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View Full Version : L46 - Only delivered in American Walnut or also with all black cabinet?


mk1classic
10-15-2015, 06:51 AM
I've just acquired an old set of L46s which need "some" attention.
The cabinets are all black with a lot of scratches. I need to repaint or reveneer the cabinets, but I can't find supporting evidence of JBL supplying the L46 as all black originally, only with a walnut finish. It doesn't look like the cabinets have been repainted.

What was the cabinet options for the L46?
audiomagnate
10-15-2015, 08:12 AM
I've just acquired an old set of L46s which need "some" attention.
The cabinets are all black with a lot of scratches. I need to repaint or reveneer the cabinets, but I can't find supporting evidence of JBL supplying the L46 as all black originally, only with a walnut finish. It doesn't look like the cabinets have been repainted.

What was the cabinet options for the L46?
Not AFAIK, walnut only. Somebody most likely painted your pair. These were made before black ash became all the rage. The cabs are high quality with relatively thick veneer so if you want to put the effort and and time into it (I wouldn't, they don't sound all that great to my ears and resale value is very low) you could probably strip and sand them back to original.
Wagner
10-15-2015, 10:05 AM
I've just acquired an old set of L46s which need "some" attention.
The cabinets are all black with a lot of scratches. I need to repaint or reveneer the cabinets, but I can't find supporting evidence of JBL supplying the L46 as all black originally, only with a walnut finish. It doesn't look like the cabinets have been repainted.

What was the cabinet options for the L46?
American Black Walnut veneer on particle board:
http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/jbl/catalogs/1982-home/page08.jpg
rdgrimes
10-15-2015, 11:19 AM
The L46 is a nice speaker, and sounds better than the L56 by far. Worth the effort but these are not small so "bookshelf" duty is a bit of a stretch.
These sound surprisingly close to the L86. They've been turning up on eBay lately.

I have grills with badges, (plastic frames), 2 crossovers and one 117H in need of a surround.
SEAWOLF97
10-15-2015, 11:28 AM
The L46 is a nice speaker, and sounds better than the L56 by far. Worth the effort but these are not small so "bookshelf" duty is a bit of a stretch.
These sound surprisingly close to the L86. They've been turning up on eBay lately.


Quite agree. I enjoyed multiple pairs of L46's , but the L56 had a lot of problems with loud or deep bass.

And yes, the L-86 is one of the best small speakers that I've heard :)
audiomagnate
10-15-2015, 01:03 PM
...but the L56 had a lot of problems with loud or deep bass.

In other words, it bottomed out quite easily. Midrange was pretty awful too. I like the looks of the line and I concede the 46 is a much better speaker, but getting rid of that paint isn't going to be easy.
mk1classic
10-15-2015, 01:16 PM
Sounds like it's easier to sand them down and repaint black. The plan is to use them as temporary speakers while I sell my old 5.0 AudioPro speaker setup.

Unless I make it them into a test project with two ANAVIEW AMS0100s and miniDSP (active crossover, DSP...)
rdgrimes
10-15-2015, 07:36 PM
Sounds like it's easier to sand them down and repaint black. The plan is to use them as temporary speakers while I sell my old 5.0 AudioPro speaker setup.

Unless I make it them into a test project with two ANAVIEW AMS0100s and miniDSP (active crossover, DSP...)

Well strip everything out of the cab and try some chemical stripper before sanding. You never know what you might wind up with, could be decent.