questions about la scala's

[tuned4life]

i just returned from looking at a pair of la scala's about 30 miles from my home. hoping someone can answer these questions. i have a pair of raw birch 1982 lascala's and the ones i just looked at are very differant from mine. the ones i looked at are LS-BR serial# 2m624. i beleive them to be 1974 vintage. the first thing i noticed is that there is no access to the bass bin from the bottom. the crossover board is attached to another piece of plywood that looks like it maybe a cover to an opening to the bass bin. if there is an opening to the bass bin from inside the horn area how would you ever remove and replace the woofer ??????????????? it doesnt look like there would be enough room to get your arms in to remove screws. the tweeters have the round style magnets as do the mids. the thing that really discourged me is that the tops have exposed counter sunk holes with philups screws in them. the tops, front, and sides had been painted black and owner sanded the black off but you can still see black where he didnt sand down far enough. my question is this, did klipsch attach the top with counter sunk screws or did they use nails? im not sure but i think 1 tweeter may not be working. the crossover boards were installed in such a way that i couldnt tell what type they were. they may not even be original. in your experianced opinions what do you think these la scala's are worth in the condition ive described. i am watching a pair that are currently listed in baltimore area. i think they are 1977 vintage. would 1977 vintage have bottom access to bass bins? any info would be much appriciated, im seriously thinking about bidding on the baltimore lascala's but only if they have bottom access to bass bins. im grateful for the considerable knowledge you guys have. thanks

[Jeff Matthews]

The lack of replies is because you have described a set of things that is all over the place. Rather than ask what they are worth, you should say what you are looking to pay for some LaScalas and see if what you'd pay is in line with the ones you saw. I think you should have no problem holding out and finding some very good ones for around $1000-1200. Check Audiogon.com.

[Tom Mobley]

I've seen those before. I looked at a set in Phx for a member in

Cal. They were the same build. Others I've heard of

were in school auditoriums and the like. The top comes off

providing access to the woofer via the hatch cover you saw in the upper

section. Except for the visible screws they're just as good

as any other LS. If it really bothers you fill them with a color

matching putty and have a piece of glass cut to cover the

tops. As long as you avoid blowing the woofers with some

mega-watt amp you'll never have to dig the putty out of the screw

heads. And if you do, there will always be more putty.

PS are you familiar at all with how loud these things get

on a few decent watts? In home use, even pushy home use, I don't

think there's much danger of popping a woofer.

[Duke Spinner]

so,basically these are old industrial speakers, eh ..???

[Frzninvt]

Yes, the older La Scala's have the bass bin access on the top. Peter G. (psg) managed to get a woofer out of his. They would have the "AA" networks.

[colterphoto1]

Tuned4- better you got the funky box top than the funky AL crossover. You done good. Guess you could always fix a bottom access door for woofer if you ever wanted to putty up or veneer that top.

Look at it this way, you just saved a couple hundred bucks in crossovers.

Michael

[tuned4life]

as i stated i have a mint pair of 1982 raw birch la scala's. i had 1/4 inch glass cut to protect them. im pretty picky when it comes to cosmetics. i run my cornwall's and la scala's with marantz 2325's/4400's. i listen at low levels but there is some risk of a mishap. if i had to remove a woofer i would want to get at it from the bottom. thanks for your reply, i apprieciate it.

[tuned4life]

thanks to all for your input. the seller turned down my offer. it was hard to walk away from them being that they are so close. if he doesnt get any bids he might reconsider my offer. in the mean time im looking awful hard at the pair in baltimore/washinton D.C area.

[djk]

Top loaders may be converted to bottom loaders with some effort, and glue in a new top.

I paid $400 for the last pair of top loaders, repaired the tweeters, and had a furniture shop fix up the tops and finish them in satin black.

[CaptnBob]

Early LaScalas, as mentioned had the woofer access port on the top. (VERY early La Scalas have the access port on the side.) To get to the woofer, you A.) Take out the 16 or so screws holding the top on, making sure you remember which side goes to the front. B.) Disconnect the tweeter, squawker, and woofer leads from the crossover. C.) Unscrew the 6 screws holding the mouth of the midrange horn (the two on the bottom are the most fun) and the one screw supporting the back. Remove the horn. Remember it has an up side and a down side.D.) Unscrew everything holding the now exposed hatch plate. Carefully pry open - there was a gasket which could be very sticky or very solid by now.

E.) Lay the speaker cabinet on its back. F.) Carefully unscrew the screws holding the woofer in place and slide the woofer out. Reassemble in reverse order.

That wasn't so bad, was it?

You can see why PWK put the hatch on the bottom at the dawn of the disco era when people started regularly blowing La Scala woofers in clubs.

A fun fact to know and tell -older La Scalas with the top hatch are about 3/4" shorter than newer models.