285 Lansing Compression Driver

[Soundwave]

Hi Everyone, new to the forums, been a lurker for the past few days, so please dont bite my head off, for being a little ignorant.
I recently ran into abit of gear from a demolished 1930's theatre, and wanted to know abit more about what i have on my hands.

As the title states i have an Lansing 285 compression driver, serial number is in the high 700's

would like to kno what this unit is worth and if it is a rare piece or not?

I also have a similar unit made by B.A.F model 513.

I will upload some pictures when i get hold of a camera.

Any help or info would be much appreciated.

Cheers.

[speakerdave]

The 285 is a field coil driver that requires a power supply. Historically interesting, important and collectible. Don't know the price/value, but it will certainly be hundreds of dollars perhaps more. Information in the Lansing Heritage Library here:

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/lmco/bulletins/bulletins.htm

David

[Soundwave]

Cheers mate!

Bumpin the thread with some pictures i just took, hopefully they will help in finding out more about the value/rarity etc.

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/9338/picture2pt2.th.png (http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture2pt2.png)http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8346/picture3iz2.th.png (http://img291.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture3iz2.png)

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4149/picture4ya2.th.png (http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture4ya2.png)http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/976/picture10ya7.th.png (http://img102.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture10ya7.png)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7095/picture6ad8.th.png (http://img214.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture6ad8.png)http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/4788/picture8dc8.th.png (http://img155.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture8dc8.png)

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/9115/picture9bf9.th.png (http://img102.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture9bf9.png)

[Soundwave]

I dont mean to be a troll or anything, as i have sum other JBL, bit n' bobs i dont plan on parting with.
I just want some idea, as i intend to put these pieces in Evil bay soon...and thought the best place to put them first is one where ppl will look after them and appreciate them.

[hmolwitz]

Those Field Coil Units have great value, try listening to it if you can, You might like it.
If you are willing to ship to Asia you should be able to get quite a bit for it.

Harry

[hmolwitz]

Those Field Coil Units have great value, try listening to it if you can, You might like it.
If you are willing to ship to Asia you should be able to get quite a bit for it.

Harry

[Soundwave]

Thanks Harry!
I would LOVEEEE to hear what they sound like, however... Im a poor student, without horns and low power amps to run these baby's:(
My bedroom is already cramped due to my JBL 2035HPL's :o:

So i think i will have to let them go, untill a later date when i can afford to procure something similar.

I would be willing to ship them to Asia, or anywhere else for that matter.
I just have no idea of what sort of reserve to put on this and the B.A.F unit, as i cannot find anything similar anywhere!:p
any idea would be MUCH appreciated.


P.s ill upload pics of the other unit tomorow if i can... To give u guys sum more driver Pr0n.

[Soundwave]

Took me a while, but finally got the images up of the B.A.F unit.

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/485/picture2ov5.th.png (http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture2ov5.png)http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/7340/picture3xh2.th.png (http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture3xh2.png)



http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/9315/picture4rf2.th.png (http://img120.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture4rf2.png)http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/143/picture5ol7.th.png (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture5ol7.png)



http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/8263/picture6cq7.th.png (http://img120.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture6cq7.png)http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/4656/picture7xq5.th.png (http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture7xq5.png)



http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2108/picture8gv0.th.png (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture8gv0.png)http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/5106/picture1ym8.th.png (http://img378.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture1ym8.png)



I think im going to put these on ebay tomorrow, Any ideas what i should start em' at and reserve em at?

[speakerdave]

. . . .Any ideas what i should start em' at and reserve em at?

How much do you have into them?

[Soundwave]

Nothing, they where free. Got the tax man banging down my door at the moment, so i want to price them approximately right.

[louped garouv]

Thanks Harry!
I would LOVEEEE to hear what they sound like, however... Im a poor student...

So i think i will have to let them go, untill a later date when i can afford to procure something similar.



How much do you have into them?


my .02

if you even think you may want to procure something similar in the future, just hold on to these... you may not get another chance in your lifetime (at any price, let alone a reasonable one)


if you must sell them,
i also think that if you don't have much into them, just pick out a value "from thin air," as the saying goes, and let the auction fun begin...


good luck! (although you seem to have some already)

[speakerdave]

Start them at $.99, no reserve. Make sure you have the right key words in your title. I believe the market will inform you.

David

[Earl K]

Thanks for the pictures / they're quite interesting .

It's really too bad that you find yourself in a financial position of having to accept "short term gain for long term pain " ( to mangle a well known phrase ) .

- My perspective ? Hold 2 auctions & set your 2 reserves to @ ( ???? ) / & / then start the bidding at 99 ¢ ( per auction ) .

- Since you can't prove the drivers work / expect to pay some market penalty on that count .


good luck with your auction(s) . <> :)

[louped garouv]

Start them at $.99, no reserve. Make sure you have the right key words in your title. I believe the market will inform you.

David


these auctions do seem to bring out the best bidding wars I've seen...

proper keywords are a must!

[Soundwave]

my .02

if you even think you may want to procure something similar in the future, just hold on to these... you may not get another chance in your lifetime (at any price, let alone a reasonable one)


if you must sell them,
i also think that if you don't have much into them, just pick out a value "from thin air," as the saying goes, and let the auction fun begin...


good luck! (although you seem to have some already)

WOW! that rare!

I have no idea on how to use these so i think i want them to end up in experienced loving hands, rather than my amateurish ones, especially considering the situation.

Thank You! fingers crossed

[Soundwave]

Thanks for all the Info everybody!
Much appreciated!!

Will list these up on ebay this evening, or tomorrow at the latest

I will post a link to the auctions once they are up, to keep you all updated.
And hope to contribute to this forum in other ways in the future.

Regards.

[Soundwave]

these auctions do seem to bring out the best bidding wars I've seen...

proper keywords are a must!

That would sure be nice...:)

What keywords should i use. I do not want ebay to pull the auction for using phrases which do not relate to the item, Ways around this?

[speakerdave]

. . . . What keywords should i use. . . .

"Lansing Manufacturing" "MFG" "LMCo" "LMCo." "285" "field coil" "B.A.F." "BAF" "driver"

[speakerdave]

By the way, back where you got them for free, any chance the power supplies, crossovers, horns, woofers are still around there someplace? Might be worth a look. If you go back, you need to not have dollar signs in your eyes.

David

[Soundwave]

All sadly gone :(
otherwise i would have atleast tried to snag a compatible horn.

[speakerdave]

Also, by the way, you may not be able to prove they work, but you can do a DC resistance test on both the field coil and the voice coil.

David

[Soundwave]

Ok will do.. ill pick up a meter tomorow and check.

[grumpy]

S.Dave... you forgot "MINTY", "VINTAGE", and "doesn't affect the sound" :barf:

(just kidding... cool find, Mr. Soundwave)

[Steve Schell]

Hi Soundwave, Lansing collector and site co-founder Steve here. I just created a loooong post to you which this MOST UNFORTUNATE forum software destroyed when I attempted to post it. Why it requests a login when I post after I am already logged in, forever losing my post in the process, I will never understand.

In short (for tonight), you have some extremely rare and valuable drivers. The Lansing field coil drivers have brought $9,000USD per pair on ebay for the past couple of years, and I would expect your single 285 to be worth nearly half that. The B.A.F. is probably worth less, but still at least $2k or so.

More soon, but for now don't disassemble the drivers unless absolutely necessary, nor attempt to run them without energized field coils and proper horns; 90% of the value is lost with a damaged diaphragm.

Congratulations on your score!

[Steve Schell]

Well, thank goodness that post went through, but not before an additional login...

The most important keywords are "Lansing" and "field coil." Put them in the auction title. I would also be tempted to put "Lansing" in the B.A.F. auction title, though eBay might zap you for keyword spamming. The B.A.F. driver is unquestionably built to the Lansing design, and it looks to me that its diaphragm assembly (diaphragm, cover, top plate) may actually be genuine Lansing parts.

[Soundwave]

Haha..yes the login issue is a little tedious.

Thank You Steve!
Appreciate all the info, already feel welcome the site :D
Yeah i tried to open the B.A.F before to check the diaphram but it wouldn't open..so i wont mess with it.

I am going to go to a vintage audio store with my uncle, in an hour or so, to go get a reading on the resistance, as i do not have the meter. Also to check out some old hifi
I will not try and run the units, under your advice.

will post the ohms when i get them

[Soundwave]

I ended up purchasing a multimeter.
I took the readings with the setting at its lowest (200 Ohms)

the Lansing units voice coil terminals read 18.3
and its field coil terminals read 03.4

The B.A.F units voice coil terminals read 15.2
and its field coil terminals read around 03.1 - 03.5

EDIT* Just put up the Lansing unit, I will post a link in the Lansing marketplace forum. and will put up the other unit later tonight.

[Soundwave]

Ok the B.A.F. unit has also been added to ebay now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120277267282

Went to a vacuum tube amp builder/ speaker repairer earlier today to try and run a sweep signal through the drivers. but he apparently did not understand how to or have the time to do it:banghead:

this has pretty much been the general consensus of all the shops i have visited:o:

I will most likely just leave the units in "as is"