greg928gts Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 I have a pair of Khorns and I'd like to know what year they were made. The serial number on the left one is 18W309 and the serial number on the right one is 18W13. O.K., I'm just joking about the left and right thing! With the serial numbers not in sequential order, does this mean I don't have a matched pair? I notice that a lot of Khorns look like there's an extra reveal where the top horn section meets the bottom unit. Mine don't have that, there is simply the edge of the plywood that divides the upper and lower. I also notice that on a lot of Khorns, there is an extra piece of molding, or what looks like molding on the bottom front. Why these differences, and when were these changes implemented at the factory? Thanks for any information anyone can provide. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 year of manufacture 1981. What you are referring to is the B style cabinet with the riser between the upper housing and the bass bin...what you have is either D style OR a C style...D-style is birch plywood, normaly with no top panel on the upper section, and no riser between the two sections(this is the basic no-frills model)...C style is birch or another wood veneer...but has a panel on its very top, and has no riser between the upper and lower housings...the label will tell you the model style...KDBL or R....is K-horn decorator(D-Style), KC(XX)... is C style cabinet, KB(XX) is B style cabinet...last two letters are veneer type and finish type. All KB.. models came with kick-plate at bottom of bass bin, but not all C and D ones did. These weren't changes to the cabinet, but were different cabinet STYLES offered concurrently. Examples: KBWO is k-horn, B-style cabinet, walnut veneer, oil finish KCRL is k-horn, C-style cabinet, rosewood veneer, laquer finish KDBR is k-horn, decorator(basic model), birch plywood, raw(no finish) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Man, we're lucky to have the participation of Builder, who put in those years and knows this stuff from a PERSONAL perspective. I asked Santa for "PWK - The Life ..." and "The Guide to High End Audio" ... I think he's shipping them 2nd Day Air so Carrie will be thrilled to know that she accomplished so much with so little effort. BTW, I know some of us have "handles" but it's nice to know even first names if people are comfortable giving them out. Here we are trading opinions and writing stuff that would, on occasion, qualify for thesis papers, and it's done anonymously. You should probably all know by now that my handle, Chris Robinson, is just a cover. It's really John Jacob Jingleheimerschmitt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 HDBR, thanks for the useful information. My Horns don't have the risers and the serial number tags are halfway torn off. I though that I may have some fakes when I saw risers on others. Mine are a veneer, so I guess that explains the lack of risers. I was told that they are "tigerwood" which is what you refer to as zebra wood. Anyway, thanks again for all of the useful info. By the way, I almost got a friend of mine to buy a Harmon Kardon 730, he let it go at a buy it now price of $89!!! Next time one comes up cheap, I am going to jump on it for myself. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 thanks guys...most already know my name is Andy...I just try to be helpful when I can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuber Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 hummmm it must be Christmas, thought i would look for some info on the year of my old horns and hear you guys are discussing the subject, as usual i've come in late. perhaps mr. Builder can help or may i call you by your first name, ok, HD, the ser # is 5LXXX any ideas? Thanks Ebbineaser Sigfreed Bindertwine III (Bob) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted December 22, 2002 Author Share Posted December 22, 2002 Thanks for the information Builder. I guess I have a pretty basic set, KCBR, finished by Mr. L. Cheapo. I shouldn't complain too much, 5 years ago I traded a pair of La Scalas that I bought for $500 and re-finished too look like the commercial model with fiberglass, new paint, aluminum trim, custom made stickers. The dealer like them so much, he traded the Khorns for them. I had about 30 hrs. of labor and $200 in materials to refinish the La Scalas as a winter project. I love these speakers, but I would like to have a nicer cabinet. I'm not sure weather to re-finish and re-veneer, or sell and buy others. I think I'll start another topic and get some advice. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Tuber, The year of manufacture is 1972. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuber Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Thanks HDBRbuilder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Hi Builder Just for clarification my info sheet shows L as being the year code for 1973 and K as being for 1972. Is my sheet in error ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 From what I remember, the letter "O" OR the letter "Q"...or maybe BOTH were deleted in the alphabetic dating for that time period. Also, the letter "V" was deleted. THis was done to eliminate confusion when the serial numbers were hand-written on the labels back in those days. I have to sit here using my fingers and count back or forward from the letter "S" which is 1978 to derive my answers...LOL! And sometimes I am off a year...in one direction or another. There is a list that sometimes gets put up on here, but I HATE trying to make FUTILE attempts in this new BB format to even bother with trying to search for it!! So I may be wrong by a year if the letters fall below the letter "R" or above the letter "T". LOL! But at least I am real CLOSE!! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Greg, I have a pair of the KCBR's ... and while I was a little put off by their look, I've actually grown to prefer the way they look over the models with the standoff. Mine were in pretty rough shape when I got them ... The finish was yellowed, the edge veneer on the horizontal pieces was dried and chipping off, and the cloth was worn through in places. In other words, they needed some updating. I found the thread that kind of outlined what I did to rescue them. I'm very happy with how they came out with some elbow grease and $100 worth of material (most of which was grill cloth). Email me if you'd like some photos. I think they were lost during the BB conversion. Chris http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/dview.asp?forumID=71&catID=19&mtype=topic&postID=14849 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Sorry, the OLE didn't work. Damned BBS Search "Updated Older Speakers" for "Refinishing '76 Khorns" under "Chris Robinson" ,1/13/2002 12:55:00 PM ... It will come up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 "C"-style K-horns are in NO WAY cheapo! THey provide the listener with the SAME thing the "B" style models provide, they just lack the riser and an additional horizontal panel needed for the "B" style cabinets, which results in a cost savings to the purchaser, otherwise they are the same. Matter of fact, the "C"-style cabinet is RARER, due to the vast majority of K-horns being produced as "B"-style ones...if that is any consolation! The extra parts for the cabinet of the "B"-style can be easily added by the owners of a "C"-style cabinet if wanted...just an additional cosmetic touch is all it is. LOL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edster00 Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 With any luck at all this link should take you to Chris' thread, but all the photos are gone . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Ed, thanks ... Leave it to you to figure it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Istari Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Chris, Any chance of you reposting your before and after pick of the Kornerhorns??? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Well, I could try, but I'll probably consult with Kelly ... Not sure how he embeds all those pix in a live post. Think this BBS let's you post one at a time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Chris Robinson's 76 Klipschorns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted December 24, 2002 Author Share Posted December 24, 2002 Thanks Chris and Builder for your input. I was refering to the finish as el cheapo and not necessarily the cabinet style. I do like the look of the extra reveal on the B style cabinets, so I think when I redo mine, I'm going to add that. I figured it was just an extra piece of plywood under the horns to match the top of the C cabinet and a hardwood riser to lift it up. Up late tonight watching the Steelers manhandle the Bucs. GO STEELERS!!! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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