4343 cabinet issues

[pioneer]

question for the cabinet/woodworkers on the forum. I have done searches but have not found anything like this. On one of my 4343 the wood has separated on all four corners where the sides and top/ bottom meet. As you can hopefully see in the picture there is a gap. The gap does not go all the way through, the joint is solid under the gap both inside the cabinet and outside, it is roughly a 1/16 to a 1/8 inch deep/wide. The cabinet is square it does not look like it was dropped. As you can see the veneer is rough but mainly around these corner seams the rest of it cleaned up nicely, it was filthy and does have some spots that are rough but nothing horrible. It shows no sign of water damage which was my first thought as to what could have caused this.
Is there a way to fix this? What could have caused this, the other cabinet was used in the same space but does not have any separation.
By the way the drivers are all in good condition except for the dust caps on the 2231a (pushed in)and dusty dirty 2121 they turned grey . The 2231 were reconed about 3 years ago.

[subwoof]

The cabinet got pregnant from ambient moisture - there is no cure.

If you re-veneered the box, and sealed the inside with poly it might stabilize but it's a LOT of work.

This was the bane of particle board cabinets - often they were relegated to basement status and the floors were unsealed concrete. I have a few 43XX monitors with the same affliction.

sub

[pioneer]

interesting info thanks for the quick reply subwoof. Not a total surprise as I figured it was some type of a moisture problem, but I would have thought the wood would have swelled rather than shrink that is what threw me off. Now I need to create a plan of attack. My first thought is to try and fix it though I have very limited woodworking skills it may be a good place to start and learn, what do I have to lose? Another thought is to create a fix that although will not bring these back to there original look but make them work so I don't get thrown out of the house with them. They do sound fantastic!!!
Have you ever tried to fix any of your 43xx? Why the poly on the inside? Any extra 4343 cabinets in good condition hanging around? Just asking :)
Thanks
Gary

[Mannermusic]

The cabinet got pregnant from ambient moisture - there is no cure.

If you re-veneered the box, and sealed the inside with poly it might stabilize but it's a LOT of work.

This was the bane of particle board cabinets - often they were relegated to basement status and the floors were unsealed concrete. I have a few 43XX monitors with the same affliction.

sub

Yep - I've got a 4312 with similar malady. Tried some epoxy and clamping on one spot to keep it from getting worse, seems to be "hanging in there." I'm thinking about more epoxy followed by block sanding and stain - or something. But, I agree, it isn't worth major surgery. Mike

[majick47]

Pioneer I checked the 4343 out and after talking to the seller who stated the prior owner also kept the speakers in the basement it was my guess that the cabinets had swelled from exposure to moisture. If it was only a matter of the veneer being badly scratched they could be reveneered to look presentable again. I had a pair of L100 cabinets that had been badly exposed to moisture and probably sat on a wet basement floor that were beyond repair, I stripped the components and purchased replacement L100 cabinets off Ebay. The reason I didn't purchase the 4343 was that I figured it would be next to impossible to find original JBL replacement cabinets and to have replica cabinets built from scratch would cost a fortune. Like you I have minimal woodworking skills/equipment, I have "restored" a number of JBL speakers that were structurally sound but required a light sanding/oiling/detailing/grill cloth to bring them back to a presentable condition. I'm also located on the South Shore and if you want to PM me re the cabinets I might be able to offer an alternative solution.

[subwoof]

One cute trick is to inlay a small piece of solid walnut into each seam - this can be done with a simple hand held router. We sometimes did this for the big sub cabinets that were positioned near a dance floor and used as drink tables.

It's not a first-timer solution but if the rest of the veneer is fine, the results will look nice.

I plan to do that to a few cabinets late this summer and post it on the DIY thread but the woodshop needs to get set back up first after a 5yr dormancy.

And finding used, empty 4343's is impossible....:o)

[pioneer]

Subwoof that sounds like a good solution to inlay a strip of walnut into the seams. It will solve two problems removing the space at the seams and taking care of a few of the veneer chips that are mainly around the seams. I did check with a lumber yard and they can rip the walnut strips to my specs all I need is a router and some scrap wood to practice with. A new experience, The other thought is to trim over the seams with walnut (thanks Majick47) which actually may be a lot easier I do not think will look as good but it does leave me a fall back solution that can work. You mentioned that I should poly the inside of the cabinet can you explain why? They will be wide open so it should not be hard to do. Just curious

[subwoof]

Sometimes the moisture will swell the cabinets from the *inside* not just from sitting on moist surfaces..this would be an issue if the solid wood inlays were to shrink and expand at a different rate than the particle board.

The cabinets I used to make for Kwest were treated before final assembly because they sat just 5 feet above the ocean during use and only 75 feet away in storage.

But the termites and corrosion is relenting and they all become landfill food in a few short seasons.

sub

[mech986]

One cute trick is to inlay a small piece of solid walnut into each seam - this can be done with a simple hand held router. We sometimes did this for the big sub cabinets that were positioned near a dance floor and used as drink tables.

It's not a first-timer solution but if the rest of the veneer is fine, the results will look nice.

I plan to do that to a few cabinets late this summer and post it on the DIY thread but the woodshop needs to get set back up first after a 5yr dormancy.

And finding used, empty 4343's is impossible....:o)

I think if you search for some of Rick Riessen's threads (saeman) on cabinet construction, he shows that technique of routing out the corner of the cabinet and applying new square stock, then sanding it all in and reveneering. If you don't need to preserve the original look, you could also rout over with a half-round and create a hybrid L-300-esque edge.

Bart

[mech986]

Found it, check out Rick's photos and descriptions for edge repair if it gets to this.

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=21498

[pioneer]

The first phase of the refurbished 4343 cabinets are done. The seams were a challenge (see pictures from the first post), time will tell if this is a long term fix or whether I will have to take other action but I only oiled the walnut so that any other work they may need will be easier to blend. Although not perfect they are very presentable to the point that I brought them into the living room.
They sound great the addition of the 2121 that the L300's do not have really makes a huge difference.
Next up is making a set of grills and locating another set of lens the ones I am using I borrowed from my L300's.

[richluvsound]

Hi Pioneer,

they look wonderful. BTW , a pm to saeman may very well secure you a pair of top class replica lens.

Rich

[pioneer]

Hi Pioneer,

they look wonderful. BTW , a pm to saeman may very well secure you a pair of top class replica lens.

Rich

Thanks Rich
I will contact Saeman and check out what he has
Gary