New to me 1978 La Scalas - Questions and Looking for Ideas

[Peacemaker]

After spending the past year looking for a single used La Scala to use as a center channel in our home theater, I was lucky to find a pair of La Scalas (1978) for sale locally this past weekend at a great price.
 

Overall, they are in average cosmetic condition and the drivers seem to work as they should. Regarding cosmetics, there are some chips and marks in the veneer on the edges and top plate. Also, they appear to be stained a dark walnut color. I believe they were originally raw birch based on the unfinished sections inside the bass bin cavity as well as looking up information on the serial numbers. This is something that I’ll have to remedy sooner than later because the contrasting colors stand out.
 

Any ideas on what to do regarding the finish for someone who doesn’t have wood working or wood finishing skills? Painting black maybe? Are there vinyl wraps that could work and look nice?

 

As far as the crossovers, do they need to be replaced and/or updated? The tweeters are the DE-120 and I have the originals also. 
 

Any other ideas or suggestions would be welcome. 
 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CWOReilly]

As for finish I’d go with black. A wrap would need a smooth surface to look decent, and veneer is even more work. 
 

As for the “mechanicals” (assuming everything works) just check all the connections by loosening and tightening them all. 
 

Then listen and enjoy!

[Peter P.]

I agree with CWOReilly.

 

The easiest path for someone with limited refinishing experience is to paint them black, after some wood filler and sanding on the blemishes. Duratex is a popular finish that hides a lot of scars, including the wood filler. Since it might be difficult to obtain a smooth finish on the the folded horn opening, I'd mask off the rest of the speaker then use flat black spray paint on just the folded horn opening. It would reach all the nooks and crannies there while leaving a uniform finish. Roll on Duratex for the rest of the speaker. Or, for a "classier" finish that would require more work, sand off the dark finish best effort, then use a black stain followed by the protective finish of your choice. Practice on the bottom or back of the cabinet, or a scrap of wood first until you're satisfied with your skills and techniques.

 

Unless the capacitors are visibly leaking or have significantly changed their value, I wouldn't touch them. Put the original tweeters back in, as Paul himself intended!

 

Oh; and show us your speakers after you've refinished them!

[OO1]

 0000 wool and diluted mineral spirits can remove the stain  , no problem at all  , then  a final sanding  , it's hard work , but it will look great  , or simpler , fix the chips with wood filler ,  sand smooth ,   primer and paint  black  satin , I would not use Duratex , it's just too damn ugly in a home .

 

[Dave MacKay]

13 hours ago, Peacemaker said:

Any ideas on what to do regarding the finish for someone who doesn’t have wood working or wood finishing skills? Painting black maybe? Are there vinyl wraps that could work and look nice?

 

As far as the crossovers, do they need to be replaced and/or updated? The tweeters are the DE-120 and I have the originals also. 
 

Any other ideas or suggestions would be welcome. 

 

My La Scalas were in similarly poor shape when I bought them. Now, in my opinion, they look great:

 

 

My suggestions would be:

1) Since your cabinets don't look to be damaged (broken corners, loose plys, etc.) you could remove the drivers and crossover and strip the existing finish from cabinets.

- Use bondo or wood filler to address any chips or other damage.

- If, after those repairs, the cabinets look OK you could consider re-staining them.

- If they don't look good enough, you could consider re-veneering ($$) or painting them.

- Duratex is a tough black paint that will give an industrial look. But it's not for everyone.  I didn't think that Duratex was appropriate for my room and used satin black brush-on paint from Benjamin Moore for the doghouse.

- If you search this forum you'll see other finishes (e.g., a piano black glossy finish) that others have done.

 

In my case, I added 3/8" baltic birch plywood to the sides, top, and bottom of the cabinets to address resonances and to provide a smooth surface for new veneer and then re-veneered the cabinets. I used Sapele veneer and Rubio Monocoat "Pure" as a finish. I thought that re-veneering the doghouse was beyond my ability so that I opted to paint it satin black. Although I did the veneering myself, I hired a painter to do the doghouse.

 

2) Get a can of Rustoleum satin black spray paint. Give the tweeter lens and squawker horn a light sanding and then re-spray them. You will likely find that a fresh coat of paint makes quite a difference in their appearance.

 

3) If it were me, I would recap the crossovers. Your La Scalas have AA crossovers, which are pretty good. However, caps go bad over time and yours are ~40 years old. It's time to refresh them.

 

4) Since your tweeters have been replaced with  DE120s (which are excellent), I'd look at replacing the tweeter lenses (horns). Since this forum doesn't permit discussion of modifications, you might want to visit the "Klipsch Korner" on the Audiokarma forum for a more open discussion.

 

5) Replace the gaskets between the squawker drivers and the horns. Replacements are inexpensive and available directly from Klipsch.

 

6) Replace the gasket (looks like weatherstripping) on the access panel to the woofer. Over time the gasket can deteriorate and turn to goo.

 

Refurbishing those speakers will be a fun project. Good luck!