Lockwood MAJORS

Hi

I am interested in getting any info I can on Lockwood MAJORS. I would like to aquire some empty cabs,to restore,or get the plans and specs to build some new ones.This would be for an interesting project ,where I would be using my 15'' Tannoys ,reconed to Prestige spec by Lockwood Audio.I have heared these briefly in my Tannoy Berkeley copy cabs,with good amps and they sounded great.All my sound equipment has been packed away since then for the intended house move.
Any help on aspects of that would be great.
I am still trying to get the T/S Parameters on that.Will need.

REGARDS
adrian

Hi Adrian,

Speak to Speedy Steve, who posts here and who makes some superb DIY cabinets. Also search the archive here for 'Lockwood Majors', and you'll find quite a few threads with some useful info :)

Meanwhile, here are a couple of pics of mine....

At home:

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/449...majors0261.jpg


At the Scalford Hall 'bake-off' show:

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4747/dsc0008wks.jpg


From a different angle:


http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/256...rdhall2010.jpg

:cool:

Marco.

Hi Marco

Thanks for the reply and photos.They look great.

REGARDS
ADRIAN

Holy moly Marco, I think I now get the picture when you describe your system as being able to pin you to the wall :eek:

Haha - yeah, we frightened the shite out of a few people that day (you can get a decent idea of the bulk of the Lockwoods by observing how they nearly obscured that door)! :eyebrows: :gig:

And then we blew folk away again the following year with my Celestion 66s!!


http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/6338/imag0066cp.jpg

:cool:

Just wait to hear what we achieve next year, Tim..............! We've got a reputation now to maintain ;)

Marco.

Adrian,

Just in case you've missed it, this is thread you want to read:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...ockwood+majors

Awesome! :stalks:

Marco.

Hi Marco

Great thread.Thanks.
Just thought I'd mention,when I was in Lockwood Audio, after having the speakers reconed, there were(or was? correct grammar?) a set of Majors in there.I seem to remember there were four of them,in orange formica with the little handles.They came from Jack Bruces barn.I semi -freaked at that,inwardly..At least I got to touch them.Orange formica.That was something.

REGARDS
ADRIAN

Hey, orange formica is where it's at, dude... It's the reason why they sound so bloody good! :eyebrows:

Marco.

If I owned Jack Bruce's Orange Formica Lockwood Majors I would stride the world like a colossus! :lol: I wonder who has them now?

Hello,

I don't know this Formica. Are they that better than layered wood or than Pazerholz?
Could any of you send me the Lockwood Major cabinet drawing in a private e-mail?
I livet in Hungary so buying a cabinet in the UK and getting them deliverted to Budapest would be rather expensive therefore I would like to get them made locally.
I would need some suggestions for the material and a drawing.

Are these the best cabinets that the 15" Golds can be used in?
Currently I have a Lancaster and this box looks nice but I know they are not enough for the 15" Golds and that the Golds can sound much-much nicer in a better enclosusre.

I would really appreciate your help.

Regards,
Vencel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Macca

If I owned Jack Bruce's Orange Formica Lockwood Majors I would stride the world like a colossus! :lol: I wonder who has them now?

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I know what you mean. I used to own a pair of ex John Entwhisle JBL C50SMS8's. The provenance doesn't make them sound any better (although they were amazing speakers) but it does ones ego no harm.

Jack Bruce playing the baseline in Crossroads was something to behold. The big Tannoys I have had never sounded quite as natural or tuneful.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vencel

Hello,

I don't know this Formica. Are they that better than layered wood or than Pazerholz?

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Formica is a resin type compound used over chipboard to make durable surfaces like kitchen worktops:

http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/a...000_medium.jpg

Orange was a colour used in the ninteen seventies...;)

I think Marco was tongue in cheek when he suggested the orange formica would improve the sound. It would look pretty funky, though.

Hope this helps:)

Quote:

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I think Marco was tongue in cheek when he suggested the orange formica would improve the sound. It would look pretty funky, though.

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Indeed! :)

But at the same time, I'm in no hurry to remove the 'rosewood effect' formica on my Majors, and replace it with something more modern and aesthetically pleasing, as a different type and thickness of cabinet veneer *could* alter how the speakers sound, for better or worse - and I absolutely love how my speakers sound. And of course, once that's done, it's done....

There are times when you're best leaving things well alone, and this is one of them!

Marco.

HI Vencel

'Formica' was the brand name for a very hard- waring plastic type covering that was introduced in the 1950's.It was meant primarily for kitchens and kitchen work surfaces and cupboard fronts,.It was good quality stuff! It was very popular in orange and/or yellow.I think it is still being made.Revolutionary at the time. Everyone had Formica somewhere in the house.Probably called something different around the world.

Buuuuuttttt,how it got to be used on professonally built loudspeakers I can't imagine.Quite amusing really. Formica?Probably a requirement by a customer somewhere.

So no,there is nothing majical about using this stuff on loudspeakers.

Regards
ADRIAN

I wouldn't mind a pair of lockwoods in white formica.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marco

.......... a different type and thickness of cabinet veneer *could* alter how the speakers sound, for better or worse - and I absolutely love how my speakers sound. And of course, once that's done, it's done....

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Actually, I suspect that (aesthetics aside) it's probably an excellent material to coat a pair of loudspeakers in. It's actually made of layers & layers of paper and/or fabric, which is soaked in a resin (melamine) and subjected to huge pressures and heat in order to cure it. This makes it very stiff.
Also the stuff they used in the 50's was, I think a good bit thicker than the Formica you see nowadays. Additionally, it was probably stuck down to your ply(?) cabinets with an organically based glue (horses hooves?!). This combination makes a very stiff and inert layer of material - got to be good for sound, no?

By the way, Formica was originally meant to be a replacement 'For Mica' as an electrical insulator and has been with us since 1913.

The Formica is what gives them the sound they have, if you remove or change the Formica the sound will change dramatically as well, a mate of mine used Lockwoods in his recording studio back in the seventies as his monitors prefering the LSU units over the HPD's

I suspect that, if yer aestheticals were really important to you, you could probably get someone (armed with some suitable adhesive and a good degree of woodworking skills) to bond a real wood veneer to Formica and get the best of both worlds........maybe!

Hi Jon,

Quote:

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The Formica is what gives them the sound they have, if you remove or change the Formica the sound will change dramatically as well...

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Are you being serious, mate, or just taking the piss? :eyebrows:

Marco.

The Audiophile properties of Formica...

We are through the looking glass here, people...;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marco

Are you being serious, mate, or just taking the piss? :eyebrows:

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Did you miss my post above Jon's Marco?............I was being serious

Fair enough, Chris. It's something that I hadn't previously considered, or rather apportioned any real credence to :)

Marco.

Hahaha - nor had I till today when I sat down and had a little think about the stuff and how it's made (my old man, who is an engineer of no little talent, did his apprenticeship at Westinghouse, the company that the inventors of Formica worked for before they formed their own company - & he knew about such things & lectured me on them when I was but a small kid).
Also, I've tried to remove Formica from stuff that was made in the 50's & I know what it's physical properties are like!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marco

Hi Jon,



Are you being serious, mate, or just taking the piss? :eyebrows:

Marco.

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Hi Marco,
sorry for the slow response poxy internet is playing up, bloody virgin and their Mumbai help centres:steam: , yes i was being serious i have heard this from a few different parties all have been involved in the sales and repair of Tannoys over the years and claim the Formica is a vital part of the sound of Lockwoods so there !!!!

Formica is they way forward ;)

Hi All

But weren't they nearly all finished in wood veneer? I'm slightly losing track of this Formica debate.

So where do I get me an EMPTY set of Tannoy MAJORS?

REGARDS

Adrian

The very early Leak Sandwich was finished in Formica and they sounded
far superior to the veneered version with the same drivers, much heavy'r too

Could any of you help me with some construction information for the cabinet?
I am trying to find some drawing and I am contacting different people but so far nobody could provide me any information :-(
Since I am situated in Hungary it is quite impossible to get them delivered here from other parts of the world (they are simply too big, so the freight would be too expensive).
I would like to make them for myself or if it is too complicated then I would like to ask somebody locally to make them for me.
I have a pair of Lancasters but sooner or later I would like to put the 15" Golds in the Major cabinet.

I would really appreciate your help.

Thanks and regards,

Hi All

Can't find any source for the Lockwood MAJORS,at present.:(
Also Vencel is looking for the build plans but no luck either. I'd do that to if I had the plans.

If anyone has any ideas on that, be great to hear from you.

REGARDS
ADRIAN

Hi Adrian. i have tried Lockwood but they do not have them. I have tried a very knowledgeable chap on the Tannoy user group and he does not have them either. I think the best thing to do would be to design one using WinISD or something like that, maybe boxcalc. Sorry I could not help more.

Hi Mr Aqua
That's real nice of you to go to that trouble.I appreciate that!I did try Roger at Lockwood.
I'll have to get into the design method you mention.

You like Vincent Price eh!
How about in the Masque of the Red Death,as he's gets back into the coach,almost as a casual afterthought ''Have the village burned to the ground''

Maybe he's got a set of Lockwood

in that coach.
Regards

ADRIAN

Lol Adrian. I am sure The Witchfinder General would adorn his mansion with nothing less than a pair of Westminsters. :lol:

Hello,

Yes, I've been tryingto get some plan for the Lockwood Majors but so far without any positive result. I am not giving up :-) I am trying to contact people who have or had them. Maybe someone can measure the inner and outer dimensions, the bracings and to provide some good quality photos, so based on these information we could create the plans.

I am just wondering who could have the plans if Lockwood does not have them? These cabinets are said to be the best cabinets for the Golds and I find it a little bit impossible that the plans have disappeared :-)

Althought one guy in one comment claims the following:

"I used to work with Tannoy 15" units placed in large Lockwood cabinets at Polygram. These units were used in many studios around the world during the sixties and seventies. The sound was not spectacular HiFi nor very detailed. That is not what a recording engineer is looking for in the first place when selecting a professional monitor system. These Tannoys deliver a reliable sound pattern that allows engineers and producers to balance the sound and use the large array of filters and outboard equipment to do a mixdown of a multitack recording. In studios the HF horn was most likely to die long before problems with the LF unit would arise.
After we moved to the newly built Wisseloord studios in 1977 the Tannoys were abandoned. At Wisseloord a completely different system with JBL units was used that gave a far more detailed sound and better defined spacing of the instruments. This system was part of the acoustically designed control rooms."

Hi Vencel

You always get that sort of thing on the net.Raves and put downs about the same product.

Thats the problem with the net.Hard to make a positive decision.It depends on what you are personally looking for.

I bet those Majors sound great! Musicality/natural CAN be better than cold clinical super accurate sound.

Ordinary folk don't want those giant speakers in the house. WAF is good ,as she knows it keeps me happy, god love her. She don't mind,actually likes it!!

I'm about to move (not tempting providence I hope)to a detatched property.The dream of a lifetime.



See y'all

ADRIAN

Hello all,

I’m new to this forum so please forgive me if I’m not entirely up to speed.

I have news regarding the Orange Formica Lockwood Majors formerly owned by Jack Bruce, as seen until recently at Lockwood Audio’s workshop. Like Macca I also fancied a bit of “striding the world like a colossus” so made some tentative enquiries about buying them.

They are no longer orange. They have been professionally refurbished with pale oak veneers and pale cloth grilles. They are still at Lockwood’s recently relocated workshop (see below) and look very handsome, certainly a lot more living room/wife friendly than the original orange Formica (which bizarrely, I rather liked). I understand there are plans to install a pair of HPD 385’s with hard surround cones and modern Theos crossovers before they are put up for sale.

What might also be of interest to other group members is that the orange pair have been used to reverse engineer the construction plans for the Lockwood Major cabinet and at least one additional pair have been made (also in pale oak, etc.). I believe there are plans to make more if there’s sufficient demand so it may be possible to buy them empty in future (maybe even in orange Formica !).

There are also changes afoot at Lockwood Audio. Roger has given up his old workshop and now shares a neighbouring unit in the same building. If you check his webpage you’ll find there’s a new phone number. If you call you will almost certainly be answered by a chap called Nick who is now running the day to day “front of shop” operations while Roger concentrates on driver repairs and works increasingly from home.

Finally, although I didn’t get my hands on Jack Bruce's Majors I have since acquired a pair finished in dark wood effect Formica, complete with 3828 drivers, which look a lot like Marco’s. Despite not having previously belonged to a Rock God (as far as I know) they still sound awesome. Now I’m looking for some replacement crossovers (to Phil Short’s design or similar) to improve the 3828’s HF performance or I may just rehouse my HS reconed HPD 385’s in them.

Cheers,

Andy

Quote:

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Originally Posted by a_cunningplan

What might also be of interest to other group members is that the orange pair have been used to reverse engineer the construction plans for the Lockwood Major cabinet and at least one additional pair have been made (also in pale oak, etc.). I believe there are plans to make more if there’s sufficient demand so it may be possible to buy them empty in future (maybe even in orange Formica !).

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This is correct - Lockwoods kindly allowed me to measure up the said pair of Majors and, with their blessing, a modern reinterpretation is currently being drawn up in CAD by my brother, who is a cabinet maker as well as CAD/CAM expert. The original Lockwood Major cabinets are, to put it politely, rather crudely built: the new version will be functionally and stylistically identical, but made out of much better quality high density birch ply with better internal bracing. Changes to the original design include front-mounting of the 15" MG drive unit, a removable grille, and options for the rear panel to take account of whether a customer wishes to use the Tannoy switching plate, different binding posts etc. Finish can be whatever a customer is willing to pay for, including Formica.

I know there's a bit of latent demand for such cabinets - please bear with me since my brother is self-employed and must prioritise work that is better paid than this. The advantage of doing it properly in CAD is that the basic cost can be calculated very precisely, but I don't yet know what that will be. The cabinets certainly won't be cheap, but they should be good value.