Jim Lansing JBL 001 speakers custom made rosewood

[Moediggz]

What exactly did I find here? I got this crazy capehart console that was gutted and rebuilt in 1959. It has a pair of really amazing rosewood jbl speakers. I cant find much information on them or anything quite like them. Should I keep them? Would they be something a collector would go crazy for? Any input or advice would be appreciated. The capehart console has some water damage on the veneer apparently the cabinet got wet from a fire. The speakers were untouched and are in pristine condition.

A youtube video I made of the jbl can be seen here https://youtu.be/BEfKa3mWvAY

[speakerdave]

Nice find.

Look at the 1957 JBL catologue in the Library and you'll see what the 001 system is.

The cabinets were custom made, as was often done in those days. They have no collector value, but perhaps some utility value if someone likes them. I like some things about them, but I think that was the wrong stain, or perhaps the varnish has darkened a lot with age.

Did you get the McIntosh amps too?

Your turntable has a lot of wow.

I think I would have liked Miss Anna O'Brien had I met her.

[Mr. Widget]

Thank you for sharing... these were certainly someone's pride and joy back in the day and it is always interesting to see.

I'm assuming you have little interest in these yourself. That also seems to be the case with the majority of folks out there. That said, there are people who dig this old stuff, but collecting is a pretty personal thing. One man's treasure is another's landfill.

If the JBL components are as pristine as the documents then they will have value, but not as much as some other JBLs of the same era. The cabinets will likely be hard to give away, but then if the right person sees them... who knows.


Widget

[Earl K]

Pretty interesting.

I would suggest that you include video-links to your other finds.

( I thought that some of them showed-off the speakers a little better ).

:)

[mech986]

Agree with the above, also interested in whether you also found the McIntosh amps that were in the system and the invoice. Probably would be MC30, MC60's, MC240 or MC275's. Plus if there were any extra tubes included for all the components.

[audiomagnate]

...Your turntable has a lot of wow...

I think you meant "wow factor."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KPCF0Ziw7s

[Moediggz]

I am going to part out the console if you have any interest in the table feel free to let me know. Im not technically inclined enough to restore it.


I think you meant "wow factor."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KPCF0Ziw7s

[Moediggz]

The capehart cabinet got water damaged due to a fire and has some rippling veneer so its getting parted. The cabinets were untouched and are mint. The jbl drivers are in pristine excellent working condition. Tbe cabinets are brazilian rosewood and the craftsmanship is the likes of which ive never seen before and better than any jbl cabinet I have ever come across. I posted them on my facebook as well and everyone is after them for the cabinets. They were a frigging fortune to build based on the receipts and building ones like it would be unbelievable expensive today (Brazilian rosewood is also banned now. Sure you can get rosewood but its still expensive and inferior in my opinion).I sold the mcintosh mc30 already since I have a marantz model 8 and they needed to be restored. My friend is restoring the pilot sp215. As far as the cabinets having bad stain. Thats far from the case. The cabinets are like museum worthy. It may look dark because the room I have them in is pooly lit. Ive attached some more pictures and a video of the Jim Lansing's can be seen here https://youtu.be/BEfKa3mWvAY i hooked them up to some of my nicer stuff and they have been really blowing me away.


Agree with the above, also interested in whether you also found the McIntosh amps that were in the system and the invoice. Probably would be MC30, MC60's, MC240 or MC275's. Plus if there were any extra tubes included for all the components.

[Moediggz]

Yeah its a Shame mrs Anna kicked the bucket. She must have been a really classy wealthy broad to be dumping that kinda money into a console. Looks like total she spent close to 5grand on everything in 1959 which is equivalent to like $40k+ in todays money. Anyone in the dc area is welcome to come see and hear them. The pictures really dont do the system justice.


Nice find.

Look at the 1957 JBL catologue in the Library and you'll see what the 001 system is.

The cabinets were custom made, as was often done in those days. They have no collector value, but perhaps some utility value if someone likes them. I like some things about them, but I think that was the wrong stain, or perhaps the varnish has darkened a lot with age.

Did you get the McIntosh amps too?

Your turntable has a lot of wow.

I think I would have liked Miss Anna O'Brien had I met her.

[speakerdave]

. . . . As far as the cabinets having bad stain. Thats far from the case. The cabinets are like museum worthy. It may look dark because the room I have them in is poorly lit . . . .

My mistake. What actually happened was your auto exposure camera reading the white walls as the average tone and underexposing the scene. Thanks for the additional photos.

[Earl K]

After watching all your videos I assumed you'd already be aware of ( or quickly acquire ) the value of actual Brazilian RoseWood ( even if simply a veneer ).

I'm thinking the wood ( if you have any solid pieces there large enough for a "dreadnought" guitar back ) will bring you as much money ( to the right wood-worker/luthier ) as the 001 components.

Just my 2 cents.

:)

PS; However it works out, it would be nice to know what transpires with those cabinets/wood .

[mech986]

Glad to hear of your progress. The Marantz 8 should be a nice complement and is even period correct. Moving the MC30s was probably very expedient.

that Pilot is something I've not seen before. Looks like it could look pretty contemporary with jus a set of new and matching machined knobs.

[JeffW]

Edit - looks like they are sold, so no advice needed.

[Moediggz]

The speakers are not sold. I have the entire setup minus the mc30 mono blocks. I am trying to figure out what to keep and what to part with and figure out what exactly I have. Thanks for all the input guys.


Edit - looks like they are sold, so no advice needed.

[JeffW]

Your ad says sold.
http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649308473-stunning-jim-lansing-jbl001-speakers-custom-made-rosewood-circa-1959/

[BMWCCA]

$4,000? Somebody got ripped-off back in 1958!

[speakerdave]

$4,000? Somebody got ripped-off back in 1958!


My upbringing included an admonishment against speaking ill of the dead. Maybe yours didn't. Saying or implying Miss O'Brien was foolish in her purchase would come under that heading. At the very least it's a tasteless and pointless observation not supported by the information available. Maybe she did not mind spreading some of her wealth among the working classes and so was willing to pay top retail which she certainly did. Maybe she was one of those people who wanted it they way they wanted and was willing to pay for that. There are people like that, you know. You've probably met some in your auto business, and I'd be willing to bet you made the most of it. And why not? That's just the nature of the carriage trade.

[BMWCCA]

My upbringing included an admonishment against speaking ill of the dead. Maybe yours didn't. Saying or implying Miss O'Brien was foolish in her purchase would come under that heading. At the very least it's a tasteless and pointless observation not supported by the information available. Maybe she did not mind spreading some of her wealth among the working classes and so was willing to pay top retail which she certainly did. Maybe she was one of those people who wanted it they way they wanted and was willing to pay for that. There are people like that, you know. You've probably met some in your auto business, and I'd be willing to bet you made the most of it. And why not? That's just the nature of the carriage trade.

She paid the retail rate for the JBL components and, I'm assuming, the other components, but the price for the custom cabinets seems way over-the-top for the period. No ill will meant by the comment, just that you could have purchased an entire Stickley living room set for less than the custom cabinets in the '50s. Or maybe supported an entire African nation for years on that back then. I suspect the custom work was something incredibly beautiful for the period. The Hartsfields were only $885 each back then, including drivers. The Paragon was $1884. An empty C37 in Premium finish was only $123. I'd have preferred the Alvin Lustig design, even then, but different strokes for different folks!
;)

[speakerdave]

She paid the retail rate for the JBL components and, I'm assuming, the other components, but the price for the custom cabinets seems way over-the-top for the period. No ill will meant by the comment, just that you could have purchased an entire Stickley living room set for less than the custom cabinets in the '50s. Or maybe supported an entire African nation for years on that back then. I suspect the custom work was something incredibly beautiful for the period. The Hartsfields were only $885 each back then, including drivers. The Paragon was $1884. An empty C37 in Premium finish was only $123. I'd have preferred the Alvin Lustig design, even then, but different strokes for different folks!
;)

My choices probably would have been much the same as yours.

[Moediggz]

Well put Dave. She was a classy lady who enjoyed her wealth. Based on his comment he is either jealous or very very dim witted.
My upbringing included an admonishment against speaking ill of the dead. Maybe yours didn't. Saying or implying Miss O'Brien was foolish in her purchase would come under that heading. At the very least it's a tasteless and pointless observation not supported by the information available. Maybe she did not mind spreading some of her wealth among the working classes and so was willing to pay top retail which she certainly did. Maybe she was one of those people who wanted it they way they wanted and was willing to pay for that. There are people like that, you know. You've probably met some in your auto business, and I'd be willing to bet you made the most of it. And why not? That's just the nature of the carriage trade.

[Moediggz]

I assumed the cabinets were veneer but they arent its solid rosewood except for the backs.


After watching all your videos I assumed you'd already be aware of ( or quickly acquire ) the value of actual Brazilian RoseWood ( even if simply a veneer ).

I'm thinking the wood ( if you have any solid pieces there large enough for a "dreadnought" guitar back ) will bring you as much money ( to the right wood-worker/luthier ) as the 001 components.

Just my 2 cents.

:)

PS; However it works out, it would be nice to know what transpires with those cabinets/wood .

[BMWCCA]

Well put Dave. She was a classy lady who enjoyed her wealth. Based on his comment he is either jealous or very very dim witted.

Nice of you to ask, but I am neither. Seems a bit hypocritical to lambast me over my comments on a dead person's sound system and then use such terms to describe a live person and fellow forum member. Sheesh. Oh that's right, you only came here to sell something. I thought we might have a social synergy.

Ever thought my post might be defending a female audio purchaser in the 50's being taken advantage of by a contractor?
:cheers:

My point was, and is, if the "installation" bill at $2200 was for the empty cabinets, then in an era where the Paragon was only $1884 loaded, she paid a lot of money for those cabinets. Again, loaded Hartsfields were only $1870/pair at that time. Some things you do for love, not money, and hopefully these brought her the enjoyment she desired, regardless of price. Suggesting she got "ripped off" does nothing to disparage the owner. If you want bad examples of decorum, watch some campaign ads!

Solid wood may make them more desirable as furniture but it's certainly debatable whether or not is a a good choice, sonically.

Has the market decided the value of your find yet, or is everyone too jealous or stupid to bid on your item?

[svollmer]

As an aside, if that system was $1,442 in 1958, it would cost $12,046 today. Not super expensive by high-end standards today, but could you imagine telling one of your friends they need to spend even $1,000 for a good pair of speakers? Most of them would look at you like you were nuts.

http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

[Moediggz]

I get what you were saying :) I took down my sale ads so I dont really have any answers yet as far as value. the sides are solid rosewood but the larger backs are not and the fronts are not I think. I took more pictures ill post. The serial umbers are close and seem low (lower than any others I can find online)

Nice of you to ask, but I am neither. Seems a bit hypocritical to lambast me over my comments on a dead person's sound system and then use such terms to describe a live person and fellow forum member. Sheesh. Oh that's right, you only came here to sell something. I thought we might have a social synergy.

Ever thought my post might be defending a female audio purchaser in the 50's being taken advantage of by a contractor?
:cheers:

My point was, and is, if the "installation" bill at $2200 was for the empty cabinets, then in an era where the Paragon was only $1884 loaded, she paid a lot of money for those cabinets. Again, loaded Hartsfields were only $1870/pair at that time. Some things you do for love, not money, and hopefully these brought her the enjoyment she desired, regardless of price. Suggesting she got "ripped off" does nothing to disparage the owner. If you want bad examples of decorum, watch some campaign ads!

Solid wood may make them more desirable as furniture but it's certainly debatable whether or not is a a good choice, sonically.

Has the market decided the value of your find yet, or is everyone too jealous or stupid to bid on your item?

[Moediggz]

More pics
I get what you were saying :) I took down my sale ads so I dont really have any answers yet as far as value. the sides are solid rosewood but the larger backs are not and the fronts are not I think. I took more pictures ill post. The serial umbers are close and seem low (lower than any others I can find online)

[grumpy]

Bottom line thought: if you can get more than $1000 for the speaker pair (assuming, for the buyer's sake, the condition of the woofer surround and midrange diaphragm are all good)
there should be no big losers in such a transaction. Would be good to do your own piece-parts ebay actual-sale research to verify or contradict my opinion. If I had a nice pair of C34
cabinets to drop the components in, I might be interested (alas, I do not). Fun find. Hope the parts are functional beyond looking nice. Good luck with your sale and investigations.

[rusty jefferson]

One of the nice things about having plenty of money is getting exactly what you want. As long as what people want isn't controversial, and supports the craft trades it's okay with me.

I have a customer of my business who asked me advice about an audio system for his home because he knew I had an interest in audio. Not wanting to jeopardize our relationship in the event he wasn't happy with my suggestions, I put him in touch with someone who worked out a design with him and implemented a custom 4 way speaker system built into existing custom cabinetry in his living room. It cost him much more than an M2 or Everest speaker system, doesn't sound AS good, but does sound good, and he got exactly what he wanted, custom. The market value of that system is basically the value of the parts, however. Only valuable to the person who had it made.

It's very hard to tell from the photographs, but it appears to me the front baffles are Rosewood veneer, but the sides, tops, skirts and legs look more like Mahogany. Cool system though, and the "provenance" someone was looking for in another thread. It would be nice to keep it together.

[Moediggz]

Are the serial numbers of my components low or significant n any way? They are:
N1200 Crossovers 4746 4423
15" D130 woofers 14869 13357
175 horns 6918 6726
Thanks for the input grumpy. like I mentioned I took my sale ad down until I figure more out about exactly what I have and decide for sure I definitely wont always regret letting them go. The drivers and cabinets are in really immaculate condition. I did get a lot of interest in them but it was a real mixed bag. Some people just wanted the cabinets, others just the components, and then there was the people who loved them like they were. Personally I think it would be a travesty to seperate the speakers from the cabinets. I get the original jbl cabinet collectability thing but at least from a looks and quality standpoint think my cabinets are far superior to other cabinets I have seen that use the Jim Lansing 001 components. I wish I could find some more information bout the company who built the speakers and sold her the components. The invoice says thier name was 'Authorized Manufacturers Service co. 919 wykoff ave brooklyn new york'

Bottom line thought: if you can get more than $1000 for the speaker pair (assuming, for the buyer's sake, the condition of the woofer surround and midrange diaphragm are all good)
there should be no big losers in such a transaction. Would be good to do your own piece-parts ebay actual-sale research to verify or contradict my opinion. If I had a nice pair of C34
cabinets to drop the components in, I might be interested (alas, I do not). Fun find. Hope the parts are functional beyond looking nice. Good luck with your sale and investigations.

[Earl K]

Do yourself a ( life-style ) favour and research Cadmium Bloom ( or Cadmium Dust or Cadmium Oxide ).

If those were mine, I'd be wearing a respirator around those exposed speakers ( transducers ).

While I don't know that the top-plates ( of the HF & Woofer drivers ) have this particular sort of metal corrosion ( & it may just be Yellow Zinc Plating corrosion ), one can't be too careful.

Cadmium ( oxide ) Dust is an ( air-borne ) carcinogen .

Here are some links to get you started ( so you can begin to figure out what you have on hand ).

Cadmium Poisoning (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmium_poisoning)
Cad-Bloom (http://www.libertypackaging.com/blog/topic/cad-bloom)
White Spots on Cadmium Plating (http://www.finishing.com/176/12.shtml)
More Cadmium Bloom (https://halfmastpsmag.wordpress.com/2015/07/07/lose-the-crate-keep-pdise-great/)
Corrosion of Metals by Wood ( pdf ) (http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/corrosion_of_metals_by_wood.pdf)

:)