Score of the Century

[kiwicano]

Two weeks ago, I went looking for any kind of old vintage speakers -preferabley Alnico- to try out with my iron sounds Traveller 18 amp I'd just built. I found an unbranded 12' alnico on my local NZ trading website and decided to put on a bid. I won the bid in the end and the guy offered along the way to sell me its matching speaker for whatever the auction closed at. he said the cones needed work and would need a re-coning soon. But i took a punt the magnets would still be great and I won the Auction and paid $5.50 for the speaker and in the end gave the guy $20 nz dollars for them both, I hated to think he may have been getting done. he had no idea of the brand or year. They arrived yesterday and on the basket frame i found this little tag.


They were indeed Old Celestions! I found a serial number and looked online and I came up with 27th March 1966?

I emailed Celestions Help desk to get more info on the speakers and received an email this morning

The speakers are not from 66 but from 27th November 1959! the celestial guy hadn't seen any of them before but knows them to be one of the forerunners to the acclaimed G-12 speaker that went on to become the famous Blueback.

I patched up the tears best i could to try out the speakers in a cone. and they work like a dream, there loud as hell, 15 ohms and way more efficient than i thought they'd be, they definitely need a re cone, as you can see there were a lot of tears, the cone is so brittle and fragile its like egg shells.. it cracks and tears so easy. I know the best re coning place here in Nz, but it will take some saving of money first.
But I think there a score of the century, literally

[zaphod_phil]

What a score!

I've seen vintage Celestion silver alnico G12s selling for around $500 US each. These probably won't be worth quite as much with the cone damage, but they'll still be pretty valuable.

Now one word of advice. Don't play them loud again, with the masking tape over the cuts.

And the next word of advice. Try to avid getting them reconed if possible, since the new cones won't be the same as what you have there. Pulsonic used to make the cones for the early Celestions speakers, and unfortunately their factory got burnt down. Instead I suggest you carefully repair the tears with some 2-ply toilet paper (or one layer split from a piece of kitchen towel) and rubber cement.

I'm not sure what name the rubber cement goes by in NZ. It's Elmers in North America or Copydex in the UK, and used for gluing fabric or paper. This is a tried and tested repair method and it really works. If you really did want to recone them, AFAIK only Scumback have a modern equivalent of the old Pulsonic cones. So you would need to ship your speakers to the USA.

[kiwicano]

I've looked round online and I used a watered blend of white glue brushed on then a layer of kitchen towel laid down then a little more white glue brushed over the top to seal it as it were, I hear what ya say about the re- coning, I know if it gets any kind of modern constructed cone the tone will alter, I'll keep looking round online an see what the best options are, but until then there not getting any thrashing at all,, just nice quiet tones..

[katopan]

Wow, you've done well there!

Sounds like you've already used the white glue (pva?) but I would've thought that it hardens too much to use on speaker cones once fully dry. Don't believe everything you read on the internet, except here of course, and over at Wattkins. Rubber cement stays nice and flexible while still bonding the toilet paper or kitchen paper to the cone to keep the tear together and stop it from propagating. Selleys have some which I think is sold in NZ as well as Oz, and there's other brands at hardware stores. But from what you're saying the cones might be well and truly past it anyway.

I remember hearing that decades ago there were some very good speakers made in Aust that were practically Celestion copies. Back in the 60's when music audio manufacturing here was huge and I believe over there too. It's surprising what parts are still floating around for those in the business, so maybe your reconing place will be able to dig up something nice for you that is like NOS but for speaker cones.

[zaphod_phil]

Sounds like you've already used the white glue (pva?) but I would've thought that it hardens too much to use on speaker cones once fully dry. .. Rubber cement stays nice and flexible while still bonding the toilet paper or kitchen paper to the cone to keep the tear together and stop it from propagating.

+1

The fibres of the toilet paper or kitchen towel in the rubber cement provide a texture quite similar to the speaker cone and also bind nicely with the fibres in the cone. Once the cement is dry, you can play the speakers as loud as you want.

[kiwicano]

I read from a good site ( i thought) that the watered white glue would be a good adhesive, but i'll track down some rubber cement. in fact i have a small tube in my workshop from a repair ages ago,.

[kiwicano]

The cones are brittle I have found out as they had a varnish lacquer applied to them at the factory in 1959, thats why there so brittle. The celestion Guy DR Deceibel told me not to recone them until i drastically need to as well. so i'll go over every inch and repair any scratch and tear then go enjoy them. Dr decibel said there more efficient than modern speakers as they had to work with lower wattage amps , hence them being a punchy thing.
all i can say is I'm still thrilled I have them in my cab..!