Could I please have help? Unknown 50's/60's James B. Lansing Speakers

[TheBigWoo]

Hi there,
I was hoping that you good folks may be able to help me make a decision on some vintage speakers. I am currently running a vintage pair of GTE Sylvania AS-125B speakers off of a tube amp stereo and they sound pretty nice.
However, a neighbor of mine (who knows that I like vintage stereos) asked me if I would be interested in purchasing her speakers that have been stored in a closet since the 80's.
They are a very attractive pair of what I believe to be 1960's and the only thing that I am seeing on the back is "James B. Lansing... California.... L 66B".

I have always called this style a "Console" speaker; They are a nice large wood cabinet model with their own little wooden legs and they have that classic gold vintage mesh covering over the front.
When I went over to check them out and felt through the mesh, I was kind of surprised by the giant woofer. I think that it's 15". She would like $100 for the pair and I'm not sure if that's a fair price, or how these may compare to my nice old GTE Sylvanias. But I've always heard great things about the old JBL's....
Thanks in advance, Mark

[hjames]

If the speakers play nice and they sound good to you,
I'd agree you should buy them from her.
The price seems fair for old working speakers of unknown quality.


Hi there,
I was hoping that you good folks may be able to help me make a decision on some vintage speakers. I am currently running a vintage pair of GTE Sylvania AS-125B speakers off of a tube amp stereo and they sound pretty nice.
However, a neighbor of mine (who knows that I like vintage stereos) asked me if I would be interested in purchasing her speakers that have been stored in a closet since the 80's.
They are a very attractive pair of what I believe to be 1960's and the only thing that I am seeing on the back is "James B. Lansing... California.... L 66B".

I have always called this style a "Console" speaker; They are a nice large wood cabinet model with their own little wooden legs and they have that classic gold vintage mesh covering over the front.
When I went over to check them out and felt through the mesh, I was kind of surprised by the giant woofer. I think that it's 15". She would like $100 for the pair and I'm not sure if that's a fair price, or how these may compare to my nice old GTE Sylvanias. But I've always heard great things about the old JBL's....
Thanks in advance, Mark

[TheBigWoo]

If the speakers play nice and they sound good to you,
I'd agree you should buy them from her.
The price seems fair for old working speakers of unknown quality.

OK, Thanks
She's getting pretty up there in her years and I didn't want to put her out by asking if I could pull them out of the closet and hook them up and try them out first. The only audio I'm seeing in her house is a very small vintage counter top radio in the kitchen. I guess it would be fair to want to hear them first.....Though she did tell me that they work perfectly and sound beautiful.
I just know she needs $$ for her med's, so I was going to take a chance and wait until I get them home to hear them.

[rdgrimes]

If you don't want them, offer to clean them up and put them on CraigsList for her. In the process you can take photos and figure out what they are. They could be worth a good deal more than $100. Tell her you'll take 10% for your trouble. There's a fair amount of vintage activity in Denver.

Here's what I'd do: give her the $100 and take them with the understanding that if they turn out to be more valuable you'll give her more. Odds are that the drivers are worth a bit even if the cabinets are not.

Now go peruse the library and see if you recognize them:
http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/altec/catalogs/altec-cat.htm (http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/altec/catalogs/1954-home.htm)

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/catalogs/jbl-catl.htm

I'm guessing: Lancer 66B ?

[TheBigWoo]

Thank rdgrimes,
That's a great idea. I'm hoping that they'll sound nice enough to keep for my system, but I could gladly sell them for her if they turn out to be no better than my GTE's. I have no idea what model they are and will hit the links you posted... Cosmetically they are painfully cool because they are free-standing on those legs and I seem to recall that they were nearly as wide as they were tall.... Either way, I'll post some photos for you later this evening.

[57BELAIRE]

Your description doesn't sound like anything I'm familiar with

If you're really serious about them, ask to take a few pics and
post them here....you'll know soon enough if they're worth anything

[TheBigWoo]

OK,
Thanks for the advice. I just called her and we're going to meet this aft at 4:30 when she gets back from her church group. I'll get a set of images to post. That library is a handy resource and I'm seeing some similarities to the C- series that are in the catalogs....
Thanks again for the help. This is a really informed/informative forum.

[rdgrimes]

Keep in mind that in the day, there were "kits" and custom order models, home-built kits and you name it.

[speakerdave]

The spelling-out of "James B. Lansing" suggests the speakers may be very early because Altec Lansing held that they owned his last name and prevailed upon the company that became JBL to stop using it sometime in the early/mid fifties. Therefore, the drivers, and perhaps the cabinets, if they are factory-made, may be worth considerably more than $100. In that case I would suggest following the idea already offered, that you see the woman gets her fair share of their value, since you have already stated there is need there. Buy them, take photos, and post them here.

If you can do so without becoming predatory, you might sniff around for some old tube electronics, which could add considerably to her medical fund.

[TheBigWoo]

Thanks for all of the advice, guys.... I accidentally gave you the serial instead of the model. These are Model LX-8 JBL's.

I really feel good about this transaction. I pulled the trigger on the speakers and a garage full of record albums for $200 (My vinyl collection is pretty extensive and I was happy to be able to add to it). These speakers are superb in construction when compared to my GTE Sylvania speakers, but I am just getting ready to hook them up to my stereo. So, we'll see how they end up sounding in my den compared to my other speakers. I'll report back on the sound, if you'd like.

These are the monsters in question. I love the solid cabinetry. Sorry, give me a minute on the pics...
There, I think this should do it: http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/cc276/CaptJackSparrow/James%20B%20Lansing%20Speakers%20LX%208/

[speakerdave]

. . . . These are Model LX-8 JBL's . . . .

That's the crossover.

[TheBigWoo]

That's the crossover.

Shoot.. OK :o:

I'm running the speaker wire to them right now. I haven't had a chance to look through the library to find this exact model yet. Do you have an idea of what they are?

[speakerdave]

That is the equivalent of the S99/L55 system. No biggie. The LE14A woofers probably need surrounds. Worth about what you paid.

[TheBigWoo]

That is the equivalent of the S99/L55 system. No biggie. The LE14A woofers probably need surrounds. Worth about what you paid.

Cool, cool.... Thanks for the expertise.

[speakerdave]

Shoot.. OK :o:

I'm running the speaker wire to them right now. I haven't had a chance to look through the library to find this exact model yet. Do you have an idea of what they are?

Those yellow (lansaloy) surrounds get crusty and stiff. Do not push the woofers hard for more bass; you could burn the voice coils.

Those are not factory cabinets, so their collector value is nil.

Those are really good woofers, though not uncommon, so there is no collector value. They come and go on ebay all the time for $100-300 dollars per pair.

The tweeters are OK. All the drivers have Alnico magnets. The best thing is to listen to those speakers as a system just the way they are (assuming good surrounds existing or installed) if you like the sound.

Welcome to JBL adventures.

[speakerdave]

. . . . Thanks for the expertise.

Yeah, 'cept I was way off base with the "James B. Lansing" business. Guess I haven't looked at a foilcal in a while. :duck:

[TheBigWoo]

Dang it... It's the end of an era. I can't justify keeping both pairs. The Sylvania's are pretty sweet but after testing them both through a range of music genres, the JBL's have a nice rich sound that will surpass them in a surround environment. Plus, the fact that the JBL's function as a sort of vintage furniture helps...... I'll kind of miss those heavy old AS-125B's, but I'm sure someone would like a backup pair...

[HCSGuy]

Pull your woofers and check the surrounds. If the Yellow lansalloy is still intact, you could try softening them up with brake fluid. Here's a thread with info, or do a site search for brake fluid:

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?27548-Lansaloy-DOT3-Surround-Treament-for-LE-14A-and-others&highlight=brake+fluid

If the surrounds have cracked, they have to be replaced. The speakers will sound so much better with compliant surrounds (cracked does not count as compliant)...

[rdgrimes]

I've seen those cabs before, I think they were kits. Only thing I'd do with them is add a brace or 2 inside. And as mentioned the surrounds need attention on the 14's.

[TheBigWoo]

Thanks guys,
I'll pull the woofs this coming weekend to check the Lansalloy surrounds. Have plenty of time, Q-Tips and brake fluid so I'll probably treat them if they are intact.