Mystery JBL 12" Speaker

[Patrick Rusert]

Anyone have any insight on this speaker? I've been hunting for a replacement 12" for my SF Twin, and this just popped up on the ATL craigslist. It may not be a fit for me, especially if it needs a recone, but I'm curious to know what it is?

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/msg/2778406130.html

JBL D-120 (D-131) Speaker in Custom Cab - $110 (Atlanta)

THE SPEAKER

Here's what makes it different:

The rear cover for the alnico magnet is solid, without the usual vent found at this spot in the D-120. That vent is moved to the dome in the front of the speaker! Go figure. When I used this speaker installed in this custom cabinet some years ago, I found that this unusual arrangement produced a somewhat darker, punchier tone than the usual D-120, while still retaining the D-series' sparkle. The frame and magnet cover are black all over. This is the only one of these I have run across in all my years of using the venerable JBL D-120.

The frame shows the usual mounting marks, but is straight and true. The cone and vented dome are in good, if slightly dusty condition, and the surround is intact and still flexible. The speaker responds properly when stimulated with light battery current, but due to its long storage it would probably benefit from a re-cone.

NOTE: A JBL historian told me that this could be a JBL D-131, an extremely rare version of the D-120.
The ALuminum/NIckle/CObalt in the magnet is probably worth as much as the price here on this speaker/cab unit!

THE CABINET

Exactly sized to a JBL D-120 at 15-1/2 x 15-1/2 x 7-5/8 inches, this custom speaker cabinet is constructed from 3/4-inch premium plywood, covered in high-impact thermoplastic veneer and completely edge-bound with aluminum caps. The Nielson spring-loaded handle also provides the mounting point for dual, parallel 1/4-inch speaker inputs. On another side is a mounting plate for a threaded stand (not included).

As you can see in the pictures, the interior insulation is cut precisely to the depth of a D-120. The acoustic insulation is semi-permeable to allow the rear vent on a D-120 to breathe. The speaker is protected by an edge-padded, extruded aluminum grill held on with four heavy-duty speaker clamps. The cab's condition is very good+ with no major marks on the veneer and minor scratches on the aluminum edge strips. The metal handle/input fixture has darkened slightly.

As for possible uses, think of guitar, keyboards, steel guitar and practice-volume bass.

[Larry Robinson]

Visit the following site: http://lansingheritage.org/.
I found photo's of the D-131 in the Lansing catalogs and they all had aluminum dust covers. I suspect someone had it re-coned by someone other than JBL service center. Factory JBL re-cones cost around $275. I would look for used D,K,E 120 speaker for the Twin Reverb.

[Dave Grafe]

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... ht=jbl+131