How to Remove JBL4344 back panel

[ama]

Does anyone knows how to remove JBL4344 back panel? I did remove the woofer & the screws on the back panel and tried to hammered the back panel off from the woofer opening, but the back panel did'nt even budged.
Your ideas are welcome, Thanks

[hjames]

Does anyone knows how to remove JBL4344 back panel? I did remove the woofer & the screws on the back panel and tried to hammered the back panel off from the woofer opening, but the back panel did'nt even budged.
Your ideas are welcome, Thanks

had a similar problem with an older monitor ... chances are, the gasket that helps seal the cabinet (so it performs properly) is acting like its glued down.
Two possible solutions.
1. best answer is use gravity to help. Put a length of 2x4 (or a couple bricks in a row) on your floor, and cover with a towel, Gently lay the back of the cabinet down against them, just below the panel you want to remove. Lift one end of the cabinet slightly, then let it fall against the covered bricks. repeat as necessary, lifting slightly higher as needed.

2. The alternate approach is to remove the woofer and reach through the cabinet to push against the rear panel from the inside.
maybe wack it with a rubber or plastic mallet.

[ama]

Thanks for the info, but I am afraid it might damage the drivers inside, if I lifted it a bit and let it fall onto an 2x4 or a line of bricks. I tried to hammered the back panel off through the woofer openings, but it did'nt budge at all :(

[hjames]

Thanks for the info, but I am afraid it might damage the drivers inside, if I lifted it a bit and let it fall onto an 2x4 or a line of bricks. I tried to hammered the back panel off through the woofer openings, but it didn't budge at all :(
well, you are only going to lift one end of it 8 inches or so ...
slowly increase the distance and try again until the cover pops off.

But if banging on it from the inside doesn't work, it could be basically glued on at this point.

[speakerdave]

Had the same problem with my 4345's. I happened to have on hand a length of 1 1/2" dowel, say 3 feet. I fed it through the upper port tube, angled it upward so that it rested against the inside of the inspection panel and rapped it with a hammer until the panel loosened on that end. There's really no reason to lay the speaker on its back at this point (except for removing and replacing the woofer). The panel is a close fit. It is not glued, but it may be stuck with gasketing, finish or the natural adhesion of the two particle board surfaces. Don't whale away on it, but as your frustration grows your rapping will probably become a little more vigorous. Mine really didn't take that much, so maybe it had been out before. Finally that end swung out.

Be careful not to exert lateral force on the port tube.

[script56]

I used a car jack to pry open front of 4343. Will work same way for 4344. Lay cabinet on side and access back panel through woofer hole

[Horn Fanatic]

Does anyone knows how to remove JBL4344 back panel? I did remove the woofer & the screws on the back panel and tried to hammered the back panel off from the woofer opening, but the back panel did'nt even budged.
Your ideas are welcome, Thanks

All I can say, is that you're begging for trouble. JBL saw fit to use a 1/4" x 1/4" dado for securing the rear panels on many of their speakers. If you bang on the rear panel from the inside long enough you will not only compromise the corner glue joints, you will also destroy the rear panel in the process.

Just sayin'

H.F.

BTW - The components are front mounted, why would you find it necessary to remove the rear panel?

[speakerdave]

All I can say, is that you're begging for trouble. JBL saw fit to use a 1/4" x 1/4" dado for securing the rear panels on many of their speakers. If you bang on the rear panel from the inside long enough you will not only compromise the corner glue joints, you will also destroy the rear panel in the process.Just sayin'H.F.BTW - The components are front mounted, why would you find it necessary to remove the rear panel?

This is really not helpful. You apparently have no direct experience with this speaker or ones similar to it.

[script56]

If you use a car jack with a piece of plywood in between jack and cabinet to disperse pressure then it should work as it did for me. Make sure ALL screws are removed first and use jack on each corner if needed. Do not try to jack on one point to loosen each corner because it may add too much pressure.

[Horn Fanatic]

This is really not helpful. You apparently have no direct experience with this speaker or ones similar to it.

Perhaps you're right, in this case. I have dismantled and repaired several JBL cabinets where the rear panels were affixed the way I described. I've been building speakers since 1971, I'm not the novice or idiot you're trying to paint me as. I'm reading comments here about using car jacks, hammers, bricks, and two by fours in order to remove a rear panel. I suppose it hasn't occurred to anyone that torturing a cabinet made of cheap particle board may not be the right thing to do.

H.F.

[hjames]

This is really not helpful. You apparently have no direct experience with this speaker or ones similar to it.
Perhaps you're right, in this case. I have dismantled and repaired several JBL cabinets where the rear panels were affixed the way I described. I've been building speakers since 1971, I'm not the novice or idiot you're trying to paint me as. I'm reading comments here about using car jacks, hammers, bricks, and two by fours in order to remove a rear panel. I suppose it hasn't occurred to anyone that torturing a cabinet made of cheap particle board may not be the right thing to do.

H.F.

But most of the big JBL 4-way monitors do have panels that are not dadoed into place but are meant to be removable.
Apparently you are not familiar with THOSE JBL cabinet designs?
They are held in place with screws but since some have not been opened for 30 years or more, and may have been attached when the paint or finish was wet, they are effectively glued into place - with out the tongue and groove wood locks or biscuits of fine joinery.
That's what they are discussing, much as some folks have problems getting woofers to release from the front baffleboard sometimes ...
They are not talking about bashing off a rear panel that was joined into place.

No flames meant or implied - just sharing something you may not have seen.

Here is a shot from 2007 of the rear of one of my big 4-ways ... you can clearly see the screws where it was made to be opened up to access some components, such as the LE-85 horn assembly.

63941

[speakerdave]

What she said, HF. I agree with you about getting heavy handed with any of the legacy cabinets. It's just that in this particular case a little force must be judiciously applied.

It would be nice if the op would tell us what worked.