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transporting La Scala


sixsigma

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Hello, I am picking up a pair of vintage La Scala this week and am wondering the best way to transport them. I'll be using a pickup truck and I am thinking of placing them face down on a large blanket. I'd cover the backsides with a tarp. Any issues with them being face down? Would face up be better? I could carry them vertically although I worry about stabilizing them well enough so they wouldn't fall over if I had to brake hard or swerve. 

 

Lots of good information in this community. I hope to contribute after I learn more about the LS. Thanks for the help!

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Congrats on your acquisition! I believe most would advise against placing the speaker face down. Granted it has the least surface area, but if anything should happen, that's the side that will be viewed the most. Face up is probably the best option with a couple pieces of cardboard in between them like meat on a sandwich. Or I would recommend placing them on their sides with the faces together again with cardboard in between.

 

**Make sure to do a thorough cleaning of the truck bed and then lay down a blanket (or something soft) for the speakers to rest on. Don't want any rocks under there to make scratches/indentations. Regardless of position, make sure they're secured from sliding around.

 

Murphy's law: make sure to account for rain protection and if it's a long drive, you probably don't want direct sunlight on them (can sometimes "yellow" certain finishes). Also bring a 3rd skateboard for backup.

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Check the weather before you go.  Trust me on that.....Take as many blankets and old pillows as you can rustle up.  Thick pieces of cardboard too.  You can never have too many.  A single layer of blanket on the truck bed is not going to fully prevent dings.

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I have not hauled Belles nor La Scalas, but I did haul a pair of Cornwalls.  stood them up in the truck bed, I forget whether they were back to back or front to front - but it was one of those two ways.  had sides of speakers toward front & rear of truck, backs & fronts facing to the sides.  covered with blankets, a couple mover's pads, some cardboard and sitting on something to cushion them in the bed.  like DTR20 said above - take everything applicable you have, can find, can scrape up.  my philosophy - if I have room to haul it, better to have it & not need it, than need it & not have it.

 

good luck

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Play it safe and don't worry about weather, rent or borrow a van. A passenger van with seats removed or folded will much more comfortable than an all metal, two seat work van. Did this for Corns, KC-Minneapolis-KC and Belles, KC-Chicago-KC. Much better with greater peace of mind than blankets, tarps, tie downs, etc. 

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Thanks all for the advice. The LS are relatively short and squat, so I may try standing them vertically and wrap them with blankets so there is no contact with each other or anything else. If I do lay them down, it sounds like laying on their back might be best. I'll use tie downs (over blankets and insulation) to secure them regardless of how they are positioned. This is only a 3 hour drive. Weather forecast is clear, so i should be good to go. 

 

I'm excited to get these home safe and sound. I've looked for a decent set of LS within driving range for a little while now, and finally found a pair. I believe I paid a little too much for them, but they are in great shape and are relatively close by, which is worth something. These are from the 70s and have original AA crossovers so I'll probably need to replace the caps. Hopefully that's all they need for rehab! 

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When we moved I wrapped mine with blankets then took that plastic stuff that comes in a roll for packing and wrapped them up with a few layers around the blanket. I would second richie on the Van, they are cheap for local rent and I would much rather have them covered for the journey.

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1 hour ago, sixsigma said:

Thanks all for the advice. The LS are relatively short and squat, so I may try standing them vertically and wrap them with blankets so there is no contact with each other or anything else. If I do lay them down, it sounds like laying on their back might be best. I'll use tie downs (over blankets and insulation) to secure them regardless of how they are positioned. This is only a 3 hour drive. Weather forecast is clear, so i should be good to go. 

 

I'm excited to get these home safe and sound. I've looked for a decent set of LS within driving range for a little while now, and finally found a pair. I believe I paid a little too much for them, but they are in great shape and are relatively close by, which is worth something. These are from the 70s and have original AA crossovers so I'll probably need to replace the caps. Hopefully that's all they need for rehab! 

 

If they are something you have really wanted for a long time then you didn't pay too much. Only if it effects daily life - mortgage payments, food on the table, etc. did you pay too much. At that point, the purchase should never happen.

Otherwise, rent the van.

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If you plan to transport them in a pickup (uncovered), make sure to cover up each horn opening well so that they are relatively air tight.  This will prevent wind from blowing into them and potentially damaging the drivers.  Remember how a horn works normally -- you would get just the opposite effect with a wide mouth opening allowing a lot of air in and then increasing pressure as the air moves into the horn.  At 60 mph, that could be significant.

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Got the LS home safely with no issues using a Suburban. They fit nicely on their sides and were protected with blankets all around.

 

I don't have them hooked up yet. I cleaned them up with some OrangeGlo furniture polish and the birch lacquer really shines. They are in really good shape. I may go ahead and replace the caps on the crossovers as I'm assuming they are not in spec after 40+ years. 

20170719_191412.jpg

20170719_191510.jpg

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I moved LS in a Subaru Forester and Chevy Blazer. Back seat folded down, a piece if 3/4 particle board from Lowe's cut to fit the space (covers the hinges, etc., on the floor and makes for a smooth entry). A heavy wool blanket and they slide in smoothly, crosswise on their backs between the wheelwells.

 

btw, congrats... they look nice.

 

Bruce

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On 7/19/2017 at 8:35 PM, sixsigma said:

I may go ahead and replace the caps on the crossovers as I'm assuming they are not in spec after 40+ years. 

Congratulations they look great. I would listen like that and then get new caps. This way you can appreciate the difference and know what it did.

 

It's what I did but just by accident, I just wanted to hear them first, I thought it sounded fine before but the change made a big difference. But I had some really bad caps, the caps looked terrible so this may have been a bigger problem than yours. One cap was even wet, I was surprised they still sounded that good before being fixed. It was a split LaScala top I built and they were bought knowing the caps would get fixed. It was AA crossovers. 

 

They do look really nice, hard to believe they look that good for 40 years old, someone really took care of them. 

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With that curved grill moldings I do not think from 70s ....80s or later.....you got pic of serial # that will tell for sure.

But they do look nice.....you will love them. The reason I'm pretty sure of the year I got mine in 1980 and then they came out with the better looking trim and I was kinda mad about it...lol

The earlier ones just had screen door type trim but the owner could have redone those like I did mine.post-7905-13819764526118_thumb.jpg

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They are 10Rxxx serial numbers, which means 1977 right? The serial numbers on the paper tags match what is stamped in the top edge of the back panel. They appear to be completely intact and original, but I suppose it is possible the trim was been modified. They are missing the Klipsch labels on the front, and wow I'm surprised how much replacements cost! 

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