Is this speaker salvageable?

[Travis Bubenik]

Got an '80s Session 400 delivered today...with a busted speaker. I know nothing about speakers - is this salvageable at all, or do I just need a new one?

Don't know if it was UPS' fault, or was already busted when shipped, etc. I knew it was a risky purchase but the price was right. It looks like whatever was holding the pieces together (glue?) failed at some point. Maybe it was already failing and just couldn't handle the shipping.

(I haven't even turned the amp on yet.)

[Dennis Detweiler]

I would replace the speaker. When the magnet fell off, it likely bent the coil. It doesn't take much. The magnet looks pretty boogered.

[Larry Dering]

My buddy had a PA with Cerwin Vega speakers and the magnet would come unglued. He just glued them back. Not a great design. I agree with Dennis to replace it.

[Tony Oresteen]

If the JBL was a factory speaker for the '80s Session 400, I'd call Peavey service (877-732-8391) and ask if they repair the JBL.

If not a factory OEM part, then email JBL at

info@hdtechrepair.com

and find out if they will repair it or who to contact. If they will repair, then get the estimate (you will have to ship it to them) and then decide what you want to do.

Good luck!

[Dave Grafe]

Yow, that sucker was dropped HARD! Forget about trying to salvage it, those ceramic magnets are way too heavy anyway, which is probably what led to a failure during shipping. For $200 you can get a reconed JBL K130 for better response and have a notably lighter load to pack. Check with forum member and ace reconer Jeffrey Maxwell.

[Doug Earnest]

What Dave said.

That is a bass speaker, certainly never original equipment or in my mind a desirable replacement either.

[Jerry Overstreet]

My thoughts. The E series is the least desirable speaker in the JBL line for me. The 140 is, as Doug relates, a bass speaker. This model of JBL was not original to that amp. The JBLs that Peavey used were the K series. In that amp, it would have been a Peavey labeled 4Ω K130.

You indicated you wanted a Black Widow 1501 for that amp which would be ideal.

The way the pics look, that speaker is done.
A couple options might be had with our forum brother Jeff Maxwell who recones and also builds hybrid JBL/Black Widow speaker. He might also be willing to buy the parts or just the magnet for his rebuild purposes.

Best of luck whatever you decide. JO.

[Travis Bubenik]

Well I beat y'all to it and did indeed order the hybrid speaker from Jeff before seeing these replies, hah - he got in touch a few days ago and the reviews sound great - can't wait to get it installed. Thanks for the advice all the same!

[Jerry Overstreet]

Ah cool! Please report back how the speaker performs for you.
Be great to get some reviews.

[Bill Terry]

FWIW, without photos of the front of the amp I'm not 100% sure, but that serial number, serial number plate, and the old-style tolex vinyl indicates that it's more likely a '75 Session 400, which IMO is a really good thing. Those first couple of years were great, I've got a first year Session 400 I really like. To confirm, if the front panel is all silk screened metal, not plastic with raised ridges, and the knobs are just plain silver, no black or colored inserts, the odds are it's actually one of those early Session 400s. Those came from the factory with a Peavey labeled JBL. Not many of those JBLs survived, they couldn't handle 200W without some 'care', but they still show up from time to time. I was working at a Peavey dealer in the 70's when the first Session 400s came out, and we kept a stack of replacements in the shop, they failed often. It would have had this JBL:



Hartley wasn't happy, but the JBL was the best he could get at the time, so that led to the development of the Peavey Black Widow speakers, which eventually replaced the JBL in the Session 400. The first BWs were called the 'spider web' version, and had a slightly different magnet design. I have one of those in my Session, and I prefer it over the later models, as do some other folks. It looks like this, and you can still find them for sale from time to time:



Sorry, Session 400 history lesson, I couldn't help it.

[Travis Bubenik]

The model number is a 5A - but it’s got plastic knobs, so I assume it’s an ‘85 - if they were making them that late? I dunno - haven’t researched it much yet. I just wanna get it working first, hah.

[Bill Terry]

I'm not sure what year they quit making them, but definitely up into the 80's. The 80's serial number plates looked more like this, so you may have a mixed vintage amp, i.e. pieces from different years, and/or replacement knobs. Those early Session 400s had set-screw knobs I think, the later were just the push on.



Is the faceplate a plastic overlay or silk-screened metal? That would be a definitive identifier for the first couple of years. Like you say, just get it working, all years were great amps! Good luck!!

[Dennis Detweiler]

I bought and still have the first year Session 400. I had to order it at the time. It was available with 2 - 12's or a 15. However, mine came with a gray framed JBL (D-130F)? It didn't hold up long. The amp came with lifetime warranty. I still have the warranty card and I still have the cancelled check $332.18. Warranty covered the replacement speaker which was the black framed JBL (K series)? It lasted a while longer and blew. By then, the BW was the replacement. The Peavey logo on the grill is in the upper left corner at an angle on the grill cloth. The knobs are smooth metal and the faceplate is metal. The first digits on the serial are 4A, which means 1974. 5A would be 1975 and so on. I recently did a total refurbishing and upgrade of caps on it. I also replaced all of the molex pins and soldered the wires instead of the factory crimp. Most of the problems I've had with the amp over this many years is the molex pins becoming loose or crimps becoming faulty. One time, the power transistor pins became loose and would intermittently drop power. I also replaced all 6 power transistors recently with the ones that are used in the Nashville 400 amps. So, that gave it a little more power. The amp is now dead quiet and better than it was when new. No way will I ever sell it.

[Travis Bubenik]

I'm not sure what year they quit making them, but definitely up into the 80's. The 80's serial number plates looked more like this, so you may have a mixed vintage amp, i.e. pieces from different years, and/or replacement knobs. Those early Session 400s had set-screw knobs I think, the later were just the push on.



Is the faceplate a plastic overlay or silk-screened metal? That would be a definitive identifier for the first couple of years. Like you say, just get it working, all years were great amps! Good luck!!

Looks metal to me - but yea, plastic knobs that just push on, don't see any set screws. Who knows - judging by the cobwebs and wear on this thing it's had a lot of lives.







Got the Jeff Maxwell speaker installed tonight - still dialing in my tone but sounds absolutely wonderful so far! The reverb tank looks like it's been to war a few times but still works and sounds great.

[Dennis Detweiler]

It's a 1975

[Bill Terry]

Looks metal to me - but yea, plastic knobs that just push on, don't see any set screws. Who knows - judging by the cobwebs and wear on this thing it's had a lot of lives.

Yeah, looks like a metal faceplate. At some point the knobs (and pots?) were likely changed out. I agree, most likely a '75. Nice score!

BTW, you'll likely find the Mid and Shift controls to be a bit 'confusing' at first, they're not exactly typical of how most modern pseudo-parametric midrange controls work. But getting those dialed in to taste is the ticket. Search the forum, there are a ton of discussions on how they work and interact, and the Session 400 in general. Years ago Brad Sarno did an analysis on how the tone stack for a Session 400 is designed. You may find this useful:

https://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/003822.html

[Travis Bubenik]

Great news - makes this all worth the hassle knowing it’s a ‘75! Nice surprise, I was sure it was ‘80s - now to find some original knobs perhaps…

Thanks everyone for the info, advice, feedback etc. This forum continues to be an absolute blessing and one-of-a-kind resource.

[Dennis Detweiler]

Another historical highlight: When the Session came out in 74 with the option of two 12" speakers, they were two EV speakers which made it very heavy. Jerry Reed endorsed the two 12 Session 400 in an ad for Peavey.