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Ampeg Square Back 810 on CL

#2
That looks much like mine when I first got it. And now it doesn't look much better ;) One day I'll recover it. That one looks beat. Might pay $300 if the speakers all worked, but I'd be doing the voice coil rub test on them.
 
#3
Yeah, its really a shame. I put it up here more as a hey look at this poor unit. I think she's going to need a bit more than a speaker or two. Dust covers reglued, man... I like the cable hanging out the back. BUT if somebody on here wants it... I could go and pick it up for them. BOB
 
#4
rbonner said:
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Hey does this look like a great deal? :hyper: BOB
Click to expand...

:eek: Nearly every old 8X10" I've seen has been skinned alive to some degree from being slid in & out of trucks.

It's too bad more big cab makers don't fit full-length nylon runners on the backs AND sides of these things similar to those which Fender uses on the back of their Invalid Link Removed. :eyebrow:
 
#6
i still want it.

i am not vibing on my 810e. no matter how much juice i dump into it it just won't wake up and howl. the tone is so flat and stale.

Jimmy & Bob, does the much higher power handling of the newer 810e's have anything to do with why it sounds so weak with lower wattage amps, even SVT-CL's? or does that have nothing to do with it, and the "darker" sounding speakers are the culprit?

i wish i had gone for a 70's 810 when i had the chance, but i was worried at the time that i'd be blowing speakers given how loud i play and how many effects i use recklessly.
 
#7
bovine mind said:
i still want it.

i am not vibing on my 810e. no matter how much juice i dump into it it just won't wake up and howl. the tone is so flat and stale.

Jimmy & Bob, does the much higher power handling of the newer 810e's have anything to do with why it sounds so weak with lower wattage amps, even SVT-CL's? or does that have nothing to do with it, and the "darker" sounding speakers are the culprit?

i wish i had gone for a 70's 810 when i had the chance, but i was worried at the time that i'd be blowing speakers given how loud i play and how many effects i use recklessly.
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Ya, probably not the best idea for you, though they do handle quite a bit more power than the meager 250w Ampeg used to claim. And yes, I think it's the darker sound of the newer speakers that messes up the newer ones more than needing more power. Even at high power, they're still pretty dark.
 
#8
The cabs themselves really only changed a little. Each compartment is the same recalculated volume to make up for the castors and towel bar. It might make a little change in tone, but not as much as the speakers themselves...

Look at what these guitarists go through, 30 watt this and 100 watt that all to get their tone. We have the same problem, just less choices.

It would be fun to play with this cab, but I have a feeling many of the drivers are going to need changed out. That takes a lot of fun out of things. I already have 1 810 cab here that I bought and all the speakers are funky. (all 8 laid out on the floor in front of the line of cabs) I'd have a lot of splaining to do to momma if I drug home another cab that looks THIS BAD... BUT if it could be had for less? Then I would need a same vintage SVT... man another resto project.

BOB
 
#11
Well you warm up a bottle of scented oil, and then she takes her...er...

Anyway, you GENTLY push in on the speaker with your fingertips, using even pressure. If you feel a rubbing feeling, the voice coil is shot. If there's no rubbing feeling, it's fine.
 
#12
Hey what do you want for 300.00? The speakers look mismatched though and the one that is stiff to the touch definitely has a rubbing voice coil. You don't have to kill these speakers, I have two squarebacks with all original speakers in them, one towel bar cab with all original speakers also. If that's all you can find you can restore it over time, nothing sounds like these cabs when they working right. I played a blues jam last month with an SVT head and cab, everybody fell in love with the sound including the soundman.
 
#13
bobyoung53 said:
Hey what do you want for 300.00? The speakers look mismatched though and the one that is stiff to the touch definitely has a rubbing voice coil. You don't have to kill these speakers, I have two squarebacks with all original speakers in them, one towel bar cab with all original speakers also. If that's all you can find you can restore it over time, nothing sounds like these cabs when they working right. I played a blues jam last month with an SVT head and cab, everybody fell in love with the sound including the soundman.
Click to expand...
It's gotten so bad for me with the SVT that everyone in my band complains if I don't bring it, even if I bring my B-15 stack. I believe it was you who warned me that if I got it restored and started using it again, I wouldn't want to stop using it. You were right. The weight is nothing compared to the tone!

Eh, I might pay $300 for it, come to think of it. I guess it depends on how many speakers I'd need to recone. My recones ended up costing me $81 apiece, but they do blow away any others I've heard.

So Bob, what do you think of your towel bar vs your straightbacks? I believe the towel bars of that time were loaded with Eminences, right?
 

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