Jazz Drivers

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OK, been mulling over a possible loudspeaker build that I've mooted before [blog posts passim] involving the drivers and crossovers from my Dad's old Wharfedale Lintons [the ones shown are from the net, not the originals], which I've still yet to re-purpose and are languishing in a box in the workshop. I've designed, improvised and built quite a few speakers over the decades, with varying degrees of success. In fact, the very best of the boxes I've built have been of the 'gut feeling' variety, eschewing the 'standard practice' of the day, in favour of going for what 'feels' right. More often than not - caveat: breaking the rules needs some knowledge of the rules; physics is physics, after all - the improvised [jazz, again!] boxes proved to be great performers.

Back in the mists of time - the mid-1970s anyway - I bought a Goodmans 12" PA driver out of my ill-gotten gains working as a car-park attendant in my summer vacation when I was an art student. My rather ambitious intention was to build a modular PA system, piece by piece. It didn't happen, as I ran out of cash and enthusiasm for the project very quickly, and the sole cabinet that I built simply stood service as my guitar cab, powered by my old skip-rescued 15w Watkins Dominator valve amp chassis, which was wrapped in an open frame made of Dexion. This humble loudspeaker drive unit went on to power a number of oddball cabinets over the years, stretching even well into our tenure here in North Wales, finally meeting its demise in the fire that destroyed the former chapel that housed the AADW Bethesda [blog posts passim] gallery, studios and performance space, in the 1990s.

I think that I'm of a mind to build a pair of speakers from the old Wharfedale components that will particularly suit the reproduction of jazz, and maybe string quartets and solo piano, guitar, etc. My gut feeling is to revisit my transmission line heresy speakers of the early 1990s, but tuned down to emphasise the intended musical content. The TLRs I built back then were made for midrange attack and extended bass, with a slightly reserved top end - all improvised I have to admit - and they worked beautifully. These older drivers and crossovers will need a slightly different approach, but I've got some ideas, and I think it will make a good project for the coming warmer months...

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