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La scala- BOX-what to do?


DrJRowden

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I have recently inherited 4 La scalas. They came from a bar, they are not matching. They are too beat up to put a veneer on. I had an expert cabinet carpenter look at them, and he want to put an external box on them. Leave the existing box, but do an oak case on the outside. What do you audiophiles think about this? Will this affect the original sound?

thanks for the help

Dr.J

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Some of the rebuild threads found here use simple auto bondo. You are really just trying to fill voids for a veneer to adhere to and to reshape crisp edges so that if you do re-veneer, you've got the right shape without waves and gaps.

I wouldn't be afraid of veneer if you can get the right stuff and adhere it the right way. Your cabinet pro might have ideas about fixing the substrate before applying veneer.

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If the cabinets are solid but beat up, yes, smooth them out and put on veneer, or do a black paint job on them. A layer of 1/4 inch on the outside would tighten them up and they would resonate less, generally a good thing. The newest models are 1 inch mdf, so you would be moving closer to the way they are now.

Bruce

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I saw where someone got some 1/2" birch plywood (you could use 1/4"), and attached it to the outside left, top, and right side of the exterior on the cabinets. Then they made a grill for the front and they looked like brand new speakers! The side benefit was that adding 1/2" plywood to the exterior stiffened up the cabinet more, not to mention it was pretty cheap to do.

Edited by ellisr63
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If the cabinets are solid but beat up, yes, smooth them out and put on veneer, or do a black paint job on them. A layer of 1/4 inch on the outside would tighten them up and they would resonate less, generally a good thing. The newest models are 1 inch mdf, so you would be moving closer to the way they are now.

Bruce

My $500 pair had bondo spots all over them... I sanded the bondo flat and then painted them black for the time being till they are behind a AT screen.

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My 1976 cabinets resonated pretty bad. I sealed them up and braced the sides which made a big difference. As much as braces improved the sound I'd rather not change anything on the inside and I'd like to remove them. My plan is to eventually add a layer of 1/4" or 1/2" ply to the sides and top then veneer them. I'm looking for the article I read that spoke about what to use between the old and new layer of plywood. I just remember that it wasn't wood glue and I'll add a link here if and when I find it.

The easiest path would be Bondo, braces and paint. Bondo for wood is pretty easy to use as is painting them.

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Bondo is an epoxy and will stick to most anything, do not use wood filler as it will not adhere nearly as well.

Wood filler is great for filling countersunk nailholes and other small surface imperfections but not for repairing corners or larger areas or panels that may resonate.

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I like the epoxy filler from Rot Doctor. It is expensive but works great! I also really liked the epoxy systems from System Three. Their "Sculpwood" can replace just about any amount of damaged or rotted wood. It didn't have the shelf life I hoped though. It sands easily but cures hard and makes nice sharp edges. If you ever come across speakers that have some dry rot or sat in a damp basement and have some damage look at the Rot Fix stuff from System Three. The speakers you save may be your own!

With any of this stuff be sure to read all the instructions.

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I have been doing wood working for 30 years and tried alot of diffrent wood fillers and putty's. But the one I have found to be the best is Durham's Water Putty. (http://waterputty.com/)

Can't beat the price and it is pretty easy to work with. Usually wouldn't be an issue with speakers but don't use where exposed to any moisture... that stuff pops out.

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I have recently inherited 4 La scalas. They came from a bar, they are not matching. They are too beat up to put a veneer on. I had an expert cabinet carpenter look at them, and he want to put an external box on them. Leave the existing box, but do an oak case on the outside. What do you audiophiles think about this? Will this affect the original sound?

thanks for the help

Dr.J

I'd personally wrap it in 3/4" plywood. Make it look pretty. Doing that will strengthen the sidewalls and lower their resonating issues.

I'd also ditch the two horns in lieu of the K510 and make it a 2-way like this:

post-12967-0-79820000-1386368508_thumb.j

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I have recently inherited 4 La scalas. They came from a bar, they are not matching. They are too beat up to put a veneer on. I had an expert cabinet carpenter look at them, and he want to put an external box on them. Leave the existing box, but do an oak case on the outside. What do you audiophiles think about this? Will this affect the original sound?

thanks for the help

Dr.J

I did woodworking AND laminet work as a proffesion, NOT as a hobbie. Take a screw driver or a pick and gouge out any loose veneer and use Bondo, not wood putty! This is if you are going to be using a veneer! You can have the cabinets wide belted at a professional woodworking shop and veneer them fomm there. No need for further sanding until the veneer is on....

Roger

Edited by twistedcrankcammer
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I have been doing wood working for 30 years and tried alot of diffrent wood fillers and putty's. But the one I have found to be the best is Durham's Water Putty. (http://waterputty.com/)

Can't beat the price and it is pretty easy to work with. Usually wouldn't be an issue with speakers but don't use where exposed to any moisture... that stuff pops out.

You are right when exposed to moisture for a extended period it will pop out. But you should not expose wood to moisture any way.

I just find when using Bondo it will not expand and retract with the wood when the temperature changes and will come loose.

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I like the idea of the exterior wrapping with wood myself. The case stiffening for bass resonance, the heavier speaker also helps with acoustics. The exterior is fresh and new looking. I bet it would look fantastic using oak, but that would be pretty costly. The 9mm Baltic Birch idea would be less costly and work well, IMO.

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I have recently inherited 4 La scalas. They came from a bar, they are not matching. They are too beat up to put a veneer on. I had an expert cabinet carpenter look at them, and he want to put an external box on them. Leave the existing box, but do an oak case on the outside. What do you audiophiles think about this? Will this affect the original sound?

thanks for the help

Dr.J

I'd personally wrap it in 3/4" plywood. Make it look pretty. Doing that will strengthen the sidewalls and lower their resonating issues.

I'd also ditch the two horns in lieu of the K510 and make it a 2-way like this:

hey coyote, what driver is on that 510, is it a k69a?? also what is the crossover freqnecy between that la scala Bin and the 510?

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Bondo sticks to wood better than it sticks to anything else. This is from over 15 years of working with it every day. As long as it's clean and dry it sticks. I myself have 4 la Scala industrials that look like they were drug behind a truck. I plan on taking the box around the box approach this next year when I redo them. Only plan on covering top bottom and sides and leaving the original back and front exposed.

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