Old Fender Speaker Sound and ID

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BillyBob
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:39 am
Location: North Carolina

Old Fender Speaker Sound and ID

Post by BillyBob »

Hello,
I'm usually more of a Celestion kind of guy, but these Fender labeled 12 inch speakers sound good.!
They were in a Fender Bassman blackface era 2x12 cab I bought.
I have them in my Vox AC30 now.

Any idea what I have here..?
My internet search was unconclusive.
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martin manning
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Re: Old Fender Speaker Sound and ID

Post by martin manning »

285 is Rola, manufactured 47th week of 1975.
BillyBob
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:39 am
Location: North Carolina

Re: Old Fender Speaker Sound and ID

Post by BillyBob »

Thanks Martin, you're the man.

Ive used these speakers with my Wreck builds, Plexi, Bassman, etc. They always sound good.
My usual is: greenbacks, G12H30, and Vintage-30 Celestions. I use them all.

I bought a new Vox AC30 amp with green-backs in it and wasnt real happy with the sound. It was just-OK.
I was considering some Alnico blues when I decided to try these Fender (Rolas) in there.
Wow,..what a difference.!

I'm not going for the alnico blues now..
They are lighter (weight) and a bit quieter than the modern greenbacks I took out.
I wonder if these might be alnico.?
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Phil_S
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Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: Old Fender Speaker Sound and ID

Post by Phil_S »

I believe Rola and Celestion are the same company. It might explain what you hear.
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JMFahey
Posts: 252
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Location: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Re: Old Fender Speaker Sound and ID

Post by JMFahey »

Well, yes and no :)
Looonnnggg ago Rola Corporation bought Celestion UK but they were kept separate from USA.

In USA a "Mother/Investment Corporation" , I think it was called something like "Mutter Corporation" at some time owned both Jensen as we know it , based in Chicago, and another speaker Factory under the Rola brand.
At some time they closed the Jensen one, Jensen brand speakers ceased to be made, at least for Guitar use, *but* all machinery, stamping dies, etc. were transferred to the existing "Rola" factory.
So from a Financial/Investment point of view Rola USA and Rola UK were related, but AFAIK products themselves (speakers) were fully independent from each other.

Now good customer Fender still needed speakers, lots of them, so he started getting the "Jensen machinery inside Rola Factory" built ones, labelled Rola of course.
So in my view, Fender Rolas are at least "half Brothers" of original jensen, maybe a slightly cheaper version of them, but not *bad* by any means.

At least they were good enough for Leo, who fitted thousands of them in Fender amps.

I have repaired many along the years, using exact same parts as for Jensen, frame is also one once used by Jensen, magnet and voice coil are same size, so .....

They *might* have slightly less efficiency and brightness because they *might* have slightly wider gaps for the Voice coil, a manufacturing trick to make assembly easier and lower reject ratio, I have never put a "Twin Reverb Rola" side by side with a C12N (when I get them they are dead :| ) to compare them real time, but those are certainly not *bad* speakers at all.

For an "insider look" (former employees although not at the exact time of switching factory location):
https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl? ... e&m=194695
Design/Make/Service Musical stuff in Buenos Aires, Argentina, since 1969
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