L26a

[austx]

I purchased a pair of L26A Decade loudspeakers locally from the original owner. While these aren't the most sought after JBLs, I had a pair in my youth and these were in near perfect condition other than the 125A surrounds. They came with the original cartons and manuals..very clean..thought it would be fun to hear some of the music I listened to back then on these..
I am tempted to attempt to do the surrounds myself, but am at the same time concerned as I not only want them to operate correctly, but want them to look factory as well..what are the chances I could pull this off with my first attempt?..secondly, I would like info regarding crossover maintenance or upgrades..is there anyone here that does crossover work for others?..I appreciate any constructive advice..

[SEAWOLF97]

Congrats ....I really like L26's too ....refoaming on these is easy , not a tough job as long as you take your time and are careful. Boputnam has posted a very good tutorial on the process. They will sound even better if you did it yourself. :D

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?469-Resurround-Step-by-step

[Audiobeer]

Congrats ....I really like L26's too ....refoaming on these is easy , not a tough job as long as you take your time and are careful. Boputnam has posted a very good tutorial on the process. They will sound even better if you did it yourself. :D

Here's another post
http://www.wardsweb.org/audio/JBL_L26.html

[grumpy]

I'll toss in the suggestion to try out replacing a foam surround on something you care much
less about first. It will be a good learning experience, doesn't cost much for the materials,
and it really helps to have done it "hands-on", rather than nervously creating your first JBL
casualty, ... or you might just decide that it's a job you would like to have done professionally,
having gone through the process at least once, yourself.

[austx]

Thanks for the replies and the links to instructions for surround replacement..I'm leaning toward attempting this as there is a pair of L19 in the family also in need surrounds..not to mention the better sound SEAWOLF promises I'll hear if I do it myself..(I do look forward to the gratification of doing it myself)..any and all tips and/or techniques are appreciated..after I get the drivers repaired, I'm sure I'll be posting questions regarding crossover maintenance/upgrades..

[SEAWOLF97]

Thanks for the replies and the links to instructions for surround replacement..I'm leaning toward attempting this as there is a pair of L19 in the family also in need surrounds..not to mention the better sound SEAWOLF promises I'll hear if I do it myself..(I do look forward to the gratification of doing it myself)..any and all tips and/or techniques are appreciated..after I get the drivers repaired, I'm sure I'll be posting questions regarding crossover maintenance/upgrades..

Long ago ....in a century past , I acquired my first L26's ... didnt know about self refoaming .....took them to our only local shop (you Portland guys know the one- over on s.e. Sandy) .....they cut out the concave dustcaps , put the foam on the wrong side of the cone and slobbered glue all over
(I confronted them ....answer was "Yeah, we put the glue on with a firehose" and "We had to cut the dustcaps to shim the gap , we shim EVERYTHING"

They sound OK, but dont look right with convex caps ....when I got the next pair , I did them correctly and sold the botched pair .....suggestion to learn on something cheaper is a good idea.

I still listen to the L26's daily ...the PC is routed to a receiver under the monitor that pushes the L26's and some suspended Sonances. I prefer them to the 3 way L-36.

[austx]

Shortly after starting this thread I returned the L26's to their cartons as I was spending all my time on searching for a house..I've moved into my new home and am now ready to refoam the woofers..in the meantime I acquired a really clean pair of 4301B monitors with the same need for new foam surrounds..I would like to know if recone kits are available for each of these drivers..if I mess these up I'd like to know I could send them to someone for recone..I believe we're dealing 125A and 116H drivers respectively, but please correct me if I'm mistaken..Thanks!..

[austx]

sorry for running on in my last post..
my question: are there recone kits currently available for 125A and 116H drivers..
in case I have the drivers numbers incorrect, I'm referring to the LF drivers from L26 and 4301B loudspeakers respectively..
thanks..

[grumpy]

New list for November 2011...

http://jblproservice.com/pdf/Transducers%20Parts%20List/Transducer%20Parts%20List.pdf

So, it would -appear- no and yes may be your answers, unless someone has NOS 125A kits or knows
what can be substituted. How long it would take for a dealer to receive them, once ordered, is
beyond my knowledge space.

[austx]

Thanks Grumpy..I suppose I'll start with the 116H drivers for my first re-surround attempt..
Hope this goes well, I could have these done, but I'd like to do it myself to keep my investment low in these as well as loudspeakers I may purchase in the future..after this is done, I'll have questions about re-capping..but first things first..

[grumpy]

Save the foam gaskets if you can, the aftermarket surround kits typically
do not come with them... and the generic replacement gaskets look ... lame.

[Rusnzha]

I got some 117H 8 inch woofers with stuck voice coils. They would be good practice for refoaming. PM if interested.

[austx]

I want to thank all that responded to offer advice and to Rusnzha for the kind offer..I replaced the surrounds on both the 125A and 116H drivers and returned them to their respective cabinets (L26 & 4301B)..
Ordered the parts from Rick Cobb, he was all that I've heard here..prompt, nice parts..helpful..It's been many years since I've listened to these small two ways..they sound great while listening to the music I listened to in my youth..They come up a bit short on some of the more complex, quieter music I listen to these days when compared to my L150s I've had for thirty years, but I expected that..
I'm really proud of these bargains that remained bargains because I learned to do this repair..In the near future I'll be bothering you folks again when I'm ready to learn about recapping!..

Thanks again to all..