How To Spot A Reconed Fane?

  • Thread starter Thread starter soundchaser59
  • Start date Start date
S

soundchaser59

Reluctant Commander
I'm tempted to try a Fane speaker.

There is a Fane Studio 15B out there, in great shape, near mint condition, but the seller says he doesn't know if it is a recone or not. He asked me how he could tell. He is not the original owner, and I'm trying to find out what kind of cab/amp it came out of.

I don't want a recone, but I'd be willing to try it if I knew it was all original. I've noticed a lot of sellers wont mention the fact that a speaker is reconed unless you specifically ask them if it is. One I asked point blank because he was listing it as new with a used magnet, and he still would not come out directly and use the word recone, even though it was apparent that's what it is.

Is there any way to tell for sure if a speaker has been reconed? My other option is an EVM15L which I would love to try. All the JBL's I can find are recones, too.
 
Why is this such an issue for you? I can think of no reason a re-cone would not play as well as original; I would think that chances are it would sound better.
 
I dont honestly know if it's different. It's only because I've read so many posts in so many forums that say the recones never will sound the same as the original. So my phobia is thread induced......:eek:
 
Unless one of those posters (posers?) can demonstrate, I would, at best, take it with a "grain of salt." Sounds to me like the usual internet-inspired talking thru one's ass...
 
I can't see how a recone could sound the same as the original. It's newer, stiffer, possibly of a different material etc.
Unless the specs are precise replicas it'll sound quite different & if it's an precise replica it will sound like a precise replica - ie: not the original.
IF the vendor is selling the speaker on the basisi of a known sound/quality/legendary performance & it's a recone then it's not a reasonable description.
Go & buy a 2nd hand beauty car & discover later that the L side has been replaced with f/glass panels due to a stack & see how you feel.
 
rayc said:
I can't see how a recone could sound the same as the original. It's newer, stiffer, possibly of a different material etc.
Unless the specs are precise replicas it'll sound quite different & if it's an precise replica it will sound like a precise replica - ie: not the original.
IF the vendor is selling the speaker on the basisi of a known sound/quality/legendary performance & it's a recone then it's not a reasonable description.
Go & buy a 2nd hand beauty car & discover later that the L side has been replaced with f/glass panels due to a stack & see how you feel.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm talking 'bout....
 
You are right- a re-cone won't sound the same as a all-original speaker that has been put thru the wars for thirty or more years but somehow has escaped a torn cone, burned-out coil or whatnot.

30 years of abuse, dust, rough handling, heat, sunlight, cigarette smoke, etc. etc. VS. 30 years of research and technological advancement. No contest.

After break-in, the new cone will sound better.

Please, gimmie a break. Sometimes, old is just OLD.
 
Ok, here's how to spot a recone:

If the reconer used a genuine Fane recone kit, there should be no difference in the sound. However, it's important that the reconer has some experience in reconing speakers. There are two important places to check to tell if a speaker has been reconed:

1. Where the center dome is glued to the cone. It should be a smooth, even bead of glue. A wide or sloppy bead is generally due to a poor ability to lay in the bead, something just not done at the factory.

2. Where the spider is attached to the frame. Again, look for sloppy glue that's oozed out of the joint, dripping onto the frame.

I haven't kept up with Fane, but at one point (in 1988), Fane did supply recone kits for their speakers. IMC in Fort Worth was their North American distributor, and I did teach the repair guys how to do a proper recone there. I don't know what happened after I left. If it's a genuine Fane recone kit, there should be no difference in the sound if it's installed properly.
 
Thank You, Harvey! Great to know......



stevieb said:
30 years of abuse, dust, rough handling, heat, sunlight, cigarette smoke, etc. etc. VS. 30 years of research and technological advancement. No contest.

After break-in, the new cone will sound better.

Please, gimmie a break. Sometimes, old is just OLD.
Click to expand...


30, 40, 50 years of tech research and (imo) folks like Celestion and Jensen and Eminence (among others) are still not getting it completely right. Tone matters and sometimes old is still better. For under $200 bucks, there is not a Celestion, Jensen, or Eminence made that can give me the goose bumps I get from this used up old EVM12L.....
 
So you prefer a Fane over Celeston, Jensen, Eminence. So what? I prefer the JBL in my Deluxe Reverb. But to compare a Fane or JBL to a Jensen or Eminence is truly an apples-to-oranges comparison. Harvey Gerst, one of the more knowledable (and more humble) experts here, says that a reconed speaker is as good as an original, all other things being equal. Your original post said that you didn't want a recone, and you were silent on source of the parts. You, my friend, are relying on subjective and innacurate opinion, not fact, to make your decision.
 
stevieb said:
So you prefer a Fane over Celeston, Jensen, Eminence. So what? I prefer the JBL in my Deluxe Reverb. But to compare a Fane or JBL to a Jensen or Eminence is truly an apples-to-oranges comparison. Harvey Gerst, one of the more knowledable (and more humble) experts here, says that a reconed speaker is as good as an original, all other things being equal. Your original post said that you didn't want a recone, and you were silent on source of the parts. You, my friend, are relying on subjective and innacurate opinion, not fact, to make your decision.
Click to expand...

I've never had a real Fane, so I have no idea if I prefer it or not. I said I prefer the EVM12L.

Harvey said IF the recone used factory original parts, and IF it was done correctly. My subjective and inaccurate opinion is that most of the so-called "vintage" JBL and Fane speakers I find for sale on ebay are reconed, and the sellers dont say so unless I ask them point blank, and then my subjective and inaccurate opinion is that the recone does not use factory original parts and was likely not done correctly (i.e. "perfectly"). If they were using factory original parts and doing the work with exquisite attention to accuracy and detail, they would brag about it in their listing or in their replies to my questions. I've done enough ebay crap to read between the lines, what they say and - more importantly - what they don't say. They are smart enough not to send a bald faced lie in the reply by telling me it is all original when they know it is not, and they are very careful not to say anything that will discourage my interest, all while trying to give a politically correct sales-pitch answer to the question. That, my non-subjective and accurate fact-driven friend, is why I dont want a recone from ebay. If they fudge and sidestep my questions and wont supply the facts, then what else does that leave me besides subjective and inaccurate opinion? At least one guy was nice enough to ask me how he could tell if it was reconed or not. Maybe he was just fishing to see what I know, whatever.... That same guy was selling a "never been played" Strat that had the finish worn off the first 8 frets from being played so hard. "Never been played" I asked? Oh, he meant HE had never played it himself. That was enough of a clue to scare me away from buying his "vintage" speaker. It's the same way the other guys are fudging answers to my speaker questions.

Do you know of some other source where I can shop for JBL's and Fane's that are either all original in great condition, or were reconed correctly using factory original parts?
 
Last edited:
Whoa! This has gotten a bit out of hand! I guess I am at least partially responsible for that, and I am sorry if I made it personal. I can see, and agree with, your point- that mis-representing goods one is selling is NOT cool. I would not want to buy from those guys, either! I guess I missed your original point, a bit. I took it as you "don't want a recone," (which you did say) not "I don't want to buy a pig in a poke." I agree whole-heartedly with that- which is one reason I am sooooo over eBay.
 
Nothing personal at all, I thanks! You made me articulate my reasons, yes it's subjective and that's always involved when humans are transacting. It's hard to tell what my line of thinking is when all you have to go by is this 10 point font. Appreciate your questions.
 
real quick here ...... if it WASN'T done with Fane parts (likely) then it would be done with Waldom parts which are not the same as factory.
For example, back when I used to recone speakers (admittedly 30 years ado), their JBL recone parts used round wire on the voice coils while JBL used flat wire edge-wound coils.
That alone would make some difference although that doesn't mean it would necessarily sound bad, just different.
 
soundchaser59 said:
Nothing personal at all, I thanks! You made me articulate my reasons, yes it's subjective and that's always involved when humans are transacting. It's hard to tell what my line of thinking is when all you have to go by is this 10 point font. Appreciate your questions.
Click to expand...

Are they out of production? If not, why not just buy a new one? If they aren't being made any more, then (obviously) the longer they have been out of production, the less the chance of finding one in pristine condition. Are you looking for a '57 Chevy in showroom condition? :)

Another option: buy one in whatever condition and get it reconed with the "real deal" parts.
 
Well, A JBL E110F recone kit is an exact replacement for a JBL D130F cone. The Waldom cone kit looks similar, but it isn't, and won't sound anything like an original JBL. The Fane kits I saw were from Fane and they were original cone kits.
 
I was gonna buy this mint 57 chevy for a great price, but.......the guy wasn't the original owner and he couldn't tell me if it was the factory air in the tires.


I love and own vintage gear and would rather have re-coned speakers and new tubes. My fave amp - '54 Fender Deluxe- even has a replacement output transformer. It sounds even better than ever.

I agree with "sometimes old is just old". Just make shure you getting genuine quality replace parts re-cone kits etc.
 
D28Flatpickr said:
I was gonna buy this mint 57 chevy for a great price, but.......the guy wasn't the original owner and he couldn't tell me if it was the factory air in the tires.


I love and own vintage gear and would rather have re-coned speakers and new tubes. My fave amp - '54 Fender Deluxe- even has a replacement output transformer. It sounds even better than ever.

I agree with "sometimes old is just old". Just make shure you getting genuine quality replace parts re-cone kits etc.
Click to expand...

That's not any where near fair. A fair analogy to what I encountered would be "the guy wasn't the original owner and he couldn't tell me if it was the original engine under the hood." Then he says, "Oh it's ok, it's all new and it has the original vintage frame inside. It was put together by a professional taxi driver, so it drives great!"

Or in my case.....

"All new speaker except it has the original vintage magnet inside, and it was built by a professional sound man, so everything is great. Bid with confidence." (Yes, that is exactly what the seller wrote back in his reply!)

So, given this kind of thorough and reliable report, you would go ahead and buy that car then? :cool:

If yes, then I know where you can get a fantastic Fane speaker...... :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top