Using Old Speakers

[Drew W]

I have a Marshall 4x12 from the early 80's that has been sitting in a flight case in my garage for quite some time. I have not played through it in 11 years.

I was thinking about pulling two of the speakers out for use in another cab. Before I go do that, I was wondering if anybody had an opionion on how the speakers might be negatively affected from sitting unused in the cab, in the road case, in my garage for all these years? I'm in LA so it doesn't get very cold, but the garage does get very hot in the summer.

 

[71strat]

It could have dried out the cones, and the glue. Also its possible the baffles in the cabs could also be warped from expansion and contraction. Thus deforming the voice coils.

Its best to avoid both extreme heat or cold.

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

IT doesn't matter what has happened to those speakers. IF you never play them again, they will have been useless. IF you put them in something and use them, then they are useful. Only by a)pulling them out of the cab to see if they still have cones and resistance, and then b) putting them to work to see what they sound like will you know what is there and what effect those idle years have had on them....if any. AS long as the mice didn't chew through the grille cloth and eat the cones, I suspect they will be fine. Now, if the heat caused the voice coils to sag and drag, then you know that that can happen.

 

[J M Fahey]

They should be fine.

Extreme humidity is a bigger enemy ... or being less than a mile from seaside ... not much of that in L.A.

In any case, play the full unopened cabinet first and listen to buzz or rattles.

 

[Drew W]

They should be fine.

Extreme humidity is a bigger enemy ... or being less than a mile from seaside ... not much of that in L.A.

In any case, play the full unopened cabinet first and listen to buzz or rattles.

Good idea. It had not even occurred to me to play through the 4x12 first. I was ready to go with my screwdriver and soldering iron--all set to pull out the speakers and install and test them in the other cab...

 

[zenas]

Early 80s ? Those are new speakers !

Im putting an original cone 60s gray frame D120F in an amp today. It's worth more with the original cone and it could blow but I'm not going to just look at the darn thing.
If it blows I'll recone it.