[Boston_Patriot]

Hi,
I'm getting a K120 for a new Red Plate BlackVerbDuo88 1x12 and am going to get it reconed.

1) Does anyone have recommendations to go with Weber or Upland for the recone? Not sure why, but Weber appears to be significantly cheaper (95 vs 300)

2) Any suggestions on the level of doping, if any, I should get would be greatly appreciated (I have no clue). What is your experience- sound, first and foremost, break-in time, etc.

Thanks!!!

[cripeowner]

if you're in Boston area try NE speaker stoneham probaly $225 with JBL kit

[mijknahs]

Weber recones with Weber parts. Therefore it's cheaper. It probably won't sound exactly like an original JBL afterwards.

Go with a place that recones with real factory JBL parts. A lot of places will recone the speaker but not with JBL parts. Upland uses JBL parts and I guess the NE Speaker Stoneham does also. Just make sure you specify factory JBL parts. Probably $100 extra but worth it.

[JonnyBoy]

My drummer was a JBL re-cone authorized dealer, and mentioned to me that a lot of the guys will use non JBL stuff and charge thinking you can't tell the difference. Make sure you see the boxed cone in the JBL box or some kind of proof like a receipt, if you plan on spending $300. The JBL cones have flat edge wound voice coils, he said, and are unique to the JBL sound cone wise too. He had reconed hundreds of JBL's since the late 70's and has done them both ways. Again, he mentioned the real parts sound a little different than the after market stuff. Any way, you will only be able to get E cones unless you are very lucky to find an authentic K120 cone in a warehouse somewhere collecting dust, by accident.

[Smolder]

E cone, whether put in an alnico D or K, render it a K. The same cone was used in the alnico K and the ceramic E. They are cloth surrounds. The old D's were paper, and JBL does not make them anymore. Some re-coners claim/believe they can get close to the sound of the D's.

Orange county and upland re two companies that offer the factory re-cone. Both seem to do great work. Tone Tubby used to do hemp re-cones of JBL's. Not sure if they still do. The weber NEO is built to get you to the tone of a D. Not sure if that cone on a real D would sound the same.

[Vin-Tone]

E cone, whether put in an alnico D or K, render it a K. The same cone was used in the alnico K and the ceramic E. They are cloth surrounds. The old D's were paper, and JBL does not make them anymore. Some re-coners claim/believe they can get close to the sound of the D's.

Orange county and upland re two companies that offer the factory re-cone. Both seem to do great work. Tone Tubby used to do hemp re-cones of JBL's. Not sure if they still do. The weber NEO is built to get you to the tone of a D. Not sure if that cone on a real D would sound the same.

I have been Repairing and Reconing JBL Musical Instrument and Professional Products as well as about any other speakers that you can think of for over 30 years. For a great deal of that time (the Waldom years) I would not use anything other than JBL parts in a JBL speaker. This is just not the case these days. There are many reasons the D/K-120 sound the way they do and the current JBL recone kit is not made with any of the parts that created that sound or where originally used in that speaker.

The C8RE120 (8 ohm recone kit) is what is available now. It will fit, and will work just fine, but will sound very little like the original. Not that that is necessarily and bad thing, some players may like it better. The reasons for this are many and fairly detailed so I won't go into that at this point. What I will say is that the retail price for this kit in the most recent JBL Transducer Parts List is $264 and that does not include any shipping or labor. Now I have always been and will always be a JBL speaker fan, but that is ridiculous.

There are some very good aftermarket parts available for these speakers today and most are closer to the original parts in every respect. Reconed properly these vintage JBL's can sing again. But parts alone a good recone do not make. The technique used in the recone process is every bit as important as the parts used. Also without the proper Fixtures, Shims and Adhesives the outcome could be disastrous.

I know some the folks at Weber personally and have a great deal of respect for them. However the parts they offer to recone JBL's and any speakers for the most part are ones that they use in production of their own products. These parts are modified to fit but are not the best parts that are available for that particular recone. Remember. Just because the parts fit don't mean the are the correct ones for the job.

[TI4-1009]

The reasons for this are many and fairly detailed so I won't go into that at this point.

Pretty pleeeeeease?!

[Vin-Tone]

The reasons for this are many and fairly detailed so I won't go into that at this point.

Pretty pleeeeeease?!

OK, I will try and keep this simple and brief (something that I am not the best at) these are the differences in construction.
There are also operational differences such as Sensitivity, Efficiency, Frequency Response, Impedance Curves and Gauss Field Strength ect.

D-120 (voice coil wound on paper former, paper edge curvilinear cone, softer spider compliance, alnico magnet, 50-100 watt power rating)

K-120 (voice coil wound on aluminum former, textile edge curvilinear cone, stiffer spider compliance, alnico magnet, 150-200 watt power rating)

E-120 (voice coil wound on kapton former, textile edge curvilinear cone, stiffer spider compliance, ceramic magnet, 250-300 watt power rating)