L80t3

[lico]

I picked up my first set of JBLs a few weeks ago, a pair of JBL L80t3s, so you can call be a JBL newbie. I think they sound very good after spending some time listening, perhaps a little bright but in general I like the sound. The drivers are all in excellent condition, and I've noticed the sum of the parts in this speaker is probably worth more than the whole.

The cabinets I have could use some refinishing, there is some water damage on top. I've refinished other speaker cabinets before, but I'm not sure how well these will hold up to sanding down to bare wood and refinishing. Has anyone here done the same or could offer any tips?

Also, I've heard adding polyfill in the cabs make the sound better, so while I have these guys opened up I'd be interested in hearing any other mods that could be worthwhile to try. Thanks in advance.

[brutal]

Welcome!

Please do introduce yourself with a little bio to the members. You'll find a wealth of informative and helpful folks here.

You're picking up on the issues most have found with that line. There are several very good threads here describing how to tame that brightness - with an LPAD - and extending the port tube by 1.5-2" to tighten up the somewhat muddy bass. I believe the issues and methods applied to both the L80t and L80t3. I think GordonW added polyfill to his behind the tweeter & mid to tighten up the cab response, but it seems contrary to the fact that adding fill effectively increases the cab volume (at least for the bass driver).

The veneer on this line is extremely thin. You might try some Howard's Restore-A-Finish and a scotchbrite pad or 000 brass wool before getting into sanding. Steel wool will leave iron residue behind that can rust in humid climates. Definitely not recommended to use power sanders.

[lico]

Thanks for the welcome, and I will give Howards a try.

Bio? Well let's just say I am an audio enthusiast, mainly mid-fi. I took a long hiatus from the hobby until recently, and have been acquiring different pieces of older electronics and speakers as I find them. Occasionally I'll recap and restore a set of speakers if I like the sound.