Vintage Console Cabinet with JBL D123 Speakers Cabinets - Help with Identification

[free_roller]

I recently acquired this stereo console cabinet and matching speaker set. I am having trouble identifying the make. There are no identifying labels or marks on the cabinets. I do know that it was purchased in late 1962 or early 1963 and that the speakers contained in the cabinets are JBL D123 16 ohm. The speaker cabinets are similar in size to what a C36 would be. The only original console component left in it is a Garrard Type A II turntable. Any help with identification would be appreciated.


8801288013

[BMWCCA]

They appear to be quite a bit smaller than a C36 which was designed to fit up to a 15-inch woofer. I doubt the cabinets have anything to do with JBL but I have no clue as to what company made them.

Nice piece though.

Welcome!

[free_roller]

They appear to be quite a bit smaller than a C36 which was designed to fit up to a 15-inch woofer. I doubt the cabinets have anything to do with JBL but I have no clue as to what company made them.

Nice piece though.

Welcome!


Thank you. Inside the console was an original 1962 JBL catalog. The back of the catalog has a stamp on it that says Pecar Electronics in Detroit, MI. The C36 cabinet was the closest to spec but not exact. From all the images I have looked at online it doesn't quite seem to be an exact match. I don't know what brands Pecar used to sell but maybe a fellow Michigander will more familiar with this store and what lines they used to sell.

[speakerdave]

The empty spaces in the cabinet is where the collectible/saleable components were. If you got in for less than $200 or so, you did OK for a pair of D123.

In the fifties to mid sixties, factory console stereos were common, but they were mostly low- and mid-fi: Motorola, Jensen at the high end; every large department store or chain had their house brand at the low end, like Sears' Silvertone. At least two serious hi-fi companies that I know of, Fisher and Ampex, also made them. But nice cabinets enclosing all those messy jumbles of difficult to dust high fidelity components were high WAF, so good quality components were often cased in custom or near custom cabinets, often from local makers. It was even common in those days, as you can see from the catalogs in the Heritage Library, to buy speaker drivers raw and source enclosures separately. Manufacturers of complete speaker systems--JBL and Bozak, for example--sometimes made equipment cabinets to match some of their speakers. I had a factory cabinet matching a pair of Bozak Urban 302's--well-made, nice clean lines--at one point during my garage sale days in the '70's. Even then no-name cabinets could be a leftover headache for someone selling off an estate, and much more so now. But also, there were plenty of custom consoles with fabulous systems in them, so they are worth looking into. I bought a Marantz 7c and Thorens TD124 with wooden Grado arm and Ortofon cartridge out of one. The residual components tell the story of the ones that went away before you got there. That turntable and those extended range speakers suggest some moderately good tube hi-fi components, which today many people would think worth having, but I don't think you missed any great treasures.

I do hope you have a vacant wall where your new console stereo will please the rest of the household.

[SEAWOLF97]

Ran across a gutted Barzilay stereo cabinet in a CL ad .

Thought that they were a thing of the past , although still attractive.

https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=barzilay+stereo+cabinets&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib9_3bgZDuAhWkIDQIHUSxDiAQjJkEegQIAhAB&biw=1280&bih=620

was amazed at the going (or at least "asked") prices. AFAIR, they were the best of that
genre. :dont-know:

you may want to browse the models and see if any are close ?

[rusty jefferson]

I don't see any holes from compression driver mounting. Many cabinets from the late 50s early 60s were loaded with coax speakers. University and Altec for example, but people could load what they wanted. Basically an empty box. May have originally had coax.

Great looking cabinet. A member here rebuilt a similar cabinet a couple years ago with modern speakers behind the grilles and modern electronics and sources inside. Turned out really nice.

[SEAWOLF97]

My Livingroom has both the 250ti's & Walsh's . The amps & components had a low WAF.

Not looking for one, but ran across this 6 footer. I like oak and it had lots of oak solids and tambour doors. It was the right size/price and it solved a problem.

It's out of the way and serves it's function well.

[Riley Casey]

Waf ?


my livingroom has both the 250ti's & walsh's . The amps & components had a low waf.

Not looking for one, but ran across this 6 footer. I like oak and it had lots of oak solids and tambour doors. It was the right size/price and it solved a problem.

It's out of the way and serves it's function well.

[SEAWOLF97]

Waf ?

Wife Acceptance Factor

[donsof]

Hi,
The others chiming in on the C36 question are correct. I have studied the C-36 and C-38 lineup in great detail, and they were a solid design that only varied in construction and small details from 1949-1970, when they were dropped from the JBL catalog, and replaced with the L-200 and L-300.
The number one trademark of the C36 is the box size, which is also the same for the lowboy C38. That and the front frame with recessed grille. I have owned 8 sets of them, and currently 2 in use in my house.

I have handled some great looking mid century consoles, but my knock on making one a real hifi setup, is the weight of the unit once two proper sealed speaker boxes are in place. Yours would likely be better as the speakers appear separate, and modular. I had a console last year I was going to fit with a 4313 setup, but tossed the thing out the door for cost, once I figured how much it would weigh when finished. Engineering wise, one would probably be better fitting the speaker ends with an actual modern speaker that fits inside the MCM original cabinet. Just hide a good speaker inside behind the grille. Most of those consoles were masonite backed non sealed and non bass reflex design.

Can anyone chime in on my 4313 question on the tech help forum?
Its about crossover design for a 4313, and maybe that forum page gets less traffic?

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?39642-JBL-4313-vs-4313B-crossover-differences&p=434259#post434259

[lodoc]

Can't help you with the cabinet, but...

IIRC Pecar Electronics started as a radio repair shop right after WW II on Detroit's far East side - Moross near the Grosse Pointe border. Still around but moved to Troy. They were THE PLACE TO GO to see and buy high end audio in the day if you were from this area. As a teenager I'd go down there and drool at all the things I couldn't afford. Did prompt me to buy my first set of L-100's when had a little cash though

[Goggle1824]

Beautiful cabinet though, HiFi or no, looks very well done and well worth a continued existence in the world. :applaud: