Speaker for 30W Gibson EH-150 build?

[David Root]

I'm setting up to do a Gibson EH-150 with the plates and screens upped from 270V to about 400V to give me 25-30W. Will be running the PI a bit higher than the original too.

I'm not using a field coil speaker because I'm going to overdrive it thru the mic input, and I recall PRR saying don't do that to a field coil speaker, they can't take it. Besides, where is one to find a +30W field coil speaker anyway?

So I'd like some opinions. I have a few candidates:

Modern P12N

Tone Tubby Alnico 12

Eminence Red Fang 12

One of Ted Weber's takes on the Chicago Jensen Alnico 12s -large or small magnet?

I'm kinda curious about the Red Fang because it's a 30W speaker so the amp could give it a good workout.

What say ye?

[Allynmey]

David, don't forget to figure in a choke. The originals used the field coil speaker to double as a choke. Tino Mattola's book vol. 3 has a EH-150 build in there doing what you described.

Allynmey

[David Root]

That's what I'm working off! I'm tempted by the DR103 100W Hiwatt in that book too. Great book, I haven't seen the others as I bought Vol.3 specifically for the EH-150.

He calls for a 75mA 5-10H choke but I think that's maybe a bit light considering it's going to see closer to 100mA cranked. I have a Heyboer BF "universal" choke which is 5H, probably 90mA or better and I know it's designed for better than 400V operation.

However I'm not going to use a lightweight Hammond chassis and point-to-point wire it like he does, I'm using a steel Mojotone knockoff BF Princeton Reverb chassis and a turretboards.com board. Cabinet will be a slightly overdepth and overheight BFPR and fitted for a 12" speaker, oh and of course double varnished tweed! From Will Dyke at amprestoration.com, he is so easy to deal with on custom cabs.

So it won't look like an EH-150 but I'm hoping it will rock out like one anyway!

[Allynmey]

Let me know how it works out! I was looking at that one myself. I also would use a turretboad.

[David Root]

I will. It may be a while, I have a 4-stage SLO type hi-gain amp in progress and a personal tweed Bandmaster based harp amp in pre-build as well as the EH-150.

[ampgeek]

I believe that Dartanion intended the post below to appear in this thread.
Dave O.


Here's a nice pictorial of an EH-150 restore. Looks like they went with a P12R in place of the Field Coil. Beautiful build though.

http://www.timeelect.com/eh-150.htm
_________________
Eardrums!!! We don't need no stinkin' eardrums!

[dartanion]

OOOOPS!

Stupid brain...

[David Root]

That is an incredible restoration! I don't think I would have tried it either, because I'm intimidated by the point to point wiring. It's a rat's nest, and forget about repeatability, not to mention getting everything in the right spot to begin with. Then you take it out a few times, stuff moves around and maybe it starts to oscillate.

I dig the '40s tone but I double-dig '50s turretboard construction.