Acoustic 106 for 125$ CDN... Is it worth it?

[Atshen]

I could grab a vintage Acoustic 106 2x15 cab locally for 125$ canadian. Seller says it still has the original speakers. What's intriguing is that he says it's only 150W... Does it mean I can't use it with anything that has more power? Now I understand the impedance thing, but the wattage rating can be confusing!

What are your thoughts about this deal, oh, Wise Ones?

 

[Oren Hudson]

If the speakers are good and the physical appearance is good, that's a good price. Probably should have Eminence speakers with the metal dust cap with the opening in the center. You can use whatever power that you want. You just have to realize the limitations of the speaker cab to handle increased power loads. Best way to do that is with your ears. When distortion or farting out occurs, you're above the abilities of the speaker cab's power handling. I routinely use higher powered heads with cabs that aren't rated as high, but this works fine not going above the limits of the cab as described above. Often times, cabs sound better with more power driving them, whether real or perceived, you will notice the difference when compared side by side. I once had a knowledgeable fellow band mate tell me that "You can't have too much power." Pretty much true. Generally, you can always turn the power down, but you can't add to it. The Acoustic 140 head was often paired with this cab. Maybe a 100 watts. I've played the Acoustic 370 head (300) watts through it and it sounded great.

 

[Atshen]

Thanks man. Here's a pic of it:

 

[10cc]

Get it.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

It looks like it should clean up nicely.
Grab it before it gets away!

 

[Oren Hudson]

Thanks man. Here's a pic of it:

View attachment 834578

As stated, should clean up nicely. I'm pretty sure that those came with wheels, something easily added.

 

[Atshen]

Thanks everyone. I'll go have a look at it this weekend.

 

[Atshen]

Hey! I finally bought it! For 100$! These are definitely the original speakers, with the aluminium dust caps with a hole in the middle. I was also pleasantly surprised that it still had the casters, even though it looks like they're not on in the picture. I didn't have time to play it much yet, except when I tried it out. I guess I will have to make a "new cab day" thread and link it here!

It's also surprisingly light, considering it's size. I managed to take it out of the van and into the house by myself. I didn't want the new baby to spend its first night in the car!

 

[Atshen]

By the way, how do I find out which year it was made?

 

[Oren Hudson]

By the way, how do I find out which year it was made?

Since they appear to be original speakers, you'll need to get the number off of the speaker frame. Should go something like this 67-7306 with 67 being the code for Eminence and 7306 being the manufacture date, 73 for the year 1973 and 06 being for the month June. Of course the year and month could be different that the example that I gave you. That will give you a good idea of cab manufacture time. Have fun.

 

[Atshen]

Thank you Oren! I'll post what I find out.

 

[Atshen]

Wow! I love that thing. It has the low end balls I was looking for. Really shook the rafters. I could hear the whole house shaking! And the volume was only about 9 o'clock!

 

[Atshen]

Also, that thing's beautiful, although it will need some care. It needs a good cleanup, and I'll have to replace the velcro pads holding the grille. The caulking job around the speakers is sloppy. I might replace it with some translucent or black caulking in the future.

 

[SnoMan]

Nice find! Man, you can't beat that price!

 

[Gaolee]

Acoustic Control cabinets are typically efficient relative to modern cabinets. I don't know about that one specifically, but when they were designed and built, 200 watts was a lot of power. An original 361 power plus cabinet had 200 watts powering a folded horn, and that was intended to fill a stadium. It would, too. Point is that I'm not at all surprised it can get rafter shakingly loud at fairly small apparent volume settings. What are you driving it with?

 

[Atshen]

I drive it with my Yorkville XM200 combo. 200W with extension speaker. I used the external speaker jack for the Acoustic.

I will unplug the internal speaker and just play through the 106, though. I think I will pull the head out of the combo and build a separate box for it. If I want to use the combo or sell it, I'll just put the head back in.

That is, until I find an Acoustic head to match the cab! The Yorkville is pretty loud though, and it sounds good. Nice, simple, and reliable amp.

 

[billgoodwin]

congrats on getting that 106 cab. simply adore mine .

 

[Atshen]

^^ Nice rig, dude! I see you have the original speakers too. I bet it sounds sweet with that head!

 

[billgoodwin]

yes sir - originally bought the cab and a Gen 2 150 head 5 yrs ago for $200. Now have a Gen 1 & Gen 2 150 plus the beast 370. foundation shaking, filling loosening, glass rattling goodness. FOH guys start yelling at volume level of 1 1/2 +..hehehe.

 

[Thor]

NICE!
I have this rig, it was my first rig, 140 head and 106 cab. It can go earsplitting loud. Back when I first got it I played it with an EB3 bass, and used to play the bridge pickup, dime everything and step into a feedback node where it would sustain forever. Never fried the Eminence speakers. They still have that great wooly testosterone tone that I can't get out of any of my other cabs.

Curb weight is listed as 135 lbs on the brochure. I got mine in 1975. If you ever find the matching 140, 150 or even a 320, I have schematics for those somewhere. But the Yorkie is a great match!

Unlike the folded horn, you don't have to be far out in front of it for the bass to "bloom".