 6:21 am
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Tommy, I had a Custom 15 that was indeed faulty. The speaker was noisy and distorted, and it turned out that the the bag of casters (stapled to the inside of the amp) came loose in shipping and damaged the speaker. It was also blowing fuses like mad. So I brought it back and ordered another. The second one worked properly, but the amp itself was very mid-rangy...I could not dial out the honk no matter what I did. And it was harsh in general. I even upgrades the tubes, to no avail. So I returned it and went back to my '71 SF Twin. I thought I simply had a lemon with the first one, but after owning two of them I was convinced it wasn't the amp for me. I do need a lot of headroom when I play, and it couldn't give me that either. It's great that it's working for you. I really wish it had worked for me.  It is nice to know that it is doing what it is supposed to do. I know other players who like them for steel as well. I like a lot of west coast "scoop" in my tone (Fender cable-type sound), so maybe it's me.
As far as the speaker is concerned, I'm not sure why it wouldn't let me dial out the highs on my Session. A few years ago, Ronnie Miller sat in with my band on steel. As soon as he hit the steel, he reached to drop the highs on the amp. They were on zero. He asked what was up, and I told him that there was no way for the amp to dial out the highs with the Steel King speaker. He couldn't believe it. I have a BW in there now, and it's perfect.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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Tommy Detamore
From:
Floresville, Texas
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Posted 4 Sep 2009 6:57 am
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Thanks Chris! It is rather puzzing, eh? Especially having to set highs on the Session to zero. That just doesn't seem right does it? Interesting...
BTW, IMHO this is a model thread. Differing opinions, conflicting information, yet tolerance and civility reigns. A discourse such as this is what makes this forum so great. Sometimes I am hesitant to even join in a discussion for fear of what it may turn into... 
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Tommy Detamore
Source Audio, Goodrich Sound, and Stringjoy Authorized Dealer
www.cherryridgestudio.com
www.steelguitartracksonline.com |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 4 Sep 2009 7:28 am
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A agree, Tommy....it's a Godsend when information is exchanged in a calm, yet assertive manner where we all get to learn more about equipment. This is what makes Electronics one of my favourite sections. It rarely dive-bombs.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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Tommy Detamore
From:
Floresville, Texas
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