I've spent quite a lot of time trawling various Hiwatt related boards on my quest, asking questions from the Hiwatt gurus, in particular members of the Vintage Hiwatt Convention community. These guys are total Hiwatt nuts. Some of them own a dozen or more vintage Hiwatt amps, plus cabs, and anything Hiwatt-related that they don't know, just isn't worth knowing.
A few quick points, which you will see re-iterated in more detail in the excerpts below. The BBQ FC12 is a clone of Fane Crescendo, as used by Dave Gilmour in his WEM speaker cabs. Eminence's Tonker isn't particularly a clone of any specific speaker at all, although many think it has something of a Fane-ish vibe. Not all Eminence Red Coat speakers are clones of something particular.
First, a comment from an Eminence employee starting with the subject of their Vintage Purples, built for Reeves.....
Eminence wrote:
Yes, the Vintage Purple is pretty much a "top secret" design. The other aspect is that we don't compare OEM designs to our line and we typically don't even put an ear to them.....we just build whatever the customer wants and they do most of the testing. I'm not real sure what the Vintage Purple sounds like, but we sure do get asked about it a lot, so it must be good.
The Tonker was not originally based on a Fane speaker, but after hearing it, a lot of people comment how much it sounds like one. It has a big, round, fat, clean, warm and smooth tone with good balance and it's pretty neutral for a guitar speaker. I think it sounds kind of hi-fi for a guitar speaker...if that makes any sense. It does have some design similarities with the Vintage Purple. They're both 2" voice coil speakers, use similar cones, and I assume their tones are in the ballpark or each other.
The Lynch Super V12 was based on an old Fane speaker. I don't recall which one...not that hip to Fane's history or that familiar with specific models. Again, I don't know how it compares to the Vintage Purple, but it has Fane characteristics. Compared to the Tonker, it's a little darker and less efficient. It's a creamier tone with more subdued highs, where the Tonker is very clear and open on the highs. It's a nice one if you are looking for a more mellow tone and maybe you need to tame a bright amp. [/u]
Callaway_1 wrote:
After having broken in Tonkers and several SE4122 and SE4123 cabs from throughout the 1970's.............Tonkers do not sound much like any Fane I have ever heard.
We had some at the Vintage HIWATT Convention a couple years ago and they just weren't even close.
The BBQ FC12s are a little closer but still different. A nice speaker, but distinctly different from a 122142 or 122231 HIWATT Fane.
BlueDog wrote:
The BBQ FC12 by the way, is meant to be a copy of the Fane Crescendo, found in the WEM Super Starfinder 200 cabs that Dave Gilmour uses. Not meant to sound like a Hiwatt Fane.
Callaway_1 wrote:
the THAMES is not in the HIWATT Fane ballpark. Maybe across the street, but not inside the gates.
[J.K.] wrote:
I have (or rather, had; I'm somewhat homeless and ampless at the moment, and all my püp is in storage) some FC12's, and here's my terrible impromptu review given on the HC forums:
Quote:
Basically, it comes down to this:
I got 'em for the same reason I got my Hiwatt: thickness and headroom.
Unfortunately, after playing my Hiwatt at decibels that demolish any positive ties with my neighbors, I realized the thing sounds holy at the verge of breakup... super hi-fi overtones and richness without losing of its body like my Twin used to. It was exciting.
The FC12's are super smooth and have a lot of headroom, and when I first got 'em, I was throwin' out smooth solos like blowjobs in a bordello, and it was bliss. Any effect I threw on there sounded good. ...Anyways, I'd like something a little less smooth that'll break up more easily. After probably 50 hours breaking in the FC12 speakers, I really started to dig them for what they were, but with my playing style, I think other speakers may work better.
Frails wrote:
I have tried BBQ Thames, Hiwatt Legends, Eminence Super V12's and Reeves Vintage Purples. The VP's and V12's are 1A and 1B (which is which depends on the day). As has been mentioned above, you can't buy VP's separately. The V12's run $120 and are 8 Ohm only.
Frails wrote:
Eminence Super V12's are George Lynch's speaker offering. I did a side by side physical review here
http://vintageamps.com/plexiboard/viewt ... =super+v12.
Frails wrote:
Comparison's between VP's and V12's are very close. Very full with great low end and mellow highs, not ear piercing at all. I like both so much that I am selling my other speakers and only retaining these two.
And on the subject of the HI-TONE DR-Fs......
OldSchoolDave wrote:
TheBigScaryAmp wrote:
The only thing is, weren't the original purple label Fane speakers [i]cast frame?
Yes, but, there's a difference between building to a
SPEC and building to a
SOUND. We chose the latter.
In past Vintage Hiwatt Convention Speaker Shoot-outs, most listeners picked stamped frame-loaded cabs over cast frames. That may have been due to the relative age (and remaining life span) of the speakers or something else. We decided not to question why, but to emulate the speakers picked as favorites for
FOUR years in a row. Time will tell if that was a good decision
.
Eventually, (Hylight) Hiwatt switched frame types on their Fanes. Don't know if that was due to cost, availability, durability or performance.
Dave
There's more, but these are some of the key snippets...
HTH