Differences between VHT Fryette P50E speakers

[wulf]

I just had the luxury of picking up a second VHT Fatbottom, and it sounds quite different from my other VHT era Fatbottom.

I checked the speakers- Yep, they are all labelled as P50e's. There are only minor differences in the cab construction: the corner caps, tolex, and rear jack plates are different, and the newer one has the handle recessed.

So my question is, do we know if different generations of P50 speakers are different? This would explain some of the contradictory characteristics described in reviews of VHT era cabs. I don't think this is due to speaker break-in, as both cabs have 10+ years of constant playtime on them.

I took quick cellphone video comparisons on clean and distorted channels. If there is interest, I'll mic up the cabs and record some serious audio clips. Forgive my sloppy carcass rendition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BvFDuz ... e=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4i19pm ... e=youtu.be

 

[Filter500]

I have two different era 2x12 Fatbottom cabs, and they do sound different. The older cab had the p50es removed and reinstalled before being sold to me, as there was dust stuck to the top of the woofers rather than the bottom. I removed them and noticed the logos to be upside down. That cab always sounded brighter and stiffer, and I realized that the screws for the speakers had been overtightened. Loosening the screws a bit produced a darker and less stiff tone similar to the other cab. It's possible the speaker screws are a bit looser in one cab vs. the other.

 

[wulf]

Hmm I didn't know that could cause a difference. I'll give that a check!