CABINET REPAIR

[vnzbd]

I am looking for some advise on speaker cabinet repair. Today I received a pair of KSP-S6 that I had won on an Ebay auction. They were damaged in shipment. The bottom of one of the cabinets is crushed on the front lip under the right woofer. The seller is willing to assist in the cost of repairs. They were shipped Fedex ground, and I've been told it is up to a two month process for a result on a claim to them. I called our local speaker repair company but they don't do cabinets. I called three cabinet makers and got three different stories. New cabinets @ $300-400. Puddy and paint both cabinets for exact color match @100-150. Won't say how long finish would last painting over vinyl finish. And the third said the job was too small.I'm not the best finish carpenter,but I might attempt to do the repair myself. Does wood putty work well with mdf? Can the vinyl be painted? Any suggestions or prior experience stories with this problem is appreciated. Thank you Klipsch Forum experts!

[BS Button]

Make sure to use bondo type wood filler or putty. Do not use standard "wood putty".

[T2K]

I had a claim with Fedux a year or two ago and it took a coupla weeks to get a check, best I recall. I'd get my money back one way or the other and look for another pair. I have a new white KSP-S6 grill still in the box if you need one.

Always take plenty of good pictures of an item and while packaging the item. Fedux just luvs those pics when claim time rolls around.

Good luck to you. Your location in your profile would be beneficial to you.

Keith

[vnzbd]

Thanks for the replies.I will be calling Fedex today to get their story on refund/damage control. I missed out on many a set of the S6 on Ebay by being outbid at the last moment,so I am very reluctant to let these go.Thanks for the grill offer. the grill on the damaged cabinet is also dinged, I believe it can be fixed,but if not I will contact you for price and shipping. Thanks again.

[HarryO]

Fiberglass is a very good material for repair. MDF damage should be completely ground out and removed leaving only good solid MDF base to be repaired. If not, the damage will show up pretty quick the first time any pressure is applied to the original damaged area.

I had a pair of Carver Amazing Silvers shipped to me that were destroyed due to poor packing. I was ripped off by the sender and the only recourse was repair or trash the "Cabinets". Anyway, on the initial repair I ground out just enough MDF to reshape and fibreglassed over the damage so they could be repainted. It wasn't but a couple of weeks and the damage underneath started showing through the black gloss finish. I had to re-repair the original damage by removing all the damaged MDF and filling with reinforced fiberglass. Repairs held up fine then.

I don't like standing up for any shipping company but I will say that FEDEX is the only one of "The big three" I've had any satisfaction with on claims. Two claims and both were settled in a professional and very timely manner. UPS has stuck me in the A$$ by using their typical list of excuses without even an attempt to investigate. USPS....well I shudder thinking of all the "hoops I have to jump through" dealing with their year long + claims process.

Make sure you save all packing materials associated with the shipping and throw nothing out if you're filing claim.

Best of luck in this situation.

Large speakers CAN be safely shipped when packaged properly. Corner and edge protectors work! Remember, nothing is safe from the shipping gremlins though.

Harry

[T2K]

Thanks for the replies.I will be calling Fedex today to get their story on refund/damage control. I missed out on many a set of the S6 on Ebay by being outbid at the last moment,so I am very reluctant to let these go.Thanks for the grill offer. the grill on the damaged cabinet is also dinged, I believe it can be fixed,but if not I will contact you for price and shipping. Thanks again.

Remove the grill and lay it face down of a hard flat surface. According to the size of the ding in the grill, use a rigid flat object slightly larger than the area needing repair. Use your thumb to gently push down on the object and thereby the ding. The pushed-in area should flatten(is that a word) out conforming to the surrounding area. Using your thumb or finger only will tend to push out the metal grill farther than the surrounding area giving the repaired area the appearance of the surface of the moon. If necessary you could use a tack hammer if there is a crease in the grill gently striking the flat object (I used a piece of 3/4" thick yellow pine about 2" square).

I received a pair of white S-6's damaged a few years ago from a dealer in your area. The motor board of one speaker was cracked from one woofer cutout to the tweeter cutout. I returned them to the dealer. Long shot on them still having the one good speaker. If you would like more info send me an e-mail via this site. Post here in case I don't receive your mail and I will respond.

I do have 3 black KSP-S6's that have been used very little and have been stored for about 5 years. I may be willing to sell them, I certainly don't need them. But I like just having them and if I did sell them they wouldn't go cheap. I live outside Birmingham. If I can help you in any way let me know.

Keith