WEBER "California" "15 speaker

Steven Welborn · From: Ojai,CA USA

This is supposed to be like a D130. However its rated at 80 watts. Anypone now how this actually stacks up to a D130? Thanks

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

This is my main speaker with my Dual Showman Reverb. I A/B'ed it with a D130F. The Weber is in a Marrs cabinet with the back opened up, the 130 is in an open back Fender cab which is much more resonant. So due to the cab differences the comparison is not quite apples to apples. My opinion is that the Weber is more even across the spectrum--relatively flat. The 130 has peaks--no doubt this is where they get their rep for brightness. After one sitting I came away choosing the Weber. I can never be sure how I would lean on a different day or if I were listening to someone else play. But you gotta choose and I chose.
BTW, when I refer to the Weber as 'flat' I don't mean, like, blah......I just mean 'neutral'--it produces the signal from the amp without lending much additional color.

----I'd want to read Dave Van Allen's current opinions on this. He has used both of these speakers with his Twin and knows the personality of JBLs far better than I do.

[This message was edited by Jon Light on 30 July 2004 at 12:59 PM.]

Ray Rasmussen · From: Santa Rosa, CA,

Jon,

Is your Webber a ceramic or alnico magnet?

Ray

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Ceramic w/ paper cap. One thing I can add is that as with so many of us, I'm always looking for something and sometimes I'll come from a rehearsal studio where I've been using a Twin with stock 12's and there's something there in the compression you get when you push them that I miss with the Cali. I'm considering some options--maybe a 2x12 cab, maybe a speaker I'd really like to try--a Weber Chicago. But I've gone away from this Cali and come back to it and said "oh yeah--that's why I dig this speaker". That counts for something.

Jim Florence · From: wilburton, Ok. US * R.I.P.

See if this fits. On my last tour in Vietnam I took the JBL D 120Fs out of my Twin , replacing them with a pair of Utah speakers sold by Radio Shack, to reduce the weight. After spending that year in VN, I came back to Hawaii, put the JBLs back in and then spent a month twisting knobs on the Twin, trying to make the JBLs sound like what I had gotten used to over the period of a year
Am I nuts ?, or is this some sort of human nature

Jackie Anderson · From: Scarborough, ME

Were those the red ones sold by RS as "guitar amp replacements," and used in some small combo amps they sold? My son gave me one that was too boring for 6-string, and I have been playing steel through it and really liking it!

Jim Florence · From: wilburton, Ok. US * R.I.P.

No Jack, they don't sell them anymore. They were gray as best I remember, and RS sold them as "Guitar Amp spkrs. They had a 15" for 49.95, and the 12" was 39.95. They were built by "Utah" and were good stuff. I bought a bunch of them when I used to build custom amplifiers.

Joe A. Camacho · Posted 31 Jul 2004 9:39 am

I have a Weber California 15 in my '68, ceramic magnet with the paper dust cover and I really like. Sounds great with pedal steel and Telecaster, I am curious to how the alnico version would sound.

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

For steel, I prefer the "Michigan" series. They give the most clean power, and work well with Fender tube amps. They have excellent efficiency and a fat bottom end, and they won't break up when pushed.

Dave Van Allen · From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth

quote:
----I'd want to read Dave Van Allen's current opinions on this.
He has used both of these speakers with his Twin and knows the
personality of JBLs far better than I do.

I think Jon is giving me too much credit. I am not technically astute
about amps/speakers as others on the forum; I know just enough
electronics to be a danger to myself. But I do know what I like.

so- more than you prolly want to know follows...

Background:

I have always been partial to Fender Tube Amplification. For 25 years I
played thru a '72 Vibrolux Reverb as my primary combo amp, and naturally
longed for more power for volume pedal headroom. I also have 2 mid 60's
Bassman Amps with closed-back 2 x 12' cabinets so if I NEEDED to get
louder I would use either both of them or the VR and a Bassman. But
that's a lot to load and carry and I lusted after a Twin Reverb.

When I finally got my '68 Fender Twin Reverb Amp, it had already been
modified (I'm assuming early in it's life) to hold a 15" JBL D130F in a
steel guitar "tone quest"

I was told and have no reason to doubt that it had been basically a
house amp at a honkytonk for the previous 25 years or so, and boy did it
smell like it! It reeked of cigarette smoke so badly that my wife
requested I leave it out on the back porch to air out for two weeks
after it arrived UPS. It still has that unmistakeable odor when it gets
warmed up (but I like it- reminds me of my misspent youth).

The JBL that was in it is an 8 ohm speaker being driven by a 4 ohm
output. Because of that I believe that it was not producing nearly the
volume one might expect from a Twin, but it was "loud enough." And
sounded unbelievably great, rich and smooth except for...

I experienced some farting noises when playing low glisses that I
believed were the speaker complaining, so in fear of destroying it I
looked for a suitable replacement. I decided on the Weber Cali 15" after
reading what I could on the Fender Discussion Forum::Vintage Amp group,
and an email discussion with Weber about what they might recommend for
steel guitar in that amp. I purchased the ceramic magnet with the aluminum dome
cover, 4 ohm to match the amp output.

Upon installing it I definitely had an increase in loudness I attribute
to the 4 ohm match. But I also still experienced farting noise on low
glisses. With the Weber it was more like digital clipping, very brittle
square wave type sound.

So the amp finally went to the shop where it got a complete health check
and refurb, with replacing capacitors, adding 3 prong plug and all the
stuff it needed after 30 some years to make it a workinman's amp again.

FInally, having a stable test platform I could reliably compare the
speakers.

I put the JBL back in. The response was still way smooth, with 30 years
of "mojo". The low end was fat but not sharply distinct,the highs clear
yet not brittle and the mids were very mellow. the volume was again
attenuated. This is not generally a problem with the folks I play with.

I LOVE the sound of the JBL but after about 5 months I put the Weber
back in to give it a fair trial.

Again I experienced the volume increase I associate with the correct ohm
match. I've played many gigs over the last 10 or so months with the
Weber, in order to "break it in", and whether it's the speaker or my
ears getting broken in, I am VERY fond of the Cali. the response accross
the spectrum is even, with a pronounced clarity in the bass that has
taken getting used to - the JBL sounds more "compressed". The Cali is
just CLEAN. It has become sparkly, not brittle as my first impression on
the top end after several gig-hours of playing. I agree with Jon's
statement about the response

quote:
'flat' I don't mean, like, blah......I just mean
'neutral'--it produces the signal from the amp without lending much
additional color.

It's NOT a "replica" replacement a D130F, but it is a fine modern
interpretation of a loud clean 15" for a vintage amp. They are not
power rated for SolidState levels of power, but for my Twin (early
enough that it's 80 -100w and not the 135w of later master volume Twins)
it's a speaker I'm confident I won't blow out (unlike my trepidation
about abusing my 30+ yr old "mojo" laden JBL) that gives me the clarity
I need for steel.

I Have put the JBL into a formerly empty 2x12 Bassman cabinet I had
layin' about. Mounted it centered on a 3/4 plywood baffle, and am using
it with the Vibrolux. Not enough power to hurt it, but that Fender Tube
Amp sound thru a classic speaker. Great for quiet gigs or around the
house

(I am thinking of cutting a port in the bafle though...)

like I said, prolly more than you want to know.

------------------

"I've got the "ZB Jeebies™" !"

1998 Zumsteel U12 "Loafer" 8&6 :: 1973 ZB Custom D-10 8&5 :: Vintage Fender 'Tube' Amplification

www.dvanet.net :: zbcustom73@dvanet.net :: www.lasttrainhome.com
:: My Tribute to the Hot Club of America in Hi-Fi

[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 10 August 2004 at 10:24 AM.]

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