Foam speaker ring question

SoonerMatt · #1 05-11-2010, 02:05 PM

So I was practicing a little while ago and I noticed that my bass response was becoming more muffled and there was some slight distortion. Freaking out, I unplug everything from the wall, take out all the connections, and start unscrewing the grill fearing the worst...

.... only to find that the foam rings had started to decay and were not adhering properly around the speaker. I pressed them down with a bit of force and got them to stay, and that seemed to have remedied the problem until half an hour later when they came off again.

So now for my question - which replacement rings should I buy and/or what kind of adhesive or glue should I use to hold them in place? The cab in question is a SWR Goliath Jr-III (pre Fender) 210.

Rick Auricchio · #2 05-11-2010, 02:32 PM

It sounds like you might have to have the speakers reconed.

SoonerMatt · #3 05-11-2010, 02:40 PM

I can recheck, but the only problem I saw was the foam attached to the speakers' edge was coming loose. Everything else seemed to be sealed and intact.

EDIT

After checking some how-to vids on reconing I know I'd definitely screw that up and would much rather just up and buy the replacement speakers (or a new cab.... mmmm.... Epifani or Schroeder....). If it did come down to that, would the Eminence Delta-10B (16 ohm) keep the same SWR sound?

"Q" · #4 05-11-2010, 02:52 PM

Is this the foam facing on the front of the speaker or the speaker surround itself?

BassmanPaul · #5 05-11-2010, 02:54 PM

Foam should never have been used in the first place. It always decays and ruins the driver. Any repair you do to the existing cone will be temporary at best. A re-cone is the best way to go IMO.

Paul

"Q" · #6 05-11-2010, 02:58 PM

I wasn't aware PAS/SWR used foam surrounds.<_<

SoonerMatt · #7 05-11-2010, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by "Q"

Is this the foam facing on the front of the speaker or the speaker surround itself?

It's facing on the front and actually juts out. The parts that are coming loose are next to the screws. So I guess it would really be the gasket? (speaker anatomy noob)

"Q" · #8 05-11-2010, 03:06 PM

lol this is getting kind of comical. re-reading I can see I said it wrong again. From what you're saying tho its the gasket on the frame thats coming loose and not the surround which is the thin roll of material that connects the cone to the speaker frame.

It's made of a foam rubber material that looks like black corkboard right?

SoonerMatt · #9 05-11-2010, 03:09 PM

Yes it is. Googling and more reading made me realize it's only the gasket so I don't need to spend a lot of money I don't have. So any tips for adhesives or replacements?

"Q" · #10 05-11-2010, 03:10 PM

Well in that case you might just want to remove it. As in cut off the offending part. No scraping with a putty knife or anything. I havent had much success re gluing those. I think I used super glue.

On a side note I'm not sure how the gasket coming off could hurt your sound unless it touching the cone.

SoonerMatt · #11 05-11-2010, 03:13 PM

When it came off it was dangling and rubbing against the cone so that may have done it. Also, I use a somewhat liberal amount of octave and filter so it probably could have been physical stress caused by that.

Thanks for the help guys!

"Q" · #12 05-11-2010, 03:16 PM

I think the material itself starts disintegrating and thats why its hard to get it to stick back on. As I remember mine always looked like they were torn off instead of coming unglued. So if you re glue it potentially it just starts to disintegrate again and there goes your bond. Tho the wrong kind of glue could cause that to happen aswell so its worth checking out. I'll see what I can dig up.

Rick Auricchio · #13 05-11-2010, 03:22 PM

If it's only the gasket then you can simply remove it. Carefully and slowly to avoid damaging the cone with whatever tools you use.

I presume the speaker is front-mounted, meaning it's set into the cutout from the front of the cab, not from inside. If that's true, then there is already a gasket on the back of the speaker frame doing its job.

Many speakers have double gaskets to allow front- or rear-mounting.

"Q" · #14 05-11-2010, 03:25 PM

I'd give 3M super 77 a try. I've used it to glue carpet pad to the inside of enclosures with great sucess and that seems like a similar material. It really works best when you apply it to both the pieces that are being glued like you would for contact cement. Its a spray adhesive though so be careful! It tack up pretty instantly though so you shouldn't have to hold it there or take out the speaker which is kinda nice.