Bum Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I have a true Klipsch junky dilema. In the past year I picked up two pairs of La Scala's, one being the Pro series, the other standard La Scala's, both 83 in vintage. They both have new Crites crossovers and sound great. I am not sure exactly why, but I actually prefer the sound of the Pro pair. My dilema is the WAF, the standard pair is the "pretty" pair that is approved for the main living room. They were originally birch but a previous owner did some type of black satin finish veneer that looks real nice. The pro's are banished to an upstairs game room due to their condition and I am considering a rehab on the them in an attempt to meet the WAF and bring them out for prime time. They are the model with the side carry handles, originally they had the access panel behind the horn, the metal trim and textured black finish. A previous owner removed the metal trim, lost the access panel and then repainted them with over the counter texture paint. The result leaves a lot to be desired, the repaint pretty much went over all of the dings and and scrapes without any fill work. Add that bottoms are pretty beat up, a previous owner added 4 large pipe threaded adapters and the wood is pretty beat up as well. (But they sound great anyway) I know I can sand off the paint, but not sure what I will find underneath if I do. Appreciate any ideas. Has anyone ever seen a pro set sanded and filled smooth enough for a smooth satin paint finish, or is veneer my only hope to get them past the WAF? I remember someone on the forum saying that friends dont let friends paint their speakers, but be gentle, this pair came that way. Also wondered if anyone has found or made replacement metal trim if I go back to a stock pro restoration. Thanks, Bum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Bum, Forget about the trim, unless you dont care that it isn't orriginal trim. Whether you repaint them or reveneer them, the fix is the same. Take a strong knife or a screw driver and remove any loose stuff arround the gouges. Fill the holes with car Bondo and sand smooth. Veneer is always the prefered wife acceptance factor, but if you descide to repaint, you could remove all the guts and have a car painter spray them the candy color of you or your wifes choice. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 You could put K-43 woofers in the "pretty" pair and they will sound the same as the pro pair. Or, just swap woofers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearfreak Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I am not sure exactly why, but I actually prefer the sound of the Pro pair. - as mentioned, K33 vs K43 -if they have only ever lived in thier current spots, then the room may be the factor? - I have been told that the pro/indistrial versions were stouter and better braced (perhaps as a result of the trim) than the consumer versions. In my case, the discussion was per LSI splits, but the comment was not directed specifically at splits afair. Also wondered if anyone has found or made replacement metal trim if I go back to a stock pro restoration. Last I contacted Klipsch about it, they could not provide the angled (steel) pieces for my split's trapezoids, but I believe there are many suggestions out there for the aluminum trim. This shows DizRotus' pair which were rehabbed fora band room. I believe he discusses the trimpieces, if not on this thread, perhaps the other(s) detailling the rebuild. http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/119416/1204679.aspx#1204679 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bum Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 Thanks for the good advice guys. Not sure what I will do with the pro set, if I leave them in the game room/man cave I dont have to worry much about the way that they look. Trouble is its a hike upstairs to get to the man cave. (Maybe a beer fridge in the man cave would fix the problem too, might not come out once I go in. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj01 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I have a birch pair that spent most of their life in a bar (the Grizzly Rose or something). Spend most of Labor day weekend sanding, filling gaps and re-gluing plywood tear out. I could send you a couple of photos if you want to see what the black looks like. I think that they came out pretty nice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bum Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 aj, I would love to see the finished product, please send or post photos. My pro La Scala cabinet rehab is slated for a summer project now but still not sure what to do for the final finish. I can wait that long after making a mod of sorts to my already "pretty" pair of downstairs "LSBL" La Scalas this week. I replaced the stock 1983 tweeters with the Crites replacement tweeters, what a difference that made. Thru to separate Audiogon transactions, I also added a Rotel RB-1080 200 watt amp and Rotel RC-1070 preamp to that pair, I think I have finally found my new favorite set up. It sounds mighty sweet. Unfortunately, the wife (who still says that I suffer from an stereo equipment disorder) says stay off of Audiogon for a while. I will have to browse late at night from now on. Bum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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