JBL L65A Restoration

[tnsilver]

Do you have any pictures of the finished corners where you were using the putty? I'm curious how well the finish took in those spots, difficult to notice?

Sorry. I'm in NY for business and the L65A's are in my Tel-Aviv office. I can't upload anything until December. You can check out the corners with the available finish photos (although not the best quality). If you scrutinize the corners carefully you'll notice the surface does not match the natural grain but it's identical in hue to rest of the cabinets walnut finish - so it's real hard to notice. Wood filler is not as absorbent as wood - so your concern is indeed in place. That's why one layer of glaze is almost never enough. I've heard of artists that actually compliment the finish by drawing the grain texture on the mended surfaces. I, however, did not go so far.

[Wornears]

Fabulous work (and patience), and a thorough description of your work. Congrats on your skills; they are inspiration to those of us with speaker projects waiting for us to start.

An audio friend of mine in college had a pair of these when they were new. He worked in an audio store and got a discount, but they were still beyond the budget of all but the 0.05% of regular college students. He experimented with listening to them on their stock stands, and then putting them about 2-ft off the floor. They really filled the room when raised compared when basically on the floor. Have you experimented with their placement?

[Greg86z28]

Sorry. I'm in NY for business and the L65A's are in my Tel-Aviv office. I can't upload anything until December. You can check out the corners with the available finish photos (although not the best quality). If you scrutinize the corners carefully you'll notice the surface does not match the natural grain but it's identical in hue to rest of the cabinets walnut finish - so it's real hard to notice. Wood filler is not as absorbent as wood - so your concern is indeed in place. That's why one layer of glaze is almost never enough. I've heard of artists that actually compliment the finish by drawing the grain texture on the mended surfaces. I, however, did not go so far.

Excellent. No rush on pictures. I have a pair of L100s that are in flawless shape except for a chipped corner. I may use some of your advice in the future. I'm recapping them now, probably will enjoy them for awhile before I get to work on that corner. It's "relatively small" as you can compare the size to the post for the grill.

[tnsilver]

...Have you experimented with their placement?

Yeap. Absolutely. I've done a lot of research on this matter exactly, including using this site. The general recommendation for Jubal speakers is getting them 18" off the floor. This is a bit higher than the recommended 12" for the L100 and 431X monitors. I've left instructions to a wood shop in Tel-Aviv to build me the following stands. I'm taking a risk here since these, in essence, are the exact same size as the L65A cabinets and are about 24" in height. The sketches are not scaled correctly and the stands look 'fatter' than they really are - but it captures the general intent. In addition, it's always a good idea to get these babies about 1.5' - 2' away from any wall and have them at least 6.5' apart (if I'm not mistaken, this advice, or the likes of it, is in the L65A owner's manual).

* These stands will be filled with sand (at least partially) and will be mounted on Titanium spikes.