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Help with JBL C38's (?) not the same?

M

markmark

Active Member
Hello all,
I picked up a pair of JBL C38's. I noticed they had different bottoms when I took off the legs to load up. Got back and noticed the backs are not quite the same. Then I noticed the different badges. Are these not the same? They have the same 15" driver in each.
Thanks for any help or advice.
Mark
 

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They were built in the mono era (50's) and probably added a second from a different year. The one on the right with the wooden panel is most likely the older one with the gold JBL emblem. I take it their are D130's in there.
 
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Yes, D130's in each and wooden legs. These sound incredible for only having 1 big driver.
But..... 16 ohm?
1. Why 16 ohm? What's the difference?
2. How does this affect my 8 ohm receiver? (will they play well together?)
3. I've heard xxx watts @ 4 ohm. less watts @ 8 ohm.... even less watts @ 16 ohm?.
 

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The cabinet on the left is a real JBL cab. The one on the right is a knockoff. JBL had four or five different emblems, so differing ones are not a big deal.
 
c38

Send them to me. I'll have to put up with the cabinet difference but somebody's got to do it.

Paul
 
16 ohm drivers were popular for use with tube amps. Hooked to a SS amp, you'll get about half the wattage you would with an 8 ohm driver.
 
The one with the slot for removing the grille is the real-deal. The other probably was built to match using the emblem from the JBL speaker construction kit.
 
They cleaned up nice.

Gotta love those Howards products. These JBL's look almost as good as they sound.:banana: The first two pics are the "real deal" speaker mentioned.
About the other speaker. (pic 3 & 4). Has the gold badge. Was this a kit or what. How was it a knock off?
Thanks,
Mark
 

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That mahogany ribboning really pops with the Howard's didn't it??
They look grand. Have you played them yet???
 
Andyman said:
That mahogany ribboning really pops with the Howard's didn't it??
They look grand. Have you played them yet???
Click to expand...
Yes, I still need to work on the chips and I'm not sure about cleaning the cloth grills. One will be easy, it will slide out the bottom. The other doesn't.
And Yes, they really surprised me how good they sound for only having one 15" speaker. I was expecting deep booming lows with no high end. But no...These have a very full range. Both high's and low's are well balanced.
Thanks again,
Mark
 
The real JBL cabinet is the one where you pull the two little block cleats out and the aluminum framed metal weave grille slides out. The knockoff has the solid plywood panel without the grille slot. It is possible that both are real JBL cabs, and the slotted bottom broke and was replaced.

They look quite nice.:thmbsp:

 
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...they look more like C37's which are physically wider than the C-38's...

page18-19.jpg


...and yes, the one with the slot on the bottom to remove the grill is an original JBL design. Not sure about the other...

...how close are the driver serial numbers to each other?
 
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I never really measured them. The one with the grill slot on the bottom has a sheet on the back with c38 on it.
I'll check the driver serial numbers tomorrow.
 
hahahahaha...DOH! They're C37"s. 36w x 16d x 29h.
The paper on the back has a C3?. Like a messy 7 turned into an 8.
 

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Nice find! I have a pair of C38's with D123's (12" woofers) and am planning on building a pair of C37 style cabinets for my D130's.
 
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