BBC Monitor column wiring Help Please!

[Bassmec]

So I just bought an interesting 60's ex BBC RG Jones PA Column thinking it might make an interesting power soaked bright box for the studio.

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I haven't got it yet but I am intrigued to find out why it has two 3 pin female XLR's and one male 3 pin.
So that 2 ins and one out?!.
I know its going to be easy to trace the wiring once its here but why three XLR's, what's up with that. As far as I remember seeing one its just full of those little speakers they used to put in AKG Auratones (Horrortones)
Any Ex BBC wallah's care to chip as to why this is so!

 

[Jim C]

Typical British gear.
Completely daft design, makes no sense, beautiful craftsmanship where it doesn't matter, and will probaly sound great; what is it with those guys?

 

[KramerBassFan]

Probably made sense in the late 60's or whenever it was in a BBC studio.

 

[superbassman2000]

is it wired in stereo?
if that was the case i'd guess it'd be one XLR for left and one XLR for right and maybe the out was to sum to a sub, but i know absolutely nothing about it so i'm probably wrong

 

[Bassmec]

Might be, but I don't see why it has only one out, still all will be revealed when it arrives. I remember noticing how detailed and bright
those old things sounded even though they had no tweeters.
Seems as though Phil Jones and RG Jones have been effectivly singing from the same hymn sheet, design wise.
http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=105
I still prefer Honduras mahogany to black paint though and neither I nor my microphones want it that bloody loud.

 

[billfitzmaurice]

Seems as though Phil Jones and RG Jones have been effectivly singing from the same hymn sheet, design wise.

Next time in London drop by St. Pauls and look at their line array installs, originally done in circa 1950, updated a few years back. And they were far from the first, though very much one of the best.

 

[joegeezer]

Hey Mark! How about filling us all in on it, when it arrives, and you get the time to pull it apart. A few pics would be nice too!

 

[Bassmec]

Very Sorry I cant reply to Joe Geezer as asked, due to his unfortunate
recent demise, but if he can ride Harley's in heaven maybe he is still
connected to the internet as well.
Right its arrived and I have just had time to take it to bits to find out
why the three sockets two in and one out.
It contains 6 beautiful little five inch Alnico speakers made by Richard Allan of Yorkshire with a divided slot port at the half way point of the column the cabinet back is very odd its a long silk bag full of rectangular blocks of hard rock-wool pressed against the back of the speakers by the metal grill on the back.
Its wired with 3 X 3 ohm speakers in series at one end wired to one XLR input and the other three wired to the other Input.
The output XLR is wired in parallel with the bottom input XLR only.
so either its an all in one unit stereo speaker if mounted horizontally with both 9 ohm inputs filled or if you use an XLR patch cord from the out XLR to the top Input XLR its a 4.5 ohm Mono pa column.
So its not that silly an idea after all really, good old BBC chaps!.
It of course sounds very very agile and super bright on clean power soaked guitar with my old Matamp. I have been listening to it via my
Custom built Steven Sank ribbon mic with my old RCA OP-6 mic pre.
The Chime on reggae chop chords is utterly fantastic.
I will report further after I rig it up with a suitable capacitor as a bass guitar bright box but I know it will blow away a PJB 600 Column sonically already, cool as FFFFFFerk!.
Hope you got this Joe!