Originally Posted by
HCSGuy
In this era, you could purchase most JBL Enclosures with several driver loadings, depending on your budget, or buy the drivers and use their guide to build your own enclosure. The important thing was that you bought their drivers - hell, wasn't the Hartsfield available with a LE8t?
Regarding the claim that they were built by Jim Lansing in his garage, pure ignorance. As BMWCCA pointed out, Mr. Lansing committed suicide in 1949, before any of the products JBL is famous for came out. It was under his successor, Bill Thomas, that the Hartsfield came out and made the company well known. After the Paragon, then its less expensive siblings, the Metrogon then the Minigons. So by the time your speakers were made, JBL was an established corporation. -sorry.
However, don't go messing with the ones you've got - get the drivers to member Edgewound or post for a good reconer in your area for advice - they may be refoamable, or you may have to haunt Ebay for a clean pair of replacements or recone kits (don't know if they're still available). This speaker is known for being a collectible, not for its sound quality - a pristine pair in teak, with the LE30/LE10A are worth about $2k. Even then, the LE30 is known as one of the worst sounding tweeters JBL made and didn't survive long. Other than bass, the speakers may actually sound better with a restored LE8t.
Post some pictures, let us see what you scored!