SWR California Blonde Speaker Replacmemt and Trouble Shooting

[j.alex]

Hey everyone, wondering if I can pick your brains a bit.

I have an older Cali Blonde Acoustic Guitar Amp. I love it. I recently brought it to a friends house, the friend picked me up in is truck and set it upright in the truck bed. I pointed out the obvious mistake and requested it be laid down, he insisted it would not be a problem.

Of course after the first left hand turn, it tipped over and came crashing down. Since then it has not been the same. I can still get some volume, but it really lacks any bottom end and distorts very easily. I talked to the guy at my local music and repair place, without looking at it, he thought it could be that the magnet shifted from the speaker and would need to be replaced.

Questions:

Anyone think or know if this sounds right? If so, any idea what and where I can get a replacement speaker for this beauty of an amp?

Thanks in advance

[The Dude]

I agree. It could easily be that the speaker has a shifted gap. Try the amp with another speaker, first to see if that is indeed the problem. Also, you can pull the grill off and test it. Gently push the cone up and down and see if it moves freely or makes any rubbing sounds.

[Enzo]

But it could also be something else too, I would not just up and order a speaker without at least LOOKING to see if something snapped off in the wiring, or a mechanical damage to the speaker..

[Sowhat]

I've had a magnet shift from rough handling before and I always got that repaired pretty cheap but that was at Orange County Speaker which was just down the street from my shop, unfortunately they went out of business a few years ago. I do my own re-coning these days but re-centering a magnet is something I have never attempted... I think you need glue, jigs and patience or something like that.

[Leo_Gnardo]

I do my own re-coning these days but re-centering a magnet is something I have never attempted... I think you need glue, jigs and patience or something like that.

I have it on report that the Jamaican sound-system guys use a sledge hammer. Personally I wouldn't recommend that method.

Best way is demagnetize the magnet, realign it & fix it into place, then remagnetize. Takes a whopper of a mag/demag coil & power supply. I'll bet Juan can fill us in on the details of this operation. Back in the good old days when you could get service, JBL would re set shifted magnets for an extra charge.

[The Dude]

......Best way is demagnetize the magnet, realign it & fix it into place, then remagnetize.....

Yep. That is best. I've seen people try to do it with various shims and align the gap while still magnetized. It's not the best method and often fails. Plus, you don't want to get your fingers in there! There's some serious magnetic force. It's a good way to screw up your fingers. I recone, but I don't do shifted magnet repair. That gets sent out to Midwest Speaker Repair. Another thing to note: As a general rule, repair can only work if the magnet is not broken and has just come unglued. If the actual magnet structure is cracked/broken, it's a paper weight.

[J M Fahey]

I have it on report that the Jamaican sound-system guys use a sledge hammer. Personally I wouldn't recommend that method.

Best way is demagnetize the magnet, realign it & fix it into place, then remagnetize. Takes a whopper of a mag/demag coil & power supply. I'll bet Juan can fill us in on the details of this operation. Back in the good old days when you could get service, JBL would re set shifted magnets for an extra charge.

Funny coincidence, I just got back one of my speakers with a shifted magnet, which I have to repair.
D*mn Mail/Freight companies, they play basketball with parcels, no kidding.

IŽll snap a couple pictures or maybe a short video.