Etone speakers are a bit of a hidden gem in the guitar world, with their roots firmly planted in Australia. Manufactured in Sydney, these speakers were often considered the local (and cheaper) alternative to Celestion.
Unfortunately there isn’t much detailed information available on the specs, but it's widely believed that they have a ceramic magnet and handle around 40 watts of power.
This particular speaker dates from 1975, as suggested by its code (thanks to the comment from Peter F). While the previous owner mistakenly marked the model with "975," that’s actually the date code, not the model number.
One of the most interesting things about the Etone gold speakers is their unique construction. Unlike most speakers, the frame and basket are one solid piece, which means the magnet is mounted from the front directly into the bell.
I’ve had a few of these boxes and compared them to the greenback and NO, they lack the mids, are kinda bright up top, but they sound more like a G1275. They don’t have that mid bell like chime that GB’s do.
ReplyDeleteFair point - I've toned down the text to something more generic by comparison.
DeletePS: happy to have a local with some experience on the matter comment. ;-)
From my experience with a few of these boxes they’re kind of flat in the middle, where as a GB sounds rounded and chimey. There might be some videos around comparing them.
ReplyDeleteIf you know of any videos, please link as I haven't found any comparisons. I've not had time to even try this one yet. Maybe that can be a post-cyclone job.
DeleteHi Andrew, definitely 1975 (not 1965). Etone started in the early 1970's. Cheers, Peter F.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter, much appreciated. I thought 65 was a bit early, but I really wasn't sure. Post updated.
DeleteFrom memory their date code is of the form MYY or MMYY, so the "9" in 975 indicates September.
DeleteThe early ones had the orange label with a large E and tone was lower case letter, and not block letters. Of the 2 or 3 I’ve had they were consistent in the sound: like a G12 75. Kind of harsh top end but still vintage sounding. They might if made a good pair with the greenback together. I’ve got an audio of a minute or two of me noodling away on a 4x12 but I can’t post that on YouTube. If it was possible to post it here I would
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