Tell me about these 70's Fender speakers (CTS square magnets)

[cooljuk]

I've got two of these Fender square magnet speakers kicking around.
I don't know anything about them other than they seem to be stamped with a CTS 1979 date code.

Can anyone shed a little light? What amps/cabs were these originally used in? Any good? Low power and bright, I'd guess. I might want to use them.

[cooljuk]

bump

[toneguy86]

I just pulled some of these speakers out of my mid 70s vibrolux and am trying to sell em. As far as I can tell from stuff I have found on-line, the numbers give you the year and month of manufacter at least the first couple of numbers in the first line. Mine are 064121. It appears that my speakers were made in the 6th month of 1970...or at least that's how it appears. 137 is a number indicating that they were made by CTS. Beyond that...I have not gotten much. Things seem a bit hazy. One person said the 06 (or in your case 02) could mean they were made in the 6th month of 1970....OR 1980, but since my amp was a 74 or 75...1980 seems unlikely unless they were replacements. I don't know but I doubt it.

As far as value I don't think they are worth a ton, although one web site I found said that CTS was thinking of re-issuing this particular speaker and that the late 60s versions were notoriously bad but that the 70s versions with these numbers were...better. Not sure why they say this actually.

Not sure if this helps...and I could be way off, but there is not really much definitive info out there...or at least none that I have found.

[cooljuk]

That's helpful, thank you.

I suppose the best thing I can do is pop them into a cab and fire them up. I'm not really looking for a sale on these, just some info, so the value doesn't mean much to me as much as how they might sound.

[toneguy86]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

That's helpful, thank you.

I suppose the best thing I can do is pop them into a cab and fire them up. I'm not really looking for a sale on these, just some info, so the value doesn't mean much to me as much as how they might sound.

I'd be interested in hearing your experience with them. In an open back cab and an amp like a Vibrolux they were not the best speakers I have ever heard--not the worst at all...but not the best. I replaced them with a cheap set of WGS speakers and they were much better.

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by toneguy86

I'd be interested in hearing your experience with them. In an open back cab and an amp like a Vibrolux they were not the best speakers I have ever heard--not the worst at all...but not the best. I replaced them with a cheap set of WGS speakers and they were much better.

What didn't you like about them? I was thinking about putting them into an open back cab and using them with a Blackface type 50W amp.

Maybe that's not the way to go?

[toneguy86]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

What didn't you like about them? I was thinking about putting them into an open back cab and using them with a Blackface type 50W amp.

Maybe that's not the way to go?

Now...keep in mind that I pummled the hell out of these speakers for years with full on blasting harmonica (usually with the bass maxed), so it could be that...or it could be that this amp and the speakers in particular just weren't great for guitar. Old blackface amps were like that...some were harp amps and some were guitar amps. Few did both well. Anway, I tried everything to get this amp to work like other old Fender amps I had over the years, but there remained this low mid thing--sorta woofy and wooly. It was irritating and meant that TS pedals in particular just sounded like doggy doodoo (even ones that were magic with other blackface and music man amps). I tried everything to fix the issue--different settings, different pedals, new caps, tubes and modded to blackface specs. It helped but not much...so I changed the speakers AND...I have a new amp. It's not my old Blackface Pro...but it's good.

So...again take this for what it's worth. It could be that your situation will be different, but this is what was happnin for me.

[Riffraff12571]

I don't know much about the ceramic types from that time but I picked up three 12" alnicos with '74 date codes on them and they are great. The cones look similar.



Super Reverb users rave about the 10" version so I figured they would be the same speaker in 12". I put a pair in a 212 cab and stuck the other in my 1482.

[toneguy86]

Originally Posted by Riffraff12571

I don't know much about the ceramic types from that time but I picked up three 12" alnicos with '74 date codes on them and they are great. The cones look similar.



Super Reverb users rave about the 10" version so I figured they would be the same speaker in 12". I put a pair in a 212 cab and stuck the other in my 1482.

Where did you find that 74 code? I'm not seein that from your pic.

I am pretty sure mine are not Alnicos. They have the blue label, but just aren't as heavy as I would expect alnicos to be once I pulled them out. Any way to find out for sure though?