On my local CL there's a pair of Standel 4x12 speaker cabinets - seller says they're PC-48's. I have barely passing knowledge of Standel stuff, and I can't find anything about these specific cabinets.
They're at a price that seems reasonable (assuming they're not beat up plywood boxes full of blown speakers), so if they're interesting, I might pick them up.
Anybody have knowledge to impart?
Based on my experience, you can expect the speakers to be either blown or rotted in vintage speaker cabinets like that. Standel PC48s date back to the 60s and paper and foam used to make the drivers just don't survive well over time, especially in the kind of environments they were designed for (either smoke filled clubs or the rigors of being hauled all over). That said, you might get lucky and the drivers could be in good shape. If not, they're cool old cabinets and you could probably pretty easily replace the drivers with new 12s fairly easily and cheaply. Even modern budget drivers would give the originals a run for their money in terms of performance.
Hope this helps.
Don't know them at all, but I would take a much brighter view than darkbuddha. Paper, metal, wire and cabinets hold up just fine. Only thing that rots is foam surrounds which are easy and inexpensive to replace. Capacitors dry out over time and need to be replaced as well. Otherwise, speakers hold up great if they're not physically molested.
My main speakers are a pair of AR LST-2s from 1974. New foam on the woofers and new caps in the crossovers and they sound like new. Typically, it's not advised to chuck some new drivers in a cabinet. Cabinet and driver work together as a system and you'd have to get several orders of lucky (or do some research) to just land on a set up that is close to right.
Check em out and see how they look. I have weened myself from the thrift stores and craigslist, but used to buy all kinds of stereo gear. Speakers are usually not too difficult to put right if you know some basics and the voice coils aren't messed up.
So, were these things front line PA cabinets, or what? Any idea what OEM speakers they were loaded with? I'm finding nothing on them.
I see a little info on a C-48. Maybe that's it? Looks like a guitar amp.
http://www.standelamps.com/switchmaster/speak_cabs/index.html
http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/adDetails/82
Maybe...
it's not hard to re-cone speakers.
I personally do not see the "you can't chuck new drivers in there" as long as you get the same size speakers, and the appropriate crossovers, you should sound decent. A cabinent is just a void and generally the same size driver will need the same size void.
Do make sure your new drivers move the same amount of air though
fast_eddie_72 wrote:I see a little info on a C-48. Maybe that's it? Looks like a guitar amp.
http://www.standelamps.com/switchmaster/speak_cabs/index.html
http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/adDetails/82
Maybe...
Interesting. The ad makes no mention of amps in the cabinets, but you know how CL sellers can be. Now I'm doubly intrigued!
The PC48s I remember were like PA or guitar cabinets with no amplification built in, fairly tall and narrow, with the four 12s stacked vertically (not in a quad formation). But I'm only going by memory for a while back (mid '90s).
BTW, I've had good and bad experiences with vintage speakers... for example, I bought sets of vintage JBL 4430s and Pioneer CS-06s with good drivers, no problem. But then I've also bought JBL 4408s, original issue Yamaha NS10Ms, and Pioneer CS66s that all needed to be re-coned (or new drivers in the case of the 4408s). My warning was a worst-case-scenario kinda thing. The Standells you're looking at aren't intended for high fidelity playback... with four 12s, it's power over subtlety.
Oooo... a quicky google search turned up this... this is the kind I was remembering: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250850997239&ih=015&...
But for some reason, I remember 'em being carpeted or something like that.
carpeted would be for road use.. the woodgrain would be studio or home use.
BTW, I edited my previous reply in case anyone missed it... I say if the cabinets are in decent shape, go for it.
Nice, good find. Hope the seller gets back to me, I'm liking these more as I learn about them.
mad_machine wrote:it's not hard to re-cone speakers.
I personally do not see the "you can't chuck new drivers in there" as long as you get the same size speakers, and the appropriate crossovers, you should sound decent. A cabinent is just a void and generally the same size driver will need the same size void.
Do make sure your new drivers move the same amount of air though
Speaker cabs are tuned to dampen the resonant frequencies of a particular low frequency driver. So changing to a different driver of the same size may not yield the desired result unless you re-tune the cab.
Jerry From LA wrote:Speaker cabs are tuned to dampen the resonant frequencies of a particular low frequency driver. So changing to a different driver of the same size may not yield the desired result unless you re-tune the cab.
You definitely give speaker manufacturers more credit than I do when it comes to PA gear. In fact, I dare say from my experience that if that kind of tuning is happening, house sound men (and women) are doing a rather good job of negating it. 
that has been my expernience too.. and I am a Stage Electrician by trade
darkbuddha wrote:Don't get me started on the average house sound man /woman. Here in LA, I've had the pleasure of hearing some great house sound people who don't attempt to violate the laws of physics on a regular basis.Jerry From LA wrote:Speaker cabs are tuned to dampen the resonant frequencies of a particular low frequency driver. So changing to a different driver of the same size may not yield the desired result unless you re-tune the cab.
You definitely give speaker manufacturers more credit than I do when it comes to PA gear. In fact, I dare say from my experience that if that kind of tuning is happening, house sound men (and women) are doing a rather good job of negating it.
As a composer of computer music, fidelity and smoothness of frequency response are high priorities for our concert settings. I've been as fortunate as to have had pieces performed in beautifully tuned double hexagonal arrays of Meyers, and as unfortunate as to have to use a quad setup of Mackies. You can definitely hear the "tuning" of the cabinets in the Mackies, but it ain't pretty and it ain't smooth.
