And I thought the C40's were too big,,,now Jim Lansing by AMPEX added

[mikezcar]

OK on some of my other threads I have been lamenting on the size of the C40's I bought and WHERE to put them. Today I go to an estate sale, early because the ad says "electronics", to check it out. Well all the electronics (all upstairs) were common place box store stuff BUT they were driving a rather large set of speakers.

Jim Lansing
by AMPEX
Mod 375
Impedance 16 Ohms
SN#s 1078 & 1079

Ampex Loud Speaker Corporation
North Hollywood CA

There is a "filter" in the top of the cabinets that's as big as some of the tuners I own and the horn has to be seen to be believed. Pictures will follow as I can get help to unload them.So now what am I going to do??? I HAD to buy them if no other reason than to stare at them awhile, oh and they sound great.

What have I got??? Other than the buy all tube Sherwood stuff and old, large speakers I see disease.

Mike,,,,,,, STILL too many speakers but culling back to JBL and one other brand I like.

[John W]

Today I go to an estate sale, early because the ad says "electronics", to check it out.

I guess luck favors the prepared. Congratulations, sounds like you found something that could be quite valuable.
Be careful moving it, and make sure you post some pictures.

[John W]

Mike asked me to post some pictures for him.

Wow!

[hjames]

Mike asked me to post some pictures for him.

Wow!

That top image with the wide wood grain area above the grill cloth... gorgeous!
What lovely cabinets .... very fine find!

[Storm]

We are all itching to know...

How much was scarfed up for these?



-Storm.

[Steve Schell]

Score!! Mike, you have just picked up some rather mysterious but quite valuable speakers there, at least in the high dollar value of the components.

375 is the model designation of the high frequency drivers. These blue label "Jim Lansing by Ampex" versions of the JBL 375 were assembled by Ampex in their own facility in North Hollywood. These often bring even more in the resale market than the regular JBL versions. I can't tell from the pictures just what horns they are attached to, but enquiring minds want to know.

The woofers appear to be 150-4 (32 ohm) or 150-4C (16 ohm). They have the cut corner JBL labels, so they were made at JBL. These woofers are hyper collectible and valuable these days.

The crossover networks were built using the highest quality components in the manner of the best 1930s and 1940s theatre systems. Those are air core inductors and paper in oil bathtub capacitors, expensive then and expensive now.

As to the speakers themselves, I am not aware of any home speakers marketed by Ampex with these components. Hard to tell, but they look to me like someone may have stuffed these hi fi components into a pair of organ tone cabinet enclosures.

If you could provide more pictures then we could probably tell you more about what you have. For now, just be very careful in handling the components. A tear in a woofer cone for example might drop the value of that driver by $500 or more. The red wax seals over the screws in the 375 covers should not be disturbed, as they assure the high dollar collectors that the drivers have not been apart.

[grumpy]

Hard to tell, but they look to me like someone may have stuffed these hi fi components into a pair of organ tone cabinet enclosures.

A family friend had these cabs for their organ, same grilles, open tops (leslies)...
I'm 95% sure . Horns -look- like the large perforated plate lenses... but I'm out of
my league in regard to actually identifying anything beyond the cabs.
...rather amazing find. -grumpy

[scott fitlin]

What a find.

[mikezcar]

There are indeed 4 150-4's at 32 ohms here. I will try to manipulate a mirror around to get horn numbers but looks like WAY too much grief to disassemble them. I can tell you I drug my mightiest Sherwood amp(40 watts per), and a turntable loaded with Cream to them today, I think I cracked the slab,,,,,,, quite pleasing to listen to.

The cabinets are open on top, same material as front grills.

Mike

[scott fitlin]

Tell us more about their sound! The vintage mids, and those 150 woofs.

[John W]

It sure looks like this system split into two separate cabs.

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/plans/t550a.htm

[mikezcar]

Really can't describe it, it's so clear I think I heard someone drop a pen in the studio on one of the albums and swear I heard someone tighten a guitar string. I biased the bass a little, cranked em up and "feel" the bass is the only way to say it.

I don't have any classical music so carried in a Sherwood tube reciever and listened to the symphony awhile. I believe I was there,,,,,,,

The Jethro Tull I put on, the flute had a whole new sound, crisp clean and helped me remember why I'm crazy about Ian Anderson.

Working on my wife now but just went through a rather protracted begging session to keep the C40's, in addition just had to replace my truck and I'm a cash and carry guy (no car payments) so the wallets kinda thin for a working guy. Quite sure they'll have to go but hate the thought of parting them out as they are pretty cool the way they are.

I JUST went by to see if they had any "tube stuff", they didn't, oh well better luck next time,,,,,

I'll try and get the horn numbers.

Mike

[mikezcar]

537-500

[scott fitlin]

Really can't describe it, it's so clear I think I heard someone drop a pen in the studio on one of the albums and swear I heard someone tighten a guitar string. I biased the bass a little, cranked em up and "feel" the bass is the only way to say it.

I don't have any classical music so carried in a Sherwood tube reciever and listened to the symphony awhile. I believe I was there,,,,,,,

The Jethro Tull I put on, the flute had a whole new sound, crisp clean and helped me remember why I'm crazy about Ian Anderson.

Working on my wife now but just went through a rather protracted begging session to keep the C40's, in addition just had to replace my truck and I'm a cash and carry guy (no car payments) so the wallets kinda thin for a working guy. Quite sure they'll have to go but hate the thought of parting them out as they are pretty cool the way they are.

I JUST went by to see if they had any "tube stuff", they didn't, oh well better luck next time,,,,,

I'll try and get the horn numbers.

Mike

I know some of that sound your talking about. Yep, them things are OLD, yep, they have superceded that technology today, yep, power handing and thermal compression are vastly greater and improved these days, NOPE, youll never find nothing else that sound like them.

I get that sound, something like, out of my lenses ( 2395,s ), and that FEEL the bass ( Altec woofers ) in my place. That " Rosin on the Bow " sound it was called.

If your going to sell them, dont listen to them, anymore! That way you wont become hooked on em. Cause if you do keep listening to them, you will never be able to let them go.

Whatever you choose to do, you got a great deal for yourself, you keep em, they work great and please you. You sell em, they bring alot of money. Those xovers with those oil filled caps are even worth $$$$$!

[scott fitlin]

Im thinking you might even want to sell them as whole units, the right collector might be willing to pay big for these.

Maybe put them on ebay using the submit best offer type of sale? That way you could opt to turn down anything below ten grand.