JBL D130F wattage ??

[Tele]

Before putting a 15" JBL in a Twin or a Showman cab I contacted a reputable dealer and he said that the D130F could only handle about 40-50Watts.
Is there a difference between 1960s and 70s speakers? Are the orange Fender versions more powerful????

Andy

[Derrell Stephens]

When I used them I was told that the rating is 100 watts RMS...conservatively rated. The K-Series is 125, the E-Series is 150.
Hope this helps,
Derrell

[Donny Hinson]

Andy, I would say that what the dealer told you is essentially true. These speakers (D130-F) have been produced for about 50 years now, and they were never designed to handle the big wattage capabilities of todays amplifiers. Back in the '50s and '60s, a BIG amp put out only 60-80 watts, and when the speaker was new, it would probably safely handle this much power. But, a lot of things come into play here when we talk about "how much power" the speaker will handle now.

The adhesives, as well as the cone material, age and get dry and brittle. Although this speaker was the best made at the time, it was never designed to last 50 years! I had an early '60s D130-F in my Twin Reverb for many years, but I eventually "fried" the thing while playing a particularly "energetic" version of House of the Rising Sun back in the '70s (yeah, I used to play that kinda stuff on steel). The amp was only rated at 60 watts, and would probably "peak out" at about 125 watts. But, that was MORE than enough to make the speaker "light up like a Christmas tree"!

Also, you must take into account the style of music you're playing (Chalker licks and tones are a LOT more demanding on a speaker than Mooney licks and tones), as well as the cabinet that the speaker is mounted in. A sealed-back, or bass-reflex type cabinet allows some of the speakers movements to be dampened, and therefore they will last longer, and handle more power, than they will in open-back (Twin-Reverb type) cabinets. If you're going to be using the amp at reasonable levels at small venues, or if you are mikeing the amp, then you'll probably be OK. But, if you're going to be expectimg "Session 500/Black Widow" type perfomance from that speaker...sooner or later, it will let you down.

The aging suspension ring (the ribbed area at the outside edge of the cone) and small (by todays standards) voice coil dictate that you use it carefully if you want it to last.

Been there...done that!

[Jon Smorada]

You could probably push 250-300 watts into a D130-F provided it was in a properly tuned enclosure. An open-backed enclosure is not; I wouldn't push it with more than 50 watts.

------------------
Jon
'66 Emmons P/P D-10 4x8
rebelspirit.net/rebel
rebelspirit.net/showdown

[Dan Tyack]

An E-130 is similar to a PV Black WIdow: both are very high output speakers using very high capacity ceramic magnets. An E-130 should be able to handle 300 watts not problem.

[Tele]

The speaker is an original 1965 D130F, not reconed but it was in a near mint Twin Reverb since 1965.
I could get a Showman Reverb head built into a 68 Twin cab so I thought the JBL would give me that desired Ricky Davis combination.

Since it was in a Twin for so long and I'll never push my amps that high, I hope that the JBL will last quite a bit.
It's hard to get any decent 15" speakers over here. Don't know where to get a Black Widow, all the stores would offer would be Eminences.

Andy

[Tele]

is there a difference between the gry and orange basket versions in power handling and sound???

[Michael Brebes]

I know the D130's were rated atleast to 100Wrms, I believe more. Generic speakers like Eminence, etc. usually had a power rating of 40-50 watts.

[kyle reid]

If my memory serves me correct! Didn't Peavey, When they came out with the LTD in about 74? Use JBLs And had a lot of blown speakers?