JBL/Altec in tweed amps?

[Tim Whitlock]

I'm having a 5g9 Tremolux amp built with 6L6s, for use with my '58 Fender 1000, '50 Fender Custom T8 and '56 Stringmaster T8. I am partial to JBL and Altec speakers and had an Altec 418b in my Twin Reverb for many years. Have any of you used JBL or Altec speakers in your tweed era amps? I'm looking for a warm hi-fi tone. Thoughts and observations appreciated.

[Dave Mudgett]

I used a pretty beat but sweet '58 Tremolux for a pretty long time - 90s. Mostly guitar back then. Tremendous amp - in a fit of "I have to have reverb on my amps", I sold it and a couple of other tweeds. What a maroon. I managed to replace some before the prices got totally stupid, but not the Tremolux at this point. The prices on pretty much any original Fender tweed amps are totally insane, and there's no telling if they'll ever settle back down again. But I have a couple of repros, which are excellent. Maybe I'll do that for a Tremolux at some point.

I used primarily heavy duty speakers - EV Coffecan 12", JBL D-120F, JBL K-120, EV Force 12, EVM-12L. They sounded great, but I had to use some heavier bolts into T-nuts to keep them stable. I really liked the JBLs, but I was concerned I'd blow the D-120F. The EVM-12L was fantastic, but it really strained the baffle - that made me nervous and went back to the Cofffecan EV and JBL K120. I didn't have a 12" Altec, so I can't comment on that. But if they are anything like a 15" Altec, I'm expect it would sound very good.

[Tim Whitlock]

Thanks Dave - was hoping you would come in on this topic!

Yes the price of tweed has entered ludicrous territory. Fortunately, McClostone Amps here in Colorado can build me a reproduction at a fraction of the price of an original. I took my Fender 1000 up to his shop for a test drive and was knocked out by the sounds. A tweed matches so well with the 1000, which makes sense as that is what the 1000 was designed for. It helps mitigate the notoriously spikey top end of the 1000.

The Altec in my Twin Reverb was magical, but I also had tried the Weber Neomag 15 and was surprised at how close it came. Very JBLish with a less shrill top end that let the mid texture come through. Unfortunately, at 75 watts, it would crap out in the Twin when things got loud.

I'm playing at much lower volumes now, hence the 6L6 Tremolux choice. I'm looking at Altec 417b's but they are pricey and you never know if they have been (improperly) reconed, have coil rubs, etc. Therefore I'm leaning towards a Weber Neomag 12 to get that Altec/JBL flavor. Generally not a fan of neos, but Weber got them right.

[Dave Hopping]

Seems to me JBLs were a Fender amp option during the mid-late tweed era.

[Chris Lucker]

To follow what Dave H posted above, I recall Tom Brumley stating that he used his Fender Tweed Bassman fitted with a D130 for "Together Again."
Looking for a source to quote, I found this that says the same thing:

[Dave Grafe]

JBL will deliver the most bang per watt and sound fabulous doing it. The Altec gives up a bit in SPL but has a warm crunchy edge to it. When we worked with vintage tweeds we used a JBL for pedal steel, an Altec if it was for a six-string guitar. Our first "monitor speaker" was a spare tweed Deluxe with an Altec 12" facing the band from atop a mains cabinet.