Fane 122142 Recone Enigma

[slrstcs]

I already posted this over at the Plexi Palace but figured I'd throw it out over here too!

I pulled the trigger on a 4122 cab from '74... I got an OK deal on the cabinet, and I've been really excited to try my amp through these Fanes. It sounds fantastic, but I'm scratching my head as to what I have here- I would really appreciate some input on the speakers.

All of the frames look correct, far as I can tell, frames stamped 122142 and what must be the date stamp, 47/74.

From the back, 3 of the cones are are smooth- no ridges really to speak of- I just assumed they were original since all three of 'em match. Each are stamped 6441 in white ink- this number popped up on three or four different posts over at the Plexi Palace forum- what the heck could it be? Is it possible this is some transitional Fane cone? I've seen lots of photos of Fanes that appear smooth- might these maybe be original?

One speaker appears to have slight ridges- while the frame matches the others, this one is stamped something like W1005. Someone suggested this one is a Waldom recone, and I agree completely.

Thanks. Any insight would be tremendously appreciated!

[Dr.HI-TONE]

have you removed them to view the cones from the front?
from the front the speakers will have 8 ribs.
pictures will help a lot.

[slrstcs]

Here's a few pics of one of my 6441 mystery speaker cones.

[slrstcs]

Here's a close-up of the frame-

[slrstcs]

The cone also has the numbers 015 written in chalk.

[Dr.HI-TONE]

they look authentic.
I can't say with complete certainty, but I strongly suspect these to be "transitional" cones.
be very careful with them. All of the 122142 from 1974 that I have seen with those frames were delicate. Not at all robust or rugged.
I would be afraid to play a DR103 with the MV even close to 12:00 noon with just a single quad of them.

been there. blown them.

[slrstcs]

Thanks- I am afraid to drive 'em too.

If something did blow (and you didn't have Dr. F's on hand), how'd you go about trying to re-cone these?

[Dr.HI-TONE]

Check out Merren Audio.
Chris Merren has been known to be able to replace voice coils in blown speakers without replacing the cone.
I know he was doing this a few years ago. I assume he still is?.?.?

[slrstcs]

Thanks for the tip on merren! Will absolutely keep him in mind---

Also- i'm in the SW Ohio- do you know anyone who might be able you replace one of the terminal plates for me?? The metal plate that attaches to the frame of one of the speakers snapped- I guess I could epoxy it but I just don't have the guts.

Finally, I may go ahead and recone this Waldom cone someone stuck in here. Is this here a decent Fane approximation recone out there that could better complement the original speakers in the cab?

[slrstcs]

Well-

I managed to finally get around to pulling all 4 speakers.

The front of the Waldom cone looks surprisingly like the real Fanes.

Unfortunately, two of the speakers seem to have some coil rub. Is Merren the best option for fixing the rub?

Dr. Hi-Tone- is that something you have experience working on? I'm totally green when it comes to fixing speakers, unfortunately, but I'm hoping I can breathe some life back into this cab.

[Dr.HI-TONE]

I would contact merren and have him attempt to fix them.
almost every one of those 1974 122142 drivers with that frame that I have ever seen has had voice coil problems. Definitely not one of Fane's better moments.

[slrstcs]

OK- thank you so much.

I'm sending Chris an e-mail now--- As far as checking the actual level of damage is concerned, would I just connect each speaker to an amp individually and listen? Or is it not always easy to tell by listening?

Is it easy to pop off the back and look at the coil to see if they're fried vs rubbing?

[OldSchoolDave]

Also- i'm in the SW Ohio- do you know anyone who might be able you replace one of the terminal plates for me??

I used to live a couple of exits south of Parts Express. At that time, they did a nice recone job on a JBL D120F.

It doesn't look like they still offer repair services (at least, not on-line), but it might be worth a drive up to Springboro to chat with them. They may have outsourced the process anyway and may have a recommendation for you.

That said, I'm not aware of any kits made specifically for Hiwatt Fanes. If you find someone capable, please let us know.

Dave

[slrstcs]

Thank you! I actually did speak with the folks down at Parts Express-they recommended someone local to Dayton who used to handle many of their repairs, but has gone out on his own: http://www.speakerrepaircenter.com- I called him a couple times last week, but haven't heard from him yet.
I also spoke briefly with someone at Speakerworks in Tulsa, and someone up at Cleveland's Orban Audio... but I think you're totally right- unfortunately, I assume they're all using very similar parts (maybe even just 8 rib Celestion cones) for Fane recone work!
Chris Merren seems like a good bet- I'm probably going to try hooking these up one at a time and see what, if anything, I can discover.

[slrstcs]

If I hook each speaker up to an amp individually, maybe Denon hi-fi amp, and quietly play music, would any voice coil damage or rub be apparent?