Ideas for Inexpensive 035Ti or 035Tia Substitutions

I've been looking for used 035Ti or 035Tia replacements recently and have noticed that they're getting more and more expensive. They're no longer available new, nor are the diaphrams, from JBL. I'm aware of the 052Ti as a drop-in replacement, but it's a little pricey. The 052Ti diaphram is also available, but they're about $60 each. And Midwest Speaker is making copy 035's for about $80.

I was wondering if anyone has used a different tweeter as a replacement and has been satisified with it. I'm not talking about a tweeter that will be an exact match, but rather a substitute that will be "acceptable" for secondary listening uses (garage, workshops, etc.) that won't be too expensive. Modifying the cabinet opening is okay.

When looking for a substitute, the only spec I have to go on is that the 035Ti is 92 dB efficient. I don't know what it's FS is.

So, does anyone have any ideas?

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Originally Posted by svollmer

So, does anyone have any ideas?

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look for some neglected L60T's ...if needing refoam, they sell for next to nothing.
you get 2 035ti's and when you scrap the cabs, the veneer just abt falls off, save it,
great for patching projects ... win/win

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Originally Posted by SEAWOLF97

look for some neglected L60T's ...if needing refoam, they sell for next to nothing.
you get 2 035ti's and when you scrap the cabs, the veneer just abt falls off, save it,
great for patching projects ... win/win

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yeah, kind of funny about that - I've seen L60T and L80T pushing $200 on the local CL ...
maybe the economy is making a comeback?
Or is it those devils from Antique roadshow & the pawnshop show...
making everyone think they have a fortune in their old college system?

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Originally Posted by hjames

yeah, kind of funny about that - I've seen L60T and L80T pushing $200 on the local CL ...

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$200 ? I've bought 3 pairs of L60T's ...$10, $15, $30 ...they don't inspire much love. ;)

havn't looked for a while, hard to imagine that they are appreciating :dont-know:

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Originally Posted by SEAWOLF97

$200 ? I've bought 3 pairs of L60T's ...$10, $15, $30 ...they don't inspire much love. ;)

havn't looked for a while, hard to imagine that they are appreciating :dont-know:

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I understand and agree - I redid the surrounds on a pair of L100T woofers recently and the guy has a bad tweeter, so I took a look for a bit ...
figured maybe we could split a pair of L60s or such - I can always use a spare myself ... but not at at the prices I saw!

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Originally Posted by svollmer

I've been looking for used 035Ti or 035Tia replacements recently and have noticed that they're getting more and more expensive. They're no longer available new, nor are the diaphragms, from JBL. I'm aware of the 052Ti as a drop-in replacement, but it's a little pricey. The 052Ti diaphragm is also available, but they're about $60 each. ...

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You have to ask yourself if the original sound is what you want, or if something different is acceptable. I have L100T's with decent 035's in them, but also 4412A's with new diaphragms in the 052's. The 035's are getting harsher ever month, as the little remaining foam damping under the dome disintegrates. New 052 diaphragms come with new damping foam, as will the new 052's. Long term, the 052 is a better deal than another used 035 IMHO. I believe that it's almost impossible that an original 035 still sounds like it did new.

You could buy an 052 diaphragm and see if it fits an 035 magnet. The foam plug would have to be shortened and glued on since the pole pieces are different...

Well, I did get a pair of L60T's recently for $75. They're in great shape except the woofers need foam, which I'll be replacing shortly.

But, it KILLS me to scrap a speaker for parts if they can be fixed up. I just can't do it unless they can't be salvaged.

My son has a pair of L100T's (thanks again Heather :)) that we'll always try to keep pristine. I could see getting 052Ti's for them in the future. But I have a pair of beater L60T's in my garage that I painted red to match the storage cabinets. Those are the kinds of speakers I'm talking about.

If I blow those up, I want to find a "good enough for the garage" sounding tweeter that will cost way less than $150 a pair. I'll keep looking and report here if I'm successful. But please keep the ideas and opinions coming!

By the way, I used to work Saturdays at a local speaker repair shop for about 6 months in the 1990's. In addition to repairing speakers, they sold drivers and kits. They had on display what looked exactly like an 035Ti or Tia. When I asked the owner about it, he told me it was a Japanese clone, not a real JBL. So, someone was making a clone way back in 1991 or 1992.

Thanks everyone!