JBL Hartsfield Question

[cptnose]

Hello out there,
My father generously gave me an old Hartsfield (I think) and I was wondering if anyone could help me learn more about it. He got it a while ago from a friend of his(the original owner). Everything in it is supposed to be original, as purchased, but it still sounds really nice (is that even possible if it's over 50 years old?). I've attached a composition of several photos if that helps.

Thanks

[Robh3606]

Hello

Very nice! You have a bit of history there.

http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/hartsfield.htm

Rob:)

[Harvey Gerst]

It's very nicely done, but it doesn't look like a factory Hartsfield; too many little things wrong, sloppy, or at least, not standard JBL practices.

Still, a great piece, nonetheless.

[cptnose]

It's very nicely done, but it doesn't look like a factory Hartsfield; too many little things wrong, sloppy, or at least, not standard JBL practices.

Still, a great piece, nonetheless.

How would I be able to tell? Should there be anything I can check on it to see where it was made? Or when?

[farleybob]

Is there a little script "L" on the front toward the bottom right side? This was JBL's logo at the time. You might have to get close to see it. It looks like a factory one to me. I have one with the same date code on the crossover (409-XX). That puts it in September of 1954. The construction looks just like mine, down to the cutout for the crossover.

[cptnose]

Is there a little script "L" on the front toward the bottom right side? This was JBL's logo at the time. You might have to get close to see it. It looks like a factory one to me. I have one with the same date code on the crossover (409-XX). That puts it in September of 1954. The construction looks just like mine, down to the cutout for the crossover.


Wow, there is an L engraved into the wood as a part of the words Jim Lansing. 1954? Jeez. These things were built to last.

[farleybob]

What are the digits after "409" on the tag on your crossover?

[cptnose]

What are the digits after "409" on the tag on your crossover?

20

[Harvey Gerst]

If it is from 1954, that predates me. I started there a few years later. The board below the 375 looks hand cut, and I don't remember the crossover cutouts looking that uneven. Plus, the Green/Black/Black/Red wiring was pretty well established by the time I worked there.

It's well before my time, so if it looks similar to farleybob's unit, this may indeed be one of the very early Hartsfields.

[Steve Schell]

Harvey I have seen a couple of early ones that looked very much like this one. One in particular was quite crude looking in back, and featured many exposed nail heads on the bass horn.

Cptnose, congratulations on the fine gift from your father. The JBL Hartsfield is one of the most highly respected and collected vintage speaker systems. It was intended to compete with the Klipschorn, and used the superior JBL drivers which had been developed for Ampex and Westrex for their large motion picture theatre systems. Doesn't sound like you intend to sell it anytime soon, but still you should get ready to be happy when you research its market value. These early ones with the "bubbleback" 375 driver are especially prized overseas.

As a long time builder of fully horn loaded loudspeakers, I appreciate the Hartsfield as both a fine speaker (arguably the best in its day) and as a beautiful object. It is not easy to make a horn speaker look halfway decent, let alone a stunning work of industrial art.

[Harvey Gerst]

Steve,

By the time I stated at JBL (in the late 50's), they had it down to a science. One guy in the cabinet shop built the whole thing (Bill something?; I remember he lived in Sierra Madre). By that time, they had pattern jigs for everything.

I also remember skinning my knuckles a lot while installing 150-4C's - till Bart Locanthi and Bill Burton came up with the "coffin back" version. I think the bulk of them were made on Fletcher Drive - before we moved to Casitas Ave.

The original cabinet shop was in a Quanset Hut, located west of the main building on Fletcher, just before you crossed the LA River. Later, we took over a larger space for the cabinet shop across the street from the main building on Fletcher Drive - under a Bar, where the cabinet shop foreman (Ted?), and most of the sales force, "drank" their lunch every day.

Stereo was just coming in at that point and two Hartsfields were difficult for many customers. Fortunately, as sales started to taper off for the Hartsfield, Col. Richard Ranger came along with the Paragon.

[Cooljjay]

Very nice speaker, wish I could inheart something like that. Remember that the speaker is very low wattage, don't go plugging it into some high wattage 4ohm home theater system, it would be a sad sad day if that diaphragm in that horn was blown. Now go out and get a nice little tube mono amp and tuner...you will have a very very nice system :D

[patpong]

Congratulations.... that piece is as real and original sort after as the Hartsfield gets... try runs it with Mcintosh MC 30...