Ripped Speaker Paper & Madison Cab

[slayer]

Guys, I have an original Madison 4x12 cabinet when the had the fur on them and the English made Symphony speakers. Anyway, I got surious how the were mounted, wired etc. so I took the front grill off and proceded to unscrew one of the speakers and it fell out and I acidentilly put my finger trhu the paper near the metal outside ring, it is a rip about 2 inches long. So I put it back in, fired the amp up and proceeded to play and the sound didn`t change or anything weird. Is this normal that a ripped speaker still sounds the same? I am just curious. Also, these are front mounted speakers and they soldered the wires on to the speakers and a very good job they did It is wired at 8 ohms. The speakers themselves have No Ohm markings on them at all, so i am not sure how they got to the 8 Ohm rating-weird!! Anyway, it is a pain in the butt holding the speaker outside the cab while peeking inside. How do you guys deal with that to put new speakers in? Do you have reall long wires so you can bring them all out and lay them on the ground? Seams like a serious pain in the butt to put new speakers in. The back panel does not come off. Another thing, they really over built these early cabinets man The speaker magnets are huge and they are copies of the older 85 watt Celestions and they are ported speakers. I actually think they were made by Celetion as they have the same style stickers and they say Lipswitch England on them. Anyway, I appreciate you answers to my questions and comments. Oh, by the way, these speakers have alot of base and headroom and really don`t crunch, but I think that is what the old 85 watt Celestions were like?

Thanks-Jack.

[Robotechnology]

I'm sure at higher volume you'll notice a difference...

[zeegler]

Hey Jack, I have a Peavey Butcher cab with the original Celestion G12K85s, and I also built an exact copy of it, loaded with the Symphony G12K85s, and they sounded very similar. Any difference I heard was probably due to the age of the speakers. The Celestions have obviously been well broken in considering they are 20 years old, whereas the Symphonys were brand new. I don't have the cab with the Symphonys anymore though. I sold it with my Randall RGT100 head.

As for the rip in your cone, depending on how clean it is, you might be able to repair it.

[slayer]

I appreciate the info fellas!! I am going to have to play it loud when no one is home to see if I can hear a difference. The rip is very clean and missing no paper, just a straight line. How do I repair it?

Thanks fellas-Jack.

[toejam]

It is wired at 8 ohms. The speakers themselves have No Ohm markings on them at all, so i am not sure how they got to the 8 Ohm rating-weird!!

I had a couple Eminence Texas Heat speakers that were 8 ohms, but they weren't marked. I emailed Eminence, and they told me to take off the rubber ring cover around the magnet to see the label on the metal. Sure enough, it's there.

[emperor_black]

I appreciate the info fellas!! I am going to have to play it loud when no one is home to see if I can hear a difference. The rip is very clean and missing no paper, just a straight line. How do I repair it?

Thanks fellas-Jack.

How 'bout some super glue? Take the speaker out, lay it flat so its resting on the magnet. Shove something underneath such that the cone's ripped part is touching the rest of the surface and apply super-glue. try spreading the glue such that it forms a continuous surface and holds the ripped part. That should do it.

else, for a price, you can get it re-coned.

[zeegler]

I would use some backing such as tissue paper. Glue it on the back of the cone all around the tear. Once it's set, spread some glue on the front to strengthen it. I'm not sure if superglue will work or not. It might, because it's nice and thin, and that's what you want.

[fett]

Use Elmers and do the tissue thing. I would do it from the back of the cone if you can get to it.

[slayer]

Thanks for all of the info fellas I will let ya know how it goes!!

Jack

[zeegler]

I copied this from another site.

Repairing a Ripped Speaker Cone

If you have a pair of speakers that have a rip or small tear in the paper material of the speaker cone you can repair it with a little watered down Elmer's glue and some tissue paper:

• Cut or tear the tissue paper so into pieces a little bigger than the tear
• Soak the pieces in the diluted Elmer's glue
• Apply pieces, one at a time, over the tear
• Let each patch get tacky then, apply a second layer
• Repeat until you have applied three to five layers on each side of the cone
• Let dry overnight

You may have to play with the glue mixture and application to get it right, so experiment on a dead speaker, if possible, before going prime time.

* This trick only works on woofers with paper cones, but can save a pair of speakers.

[Cygnus X1]

Also saw a similar problem posted elsewhere...
If possible, close the wound, then use RTV or silicon sealant to patch. The sealant is flexible, and should stand up to the vibration and be durable.

I'm thinking that elmer's may harden too much, and flake. Superglue would only work on a part that gets no motion. It does not hold up to hardly any lateral pull. As for patching, I've heard rolling paper soaked with RTV or silicon flexible sealant will work.

[jacksoncsplayer]

You can also take a pair of nylons, cut two 1/2 inch wide strips about 2 1/2 inches long. Take some clear nail polish and put a thin coat on the tear about the size of the nylon strip, place the nylon strip on the speaker and let it tack up. Then apply 2 more coats of the clear polish on the nylon and let it dry. Turn the speaker over after about 4 hours and repeat on the other side. the nylon will remain flexible enough to move with the thrust of the speaker.

[slayer]

Man, great suggestions!! The Nylon one may just be the ticket as my wife has tons of them

Thanks-Jack.

[zeegler]

Nail polish. Now that's a great idea.

[Outlander]

We used to use rubber glue, worked great. Formed a good bond and was flexible