Dale W Posted December 18, 2002 Share Posted December 18, 2002 I can no longer stand looking at my birch lascalas, compared to my k-horns. here's the plan. 1) altec 511b horns / bought off e-bay and shipped already should see them early next week. 2)cabnet modification / I want to lay the lascala on the table saw with a jig and cut the head section off just at the level of the top board for the bottom bin. Then re-skin the sides and top with oak or cherry. leaving the lower inside bin too paint black for contrast. Due to the difficulty in skinning the inside of the v and back. Next step will be to built a head section the same syle as the belle , including the step ledge. What i need to know is how stable will the bottom bin be after i cut off the top ? Considering i'm going to re-skin the sides , i could drive in some pins or screws from the outside walls into the top board of the bottom bin if extra support of the sides is going to be needed. Any ideas or for-see-able problems i may encounter ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnorv Posted December 18, 2002 Share Posted December 18, 2002 Sell the LS's and buy something like these for the base. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=23794&item=930033483 Jim N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted December 18, 2002 Share Posted December 18, 2002 The problem you will have is gonna be two-fold. First, if you are gonna do this, then my recommendation is to go ahead and sand down the sides til you get through any finish on them...down to bare wood. Then take some good spread-on contact adhesive...like you get in the cans for laminate use. Take a piece of at least 3/8"...or better yet...3/4" thick baltic birch plywood and glue it to each side of the cabinets. Then use screws to secure it tightly to its contact adhesive...in effect you are reinforcing the sides of the speaker cabinet to eliminate any resonances there...that is one occassional drawback of the LaScala design...It could be a better speaker if its sides were thicker, or reinforced! Then you can veneer over this and apply some veneer to the front edges. You can also add a reinforcing decorative framework to the Bass bin sides in lieu of the previously mentioned reinforcement...a la what Shapeshifter has on his LaScalas. Either method will work just fine. The unwanted resonances occur due to the front edge of the bass bin sides not having any "body" to them...the rest of the construction is tight enough to eliminate these resonances...if/when they should occur. SOme people also put "wings" inside the bass bin to achieve this...more-or-less triangular pieces that go from the vertical center sides of the doghouse VEE to either side of it, attaching to the sides...this will also reinforce the front edges of the sides...a number of methods to choose from here. The other problem is this: At the top front edge of the bass bin, that top panel is inset about 3/4", so that the front panel, which is the mid-horn and tweeter motorboard, can be butted against it in the standard factory construction method. When you saw all of that stuff off the top end, you will have a 3/4"x3/4" strip of plywood left there. If you intend to veneer over it, that should pose no major problem, but be sure to use some bondo to fill in the voids and such in its plys showing and sand it all smooth before applying the veneer there. Also ensure that it is still securely affixed with glue to its panel after all the sawing is done...BEFORE smoothing it all up! For the sheet veneer, I would recommend one of those sandwich veneers that has increased stability...it has a thin layer of melamine on its backside, and this gives it stability and ease of application using contact adhesives. It also makes it much easier to cut without any or much chipping occuring to the veneer itself. Personally, I would just sell the LaScalas, once I had found a pair of split ones to purchase...and then just use the split bass bins for this project. Then you can always still have a standard top-housing left in case you change your mind later on. Or I would just build a new pair of bass bins to begin with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted December 18, 2002 Author Share Posted December 18, 2002 HDBRbuilder: Thanx for the heads up. I already own these lascalas and have for the past 12 years although i've refinished dozens of pairs for other guy's,I've done little but tung oil these ones.so they owe me nothing. If it is possible then i'm going to mod the snaut out of these ones, As it will olny cost me for the materials. I like your idea of straping the sides with another sheet, this will give me some added thickness to adhere the front skin to as well as strenthing the bin section. I'll definatly post a picture for the boys to cringe over when there beng run through the table saw. well theres one thing for sure, this is'nt the first klipsch speakers i've owned to see the table saw !! But i was a little more nervous cutting back the head sections of my k-horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 18, 2002 Share Posted December 18, 2002 I was doing this, I'd not take quite so radical approach. Braces for the bass unit, as described by Mr. Builder would be, for me, enough. On the top, I'd us a saber saw or router. But not to cut away the entire top. Rather, cut away the front baffle and the sides back about three inches. Then the remaining top would look like the K-Horn or Belle, where we see wood. My thought is that the 511 is like the K-5 (to my understanding) in that it doesn't have flush mount mouth, but rather is curved. This advice may be all wrong if my understanding is wrong. So after you cut back three inches, you can fabricate a board to fit. It will be like a front baffle recessed enough so you can mount the 511 in place and the front radius will not protrude beyound the front. Then you'll have to fabricate a mount for a wrap around grill. In any event, it would be nice to see results. Best wishes for the holidays. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted December 20, 2002 Author Share Posted December 20, 2002 Got together with my buddy the cabnit maker last night, went over the plans for lascala mods. He's far more aggresive when it comes to ideas and planing. Now the plans have changed a bit but your all going to have to wait for pic's to find out. (shock value) One clue to the extent of this project. It involves zebra wood veneer, HO HO HO have to build my own christmas present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted January 12, 2003 Author Share Posted January 12, 2003 Well just though i'd throw up a picture of the before project before cuttin starts. should see the 511b's this week , thats all i've been waiting for to start. The guy i bought the horns off had a hell of a time finding boxes and packing material but he finaly got them shipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted January 12, 2003 Share Posted January 12, 2003 I think you're foolish to cut up the LaScala. It only takes one 4 X 8 sheet to build a bottom, and 4 hours max for assembly. You're not going to use the K400 anyway. Two sheets of ply, $100, two new K33E, $200. Sell Lascala pair, $700~$1000. Doesn't add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 DJK has a good point here. If you do end up selling the LaScalas don't sell them for less then $1,000.00. I'm experimenting with my Klipschorn tops right now. If I like this change,and I do so far,I should get smart and build some bottoms and sell my two pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted January 13, 2003 Author Share Posted January 13, 2003 You all have good points , which i may yet consider. I've allready built the headsection and boy they look sweet, i copied or model'd them after the belle although they look a bit strage because there so long compared to the belle but still they look killer. The 511b horn is going to be exposed for all to see but the grille cloth will wrap around the corners and look the same as the belle except the cut out for the horn to stick through. The one thing that makes me want to use the bottom bin is andy's comment about strapping it with more timber to strenghten it and remove some resonace from the bottom. Maybe i'll end up building bins. Who knows . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Dale, I also actually hate to see you "butcher" a nice pair of LaScala cabinets for this mod-project. My recommendation would be to copy the LaScala bass bin section, instead...and add either the horizontal inner braces to the bass bin or reinforce the bass bin from the outside with either a framework tastefully done, or by using thicker plywood...or both. By building new bass bins, you can also utilize the factory veneered plywood of your choice in the construction, too!This way, if you are not satisfied with your mods, you will still have your original cabinets to go back to. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted January 14, 2003 Author Share Posted January 14, 2003 This is why i like the klipsch forum, i have and idea then i throw it out in the open for all to see and you guys give some honest feedback. Thats what it is suppose to be about. No one is wrong or right, everyone just has an opinion, which is great. Thanx again. The cabinet shop is down for repairs maintance and painting for awhile, so that will give me some time to research the bottom bin design and rethink my original approach. The one thing about not using the current frame work though is i'd have to buy X-overs , drivers and tweeters plus rewire the entire project. But on all of your sides there are lots of guys out there looking for a decent pair of used lascalas. I'm sure i'd have no problem finding a new home for these ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Hi guys, Here's some La Scala mods I think are super done by Bob Lemker. The squawker horn is the Altec 811. The hole did not have to be enlarged to fit the Altec in. Note the braces on the woofer. These were a major imporvement. The squawker / tweeters crossover is the same as in my Belles, an extreme slope design at 7500 Hz. The ALTEC horn is driven by a TAD. He has them bi-amped with an active woofer to squiawker crossover. AL K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigma Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 I have two LaScala bass units, which where used in a band. They are finished with a black wrinkle material. Condition is fair and I don't know if the drivers are working. I will sell if anyone is interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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