Grill Cloth Attachment

[Woody Banks]

The final phase of my L300 hybrid clone project was the grill cloth installation. The original frames I built back in the 80's were built from oak with canning inset. I was afraid that the oak wouldn't accept a staple so I decided to use a grove and spline method.
On the back side of the frame I cut a 1/4"x1/4" slot, that paralelled the side, with the router. I used a piece of 1/4" drip irrigation tube as my spline. The process went surprisingly well. I completed the first frame in a tan color only to discover that the rodents had chewed a hole in the middle of my remaining fabric. The tan color looked good against the rosewood veneer but I decided to give black a try since I had to buy additional cloth anyway. The black was a big improvement over the tan.
The spline method allowed me to change the fabric in a matter of minutes.
Now that the grills were completed I wrestled the clones upstairs and put power to them for the first time. SWEEEEET! They not only looked better but they sounded far better than my old setup. The only drivers I kept from before were the LE85's. The 2220A's were changed to 136A's and the 2404 tweeters were added. I built the crossover with help from Giskard. Thanks again!
Woody

[johnaec]

The tan color looked good against the rosewood veneer but I decided to give black a try since I had to buy additional cloth anyway. The black was a big improvement over the tan.

You should contact Zilch about getting some of the actual JBL blue grille cloth. Either way, those look NICE!

John

[John W]

Thats a great idea to secure grill cloth.

[barkingdog]

Hey Woody,


I'm in the early stages of an L300 hybrid clone. Would you be willing to share some of your design? Perhaps some of your approach? Thanks!

At this point, my plan is to use the components that I've gathered so far (pair of each) :

2235H LF
2425J Mids
2312 Horn
H92 Lens
2405H HF

I planned to use an active crossover between the LF and MF, and a DIY 3105 crossover between the MF and HF. Right now I'm toying with the idea of making the LF and MF/HF cabinets completely separate. The LF cabinets would be 5 cu. ft with two 4" ports with 11" lengths. But, at this point, I'm open to suggestions. The idea of a single cabinet is appealing and yours looks amazing.

Cheers,
Jim.

[Woody Banks]

Howdy Jim

There are some real wizards on this forum site. I am not one of those. I am a woodworker with a JBL fetish. My clones are the results of a series of mistakes I was able to correct after purchasing design hardware and a pile of new drivers. Your choice of drivers looks good but I will pass the design baton to someone with a better background than mine. Like Dirty Harry said: "A guy has to know his limitations".
There are several recent postings of cabinets with curved sides that look incredible. Search under "Smith horn" and take a look at the two recent cabinet designs by forum members. Stunning! After viewing the photos, I decided my next project (4350) was going to be a similar design. There are a ton of things to consider:
Buget
Skill Level
Room Size
Who wears the Pants. (WAF)
How close are the neighbors

Good luck with the project.

Regards
Woody