TimFromMass Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 And again not to ask so many questions, but everyone here seems so helpful, if these were originally "raw birch" that means there was no extra finish on them? Meaning if I did want to repaint these I wouldn't have to sand anything away except for the blue paint he used and not any laminate or anything else, correct? -tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimFromMass Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Well I e-mailed the guy this morning, told him that if he agreed to $600 that I would drive up this morning and if they tested out OK I would I would drive away with them. He turned me down, saying he thinks that $750 price is something that someone will bite on sooner or later. I told him I would contact him next week to see if he's willing to negotiate. -tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 TimFromMass So Tim, I guess you are from Mass. I am in NYC. I can't imagine anyone paying 750 for LaScala's painted blue....the seller should take you up on your offer before you change your mind and offer 500 bucks. Does anyone have pic's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimFromMass Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Yeah I'm new to all this, but based on what I've been seeing across the country and on e-bay He does seem to be asking a little much. Especially since he painted them blue with all kinds of exterior mods that need to be removed. I'm pretty sure $600 is a fair price. Does anyone have any answers to my questions on x-over replacement cost, how to check (what to look for) in correct drivers, and if the raw birch means it wasn't finished with a laminate of gloss finish? Thanks for any help anyone can give to this Classic Klipsch newbie -tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 It depends on what they have for crossovers. They are probably one of the "AL" variants, which are not the best sounding. They can be upgraded, but frankly I don't think it's worth the cost. On the lower priced scale, I would go for a pair of "A" or "AA" crossovers from Bob Crites for $200 - $300 range. In the $500 range you can get a pair of ALK's. But you don't need to do anything right away, I'm sure they will work. AL's will bring $75 or more on ebay to help offset your costs. The woofers should be Klipsch K33 or K43. The K33 is the standard driver for the LS. The K43 is the industrial version, which can handle more power. The K43 doesn't go quite as low as a K33, but I'm not sure that makes any difference in a LS. Bring a knife or other sharp object with you to dig the stuff out of the philips head screws on the bottom of the cabinet. Then use a cordless drill to remove the screws. Even if you have to use a hand screwdriver, it's worth it. Most LS woofers have been replaced. You wouldn't believe some of the junk woofers I've taken out of LS's. It's no wonder some people claim the LS doesn't have enough bass. A flashlight and small mirror can be handy items to have too. Taking blue paint off a LS is going to be difficult, especially in the doghouse area. I asked, and he said they were painted as far in as he could reach. ARGGGHHH!! Why do people do this? This is why I wasn't willing to pay more than $1200 for all 4 delivered to me, just not worth the time to strip them down. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 If you strip them down, you'll find raw birch wood there. Although, I've stripped down LS's before and found a stray oak piece before. I guess if they were going to be painted, and there were pieces of oak plywood laying around, they got used. But I think that's rare. If you're sanding, you might go right through the veneer, so be careful. Wear a respirator. Remember the brad nail holes will show. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 I'm not convinced these are industrials til I see pic's. Just because someone nailed metal trim to the edges, does not mean they are industrials. The serial numbers are a give away. The industrials I have had did not have the serial numbers stamped in the usal LaScala position. Reason being, their is a cover board for the xover and horn area. The Insdustrials I have had have a small white sticker affixed to the plastic speaker wire mounting area. I think these are regual LaScala's with mod's to prepare for road use. Meaning...you can expect k-33's, AA xovers, etc. Industrials come in a few different forms. Two piece, one piece. Amoung the one piece, there's the plain sealed back type with out the trim and the type with the trim. The woofers in industrials are k-43 and the xovers are the AL type. If these are actual undustrials with klipsch installed metal trim, then you could forget the notion about removing the paint and just remove the metal trim and apply black slate sheets or other counter top sheeting and just re-install the metal trim. The viewable insides would be a little more of a challenge, but doable. I wouldn't waste my time veenering something that has blue latex house paint poured all over them. If someone wants to commue to NYC for a set of LaScala's not painted blue in the sellers price range...send me an email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtnfoley Posted May 20, 2007 Author Share Posted May 20, 2007 I'm not convinced these are industrials til I see pic's. <snip snip> I think these are regual LaScala's with mod's to prepare for road use. Meaning...you can expect k-33's, AA xovers, etc. This was my assumption. My first thought when I read "blue paint" was "Oh! The humanity!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigbyt Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 the crossovers have AA on the side. the metal edging looks like it was added later ,not factory. inside the doghouses where he couldnt reach to paint anymore the color of the wood is black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 "the crossovers have AA on the side." That and the serial numbers stamped on the cabinet in the left rear xover area tells me these are regular LaScala's. AA xovers, K-33's, etc. Industrial LaScala's have the serial number on a sticker attached to the plastic plate used for the speaker connection point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclonecj Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Both pairs of industrial Las I bought for the school had AA crossovers in them. Maybe they went to the AL later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 I have two piece industrial with fiberglass coverings and metal trim. They have AL crossovers, so not all LSI's have AA networks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimFromMass Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 -Update- I e-mailed the seller again last night telling him that I had the next two days off and could arrange transportation to get the speakers both days. I said my offer of $600 cash stands, and sited two examples of LaScalas that recently sold else where in the country on e-bay for within $80 of his asking price that were either in mint condition or close to. No refinishing necessary. He is still declining! A. He still thinks that Gigbyt is going to bite at his $750 price if he can sell his Heresies. B. He is convinced you can remove his extra paint with "paint thinner and a cloth" then plug the brad nails, and have these things ready to use in a home with "less than a days work". I explained to him a few of the things that would be necessary to make them fit for a home environment, and simply asked him how long he was wiling to sit the speakers. Geez. The frustrating thing is that he isn't just declining the $600 offer, but sticking to the $750 price hard. He hasn't even counter offered at $675 or anything, I mean I would probably say yes to $650 if they were in good working order. -tm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 "He is convinced you can remove his extra paint with "paint thinner and a cloth" then plug the brad nails, and have these things ready to use in a home with "less than a days work". " No way...not even if you soaked them in a tank of thiner...your in for alot of manhours of work and as some have found...it would be less work just to make new cabs from scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimFromMass Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 That's what I tried to tell him, but he's living in a fantasy world where he can get $750 for these speakers -tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 This may be a mixed blessing if you get them. I am not raining on anyone's parade but there are a few red flags here. So caution is in order. The cabinets have not been fired up & listened to (some excuse about nothing to hook up...). If they were serious about selling them for $750, they would have rigged something up. So the issue of whether they are k33 or k43 is not the critical one. There is no evidence that any woofer is in there or that it works. Likewise we do not know if the other drivers and diaphragms are functional. The crossover may not be that big of a deal. If it is an AA, you can pick up the Solen caps for about $15 per side. However, this assumes that the autoformers and inductors are okay (again no one has listened to these). If it is one of the later AL versions (not the first), that is probably okay also, with fresh caps. So the idea of a couple of hundred bucks for crossovers is premature. I would be more worried about the drivers. I bring this up since the seller was not straight about the lineage of these cabinets and eventually mentioned that they had been used by a "guy in a band". This is another red flag. Those drivers may have been driven hard. If they were moved around a great deal (if used in the band's PA for instance), then the Alnico magnets may need to get re-charged (another expense). I believe alnico was used in this vintage. Last, as has already been mentioned, is the finish. This could be a great deal of work. If they are birch underneath, then it may not be worth getting the paint off. Patching, sanding and veneering could be the realistic option (or taking them to an auto body shop for a piano black finish). Please keep in mind that the surfaces need to quite smooth and square for the veneer or gloss finish. In either case there is a great deal of prep work and I am not sure what you "comfort level" is on this stuff. I am not being entirely negative. Even if you dif have to spend some money & time on veneer, caps, diaphragms, woofers (worst case scenario), they could end up looking and sounding absolutely stunning. I just think this may end up being a fairly large project. In either case, good luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigbyt Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Hello Tim, You can inform this guy that i'm (gigbyt) not going to bite on these for 750.00 if you'd like. There are too many variables in these speakers for my limited experience. Plus he flat out LIED to me about the lineage!!!. he was quite surprised actually when i pointed out the serial number stamped into the cabinet and showed him the print out of the date codes and that they were 32 years old! not fifteen as he had just told me. Oh and just a bit more info on these, they are stored outdoors under a shoddy looking tarp on small concrete area outside his apartment, so they are exposed to the weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimFromMass Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Yeah, I've decided against these. The guy was very unpleasant to deal with, and is in some serious denial about what these speakers are. I never told him about this forum, or you specifically (gigbyt), he just mentioned a guy who was looking to sell his Heresys. He never came out and told me about the serial #s even though I repeatedly asked him to look (and he knew where they were!). Also, I offered to bring gear to hook them up to, and still he refused. Over all I think he will be lucky to sell them at all with his attitude, never mind at his price. On a positive note, if you read in my other thread I have decided to purchase a pair of Speakerlab K-horns from a guy in VT. Should be going to pick them up next week. -tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Yeah, I've decided against these. The guy was very unpleasant to deal with, and is in some serious denial about what these speakers are. I never told him about this forum, or you specifically (gigbyt), he just mentioned a guy who was looking to sell his Heresys. He never came out and told me about the serial #s even though I repeatedly asked him to look (and he knew where they were!). Also, I offered to bring gear to hook them up to, and still he refused. Over all I think he will be lucky to sell them at all with his attitude, never mind at his price. On a positive note, if you read in my other thread I have decided to purchase a pair of Speakerlab K-horns from a guy in VT. Should be going to pick them up next week. -tim You won't be sorry............Frzninvt will do you right.........he's not..[bs]....He will tell you straight up..........No hidden surprises............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigbyt Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 E-mailed the seller today for the hell of it to see if they are still available. he replied that all four are sold and being picked up today. anyone from here get them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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