gearfreak Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Howdy all, Newbie here interested in purchasing some older early 70's La Scala's. As they appear to have been used thoroughly (or abused), and (re?) laminated at least once... They apparently were used by a band, so I am interested in knowing what structural/driver/overload pitfalls to look for overall. e.g. -Should I (somehow) inspect the horns for cracks or damage? -Do the diaphragms need to be replaced if old, or is it just a matter of 'they work' or they don't work' They both played, though the woofer in one seemed weak (remained such, in light of L/R switch of speaker cables at the amp and repeat of same test track) I believe the Mid's are K-55-V Networks are AA. Other description: -the laminate would need to be removed. I would probably do so and simply sand and paint, or is that Sacrilege? -Cane grillwork (stapled or tacked on) will need to be removed outright. I would not bother to replace. I assume I'd want to recap or replace (ALK etc) the networks. Hat anyone got a ballpark price on what their re-cap job on an AA cost them? (i.e. using moderate priced and not entirely esoteric $$$ audio caps etc) I plan to ask Klipsch support separately about cost/price for a replacement woofer... Feel free to offer a ballpark idea of what the value would be as-is if you have an opinion. I have no pics, but can describe from memory in more detail. Thanks for any input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 If they're that rough, you might want to wait until a better pair comes along, unless you really want to get involved with a project before you get around to doing some listening. With many things, from speakers to cars to houses, the fixer-upper often winds up costing more than the item in good condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 busted seams and delaminations are hard to fix, they will buzz like a cheap child's toy. Good advice from Islander, unless you just want these for band or garage use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearfreak Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Thanks All. Colterphoto1, Good point about the buzzing possibility. When you say seems - do you mean of the laminate only, or the cabinet's plywood itself? (I guess 'run away fast' is my obvious answer to the plywood aspect) I think (think) they are structurally sound at the plywood level. Unless there is some characteristic stress point that I should be looking for. Corners might be ground down from dragging or walking them. Will have to look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 they sound pretty bad....hope you don't pay more than 400 bucks for them....your better off making new cabs than dealing with the items you discribed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Maybe the cane grills can be saved. They are classic. On the drivers, for the most part, if they work the diaphragms are o.k. Sometimes on the older K77 tweeters (with the round magnet) the alinco magnet gets weak resulting in a low muted output. It's not a huge problem, probably easier to replace than get remagnetized if it's a problem. The AA crossovers will need new capacitors to sound right. Good news, it's not expensive and will essentially restore them to factory spec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Thanks All. Colterphoto1, Good point about the buzzing possibility. When you say seems - do you mean of the laminate only, or the cabinet's plywood itself? I think (think) they are structurally sound at the plywood level. Unless there is some characteristic stress point that I should be looking for. Corners might be ground down from dragging or walking them. Will have to look. By laminate, are you meaning something like melamine or formica? If so, that wasn't done by Klipsch, so that could be replaced. We were all thinking the plywood laminations (I think). If the cabs are structurally sound, dings can be filled and they can just be painted. $400 or less would be good... A new woofer would run about $100. You can order those from Bob Crites (BEC on the forum) and he can give you prices on recapping and cleaning up the crossovers, diaphragms, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearfreak Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Thanks all. The cane looks like somebody stuck thier foot through one and did a little hokey-pokey... The other was not much better. Too many rips to repair unless someone was really motivated. If I end up with them, I'll try to salvage it for someone. Fwiw: Going rate for the K-33-E (eminence) from Klipsch replacement seems to be $130. Thanks for clarifying the laminate question Marvel. My poor choice of words. Yes, what I was referring to I would assume is formica. I will do a search on 'cleaning' the diaphragms or try to contact Bob. Did not consider that cleaning was an option either. Good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I would maybe pay 300 usd for a pair to put in the garage in that kind of shape. Otherwise hold off for something prettier like Belles. [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 When you have the chance to check with Bob, ask him about K33 replacement speakers. He can help you for $100 a pop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtnfoley Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 My 1983 designer LS, lacquered birch, original cane grills, came to me in 9/10 condition, local pickup, via CraigsList, for $850. If the set you foundreally are as beat-up as you say then I'd cap out at $250-$300, and don't be tempted to do a Greg928-style restoration on them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 If one can get them for 250-300 bucks, the thing I would do in the case is flog the parts on eBay. Make a few bucks and throw away the cabinets if they are that trashed. Or find some cabinets in better shape to swap divers into. With Crites K33E non-cast woofers, Crites CT-125 tweeters, K401 horns, and K55V mid-drivers I managed to luck out on locally. With a pair of networks thrown in for no cost, I'm still into it 650 bucks. And that doesn't count all the sandpaper, minwax bondo, and the eight billion hours of hand sanding on these 1989 raw birch LaScala cabinets I got for free. They still aren't finished......I need to re-veneer the tops...and then maybe stain them dark... I'll be $800 into them in the end, and doubt I could ever break even. I do love that horn-loaded bass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 And that doesn't count all the sandpaper, minwax bondo, and the eight billion hours of hand sanding on these 1989 raw birch LaScala cabinets I got for free. They still aren't finished......I need to re-veneer the tops...and then maybe stain them dark... I'll be $800 into them in the end, and doubt I could ever break even. I do love that horn-loaded bass... Sometimes even free is no bargain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Sometimes even free is no bargain... Nope. I'd say one would be better off finding cabinets with drivers for a good price. I wasn't really looking for a bargain. I just came across cabinets in decent shape from a local audio friend and was curious to hear what the LaScala horn bass sound was like. With my homebrew 2A3 stereo SET amp, the bass is rather impressive sounding. Even in spite of the LaScala's bottom end promptly taking a nose dive at 45Hz in my room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearfreak Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks to everyone for contributing, especially the value assessments. As such I think I'll pass on these ones for now, or wait until the seller comes down on the price a bit. I've got some others to investigate as well... will post back what (if) I end up with some. Hopefully I'll be able to report on how some sound with my Almarro a205a SEP. cheers, gearfreak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearfreak Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 ...and now we have a pair of 19?? LSI BT's (industrial 2-piece La Scala's, Black Textured) ...and the bass bin mod threads are making my head hurt. First, tweeters and Crossovers though, will post anew to see what suggestions there are on opening up the trapezoids. thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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