4425 Horn Removal

[corvettedcg]

Hello LHF! First post. I recently acquired a pair of 4425's and I need to remove the butt check horns so I can refinish them with some satin-black spray paint. I removed the six Allen screws from the front of the horns and attempted to lift them out. No luck. They won't budge. Is there a trick to removing them?

(BTW, these 4425's are new to me however I'm not new to JBL. I bought a pair of 4311BWX in high schools back in the late 70's, still have them. And being a musician I've owned a lot of Pro JBL gear over the years.)

Thanks for your help! David

[Ed Zeppeli]

It's probably just stuck to the gasket/tape. Maybe try heating it up a little with a blow dryer to make the adhesion pliable.

For the record, I'm not certain as I've only taken apart my 4430s with similar horn before. Did you take the woofer out and take a look in there? On my 4430s the compression driver is bolted in for support so that had to be removed to.


Good luck,

Warren

[corvettedcg]

Thank you Ed Z. I tried applying heat around the edges of the horns but they still wouldn't budge. I was thinking of trying fishing line to break the seal, but after giving it some thought, I decided to leave the horns where they are and just touch up the few small scratches on the horns with a Sharpie. And yes, I pulled the woofers and it doesn't appear there are any bolts holding the horns from the inside.

The previous owner went nuts drilling 14 holes in each cabinet to mount them. Eight holes in the back and two holes on the left, right and bottom. Not sure why anyone would need so many holes! I made a trip to Lowes and picked up 3/8" wooden plugs and tapped them in to all the holes. Then I added some Titebond to the back of each plug to secure them in place. I'll spray the backs of each cabinet flat black so it all blends, and apply some walnut dye to the face of each plug on the left, right and bottom. Finally, I'll go over the top, sides and bottom with fine steel wool and Howard's Restore-A-Finish in walnut. Pics to come!

[johnlcnm]

Dave,

Had the same issue. Use a one inch putty knife. Tape it with clear packing tape, the clear strong stuff. Using a little soapy water, work the putty knife around the edges with the soapy water. The foam sealer will wrinkle a little, but can be spread back out once you remove the horn. It's pretty tuff stuff.

Regards,

John

[Ed Zeppeli]

Thank you Ed Z. I tried applying heat around the edges of the horns but they still wouldn't budge. I was thinking of trying fishing line to break the seal, but after giving it some thought, I decided to leave the horns where they are and just touch up the few small scratches on the horns with a Sharpie. And yes, I pulled the woofers and it doesn't appear there are any bolts holding the horns from the inside.

The previous owner went nuts drilling 14 holes in each cabinet to mount them. Eight holes in the back and two holes on the left, right and bottom. Not sure why anyone would need so many holes! I made a trip to Lowes and picked up 3/8" wooden plugs and tapped them in to all the holes. Then I added some Titebond to the back of each plug to secure them in place. I'll spray the backs of each cabinet flat black so it all blends, and apply some walnut dye to the face of each plug on the left, right and bottom. Finally, I'll go over the top, sides and bottom with fine steel wool and Howard's Restore-A-Finish in walnut. Pics to come!


Nice. Maybe some day down the road you'll tackle them again; meanwhile a Sharpie probably spiffied them right up.


:D

[corvettedcg]

Dave,

Had the same issue. Use a one inch putty knife. Tape it with clear packing tape, the clear strong stuff. Using a little soapy water, work the putty knife around the edges with the soapy water. The foam sealer will wrinkle a little, but can be spread back out once you remove the horn. It's pretty tuff stuff.

Regards,

John

Thank you John. This is good to know. I'll probably pull the horns at some point in the near future. I'm always taking things apart, always curious to know how things work. For the meantime, I'm enjoying the music!

[corvettedcg]

Nice. Maybe some day down the road you'll tackle them again; meanwhile a Sharpie probably spiffied them right up.


:D

Yes Ed, interested in knowing if I have original or aftermarket diaphragms. The man I purchased them from stated the only work he had done on them was having the woofer's surrounds replaced. But their history prior (originally owned by a local recording studio) is unknown. The worst that could happen is I find out they have cheap aftermarket diagrams. I could then spend $200 for a pair of Radians or $400 for a pair of OEM JBL's. Either way, considering what I paid for them, I'll still be ahead! :applaud:

[corvettedcg]

Here
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