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View Full Version : Advice needed, L45/C45 Flair



Boss96
09-28-2005, 02:46 PM
I have the opportunity to buy a pair of these for $450. Cabinets are pretty nice, owner refinished them, grille cloths I'm not sure if they are original style or not, flat with black cloth, no JBL emblems.
One woofer has had the surround replaced, the other one looks like a complete recone was done. Mids and tweets work fine, one mid has a tear that was repaired. The woofers are 135's.
From looking at them they look like L100's with a 15" woofer, same tweeter and midrange.
Are they worthwhile at that price? They sound very good, I just want to know if I am paying top dollar for them or not, if I end up not liking them I want to know that I can sell them for at least what I paid for them.
Bob

Boss96
09-28-2005, 03:08 PM
BTW, from looking in the library, the woofers should be white, but mine are black. Make any difference?

Bob

rgrjit8
09-28-2005, 04:32 PM
Sounds like a "fair" price to me. You're not getting robbed, nor are you getting a bargain.

I paid $400 for a pair about 15 years ago, and ended up reconing them a few months later. Mine ended up looking the same way; one full recone - black, one refoamed to save money - white cone.

They sounded pretty good in my opinion back then, when louder was better. I liked them better than my L-166es.
They stood no chance however, against the Metregon and Altec Magnificents I owned in the same time period. But that's apples and oranges.

Edit: BTW, I think the original grilles were some type of foam rubbery stuff. I recall that when I picked mine up disintegrating chunks dropped to the floor when they were touched. Like a fool, I tossed mine as I prefer my speakers "au naturel." I should have kept them.

Boss96
09-30-2005, 01:10 PM
Well, I ended up buying them, got them for $400 since $450 was pretty much top dollar and these were not quite in that category although they do look pretty good.

After putting them in the house in place of the L100T's I already have I was surprised to hear they don't sound all that different than the other ones. The main difference is the 15" woofer put out a little more bass, or at least can play a little louder. They seem to handle my power amp with no problems (280/ch).
I guess I'm on my way to being a collector like so many on this bbs:)
Bob

Titanium Dome
09-30-2005, 01:26 PM
Heh, some guys whine about how hard it is to get an extra pair into the house and how the WAF or GAF forces an exchange: bring one in, take one out.

For some of us, it's the opposite: easy to get another pair in, hard to ever take one out. I may have reached my limit, though, when I chickened out and took the 4430s and B360 to the office instead of taking them home after purchase. :D

Boss96
09-30-2005, 01:42 PM
Actually, given the size of these cabinets, my wife saw them and said "how nice, real wood, they look nice!" and that was it. We even had to move some stuff around to make them fit but no complaints:applaud:

I've got it good.
Bob

peteroddo
01-18-2006, 09:33 PM
I have original JBL Flair 45 Speakers with Walnut case. I am looking to sell them for minimal value, since the grills are gone and they need new woofers. The wood and internals are in good shape. With grill they looked like those in the link below.

http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/jbl/specs/home-speakers/1974-l45/page1.jpg

I can send a digital picture to anyone interested. I live in the Northeast.

pelly3s
01-19-2006, 06:53 AM
I can send a digital picture to anyone interested. I live in the Northeast.

post a couple pictures here. also where in the northeast. if you go into the user cp and put in your location it would be great. its nice to know where the members are from