Steel King Speaker Opinions

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 15 Sep 2004 6:25 am

Steel King owners, What are your honest opinions about the new design speaker that comes with the amp?

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 15 Sep 2004 8:02 am

Something to consider is that speakers need to break in. It can take hundreds of playing hours and cycles of humidity and weather and temperature change to really let a speaker settle into it's real tone. Once broken in, a speaker can hold it's real tone for years. The real test will be in a few months after some of these Steel Kings have had a chance for their speakers to settle in.

New speaker cone paper is stiff and has a harder upper midrange and treble sound. After the paper softens up and relaxes, then you can really tell. The tone generally gets warmer, fuller, and sweeter on top. The Steel King speakers I heard at the ISGC sounded a lot like a JBL E-130 to me, but I could tell that the paper wasn't quite as thick as a real E130 which is a good thing. It also wasn't as thin as a D130 which is also probably a good thing since it's a 200+ watt amp. I bet they'll come in right in the middle somewhere. Not too shabby. By Dallas next year, we'll really know what they sound like.

Brad Sarno

Tony Palmer · Post by **Tony Palmer** » 15 Sep 2004 8:27 am

Brad, we were having a conversation at STL about that very subject....break-in time for speakers, but the thought was the process could be speeded up by applying a solvent to the rubbery glue that holds the paper to the basket.
That sounds a little scary...have you ever heard of that being done?

Jerry Van Hoose · Post by **Jerry Van Hoose** » 15 Sep 2004 8:54 am

Is the speaker you're talking about the fairly new Fender 4 ohm 15" driver made by Eminence? (I realize this isn't the same application, but possibly the same speaker)If so, I installed one in my original 63 brownface Fender Twin about 10 months ago. At first, maybe it was a little bright, but recently it has begun to have a more warmer and sweeter sound although I'm using the exact same settings. An Eminence factory rep explained to me that it was patterned after the D130 JBL.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 15 Sep 2004 1:29 pm

Tony, yea I remember that conversation. I'd be a little scared to put any solvent on the surround. I think that the surround is the first thing to soften up naturally from use anyway, and then later the paper softens up. So that may not be a big issue. The surround softening will likely effect the free-air-resonance and the bass end of the response. I think the overall tone of the paper is what blossoms from use over time.

Jerry, I don't know if thats the very same speaker that's in the SK, but if not, I bet it's very close. Either way, what you describe is exactly what I hear in a speaker after a half a year or so of good use. Paper is flexible and pliable. It changes its strength and stiffness when powerful vibrations are sent thru it. The more use (not abuse) the more warm and relaxed it sounds.

I believe that the speaker is patterned after the D130 in the sense of having that JBL curvillinear cone shape and the 4" voice coil and the metal dustcap. But, the magnet on the new one is ceramic, not alnico and the paper is clearly thicker than a D130. But a D130 would blow in a second in one of these 200+ watt amps as soon as you push it. This speaker may be a real nice JBL comprimise.

Brad Sarno

Jerry Van Hoose · Post by **Jerry Van Hoose** » 15 Sep 2004 6:08 pm

Brad, you are absolutely correct. The Eminence rep described the D130 JBL "clone" speaker exactly as you did.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 15 Sep 2004 11:00 pm

I played my first gig with my new Fender Steel King tonight and everybody said it sounded fabulous. The problem I had was I was trying to EQ it like a Peavey.I tend to scoop the mids on my Peavey but on the Fender,I find that the amp is pretty much scooped with the EQ controls at zero. I plan to spend tomorrow checking out my Fender and my Nash 400 side by side while I dick with the EQ and try to match them up and develop an EQ baseline starting point for the Fender. I think I love it..... Stay Tuned -MJ-

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 16 Sep 2004 6:04 am

A good way to break in a speaker is to plug a cd player or better yet, a radio, into the amp and let it play at a low volume for a week or so.

Scott Henderson · Post by **Scott Henderson** » 16 Sep 2004 6:23 am

another good way to brerak in a speaker is to hook up the ol proco rat set it on 11 and play some good ol jimmy hendricksw on steel. do lots of woo hoo yah yahs!!!!!!

sorry just being onery--couldn't resist

------------------
Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 16 Sep 2004 6:59 am

When I used a fender tube amp, I had a friend who had the same amp. He played bass through his.
When I plugged a guitar into his amp, it sounded duller than my amp. I did not like the sound. The speakers were too soft for my liking.
After that discovery, I would not let anyone play a bass through my amp.....JD
Scotty?..... Jimmy Hendrix licks through your steel amp? ..... I will pray for you ... hahaha

Sam Marshall · Post by **Sam Marshall** » 16 Sep 2004 7:53 am

We typically expect a speaker to age to a more "mellow" tone. For example, during sound testing of heavy OD amps, we find the edgy, agressive sound tends to darken with playing time. After a while, I sometimes start to like it the sound and then the rockers want the edginess back! I am often considered a "reverse barometer" on these matters.

Please don't apply anything to the speaker. This could quite easily change its mass and suspension characteristics in a way that you may not like. It voids the speaker warranty, too.

Regards,
Sam

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 16 Sep 2004 8:54 pm

As you can see Sam is on the job both night and day 7 days a week. You got questions? Sam has the answers.

Welcome Sam...stick with us we need you.

Thanks for the quick reply.