mace Posted April 29, 2002 Share Posted April 29, 2002 HDBR -- Thanks a bunch for the reply. It is neat to have someone on this board who was so close to the action. I've uploaded a new picture which also shows the back inside of the back panel where the squawker was touching...it looks like something ate away at the insulation. Also, i added a picture of the label on where it is filled out... did you know the folks who did the testing?? Were they folks who were reassigned to keep up with the high build rate?? Just curious... How many cornwalls were built during 77? I take it that the last 3 digits of the serial number is the sequence of speaker built in 1977. Mine are 849 and 850. The only letters I could see on the back of the cabinet were "BB" (besides the USA stamp). This was on the right side of the top rim (as you face the back). One more question.... it seems that the back panel doesn't fit snug all the way around. Specifically, there is a 1/8" or so gap on the right side and the left side fits with no gap. It is this way on both speakers. Is this normal? Thanks for all the help and insight!! Mace This message has been edited by mace on 04-29-2002 at 10:00 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted April 29, 2002 Author Share Posted April 29, 2002 Mace, As for the year of manufacture which is determined in the serial number sequence, since I don't have that data, I can't tell you, neither can I tell you how many were built for that particular yeazr, but others on this forum can. The "BB" was the code in 1977 for Ronnie Barhams and I, so we built that cabinet. Prior to 1977, "BB" was for Roy Byers and Ronnie...Roy moved up to build Belles when I started building. Gwin Cox was probably the best person final assembly ever had. She did your speaker. Mr. Bradford was the ONLY tester...he left everyday at the same time, but if there were alot of speakers left to test, then he came in earlier in the morning to catch back up before the rest of us got there. Each and every speaker was tested in his insulated booth!!!...if it didn't pass the test, the driver with the problem was replaced by its final assembler, then the speaker was re-tested! Even during a rush, ONLY the designated FINAL ASSEMBLY PERSONNEL installed the horns, drivers, networks, wiring, and hooked the wires to the terminal on the speaker back...the helper would be hauling pallets of backs over, putting on the labels, mounting the terminal on the backs, and after the final assembler finished with their job, the helper would screw the back onto the speaker. As for the clearance you mentioned about the back, the backs were cut about 1/8" under dimension to ensure they would easily fit into the opening. Those back panels often had a bow to them. A cornwall took a large panel. If there was a bow to the panel, it was determined in the paint room and the concave side of the bow was painted black for the back. When the back was installed in the speaker, one top corner was pulled tight up to the speaker inside corner, then screwed with one screw at top corner and side corner there...then screws were installed down that side pulling the bow down out of the panel...then across the top, then down other side and across the bottom...this ensured the speaker cabinet remained square at the rear...standard procedure. As for your loose bit of insulation stuck to your midrange horn driver...those drivers came with the Klipsch label already glued onto the back with contact adhesive...this adhesive can remain sticky for years...and sometimes some of it extended beyond the edges of the label...I think a mouse got into your speaker after it was sold, through the ports in front, and began stealing insulation out of it for its nest...and when it tore the insulation, a piece of it stuck to the driver. I hope this answers your questions. ------------------ If you want to send a private message, or have already done so, be aware I have not as yet been able to retrieve them. Send e-maill instead, please...just note Klipsch forum in the heading so it doesn't get deleted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted May 1, 2002 Share Posted May 1, 2002 HDBR-- Way cool that you built my speaker cabinets! This bulliten board is pretty neat for the amount of inside information you can get. Thanks a lot for taking the time to correspond and pass on your insights and knowledge! Last night I popped open my other speaker cabinet, the one Gwin failed to sign off on and lo and behold.. what did I see.. The same darn mice must've needed some more nesting material!! They chewed off some of the padding, exactly around the squawker making a very similar pattern! They even took the time to stick a tiny piece of liner to the back of the squawker, the little devils. I also noticed something similar to both speakers in that the upper right corner screw (on the side of the back board)was pulled in such that the wood was crushed a bit. I suppose this had to do with it being the first screw tightened to pull the back board flush. Anyway, after taking a good look at these on the inside it is amazing how good they look, especially after 25 years!! They are almost pristine. The solid construction and craftsmanship was truly something to be proud of. I also noticed that the woofer and squawker had red dots...I assume this is an indiation they passed test. However, I did not see such a dot on the tweeter. Thanks again for sharing your experience and insights!! Mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted May 1, 2002 Author Share Posted May 1, 2002 Mace, If I remember correctly, those red dots on the midrange horn driver are to tell where the threads on em start so that when the final assembler goes to screw em into the horn lens after mounting it inside the cabinet, they have an alignment point so they don't accidentally strip out the threads on the softer aluminum alloy horn lens. The tweeters were already fully assembled , so they dont have that mark on em. ------------------ If you want to send a private message, or have already done so, be aware I have not as yet been able to retrieve them. Send e-maill instead, please...just note Klipsch forum in the heading so it doesn't get deleted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Excellent to read about the plywood vs MDF debate again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlton Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Great stories. Thanks for bumping it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I started reading this thread, but the stories were so interesting, I decided I had to finish reading them with a cup of coffee in hand while munching on a sweet biscuit. Those comments about mdf are very interesting. We have all read the pros and cons of mdf v ply etc. Obviously it's not without good reason Klipsch have stuck with birch ply for critical parts of their cabinets. I had a pair of bookshelf speakers a couple years ago and one was knocked off it's stand to drop about a yard onto a carpeted floor. The cabinet disintegrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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