FENDER 1968 SPECIAL DESIGN 15" ALNICO SPEAKER CTS BLUE LABEL SHOWMAN BASSMAN ORIGINAL! #1

Here at Gordy's Music in Ferndale, Michigan, we are so proud, happy, and grateful, to have gotten this certificate and been picked as one of Reverb's TOP 300 SELLERS! What an honor! We want to start by thanking all of you, our customers, my partner wife Marcia, my top notch crew, and Reverb.com. Together we have quite a team and will strive to get this certificate year after year.***

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This speaker is fully original and in superb condition for being almost 60 years old. The speaker is #1 of 2 that were pulled out of a 1968 drip edge Fender 2-15" cabinet. I have shown a picture of the pair as #2 is listed in a similar listing and being sold by itself.

Buy 1 or buy them both with a shipping discount in which case both would be be shipped in 1 box.

These speakers are clean with no issues and perform nice and tight.

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Everything you need to know about this speaker:
The 1968 Fender "Special Design" 15" Alnico speaker manufactured by CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply) is a classic vintage driver primarily known for its smooth compression, warm mid-range, and vintage "drip-edge" era tone.

Core Technical Specifications:

Because individual spec sheets were not standard for consumers in 1968, the technical profile below is compiled from historical Fender factory usage, parts catalogs, and vintage electronics benchmarks:

• Speaker Diameter: 15 inches (approx. 38.1 cm)
• Magnet Type: Alnico (Aluminum-Nickel-Cobalt). Recognizable by its distinct horseshoe-shaped steel structure over the magnet, rather than a flat ceramic disc.
• Power Handling: 40 to 50 Watts RMS (Continuous program maxing out around 75 Watts).
• Nominal Impedance: Typically 8 Ohms or 16 Ohms, depending on the specific amplifier configuration it was built for.
• Voice Coil Diameter: 1.5 inches to 2 inches (paper former, typical of the era).
• Cone Material: Seamed or seamless molded paper cone with an integrated paper surround.

Manufacturing Codes & Identification;

To verify that a speaker is an authentic 1968 CTS unit, look for the stamped EIA code on the metal basket or magnet assembly:

• EIA Manufacturer Code: 137 (This designates CTS / Chicago Telephone Supply).
• Year and Week Code: A 1968 model will feature a 5 or 6-digit code starting with 137. For example, 1376824 decodes to CTS (137), manufactured in 1968 (68), during the 24th week of the year (24).
• Fender Part Number: Often stamped with blue or black ink numbers on the ceramic/alnico housing structure alongside the "Fender Special Design" logo.

Historical Usage & Sound Profile

• Common Applications: These 15-inch drivers were frequently utilized in large Fender configurations, including the Fender Bassman 2x15 cabinets, certain Dual Showman enclosures, and standalone extension cabinets from the late 1960s "Silverface" era.
• Tonal Character: Unlike modern high-powered PA or subwoofer 15" speakers, this vintage CTS unit is a low-power, highly touch-sensitive driver. It is highly regarded by guitarists and studio bassists because the Alnico magnet naturally compresses when pushed, preventing harsh treble frequencies and yielding a smooth, woody overdrive.

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Speaker weighs 16 lbs.

Shipping box is 18" x 18" x 15"

Shipping weight is 20 lbs.

Shop at our Reverb Store for a bunch of vintage and other products at:

https://reverb.com/shop/gordys-music

IN BUSINESS for 40 YEARS!!
50 YEARS of VINTAGE EXPERIENCE!
MICHIGAN GUITAR SHOW PROMOTORS Since 1989!
Brick and mortar to the end!

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Visit out website to see the long list of celebrity musicians and groups we have met and serviced in the past 40 years. 

NOTE: Too cool. We just shipped very recently in the last few months a 1967 MapleGlo Rickenbacker 6-12 Converter 'comb' guitar to Billy Corigan of Smashing Pumpkins! We also then shipped a vintage 50 watt Marshall head to L.A. studio-touring guitarist extraodinaire, Michael Landau, and 2 vintage guitars to Jack White's organization down in Nashville just a few days before his 50th. birthday! mmmnn? Add 'The Kentucky Head Hunters' to the list, just sold Greg a cool little 50's Valco tube combo amp!

Gordy's Music has become a Detroit institution! Our shop was used as a filming location for a few films like "Miracle in Motor City" a Christmas movie on Lifetime (featuring Smoky Robinson). We've supplied gear for movies including "Bill & Ted Face The Music" with Keanu Reeves. We've got decades of celebrity customers, including recent visits from Beck, Eric Johnson, and we recently sold Billy Joel's bassist a cool Gibson SG he is in love with. One day a while back Andre 3000 and his group stopped in to browse as they were playing Masonic Temple that night and right after that we sold an old oil can Morley Wah Vibrato pedal to Credence Clearwater Revival's thee John Fogerty!

We are having and have had a lot of fun here at Gordy's Music! I was just remembering about 35 years ago a tour bus pulled up to our little shop, and who rolls right in and hangs out for an hour? Lenny Kravitz and his entire group, right about the same time I was selling many guitars to and chauffeuring around Dee Dee Ramone who had an apartment a block down from my house