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Klipsch Chorus 1 (you pick the vaneer)


jdaudio

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So I recently scored a pair of Black Klipsch chorus 1s for a magnificent price and I am looking to fix them up and sell them. They did not come with the risers, the covers are great except they are missing the Klisph metal logo and the vaneer was pretty scratched up so I am going to end up getting the vaneer redone(have a family friend who is an excellent wood worker). I am a college graduate student just looking to make some money off them and wondering if anybody was interested and if so what colors would be good? I was thinking of doing a two tone light/dark I have already upgraded the the tweeters to crites titanium tweeter. Just want to test the waters and see what ya people think. Located in Tampa, Florida.

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@jdaudio,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I like the idea of custom veneering.  Though I am not really interested for myself, do you have an idea what you might sell them for?  Maybe a photo or two showing the condition of the woofers.

 

5 hours ago, jdaudio said:

what colors would be good? I was thinking of doing a two tone light/dark

Maybe a natural cherry/walnut combo with a lacquer finish?

 

Good luck with this project and eventual sale.

 

Bill

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Honestly, skip the veneer work and sell them if that's your intention. You'll thank me later. Why waste money you will likely not get back. A proper veneer job could cost up to $1K if you aren't doing it and equal or exceed the value of the speakers. Even with free labor, you will easily spend $300 or more on veneer/ materials if you get the right stuff and everything you need. For example a 4' x 8' area of solid non paper backed veneer is more expensive than grade A veneered 3/4" ply (4'x 8'). Know what you're getting into. Chorus are very nice but not iconic like the K-Horn and certainly will never sell for as much if that is your intention. But they are a good buy at $1000 plus or minus on average depending on locale. So keep that in mind.

 

Anyway... even more to the point and I'm not picking on the OP here. I have lots of experience in this dept and you really want to use good quality non-paper backed veneer if you are gonna do it. Trust me, you don't want to use paper-backed..it looks terrible on corners and will be a fail. That stuff was meant to skin cabinet end panels on vanities and kitchen cabinets where its hidden by corner trim. The black factory Klipsch will look better than that stuff. And using non paper backed I found the ironing method with Titebond 2 the best way to go. Bigger pieces, at least in a few different tree species, are damn near impossible to lay down flat because of knots and branches in the veneer. So that rules out dowels and contact cement type glue methods with rollers. It will just split the veneer apart as you roll it and/or get voids underneath. I cut mine and bookmatch not using uneven veneer ares where knots and branches are. It is very difficult and tedious work cutting solid veneer. A new blade is a must all the time to make perfect cuts with many light passes of the blade to score it along a long metal straightedge. No problems that way but it is time consuming. If you try to cut it in one pass, your knife will just follow the grain and not the straightedge. I've been a finish carpenter for over 2 decades and will say that you need above average skill and experience to do a nice job on this. And re-veneering them isn't gonna double their value or anything like that. Cosmetic condition does have some affect on value but not really as much as you are thinking. Some folks are particular but really most aren't in my experience. Best to leave things original if selling and let the buyer decide. That's my advice.

 

What I would do is use an epoxy filler applied flat with a putty knife on the scratches (leaving no excess anywhere around the scratch- clean it off if need be) and touch up (mist over) with a quality black lacquer. Like one step above a flat black with just a hint of sheen.That seems the most obvious route. Or re-shoot the whole cabinet with black lacquer after repairs. Though I've never found that necessary unless there is a lot of paint damage. Black is a very forgiving finish for repairs. Easy to hide blemishes and much less expensive too. I can't remember what I used on my black K-horns but it was just plain old black lacquer rattle can from a hardware store. Nothing special but it dried fast, was sandable quickly and extremely durable. It builds up nicely too. It made flawless and undetectable repairs. Even close up it was difficult to pick out repairs. Make sure it is lacquer though. Even if you have to go to a paint store to be 100% positive. It really makes a big difference on durability. Sometimes hardware folks are clueless about that stuff.

Edited by hatrack1971
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4 hours ago, willland said:

@jdaudio,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I like the idea of custom veneering.  Though I am not really interested for myself, do you have an idea what you might sell them for?  Maybe a photo or two showing the condition of the woofers.

 

Maybe a natural cherry/walnut combo with a lacquer finish?

 

Good luck with this project and eventual sale.

 

Bill

I was thinking around 900 ish range given the upgraded tweeters and brand new vaneer but im still not sure about the pricing. Will get pictures up later today once I get home but the fronts on them look perfect its just the vaneer that need help. 

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2 hours ago, hatrack1971 said:

Honestly, skip the veneer work and sell them if that's your intention. You'll thank me later. Why waste money you will likely not get back. A proper veneer job could cost up to $1K if you aren't doing it and equal or exceed the value of the speakers. Even with free labor, you will easily spend $300 or more on veneer/ materials if you get the right stuff and everything you need. For example a 4' x 8' area of solid non paper backed veneer is more expensive than grade A veneered 3/4" ply (4'x 8'). Know what you're getting into. Chorus are very nice but not iconic like the K-Horn and certainly will never sell for as much if that is your intention. But they are a good buy at $1000 plus or minus on average depending on locale. So keep that in mind.

 

Anyway... even more to the point and I'm not picking on the OP here. I have lots of experience in this dept and you really want to use good quality non-paper backed veneer if you are gonna do it. Trust me, you don't want to use paper-backed..it looks terrible on corners and will be a fail. And using non paper backed I found the ironing method with Titebond 2 the best way to go. Bigger pieces are damn near impossible to lay down flat because of knots and branches in the veneer. I cut mine and bookmatch. It is very difficult and tedious work cutting solid veneer. A new blade is a must all the time to make perfect cuts with many light passes of the blade to score it along a long metal straightedge. No problems that way. I've been a finish carpenter for over 2 decades. And re-veneering them isn't gonna double their value or anything like that. Cosmetic condition does have some affect on value but not really as much as you are thinking. Some folks are particular but really most aren't in my experience. Best to leave things original if selling and let the buyer decide. That's my advice.

 

What I would do is use an epoxy filler applied flat with a putty knife on the scratches (leaving no excess anywhere around the scratch- clean it off if need be) and touch up (mist over) with a quality black lacquer. Like one step above a flat black with just a hint of sheen.That seems the most obvious route. Or re-shoot the whole cabinet with black lacquer after repairs. Though I've never found that necessary unless there is a lot of paint damage. Black is a very forgiving finish for repairs. Easy to hide blemishes and much less expensive too. I can't remember what I used on my black K-horns but it was just plain old black lacquer rattle can from a hardware store. Nothing special but it dried fast, was sandable quickly and extremely durable. It builds up nicely too. It made flawless and undetectable repairs. Even close up it was difficult to pick out repairs. Make sure it is lacquer though. Even if you have to go to a paint store to be 100% positive. It really makes a big difference on durability. Sometimes hardware folks are clueless about that stuff.

Thanks for the tips! I will definitely make sure not to use paper back! I got them for very cheap as the guy was just trying to get rid of them and didnt really know what he had. Even if I put 300 into them I could sell them for a decent profit but I will heed your warning for sure and concider the alternative of putting them up for sale and letting the buyer decide. The vaneer on both tops is already coming off a bit as well in other spots missing vaneer completely and one corner dented. Function wise they are perfect and have really turned me onto klipsh as even in my 12x16 room they sound magnificent. I have always heard people complain about how the horns can be harsh but I find the speakers to be very easy to listen to with a warm and wide soundstage. They definitely are easier on the ears then my JBL E50 that have been my mains for a while. Will post pictures later. Dont know exactly what to price them as is so maybe you have some thoughts on that.

 

Thanks again for the reply and taking your time to respond. It is greatly  appreciated 

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Where the veneer is coming off, you might try to apply a hot iron (highest setting- no water) and see if it re-adheres. If you can, seep a little light layer of wood glue in there evenly beforehand and let it dry to the touch (usually about 45-60 minutes). The heat of the iron will reactivate it. Put a white t-shirt or piece of white cloth in between the iron and the veneer so as to not cause further scratching. Might get lucky and it will permanently stick the veneer again. Fill the corners with the highest grade epoxy filler you can find. The two part gel like stuff that dries as hard as a rock. Fill it a little over and sand or file it flush. Then touchup with black lacquer.

 

I don't see any reason why you couldn't get them looking new again in black. Feel free to PM me about any step of the process if you have questions. You should've seen the trashed out black LaScalas I fixed. I really wish I would've taken pictures.

Edited by hatrack1971
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13 minutes ago, hatrack1971 said:

Where the veneer is coming off, you might try to apply a hot iron (highest setting- no water) and see if it re-adheres. Put a white t-shirt or piece of white cloth in between the iron and the veneer. Might get lucky. Fill the corners with the highest grade epoxy filler you can find. The two part gel like stuff that dries as hard as a rock. Fill it a little over and sand it flush. Then touchup with black lacquer.

This Is what the fronts look like when I took the tweeters out to put in the Crites tweeters.

60222378963__AD71D0C7-B4D3-4840-BC68-98D8B5C7D8A4.JPG

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Gotcha. I would also agree about selling them as-is. There is a risk the veneer job doesn't turn out (not knocking your friend at all), and it doesn't add much to the value. When you buy a house that needs some work, you don't ask the owner to take care of it you ask for a better price so you can make sure the work was done the way you want. At least that's how I would approach it.

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First off....it's "veneer"....not vaneer.

 

And I am in the boat that you should sell them like they are.  Let someone else decide what looks good on them and leave them black satin as they sit.  Someone else might like black satin and just repaint them.

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12 hours ago, avguytx said:

First off....it's "veneer"....not vaneer.

 

And I am in the boat that you should sell them like they are.  Let someone else decide what looks good on them and leave them black satin as they sit.  Someone else might like black satin and just repaint them.

Of course on my first post I spell it wrong. I shouldn't post past 12am haha.  iaRVR you have a good point as well, I like the analogy and that's probably what I will do or at least epoxy the corner and paint it black as the veneer has no wood grain.

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  • 5 months later...

So it has been a while since I have posted but wanted to update the thread with what I decided to do. Long story short is one is reveneered and the other one is on its way right now. Will most likely be selling them after they are finished. Crites tweeter and recapped crossover along with added tube ports and some acoustic foam 

IMG_6335.jpg

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6 minutes ago, RandyH000 said:

fantastic ---------post  the asking price - they will sell -------GLWS

I'm not quite sure what I should ask but a lot of work has gone into them to get them in the shape they are in and they are upgraded pretty much as far as they can be besides th crites midrange  which hasn't been in stock for a while. I was thinking around 1100 obo

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