What's up with this Session speaker/amp?

David Cobb · Post by **David Cobb** » 22 May 2003 7:19 am

I recently picked up a Session 400 with the JBL/Peavey 15". Wide open, it barely filled my living room. So the electronics went off to Peavey. It's sounding better now, but what about the speaker? What can happen to a 30 year old speaker that looks to have been stored in a BARN? Has the speaker become demagnetized? Has humidity taken a toll? I'm tempted to just throw a BW 1501 in it and go on.

jim milewski · Post by **jim milewski** » 22 May 2003 9:07 am

did you try the speaker in another amp, I'll tell you what I found with an old JBL, the contacts under the terminals needed to be loosened and tightened again, giving it a good, non resistive connection, you may try that, I did an ohm check at the red and black connectors and it was open, I checked it underneath and got my correct reading, after loosened and tightened the speaker was fine, although a 1501 in my opinion would sound better

David Cobb · Post by **David Cobb** » 22 May 2003 9:33 am

Good advice Jim, I'll try what you've said. I'd like to save this speaker, it's probably worth some coin. Whoever stored this amp this way needs a swift kick. I did hook up a BW and it certainly added heft to the sound of the amp.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 22 May 2003 11:51 am

The JBL never quite handled the full power of the Session 400. The Peavey 1501-4 is the perfect speaker for that amp. I love the JBL in the right application but it just isn't powerful enough to handle that amp. I have 2 Session 400's with new 1501-4's in them and they're great. You'll never blow a 1501-4 but you'll likely blow a JBL.

------------------
Brad Sarno
Blue Jade Audio Mastering
St. Louis

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 22 May 2003 12:16 pm

I have a 76 Session 400 that came with the Peavey/JBL. The JBL does sound great if you don't have to really push it, but I put a 1501BW in it and now it kick butt!
JE:-)>

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 22 May 2003 1:26 pm

Thanks for the plug guys! Hartley Peavey sat me down years ago and told me the whole story behind the JBL situation. After the original Session 400 was designed, he started receiving calls from his customers complaing that their JBL speaker was blown. Hartley checked out the Session 400 design and ensured that the amp could produce the power that he stated it could............and it did! Unfortunately for Hartley, JBL stated that "steelers won't need that much power". Needless to say, JBL wouldn't back up their product, thus the Peavey Black Widow was born and the rest is history as they say.

jim milewski · Post by **jim milewski** » 22 May 2003 4:35 pm

Mike, back in 1975 I think it was, I bought one of the first Sessions sold in Ct. my buddy had one with the 15" JBL, so I found one in New Haven, it had the 2 12" EVM speakers in it, I guess these were not so common, how did these stand up, never had a problem with mine except the reverb quit, but the speakers never gave me a problem. With all the Sessions out there, mine was the only one I ever came across with 2 12" speakers.

Rex Blevins · Post by **Rex Blevins** » 22 May 2003 6:04 pm

I can't remember ever encountering a power loss problem, however, what are sound systems for and why would you be trying to get above everyone else ?? Just my question ?? I like tone, not volume.

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 22 May 2003 7:14 pm

I bought a new session 400 in 1974. I still own it. I blew out the original JBL gray spkr after a couple months. I blew it out a second time a few years later and it was replaced with a JBL painted black with Peavey name on it. That speaker blew and was replaced with a BW. The BW has held up for several years.
Dennis

David Cobb · Post by **David Cobb** » 22 May 2003 7:14 pm

Rex, my post is about bringing an old amp back to it's original capabilities. Lighten up.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 23 May 2003 5:10 am

jim - Back in about 1977 or so I purchased a new Session 400 with two 12" EV's. At the time, I was playing both guitar and steel and it seemed to be good compromise. My old ES-335 sounded great through that amp, but I never was satisfied with the tone I got with my steel.

One more problem - that was one heavy amp! Those two speakers had huge magnets.

------------------
Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 23 May 2003 3:17 pm

If it's made like the old D130-F, they won't take much power in an open cabinet! I blew out 4 or 5 of them with my old B/F Twin Reverb (80 watts), and then gave up on them entirely. Great sound, but not enough "balls" for C6th work.

jim milewski · Post by **jim milewski** » 23 May 2003 4:45 pm

I'm having a D series speaker reconed as D 140, the guy knows his stuff and says they take the wattage better, i know that's a bass configuration, but I'm told they are fine with guitar and steel, but the kicker is BWs are less money, sound great and take all the wattage, Lee I just sold 2 SRO EVM 12's, the shipping weight was 47 lbs, ya, they are heavy, but they never blew, i play only E9th, and it was a push pull back then, it sounded pretty good, i'm waiting on the word about the sound of the Emminence Neo speakers with 8 oz magnets, shame they have no plans for a 4 ohm[This message was edited by jim milewski on 23 May 2003 at 05:50 PM.]