I Replaced The Kappy Spkr In My Webb

Larry Scott · From: Virginia, USA

After talking with Tom I was lucky enough to score a new JBL E130-4 and it's just marvelous, more headroom
and much more responsive and well balanced than the kappalite.

It's a keeper Very Happy

Gary Lee Gimble · From: Fredericksburg, VA.

Larry, I think you have to walk your dog....

Larry Scott · From: Virginia, USA

looks like she's gotta pee Laughing

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

Hi Larry
I tried out a Bradshaw Webb at Bobbe Seymour's last week that is fitted with a Kappalite speaker. Sounded great to me. As you know, I bought mine speaker-less and put a Peavey 1501 Black Widow with Neo magnet in my Bradshaw Webb, and it does the job. However, many prefer the tone of the JBL. It will be interesting to see if the 4 ohm version of the JBL that you have is robust enough to cope with the output of the Webb.

I had the privilege of speaking to Tom Bradshaw last week on the phone. He is an interesting and lovely guy. Bobbe Seymour has nothing but praise for the new Webb, and this is from someone who does not sell them.

I have got a whole load of compliments about the tone of my Webb since I got it, and the general consensus is that it has a 'big' tone.
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E,

Tom Bradshaw · From: Walnut Creek, California, USA

I believe I posted once before about A/B'ing a JBL-E-130 (4-ohm) against the Emminence Kappalite (8-ohm). Another Forum member (Billy Wilson) helped me do this by playing through one Webb amp as I switched his sound back and forth between those two speakers in separate enclosures. Billy played the same instrument and "blasted" the speakers with volume that nearly caused me to leave the room. Once finished, we both agreed that the JBL had a very slight edge over the Kappalite in tembre/tone/resonance/body/clarity (or whatever you want to call it). That "oh-so-slight" difference caused both of us to prefer the JBL if that was all that mattered. But by how much? We both agreed that each speaker sounded very good and had we not A/B'ed them, could have never picked out which was the JBL or which was the Kappalite. But when we contemplated the stress of carrying around an extra 15 pounds every time we moved the amp, there was no question in our minds that we would opt for the Kappalite.

I do suspect that if Billy had played every brand of steel there is through the amp, we might have decided that some instruments sound better using one speaker as compared to the other. The outcome of that test prompted me to sell the amp with or without a speaker, since I suspected that there were potential buyers who just loved the sound of one speaker brand over another and didn't want to even try another brand. I knew I couldn't offer every buyer a JBL since I only had about 10 of them, and JBL had stopped making amp speakers.

Larry Scott had his Webb about 8 months before asking if he could try putting in one of the JBLs I still had. I accommodated him. I'm pleased that he ended up preferring its sound over the Kappalite (I love satisfied customers). I suspect there are customers who might get a Webb with a JBL in it, then ask to try out a Kappalite. Once done, I think I'd be selling them a Kappalite, since they would conclude that they liked it over their JBL. However, my biggest suspician is, had I sent Larry the JBL mounted in an extension speaker box with the Webb Speaker Chamber in it too, he would have kept both speakers! He might have found the sound better by having two great speakers that blended his sound to perfection. Why do I say this? Because I've already done this. Forum member Ted Easton, (Jim Webb's testing "ears" when the old firm was building amps) evaluated the sound. Ted is like most musicians, the more toys (speakers) the better the sound!

...Tom

Des Hetherington · From: New Zealand

I have a Webb 614E and it has a JBL K130 15 inch speaker in its open back cabinet, its sounds fantastic, My Webb is a late 80s model, dose anyone know what the little toggle switch on the rear panel dose?
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Rains SD10 4 pedals 5 Levers, webb 614E,Goodrich Vol

John McClung · From: Olympia WA, USA

I did my own testing of one of Tom's new Webb's, and my two, one a 1978, the other maybe 1980 or so, swapping speakers, etc. About 2 years ago.

I came to the same conclusion: my normal JBL K-130-8 was my favorite, but not by much. With some knob twirling and an open back, I could get really really close to the same sound of my old Webb/JBL with a new Webb/kappalite.

What I love about the new Webb is it's super clean, almost no noise power and tone. And the ports and back covers really offer many variables on tone.

I ALWAYS get compliments on my Webb tone at virtually every gig. But mainly, I love the tone, and play better because of it, it's just so inspiring to hear that magic sound.

I A/B'ed my 1978 Webb just back from Ken Fox against my unmodded Peavey NV 400, and the 400 was compressed and fairly lifeless in comparison. Sounds OK until you play them side by side, then there's no comparison.
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▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

Tom
Good to see your post and you put some good points of view forward.

The red carpet Webb that you sent to Bobbe sounded great to me, albeit at room volume. I have to say that the Kappalite speaker has clarity and punch and is well matched to the amp. I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to it. If anything, it has slightly less mid range than my Black Widow which is a good thing as far as I am personally concerned.

My amp just sounds wonderful to me, and John McClung is dead right - if you have a good sound it makes you play better. I don't think there is a finer steel amp available on the market today, at least I have never played through one that matches the new Webb. Incidentally, I have removed the back rear port cover on my amp for gigs, and it is worth experimenting with the ports to get a variation that suits.

Ken
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E,

Larry Scott · From: Virginia, USA

Billy Wilson · From: El Cerrito, California, USA

I had the good fortune to have one of Tom's new Webb amps for a couple of weeks. I played half a dozen gigs with it. The amp sounded fantastic in all the situations I had it in. The other guys in the band noticed the improvement right away over my Nashville 400. Sounded great at a low volume gig which isn't always the case with bigger amps. On a loud gig the amp did not max out and break up at all. Bullet proof amp all the way. Georgous tone!! Highly Recomended!!

Jim Dickinson · From: Washington, USA

Are you speaking of the Kappalite 3015 pro speaker, or something else? The 3015 is designed to be a woofer.

This it?

http://www.eminence.com/proaudio_speaker_detail.asp?web_detail_link=KAPPALITE3015&speaker_size=15&SUB_CAT_ID=3

Jim

memphislim · From: Austin, Texas

John, what can you tell us about the difference between your Fox modded Webb and an un modded one?

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

The update replaces all electrolytic caps in the amp, tone caps and audio coupling caps. The audio coupling caps that are electrolytic are replaced with films caps, that also applies to the EQ board.

memphislim · From: Austin, Texas

Thank for the reply Ken. I guess my real question is, why should someone have the mod done? What does it accomplish?

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Most of the amps are in the late late 70's that I get in here. Well past the time to replace the caps

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Just got this from Larry Chung (another old Webb we modded):

Hey Ken:

Wow! My poor neighbors... The Webb sounds just plain fantastic. Really
quiet from the get go; when I plug in and play, the highs sparkle, the
mids and lows are just beautiful, lots of growl and moan (we like
this...). I'm running this through the original JBL K130 4ohm,
stunning sound now!

I've tried several guitar on it now (pedal, lap, standard) and they
all sound just great.

Thanks again for the prompt and expert service. I'm also still
interested in getting this Webb 540/Bass/Keyboard amp up to snuff,
too. Let me know if that's something that you're able to do and
details. Could definitely use a good going over, and the three-way
tone selector is noticeably quieter on the right most (red) setting.

Larry Chung · From: San Francisco, CA, USA

Hi Larry:

No intention of hijacking your thread, but I'm famous! (:

Thanks, Ken, if any of you guys/gals have an older Webb 614-e, I would highly recommend Ken and his mod job. My Webb has really just come alive, like I told him, very clear, clean, with lots of shimmer and growl, too.

I haven't tried the Kappa speakers, I'm sure they sound great and take a load off of one's back. That being said, I'm a sucker for a K130-4, my favorite steel speaker, hands down. I have a Twin Reverb also run through a K130-4. Tone, tone, tone. I tried an E130-4, too, not quite as warm, but definitely able to handle more power, and a few pounds more than the K.

If anyone knows anything about the Webb 540 I'm trying to have fixed, please email me, I'd love to find a schematic so Ken can work his magic on this one, too.

Now, back to (the other) Larry's post...

LC

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