Weber VST product descriptions
(More technical information at
http://www.webervst.com/)
(Pricing information at
http://www.vintage-vibe.net/Weber_prices.html)
Over the years, many companies have attempted to copy the
vintage loudspeakers used in mid 20th century guitar
amplifiers. Some have used high volume production
facilities and generic components in an effort to reduce costs,
while others have imported look-alike speakers and used intensive marketing as a
means to sell those products.
Both of those methods result in commodity products meant to go through several
levels of profit before they get to
the consumer. Unlike those methods, WeberVST designs, builds, and direct-sells
to the consumer through this website.
While other speakers are built by companies who are primarily HIFI and Car Audio
speaker producers, WeberVST
concentrates solely on vintage style guitar amp speakers.
Only WeberVST did extensive fundamental research into
the hows and whys of that elusive vintage tone without any consideration given
to the cost of design, development,
or production. As a result, Weber uses the correct
components such as curved seam cones, voice coils with exact
weight and mass, low carbon steel, machined parts, and the same
magnetic gap energies. When was the last time you
could call and talk to the designer of a speaker, then talk to the person who
will build it, and then specify a customized
unit to fit your needs? With over 100 different
standard and hybrid speaker models now available, WeberVST is
committed to helping you find that elusive tone to match your personal tone
recipe. Now, doesn't that make more sense
than purchasing some imported or generic product that will most likely end up in
your closet among the other unwanted
items? In addition to our Vintage Style, Hybrid,
Signature, and High Power Series speakers, we have an aggressive
product development program that will allow us to offer many new products over
the next year. These new products
include an expanded line of Amplifier Chasses, Pots, Capacitors, Magnetics,
Copper Cap Rectifiers, Bias Rite Current
Monitors, Speaker Emulators, Amp Switching Modules, Effects Pedal Boards, and
Effects Power Supplies.
Vintage American Model
Our model identification system assigns either a name, a
number, or both to any particular model. The Vintage Series
generally uses numbers, while the High Power and Signature Series uses names. In
the Vintage Series, the first number
indicates the size of the speaker, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15. The next character is
the type of magnet. 'A' indicates that it has
our Classic AlNiCo magnet circuit. 'F' indicates that it
has our exclusive Ferromax ® ceramic magnet
circuit. Our
Ferromax ceramic magnet circuits employ the same tight gaps as our Classic
AlNiCo magnet circuits and are therefore
very aggressive, dynamic, and have excellent control over the entire power
range. The next set of numbers indicate the
voice coil size. Generally, as the voice coil size is increased, so is the power
handling. For our Vintage Series
numbering system, the 100 is 1", the 125 is 1.25", the 150 is 1-1/2", and the
200 is 2" diameter voice coil. A final suffix
on the model number indicates a particular cone or deviation from the standard
model. An 'O' indicates an original
cone (smooth, unribbed), while a 'T' indicates a
ribbed cone tuned for extra treble.
Our series of vintage style loudspeakers is modeled after some of the more
popular vintage guitar amp speakers and is
very close in all respects. Whether it's the vintage style hotdog slotted
baskets, the flat felt dustcap, the seamed, ribbed
cone, or the large AlNiCo ring magnet, we think you'll find our speakers to be
true vintage style speakers. And once
you've heard them, we're certain there will be no doubt in your mind. In
addition to our standard models, we have
in-between models that never existed. We classify these models as part of our
Hybrid Series which allow the
customer
another step in the refinement of their desired tone. With regards to
recommendations on which speaker we think would
be best suited for a particular application, we found during our testing that
every player had an affinity for a particular
model or models, and it depended on his or her favorite setup and playing style.
For that reason, we find it difficult to
make an absolute recommendation on any of our models. We did, however, arrive at
a general characterization across
the model lineup, and it is as follows:
Blue Dog and
Silver Bell, (1 3/4" VC, ribbed cone) Classic British tone with strong mids
and chimey highs.
Blue Pup and Silver Ten, (1 1/4" VC, ribbed cone) 10" versions of the
12" models.
'100'
models (1" VC, straight cone) 8, 10, 12, 15. Warm, crunchy, '50s Tweed cheap
speaker tone.
'125' models (1
1/4" VC, ribbed cone) 8, 10, 12, 15. Brighter, smoother, early '60s Brown Tone.
'150' models (1
1/2" VC, ribbed cone) 10, 12, 15. Big Low End, Smooth Highs Rolloff, Tons of
Punch.
Hybrid Series
A hybrid is a combination of various parts from our standard base
models. Because we build all speakers to order, it's
no problem to substitute a cone or other part in place of the standard part. For
example, a smooth, one piece cone in place
of a ribbed seamed, cone. During the evolution of the different brands of
speakers for guitar amps, many different cones
and voice coils were used. An example is the debut of the P12Q in 1954. It used
the 1-1/4" voice coil which became the
standard Q voice coil, but rather than using a new cone it used the cone from
the P12R it replaced. Many feel that original
P12Q is the best sounding low power 12" speaker ever made. The result of our
hybrid series is a wider range of tones and
speaker models available to fit a person's specific tone recipe.
Signature Series
The Signature Series is a cost-effective replacement for lower powered
vintage amplifiers. These speakers feature
WeberVST Ferromax® or Classic AlNiCo™ magnet circuits. Additionally, they employ
low profile baskets to
accomodate the tight spaces found in most vintage amplifiers.
High-Power Series
The models in this series feature 2" Kapton voice
coils, 60oz Ferromax® ceramic or 40oz AlNiCo ring magnet
circuits, and heavy duty rolled frames, painted white. The ceramics are rated at
80 watts RMS, the AlNiCo models
are rated at 60 watts. These models are designed for higher powered single
speaker combo amps as well as very high
powered multi-speaker stacks. Five tone recipes are available:
The California
Series™ has shallow, curved cones with spider and dust domes optimized for
bandwidth, dynamics
and headroom. These speakers are clean
machines with big, solid bottom and clear highs. Best for Surf, Jazz, Country
Tele, and clean Blues. All California
models are available with aluminum or paper dust domes.
The Michigan Series™
has curved, deep cones with cloth or paper surrounds and solid dome dustcap for
broad,
deep low end tone. The Michigan also
uses a 2-1/2" voice coil rather than the 2" used in other high power series
models, and is rated at 100 watts. The
Michigan also has a larger magnet as well as a matching magnet cover.
Clear, clean, loud, aggressive, lots
of punch.
The
Thames Series™ has ribbed cones with spider and bullet screen dustcap
optimized for that British upper chime
and ring characteristic of our lower
powered Blue Dog and Silver Bell as well as most British style speakers.
The Chicago Series™
has ribbed, deeper cones with spider and solid dome dustcap optimized for a
later breakup,
crunchy overdrive, warmer sound
characteristic of the Chicago Blues tone.
The Texas Series™
has hard, thin cones with the spider and flat felt dustcap optimized for that
Texas, raw, hard
driving blues tone. Early breakup,
aggressively crunchy, and loud, characteristic of the 50's tweed tone.
Weber Beam Blocker high frequency diffuser
The Beam Blocker is a simple device that is installed between the speaker and
the baffle. The dome shaped diffuser
prevents point-source high frequencies from beaming directly out of the cabinet
to create that ice pick sound. Instead,
they are diffused evenly in all directions to blend with the lower frequencies
which tend to radiate in a wider pattern.
The Beam Blocker allows you to make use of speakers that have a tendency to be
beamy, harsh, or generally unusable
due to their extreme high frequency response. The idea of using a diffuser is
not new. Many performers including SRV
were known to have applied a patch of duct tape on the grill cloth directly
inline with the center of the speaker to block
the beaminess. The Beam Blocker performs that same function while diffusing the
high frequencies evenly in all directions.
The size of the inverted dome may be selected according to the severity of
the harshness or hardness of the speaker.
The 4" dome is standard. For severe cases, the 5" dome may be specified.
Weber Copper Cap Rectifiers are solid state rectifier replacement devices for
use in place of vintage tube rectifiers.
Each model emulates the forward conduction resistance curve of the tube type it
replaces and also has linear in-rush
current limiting to emulate the warm-up time of a tube rectifier. The envelopes
are solid hard-drawn copper with a high
thermal capacitance that allows a 100% continuous overload condition. The Copper
Cap emulates a tube rectifier, but it
does not require filament power. In the case of a 5U4, for instance, this is a
savings of 15 watts. The power transformer
will run cooler and last longer. While the filament and coating on the cathode
of a tube rectifier are destined to eventual
failure, a Copper Cap will last the lifetime of the amp when used properly.
Additionally, close tolerance parts are used
in all Copper Cap models, no hand sorting is necessary.
Can I use the C-Caps in an amp that doesn't have a standby switch?
Yes, the inrush current limiting prevents large current surges from
occurring.
Are the C-Caps drop-in replacements or do I need to make changes in
the wiring?
All octal-based C-Caps are drop-in replacements. Because they don't
require filament power, the 5 volt filament source
may be either left connected as is or disconnected and used for some other
purpose.
How does the C-Cap work?
It is a combination of diodes, power resistors, and other circuitry that
emulate the warm-up and operating curve of the
tube type rectifier it replaces. The combination of the conservative power
rating of the C-Cap and the high thermal
capacity of the copper envelope prevent any stress problems from transient power
pulses, etc. Plus, all C-Cap models
are rated for 100% overload.
Do I have to do anything special to use the C-Caps?
The octal-based C-Caps are about twice as heavy as a standard
glass-envelope vacuum tube, so you should ensure the
tensioning on the rectifier socket in your amp is correct, particularly in the
case of Fender amps where the tube hangs
upside down. No other precautions need be taken other than to make sure you give
it plenty of time to cool down as you
would a tube before removing it.
The Bias Rite Cathode Current Monitor is a self contained unit designed to
allow the user to set the desired idle cathode
current value with the G1 bias control. Two adapter sockets are provided so the
power supply may be loaded as it
would be in normal operation, an important feature since most amplifier power
supplies are unregulated. One and four
adapter models are also available. The Bias Rite is supplied with an integral
digital readout which measures the cathode
current to the tenth of a milliamp over a range of 1 to 199 milliamps. Power is
supplied by an internal 9 volt battery.
For those on a budget, the Bias Rite adapter head is available separately.
The cable is terminated into standard red and
black banana plugs that are inserted into your voltmeter.
The Right Angle Adapter allows one to bias a typical BF head without removing
the chassis. The Angle Adapter is
plugged into the socket, the Bias Rite head is plugged into the Angle Adapter,
and then the tube is plugged into the Bias
Rite head. The angle of the adapter is oriented for Fender amps where the space
between pins 1 and 2 of an octal output
tube socket faces the rear of the chassis. A different orientation may be
specified on special order for no extra cost.
Simply specify where the socket keyway is in relation to the rear of the
chassis. For instance, if the keyway on the socket
is facing the front of the chassis, you would specify 12 o'clock orientation.
Also specify whether the tubes are mounted
normal (Marshall, etc.) or upside down (Fender, etc.).
The VI option allows one to switch the digital meter between reading plate
voltage and cathode current. This allows
one to quickly calculate plate dissipation to ensure that the operating
parameters of the output tubes are within a safe
range. With the VI option, you can set your voltmeter to
the 2 Volts DC range and the Bias Rite head does the proper
scaling for reading plate voltage and cathode current.
The Weber Mobility Analog System Simulator (MASS)
speaker load incorporates a loudspeaker as the load. It is not
a fan motor, a torsional motor, or inductors, capacitors, and resistors, it is
an actual loudspeaker. With that, you get a
loudspeaker as a load reacting with the output of the amplifier it is connected
to. All of the complexity and variations
in frequency response and impedance occur with the MASS since the speaker motor
exhibits physical movement.
Therefore, the MASS is just like connecting to a speaker,
only the MASS is quiet. It is available in 2, 4, 8, and 16
ohms in power ranges of 25, 50, and 100 watts. Tone shaping networks are
provided for DI and a continuously
adjustable output is available to drive an external speaker. The speaker output
signal follows the loudness curve
described by
Fletcher and Munson. This prevents the tone from becoming flat as you
reduce the power to the speaker.
The MASS is a passive device, it does not require electrical power.
Options currently available
The Tone Stack
Bypass Switch takes the output of the volume control that normally drives
the DI Tone Stack and
feeds the signal directly to the DI
output.
The Impedance
Selector Switch changes the MASS impedance between 2 and 4, 4 and 8, or 8
and 16 ohms.
The Treble Boost
Switch provides a 6db per octave boost above 2Khz to the speaker output
signal.
The MASS Bypass
Switch bypasses the MASS electronics and connects the output jack directly
to the input jack.
The signal sample to the DI is left
connected for proper DI operation.
What do you mean when you say you have a speaker for the
load? Why isn't the box bigger?
Since we aren't radiating sound, we really don't need a speaker the
size you are used to seeing. All we need is a basket
that will fit the magnet, voice coil, spider, etc. So, we chose a 6" basket that
will fit our standard magnet circuits and
voice coils. Then, we did a lot of experimenting with an
actual speaker as far as studying the drive signals from an amp
and comparing them to driving just resistors, capacitors, and inductors. Then,
we chose the components for the MASS
to closely resemble the signal from the actual speaker. Since the MASS motor is
coneless for quiet operation, we had to
emulate the cone with other components connected to the voice coil and magnet
circuit. It has to do with mechanical
properties called mass and compliance. It worked out well and was not as
difficult as we had assumed.
What is the DI output and what does its controls do?
The DI is an abbreviation for 'Direct In', meaning you can put the
signal directly into the input of a high gain/high input
impedance amplifier. The tone stack is a modified version of the common three
band tone stack you see in many tube
amplifiers. The MASS DI tone stack has extended range on
the Mids control. For now, the output is unbalanced.
However, we are looking for a suitable, economical audio
transformer to use for the XLR (balanced) output.
We would like to offer balanced output eventually.
Why is the MASS cheaper than a lot of the other load boxes?
The heart of the MASS is the speaker load. Since we manufacture
speakers, we can use the parts that we purchase in
high volumes. Also, while other load boxes on the market are pretty sharp
looking, we went for function. As a result,
our's looks like a shoe box. However, that made the box rather inexpensive. We
also used the potentiometers that we
sell, the pointer knobs we use on our Bias Rites, the
jacks we use on our Pedal Host Board, etc. So, all in all, we were
probably able to build our load box for less cost than our competitors.
What does it mean to follow the hearing loudness curve?
The frequency response of our hearing changes with volume,
unfortunately. So, we need to compensate for that,
particularly in the low end. That's why some volume pedals and attenuators sound
a little flat when you start clicking
in attenuation. We included compensation so that as the
volume control that drives the external speaker is turned down,
it boosts the bass and the extreme highs.
Chassis
High quality 16ga sheet
steel or .090" Aluminum
Extra fine buffing, heavy
nickel and chrome plating
Special screen lettering
paint resists chemicals and abrasion
All lettering centered
properly and aligned with control layout
Chassis kit includes brass
grounding plate and black fiber eyelet board set
Brass grounding plate
Precisely punched
with no material mounding or shearing around hole.
Fiber eyelet board
Dense paper
laminate with high dielectric strength and moisture resistance to prevent
'Tweed' disease.
Routed and machined on CNC
milling machines for clean edges and perfectly aligned
holes.
All eyelets retinned for
ease of soldering.