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Belle Questions


Vince1966

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Hi everyone. 

Yesterday, by extreme chance was able to get a pair of beautiful WO Belle's,  (1978 if im right). previous owner had them from new and passed away last April. they have been in storage until now. The Niece did not want them and her husband wanted them gone NOW!

 

 I plan on keeping them and have 2 pairs of Heresey's one being WO. These are very dry and have some fading on the tops, overall they look exceptional except one veneer chip and a few minor scratches. I've not dealt with fading in walnut before and am wondering if Watco danish oil (I have used on my Super 7's) would be the best way to oil them or just a good BLO like the factory?

 

I plan on recapping the AA crossovers and have been reading about the Super AA crossover upgrade and wonder if anyone has went that path on the Belle's? if so a good parts recommendation and schematic. from what i see its a increase in the 13uf cap to 40uf and one tweeter cap bumped to 3.9 uf and a 10ohm resistor added to the mid circuit?

 

any good advice for fixing a veneer chip on the top corner? i will upload pictures soon. 

 

They sound ok but from experience with Crites caps for the heresey's i know the belle's will need it also, just want to see if the super AA is the way to go.  Thanks for any info and advice.

B05A4E71-0E41-4858-817A-2E5613B75372.jpeg

Edited by Vince1966
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My vote is to recap the AA and call it a day. For crossovers that old it is badly needed.

Then sit back and listen and enjoy for a while before doing anything else (for a while)

 Many LS out there led very hard lives, most Belles I have come across were treated much better. Your drivers may be in perfect shape.

I have a list of "upgrades" for later. But this one is a must and the first step.

(I have two pair of Belles)

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Thanks Mookie. Thats a very reasonable approach, no need to shotgun the works. when you have a moment i would like to see your list of upgrades. I'm going to get my cap order in with Bob. I have used Dayton Audio 1% caps with good results in many other recaps and in my Kadair corner horns. anyone give the DA caps a go in Klipsch's? Also thanks to WMcD for the Ad. 

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If you really want to hear a difference use higher quality film and foils not Sonicaps or Dayton's.  AuriCap Theta's, Jantzen or really good Paper in Oil (PIO) check Parts Express and replace the main coil with an Erse coil as well.  Better components will yield better results.

 

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Is the veneer chip just on the edge banding? If so this can be easily fixed. Using a clothes iron on a low setting you can heat up the glue holding it on and peel off the whole strip. Get some new iron on edge band veneer and like the name says iron it on. Cut(they sell inexpensive tools exactly for trimming edge band veneer) and lightly sand any glue remnants. Oil it up to match.

Oh and BTW I have used Watco successfully to refinish KHorns. I'm sure others will chime in both pro and con.

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As an accomplished wood worker I want to add one more important tid bit. After removing strip of veneer (as per babadono's directive) remember to clean all adhesive residue off of surface before adding new piece of edge banding. Unless the surface is perfectly clean edge banding will not adhere properly no matter how much you try. Many people give up frustrated for not knowing this.

 

I would also suggest taking your replacement edge banding to your local paint/stain store and have them help you dial in the correct color. They will begin with a quart  of custom stain for you. Take the old banding to the paint store along with your new banding you so they have an accurate way of formulating the proper color. With a bit of extra time and a little leg work, your Belle's will love you lots more!

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On 12/6/2020 at 8:21 PM, Vince1966 said:

 

 they look exceptional except one veneer chip and a few minor scratches.

 no point in taking out the entire edge  for a chip the size of a dime , you can fill in the chip with a piece of veneer and color match it -

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yes, its the edge banding. I will look into that, did not know it was iron on. did you use Watco rejuvenating oil or Watco clear Danish oil? going to pick some up this week just looking for the best to use. was just speaking to another speaker nut and he has a bunch of walnut veneer bits from many Klipsch, dynaco and other speakers he has redone over the years. he is going to bring me a sample of them to match. hoping to avoid a large repair to such nice speakers. thanks for all the advice. i will post a few pictures of the process and outcome. 

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1 hour ago, Vince1966 said:

We found some good matches on the veneer. Did not want to over sand it to fix the scratch. Looks pretty good and is not noticeable from a few feet.C23C7E67-D67E-4D68-80DA-5F79A836CFEB.thumb.jpeg.f15ee53dddca64c0e4e0b44166cc8865.jpegC23C7E67-D67E-4D68-80DA-5F79A836CFEB.thumb.jpeg.f15ee53dddca64c0e4e0b44166cc8865.jpeg
 

 

 

 

Yep you're the only one that will ever know its there. Good job.

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