Hello!
After having played with Guido and Rolf's old 4343B during the weekend I've decided to take the plunge and restore them both aesthetically and functionally, as I will keep these wonderful speakers for years and years to come. As I have never restored something like this, I'm sure there will be lots of questions I hope to get help with.
These were originally grey and black, but Guido or an even earlier owner painted or sprayed them black. Rolf painted the baffle blue and sent them to a professional for a veneer job. Unfortunately the workmanship is poor, and the veneer is coming off at several places, especially the corners, maybe because the veneer has been glued directly onto the glossy black and earlier finish.
I'll most likely only do the ground work, ie taking off the veneer, sanding both baffle and cabinet and send them off to a professional to do the veneer job. To save on costs I'd like to paint or do the baffle in blue myself.
The dust covers does not seem original, as they have no badge that says these are 4343's, so I'll probably build new ones or buy a pair if they ever show up on ebay. This will not be first priority, as I think they look awesome without the covers.
Also, the knobs on both l-pads has some dead spots and they make the associated speaker noisy when turned, so they may need to be replaced. Talked to a fellow Norwegian guy about this, and he suggested trying some contact spray and turning them a bit to see if the dead spots and sparkling sounds that came when turning them went away.
Furthermore, when I removed the 15" to see the crossover, I noticed that one of the screws was not screwed in properly, as the nut that was supposed to sit at the back of the baffle was gone. It looked like something was put into the hole to hold the screw, but it came out very easily and should be fixed.
Basically, my first questions are:
1. Is the original finish American valnut, and are there any suppliers of this I can contact that you guys know of?
2. The original blue color; does anyone have a color code or similar so they can mix the color in a regular paint shop?
3. Is regular paint the way to go to get the baffle blue?
4. If nobody has a paint code or similar, is it possible to buy the original blue color somewhere?
5. Where can I get nuts that dig into the back of the baffle, what are they called in English and what dimensions are the screws so I order the correct one (as I have the original screw).
6. If using contact spray on the pots doesn't work out, what can I buy that is an appropriate and as close to original replacement as possible?
Hope you can help me with some knowledge during this process, as I will not be able to do it without you.