HIWATT SE4123 wiring, original Fane 122231 cones?

[VintageCharlie]

Hi folks,

i just received an original SE4123 cab in great cosmetic shape. I scored it for about 470 euros. Supposedly a 1974, but still has the holes on the sides instead of the later metal handles. Turns out it has 3 original cast frame Fane 122231's inside (seller didn't list exact model) and a vintage 30 as a replacement. So this turned out to be a nice surprise, as i thought it would be the later speakers.
BUT, i'm not sure about the originality of the cones - i wasn't able to spot any stamps on neither of the 3 fane cones. According to my googling, looks like the 1021 / 15 cones number would be stamped on originals, at least in 1971 it was the case. These are from 1973. Is this normal that the cones are not stamped or does this mean they are replacements? I pictured the solder joints of one of the original speakers and to my untrained eye they look untouched, as do the 2 other original ones. If that's the case, then the cones are original either way.

Also, i haven't tested the cab yet, as i'm not sure about the wiring. Seer pictures of the wiring. All looks correct according to diagrams i could find online apart from the replacement vintage 30, as it almost seems like + (can't see it in the picture, but the + terminal is the one with the 2 blue wires attached) and - terminals are mixed up (but that might be necessary due to different phase orientation of these speakers or something?). So, essentially i'm wondering at what impedance the cabinet is wired as is ow - is it correct for 16ohm setup?

Also, there seems to be a mod done - there are 2 inputs on the back, see picture. Looks like they are two parallel inputs? This would mean i can plug into either one and have 16ohm (if the cab is correctly wired for 16ohm), right?

Thanks for your help in advance!

Kind regards,

VintageCharlie

[img:768:1024]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... 000729.jpg[/img]
[img:768:1024]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... 000728.jpg[/img]
[img:768:1024]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... 000727.jpg[/img]
[img:768:1024]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... 000726.jpg[/img]
[img768]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... 000724.jpg[/img]
[img768]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... 000722.jpg[/img]

[VintageCharlie]

In a highly sophisticated manner of graphical representation, i masterfully indicated the two wires that in my understanding might be mixed up in my SE4123 by an elegant red line with arrows at both sides, meaning that it looks to me like these might have swapped places after installing the Vintage 30 that is in there now. Might this have to do something with a different polarity in a vintage 30 speaker, or is it just a mistake and i should reverse these two wires?

[img:846:517]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... Wiring.jpg[/img]

[VintageCharlie]

Found the cone codes - very well hidden under the frame - looks like 1021/15. That's a confirmation that these are original. No idea how these compare to the other cone types, as there seems to have been a lot of variations.

Now the only question left is, if the vintage 30 speaker should have the 2 leads attached the way it is now, or should i wire it up exactly as the other fanes (not sure if the difference is in wiring is intentional due to differing polarities of the v30 compared to fane, or just a mistake)?

[tictac]

You'd want to wire the cab so that all speakers move in the same direction.

You can use a 9V battery to check the speaker motion....

TT

[VintageCharlie]

Better picture of the wiring.

I Numbered the 3 blue cables that go to the V30's terminals and also indicated, where 2 of the ones that seem to be mixed up, go to the other speakers.

Looking at the hiwatt cab wiring layout in the diagram, it looks like cables 2 and 3 should be reversed on the V30? Unless they have been reversed on purpose (in case reversing them would only change the polarity of the V30, maybe this was done in order to get them all in phase, but i'm not sure)

I tried the 9v battery trick (while the V30 is wired up, but it did not seem to work - i just got some slight crackle noise, so no idea about the polarity yet)

[img:768:1024]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... INGV30.jpg[/img]

[img:846:517]http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... ring-1.jpg[/img]

[VintageCharlie]

Ok, so i got a new 9v battery and the trick worked. Turns out that with the reversed polarity on the V30 all the speakers move in the same direction as they are wired now. So whoever did the change, knew exactly what he was doing by reversing these 2 cables.

Tested the cab finally and it sound really massive, full and with a nice smooth top-end. A good contrast to my celestion g12h loaded cab.

There is one negative though - seems like the top fane speaker exhibits some cone cry (not sure if that's the condition). Nothing really bad, but on some low notes on the A string i get buzzy distortion sound to the note being played. Is that cone cry - sounds like harsh clipping/distortion and appears on longer single notes, as they start to bloom and the bass takes over after the initial attack.

Any way to test if it's cone cry or anything else without taking the speaker out?

[VintageCharlie]

I noticed that the 2 top speakers are noticeably louder than the two bottom speakers, when playing not loud and pressing the ear next to each speaker. Is this normal or rather not?

[VintageCharlie]

Ok, rewired the V30 speaker - switched wires 2 and 3 and now the volume is distributed evenly and the cab sounds glorious. Never heard an original Fane live so far and it sounds to me like it is the opposite to most Celestion speakers - it is not dark, but the highs are much more tamed and ear friendly, flat mids, massive bottom and girth. Very nice clean and dirty. Anyway, thank you very much for the help!
Can't wait to be able to get an original early 70's DR103 to go with the cab