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View Full Version : 4341 - Back To Life



saeman
08-25-2005, 08:12 PM
Here's a few pics of one of my 4341's. Just finished a restoration and put the components back into the cabinet so I could see what they are supposed to look like. Will wait to install the baffle foil-cal until I have had a chance to test everything out. I'll start work on the second cabinet in the near future and hopefully have them up and running this fall.

The pair came to me in nasty condition but how often do you see 4340's or 4341's ??? They are quite rare and are worth the effort it takes to bring them back to life. The cabinets had chunks out of almost every edge, corners smashed, veneer stained, bases trashed, baffles painted black, etc., etc. Although it was a major overhaul the total man-hours invested was not even 20; well worth the time.

I've been sitting on a pair of White Aquaplas 15" cone kits for a long time and finally found them a home. Components are otherwise the same as the 4343 that the 4341 preceeded.

I'll post some more pics after the second cab is done and they have grills with some of the new blue cloth from Zilch (it's on the way).

Rick http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/bouncy.gif

saeman
08-25-2005, 08:15 PM
A couple more pics

saeman
08-25-2005, 08:21 PM
A couple more pics

jtgyn
08-25-2005, 08:30 PM
Great work Rick!

Regards Scott

johnaec
08-25-2005, 08:43 PM
Is that "JBL Blue" from Bo's formulation? 'Looks great! :)

John

saeman
08-25-2005, 08:55 PM
John: Yes - it's little bo blue's baffle blue. Opened a fresh can for this project. It looks real bright in the pics but maybe due to the overhead lights and the flash on the camera. I mixed up a couple of quarts recently to give it a try. It's a real real real close match to the blue used on the later pro monitors. I've found since using his formula that the hue changes a bit as the paint sets up/cures. The end result looks real good. I'm still fooling around trying to get a lighter shade to match earlier monitors. Both my 4350's and 4315's are noticeably lighter and I need to do some slight touchup around some of the screw holes. Thanx - Rick

Ian Mackenzie
08-26-2005, 01:50 AM
Beautiful work.

Ian

Robh3606
08-26-2005, 04:52 AM
Those look great!! Like the white cones. Didn't realize that they were the same vintage as an original 4350. Lucky you had the kits.

Rob:)

yggdrasil
08-26-2005, 05:10 AM
Beautiful work, as allways.:applaud:

Earl K
08-26-2005, 05:14 AM
:) Nice Restoration Rick !

- Is the 4341 enclosure a bit shorter than the 4343/4 type ?

:p <> Earl K

saeman
08-26-2005, 06:14 AM
Hi Earl and thanks for your comments. Yes - the 4341 is shorter than the 4343, a little over 5" and an inch narrower. Depth is about the same. It took some thought to pack the components into this cabinet for sure. The removable panel on the back was mandatory. Regards - Rick

Titanium Dome
08-26-2005, 08:27 AM
How's the sound with that driver combo?

saeman
08-26-2005, 09:07 AM
Hi T.D. - Don't know how they sound yet. Will give you a report when the other one is done and I get wires to them. With the same driver compliment as the 4343's I am hoping they will sound the same as 4343's. These cabinets are about 15%-20% smaller inside than are the 4343's yet they have the same port surface area and duct tube length as the 4343's. You would think that there might be some audible difference. Sold my 4343's some time back so I won't be able to A/B the two. I may build a different base that will angle/tilt them back a bit so the high freq. drivers project better into the listening area. Like the 4350's and other pro monitors, these monitors were built so they could be suspended from the ceiling and they have the factory installed eye-bolts on the bottom to allow this. Either way, they're keepers for a while.

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/smile.gif
Rick

johnaec
08-26-2005, 11:26 AM
Are all those pics of the same cabinet? Is the other mirror imaged, or do they only allow for changing the position of the HF?

John

Ian Mackenzie
08-26-2005, 11:28 AM
Dang it,

Heard a virgin pair in 76 Sez I ,

You do realize I will be comin all the way over like a dang moth to day light to hear em,



Hi T.D. - Don't know how they sound yet. Will give you a report when the other one is done and I get wires to them. With the same driver compliment as the 4343's I am hoping they will sound the same as 4343's. These cabinets are about 15%-20% smaller inside than are the 4343's yet they have the same port surface area and duct tube length as the 4343's. You would think that there might be some audible difference. Sold my 4343's some time back so I won't be able to A/B the two. I may build a different base that will angle/tilt them back a bit so the high freq. drivers project better into the listening area. Like the 4350's and other pro monitors, these monitors were built so they could be suspended from the ceiling and they have the factory installed eye-bolts on the bottom to allow this. Either way, they're keepers for a while.

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/smile.gif

Macka
Rick

Audiobeer
08-26-2005, 12:36 PM
Outstanding.....GORGEOUIS! :D

saeman
08-26-2005, 12:56 PM
Dang it,

Heard a virgin pair in 76 Sez I ,

You do realize I will be comin all the way over like a dang moth to day light to hear em,


Ian: You're welcome anytime and I'll even furnish the "Fosters" ice cold or warm if you prefer. A trip "up over" would do you some good.

saeman
08-26-2005, 12:59 PM
Are all those pics of the same cabinet? Is the other mirror imaged, or do they only allow for changing the position of the HF?

John

Hi John - Baffle layout is the same on both with the option to move the 2405 to the left or right.

scott fitlin
08-26-2005, 01:06 PM
Very nice work, enjoy! :applaud:

Tom Loizeaux
08-31-2005, 05:51 PM
Rick,
Great job! It's great to see another pair of JBL classic monitors "come back to life". Since I've restored three pairs of JBLs, I know the satisfaction you'll get when you sit back and let these swamp you in geat audio.
Again, a beautiful job!

Tom

P.S. I'm curious about the slightly smaller cabinet with the same tuning. If this cabinet will support them, you might want to consider, at some point, changing the woofers to 2231s or 2235Hs.

saeman
01-30-2006, 01:27 PM
I'm back to my 4341 restoration project for a while and wanted to post some pics of the walnut veneer I bought for this project. Since veneer has been discussed quite a bit lately here on the forum, some of you guys who are contemplating a veneer project might learn something from a big mistake I recently made.

I started my 4341 restoration project a few months ago, doing the first cabinet. I ordered walnut veneer from a supplier that has always provided good quality. When the veneer arrived it looked kind of "Plain Jane" and lacked good grain contrast. It was also a bit darker than I would prefer. I was a bit dissappointed but decided not to hold the project up and I cut and applied it to the first cabinet. Installed and sanded it looked decent so I cut and installed the beveled face trim.

After finish sanding the veneer with 220 and 320 I started oiling the cabinet. That's when everything turned to Sh_ttttttt. The attached pics tell the story. I was immediately disenchanted and let the 4341 project sit while going on to other JBL adventures. I pondered leaving it as is or stripping it off and starting over.

After a couple of months of crying about it I decided I would never be happy leaving it the way it was. I started the gruesome task of stripping off the veneer, face trim and old glue. Seems like it took forever but I got it done. I ordered new veneer, AA Premium Walnut Flat Cut like JBL used, and recently got the first cabinet back to where it was when the disaster occurred.

The pics show spots in the veneer where the veneer's wood layer was so thin that the paper backing shows thru. There is little to nothing you can do about this other than try to do some paint touchup. Had this been the only problem I might have left it alone. The quality of the veneer was poor, dark dark in color with no contrast and spongy and soft. The supplier offered me no remedy other than to give me a few bucks off on my next order (which I'll never place).

My advise is to buy from a known quality supplier and "carefully inspect the veneer" before you cut and install it; which I didn't do in this instance. I was in too big a hurry. It cost me a ton of grief and even more labor time to recover from it. With the new veneer the cabinet now looks like a million bucks, the way it should have looked the first time. Pics later.

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/banghead.gif - Rick

Titanium Dome
01-30-2006, 02:14 PM
Gonna post some new pics for our enlightenment? We'd like to see the new finish. :yes:

saeman
01-30-2006, 08:58 PM
TD - A few new pics. Not too good - I never get results with flash and it's dark here. Still an improvement over the first veneer job. I guess I need to get humping on the second cabinet so I have a pair. Rick

Rolf
01-31-2006, 01:17 AM
Very good job! Looks great!

Rolf